BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a thin film affixing device and, in particular, to a thin film affixing device used when a thin film, such as a cosmetic sheet, is affixed onto an adherend surface (the skin in the case of a cosmetic sheet).

2. Description of the Related Art

Techniques for making discolored areas of the skin, such as patches in the cheek, unnoticeable have been developed (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-43836). According to the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-43836, a discolored area of the skin is first identified by using a captured image of the skin. Thereafter, a cosmetic sheet (a thin film) which can be affixed to the skin and on which the color of a non-discolored area is printed is generated so as to have a size equal to or larger than the discolored area. By attaching the cosmetic sheet generated in this manner to the skin, the discolored area of the skin can become unnoticeable.

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 62-180000 describes a thin film affixing device (a transfer tool) for affixing a thin film to a surface (a transfer surface). In such a thin film affixing device, a thin film affixed to and held by an adhesive layer formed by the thin film affixing device is pressed against an adherend surface.

SUMMARY

According to the thin film affixing device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 62-180000, it is difficult to perform an affixing operation while checking the positional relationship between the thin film and the discolored area in the direction in which the thin film is pressed against the adherend surface (hereinafter the direction is referred to as a “pressing direction”). Consequently, the thin film may not be affixed to the adherend surface with high accuracy.

In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed here feature a thin film affixing device for affixing a thin film to an adherend surface. The thin film affixing device includes a transparent main portion having a first surface and a second surface, where the first surface has a temporary adherend portion that allows the thin film to be temporarily attached thereto, a holding member that holds the main portion so that the first side is viewable from the second side through the main portion and the temporary adherend portion is capable of pressing against the adherend surface, and a transparent hydrophilic layer formed on the first surface of the main portion so as to serve as the temporary adherend portion.

According to the present disclosure, a thin film can be affixed to an adherend surface with high accuracy.

Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings. The benefits and/or advantages may be individually obtained by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, which need not all be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and/or advantages.

