Adornment Assembly Linked by Clasp Members

Abstract

An adornment assembly linked by clasp members is described. The present invention comprises a plurality of basal bodies, each comprising a hook on one end and an extending member. The present invention has a simple structure, allowing easy and convenient assembly and disassembly of basal bodies without use of an additional device such as a specially designed tool or instrument as required for existing products. At the same time, the present invention allows a secure assembly until a user rotates a basal body to dissemble. Therefore, the present invention satisfies customers' desires for versatile designs and for following rapidly changing jewelry trends.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Chinese Patent Application no. 200620067570.3, filed Nov. 13, 2006, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

Aspects of the present invention relate to adornments and more particularly to an adornment assembly linked by clasp members.

2. Background

There exist adornments with various patterns and colors. As fashion trends change, adornments change rapidly in order to satisfy customers' demands. Furthermore, customers have varying tastes and their tastes frequently change. As a result, adornment designers and manufactures need to launch new products more rapidly to satisfy the customers' rapidly changing demands. Thus, a need exists for adornments that are versatile and thus novel at all times to satisfy customers, designers and manufacturers.

Components of traditional adornments are connected with each other by an extraneous device such as a specially designed tool or instrument used to facilitate the connection, which makes the assembly of the adornments inconvenient to users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an adornment assembly linked by clasp members, which is simple in structure, and conveniently assembled and disassembled without using an additional tool as required in existing products. Therefore, the present invention satisfies customers' desires for versatile designs and for following rapidly changing jewelry trends.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an adornment assembly linked by clasp members comprises a plurality of basal bodies linked with each other. Each basal body further comprises: 1) an inverse-trapezoidal vertical section; 2) a first inclined surface of the basal body which extends to form a cambered hook having an open end extending towards the first inclined surface; and 3) a second inclined surface of the basal body wherein the second inclined surface is provided with a horizontal extending member, which can have inserted into it the hook of a next basal body and includes a hole/aperture thereon for the open end of the hook of the next basal body to be inserted. This connection between the hook of a basal body and a hole or aperture of another basal body serves as the clasp member, which provides for the basal bodies to be held together.

In assembling basal bodies, the extending member with a hole of a first basal body is penetrated by the hook of a second basal body thus causing its first inclined surface to touch the bottom of the first basal body. The inserted second basal body is rotated to cause its hook to rotate along the wall of the hole of the first basal body, thereby resulting in the linkage of the two basal bodies. Since the hook is cambered, and its open end extends towards the first inclined surface, the hook remains securely locked. The basal bodies can be easily and conveniently linked without any additional tool. The basal bodies can each contain an unlimited amount of different adornment or designs. Thus the adornment assembly of the present invention is versatile so as to satisfy the demands of customers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the extending member of a basal body includes a concave portion on the upper wall surrounding the hole located at the extending member. The concave portion helps the open end of the hook of another basal member to enter into the hole along the concave portion. Combined with the concave portion, the extending member may be thicker in order to further secure the connection between the basal bodies.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a terminus end of the open end of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body, which makes for more precise alignment with the hole in the second basal body, thus enabling easier and more convenient insertion into the extending member of another basal body, while decreasing the gap between the terminus end of the hook and the first inclined surface to ensure a secure connection.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a different adorning layer is arranged on each basal body, thus allowing various design patterns on the adornment assemblies to be combined to satisfy the demand of customers.

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide for a simple structure, allowing for easy and convenient assembly and disassembly without any additional tool. The components of the adornment assembly remains securely locked until a user rotates a basal body to disassemble. Upon rotating a basal body to a particular angle, the components of the adornment assembly can easily be disassembled. The adornment assembly in accordance with the present invention is reconfigurable to an unlimited combination of designs.

These and other embodiments of the present invention are further made apparent, in the remainder of the present document, to those of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more fully describe embodiments of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are not to be considered limitations in the scope of the invention, but are merely illustrative.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operational concept of an assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates an initial connection.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operational concept as shown in FIG. 1 and illustrates the connection completed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a basal body according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a basal body according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operational concept of an assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 5 illustrates an initial connection.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operational concept as shown in FIG. 5 and illustrates the connection completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The description above and below and the drawings of the present document focus on one or more currently preferred embodiments of the present invention and describe some exemplary optional features and/or alternative embodiments. The description and drawings are for the purpose of illustration and not limitations. Those of ordinary skill in the art would recognize variations, modifications, and alternatives. Such variations, modifications, and alternatives are also within the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention, comprising two basal bodies 1 and 2 having an inversed-trapezoidal vertical section. More numbers of basal bodies can be linked as desired. For example, more basal bodies linked linearly may form a bracelet and/or a necklace.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, two basal bodies 1 and 2, are shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation. A first inclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a cambered hook 3 on a first end of the basal body 1. The hook 3 has an open end 5 extending towards the inclined surface 11. The hook 3 naturally has an open section beginning from the open end 5 wherein the hook 3 can latch through. A second inclined surface 12 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a horizontal extending member 15 at a second end of the basal body 1, which can be penetrated by a hook 4 of a second basal body 2, of which structure can be identical to the first basal body 1. Into a hole or opening 7 of the first basal body 1, the hook 4 of the second basal body 2 is capable of crossing at the open end 6 of the second basal body 2. Like the first basal body 1, a first inclined surface 13 of the second basal body 2 extends to form a cambered hook 4, which has an open end 6 extending towards the inclined surface 13. A second inclined surface 14 of the second basal body 2 extends to form a horizontal extending member 16, and a hole or opening 8 is provided before reaching the horizontal extending member 16. An adorning layer 9 of the first basal body 1 and adorning layer 10 of the second basal body 2 are respectively arranged. An end/terminus surface on the open end 5 of the hook 3 is parallel to the inclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1. Likewise, an end surface on the open end 6 of the hook 4 is parallel to the inclined surface 13 of the second basal body 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, in assembling, the first basal body 1 and second basal body 2 are rotated to insert the hook 4 into the extending member 15 of the first basal body 1, thus causing the inclined surface 13 to touch the bottom surface of the extending member 15. The inclined surface 12 of the first basal body 1 touches the bottom of the second basal body 2. The second basal body 2 is then rotated, causing the open end 6 of the hook 4 to be inserted into the hole 7, until the first basal body 1 and the second basal body 2 belong to approximately the same planar surface. As a result, the first basal body 1 is linked with the second basal body 2. The cambered hook 4 and its open end 6 extending towards the first inclined surface 13 minimizes the gap between the terminus end of the open end 6 and the first inclined surface 13 so that the extending member 15 remains securely locked inside the hook 4. For the same reason, without being rotated, the hook 4 will not be detached from the hole 7.

Additionally, the basal bodies can be easily and conveniently linked with each other without any additional tool. The adorning layer 9 and/or 10 on each basal body can be of distinct designs, thus the combined adornment assembly can be varied to satisfy the customers' demand.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention comprising basal bodies 1 and 2 having an inversed-trapezoidal vertical section. More numbers of basal bodies can be linked as desired. For example, more basal bodies linked linearly may form a bracelet and/or a necklace.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, two basal bodies 1 and 2, are shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation. A first inclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a cambered hook 3. The hook 3 has an open end 5 extending towards the inclined surface 11. A second inclined surface 12 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a horizontal extending member 15, which can be penetrated by a hook 4 of a second basal body 2, of which structure is identical to the first basal body 1. Into a hole 7 of the first basal body 1, the hook 4 of the second basal body 2 is capable of crossing at the open end 6 of the second basal body 2. According to the second embodiment, the extending member 15 further includes a concave portion 17 on the upper wall surrounding the hole 7. The open end 6 of the hook 4 of the second basal body 2 is inserted into the hole 7. A second inclined surface 14 of the second basal body 2 extends to form a horizontal extending member 16 comprising a hole 8 and a concave portion 18 on the upper wall around the hole 8. The operating concept of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment.

Throughout the description and drawings, example embodiments are given with reference to specific configurations. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms. Those of ordinary skill in the art would be able to practice such other embodiments without undue experimentation. The scope of the present invention, for the purpose of the present patent document, is not limited merely to the specific example embodiments of the foregoing description, but rather is indicated by the appended claims. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents within the claims are intended to be considered as being embraced within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An adornment assembly comprising a plurality of basal bodies for linking with each other, each basal body having a first end and a second end, each basal body comprising:

a first inclined surface of the basal body extending to form a cambered hook at the first end wherein at an open section of the hook, a terminus of the hook faces the first inclined surface;

a second inclined surface, on an opposite side of the basal body, extending to form a horizontal extending member at the second end, and having an aperture in the extending member for engagement with the open section of the hook of another basal body.

2. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein a wall forming the aperture at the second end comprises a concave portion on an upper part of the wall surrounding the aperture.

3. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body.

4. The adornment assembly according to claim 2, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body.

5. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein the basal body further comprises an adorning layer thereon.

6. The adornment assembly according to claim 2, wherein the basal body further comprises an adorning layer thereon.

7. The adornment assembly according to claim 3, wherein the basal body further comprises an adorning layer thereon.

8. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein a width of the hook of a basal body is slightly smaller than a width of the aperture.

9. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, comprising at least a first basal body and second basal body, wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on the second basal body, between the terminus and the first inclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of the hook with an aperture of the first basal body requires that the first inclined surface of the second basal body be positioned to touch a bottom surface of the extending member of the first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into the aperture.

10. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, comprising at least a first basal body and second basal body, wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on the second basal body, between the terminus and the first inclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of the hook with an aperture of the first basal body requires that the first inclined surface of the second basal body be positioned parallel to a bottom surface of the extending member of the first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into the aperture.

11. An adornment assembly comprising a plurality of basal bodies for linking with each other, each basal body having a first end and a second end, each basal body comprising:

a first inclined surface of the basal body extending to form a cambered hook at the first end wherein at an open point of the hook, a terminus of the hook faces the first inclined surface;

a second inclined surface, on an opposite side of the basal body, extending to form a horizontal extending member at the second end, and having an aperture in the extending member for engagement with the open point of the hook of another basal body; and

an adorning piece connected to a top surface of at least one basal body.

11. An adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein the adorning piece extends along the top surface of the at least one basal body and above the first end and second ends to cover the engagement a hook with an aperture on the basal body.

12. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein a wall forming the aperture at the second end comprises a concave portion on an upper part of the wall surrounding the aperture.

13. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body.

14. The adornment assembly according to claim 12, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body.

15. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein a width of the hook of a basal body is slightly smaller than a width of the aperture.

16. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, comprising at least a first basal body and second basal body, wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on the second basal body, between the terminus and the first inclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of the hook with an aperture of the first basal body requires that the first inclined surface of the second basal body be positioned to touch a bottom surface of the extending member of the first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into the aperture.

17. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, comprising at least a first basal body and second basal body, wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on the second basal body, between the terminus and the first inclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of the hook with an aperture of the first basal body requires that the first inclined surface of the second basal body be positioned parallel to a bottom surface of the extending member of the first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into the aperture.