Decorative charm
A decorative charm attaches to a shoe, garment, or clothes accessory. A charm includes a base element having a bottom and a top; a hook mechanism having first and second hook elements attached to the bottom; and an attachment element formed of an elastic material. The attachment element can engage the first hook element, stretchably extend around a continuous portion of a shoe, garment, or clothes accessory, and thereafter engage the second hook element, all of which cooperatively secures the charm to the shoe, garment, or clothes accessory by firmly holding the continuous portion between the attachment element and the base element.
This disclosure is related to, incorporates by reference in its entirety, and claims the priority benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/465,554 entitled “Shoe Charm,” filed on Mar. 21, 2011 by Kathleen Kyser Van Dyne.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to wearable accessories, and more particularly, to decorative charms for shoes, garments, and clothes accessories.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWearable accessories can be decorative items worn on a person's body or clothes, and provide decorative utility. Clothes and shoes charms can be attached to a person's clothes or shoes in myriad ways. One way includes passing a shoe string through a continuous portion of a charm, thereby securing the shoe charm to a shoe. Another way includes passing a rigid portion of a charm through an aperture of a shoe, also resulting in the securing of the shoe charm to a shoe. Yet another way includes a pin and a catch, in which the pin is used to puncture a shoe or material with the catch being used to secure the material between the charm and the catch.
Deficiencies in these prior solutions include the following: parts of attachment mechanisms can break or be lost giving rise to expensive repair or replacement thereof; attachment elements can create discomfort; attachment elements can damage materials; and such elements can causing injury.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a decorative charm.
It is another object of the invention to provide a decorative charm that can be worn on a person's shoe, garment, or clothes accessory.
In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention can be embodied in a decorative charm that can be attached to a shoe, garment, or clothes accessory, and can include the following: a base element having a bottom and a top; a hook mechanism, attached to the bottom of the base element, and having a first hook element and a second hook element; and an attachment element formed of an elastic material.
The attachment element can be adapted to engage the first hook element and then to stretchably extend around a continuous portion of a shoe, garment, or clothes accessory, and to thereafter engage the second hook element. This arrangement can result in the attachment element securing the charm to the shoe, garment, or clothes accessory by firmly holding the continuous portion between the attachment element and the base element.
These and other exemplary aspects of the present invention are described herein.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not in limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying figures. It should be kept in mind that the following described embodiments are only presented by way of example and should not be construed as limiting the inventive concept to any particular physical configuration, material, or order not expressly stated as “necessary.”
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention can be embodied in a decorative charm that can be attached to one of a shoe, a garment, and a clothes accessory, and can include the following: a base element, a hook mechanism, and an attachment element formed of an elastic material.
According to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, a continuous portion 440 can include any portion that is continuous, and around which attachment element 420 would extend and contact, such as, for example and not in limitation, a strap, an eyelet defining portion, or a main body portion.
Referring back to
In another exemplary aspect, base element 110 (and hook elements 232, 234) can be formed from any desired material, such as any type of plastic, metal, wood, or glass. In still yet another exemplary aspect, a base element 110 can be provided with one or more decorative elements, such as gems, crystals, icons, emblems, etc. on its top 112 to provide decorative utility.
Referring back to
In still yet a further exemplary aspect of the present invention, attachment element 220 can be elastic or inelastic. In one exemplary embodiment, attachment element 220 can be an elastic band, such as for example and not in limitation, rubber bands utilized in conjunction with braces for teeth.
In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a charm as described herein may be utilized in conjunction with various types of garments, such as shirts, pants, dresses, etc. Further, a charm may be utilized with clothes accessories in a supplemental manner, such as with a purse, bag, belt, watch, bracelet, necklace, ear ring, etc. To make clear, the present invention may provide decorative utility when utilized with other items in addition to a shoe or shoes. In another exemplary aspect, the present may also be attached to a person's body, such as to a user's wrist, ankle, hair, ear, etc.
It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the manner of making and using the claimed invention has been adequately disclosed in the above-written description of the exemplary embodiments and aspects. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific embodiments, aspects, arrangement, and components shown and described above, but may be susceptible to numerous variations within the scope of the invention. Moreover, particular exemplary features described herein in conjunction with specific embodiments and/or aspects of the present invention are to be construed as applicable to any embodiment described within, enabled hereby, or apparent herefrom. Thus, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in a broad, illustrative, and enabling, rather than a restrictive, sense.
Further, it will be understood that the above description of the embodiments of the present invention are susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A decorative charm for attachment to one of a shoe, a garment, and a clothes accessory, comprising:
- a base element having a top and a bottom;
- a hook mechanism, attached to the bottom of said base element, and having a first hook element and a second hook element; and
- an attachment element formed of an elastic material;
- wherein said attachment element is adapted to engage the first hook element, to stretchably extend around a continuous portion of the one of a shoe, a garment, and a clothes accessory, and to thereafter engage the second hook element, such that said attachment element secures the charm to the one of a shoe, a garment, and a clothes accessory by firmly holding the portion between said attachment element and said base element.
2. The charm of claim 1, wherein said base element includes at least one decorative element attached to the top so as to be visually exposed.
3. The charm of claim 1, where at least one of the first hook element and the second hook element is angled inwardly.
4. The charm of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first hook element and the second hook element is rounded.
5. The charm of claim 1, wherein said base element has a concave shape.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 21, 2012
Publication Date: Sep 27, 2012
Inventor: Kathleen Kyser Van Dyne (Cape Coral, FL)
Application Number: 13/506,024