Wrapped Jewelry Assembly

Abstract

A wrapped jewelry assembly, which may be worn as a bracelet or necklace having removable elements enabling personalization is provided. The accessory may include a length of fabric, polymer, or metallic cord, at least one replaceable charm formed as a disk having a decorative face, and a clasp configured to aesthetically link any ends of the cord. A plurality of channels are disposed parallel to one another along a backside of the charm to threadably receive portions of the cord in order to maintain such cord in a wrapped configuration. Resilient rubber or polymer stoppers are disposed within each channel or alternatively placed to flank such channels to prevent the charm or charms from freely sliding along the cord.

Description

GOVERNMENT CONTRACT

Not applicable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT RE. FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK NOTICES

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights and trade dress rights whatsoever.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates generally to accessories and, more particularly, to personalizable bracelet and necklace assemblies having interchangeable features that enable securely wrapping portions of the assembly around a neck or wrist.

BACKGROUND

Some jewelry and accessories having interchangeable charms and other baubles are known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,882 to Johnson et al. teaches a personalizable pendant configured to vertically receive decorative beads which may be attached to ear hooks, clips, bracelets, necklaces or pins. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,262 to Ferrara teaches an item of jewelry having a mounting base to support slideably mountable and interchangeable gems or stones and metals commonly associated with fine jewelry. Problems, however, persist among such jewelry. Many of those available on the market, in particular, are configured in a manner either requires special instruments such as pliers to interchange personalizable parts or otherwise fails to prevent such parts from freely sliding along the length or chain that defines the circumference of the accessory. This can be uncomfortable for the wearer experiencing shifting baubles, unsightly in the event that such baubles move to an unaesthetic position, and even noisy and distracting as baubles interfere with one another.

One attempt to solve this problem is U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,625 to Heiden et al., which describes a chain configured to support interchangeable time-pieces such as a watch face. In order to prevent slippage, a threaded element is incorporated into a chain, and a desirable time piece may be configured to threadably mate with such element. This however, is deficient as it limits placement of the timepiece to a particular portion of the chain. Though additional threaded elements may be provided along the chain, such elements if unoccupied by a bauble or timepiece may undesirably interferes with the aesthetic of the chain.

Thus, there is a need for an improved personalizable jewelry assembly.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to wearable accessories and more particularly to jewelry such as bracelets and necklaces with replaceable elements particularly comprising a single chain or cord that is wrapped to appear layered.

For purposes of summarizing, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features have been described. It is to be understood that not all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment. Thus, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages without achieving all advantages as may be taught or suggested.

In accordance with one embodiment, a wrapped jewelry assembly comprises an elongated cord, a replaceable charm operative to secure the cord in a wrapped, or layered, arrangement, means for securing the replaceable charm in a particular position along the cord, and a clasp configured to link any ends of the elongated cord. For the sake of brevity, the wrapped jewelry assembly will be referred to collectively as the bracelet, though it should be understood that the assembly may take other forms.

To achieve this securely wrapped configuration, the replaceable charm may define a disk having a front decorative side and a back side, with at least a first channel and a second channel disposed parallel along the back side to threadably receive portions of the cord. In particular, a first end of the cord may be received through the first channel, then, the first end of the cord may be received through the second channel in the same direction as it was received through the first. In such an embodiment, the channels comprising the charm maintain the threaded cord in a looped, or layered, configuration, which halves the circumference of the bracelet and prevents the cord from undesirably unlooping itself. Additional channels may be disposed along the back side of the charm to enable additional secured looping and layering, and the threading action may be repeated to loop the cord for as many channels as may be provided. It is contemplated that longer cords may or may not be necessitated by the desire to effect additional layering. Indeed it is contemplated that providing a longer cord and/or additional channels may enable wrapping the cord more times to create a denser layered look. One skilled in the art, however, will recognize that the invention will not be limited by the length of cord provided. Indeed, it should be apparent that different lengths are widely known and practiced for bracelets and necklaces alike.

In an embodiment, the cord may comprise fabric, such as leather or woven natural and synthetic fibers, polymer materials, or even linked metals. In order to further maintain such cord threaded through first and second channels in the charm in a looped configuration, a first and second stopper member, at least, may be provided to frictionally prevent slippage. In one embodiment, for example, a first and second elastic o-ring, may threadably receive portions of the cord and particularly placed thereon to flank the first and second channels, elastically squeezing the cord on either side of the charm, and preventing the charm from freely sliding over such cord. In another embodiment, a stopper member may be respectively disposed within each of the channels to frictionally prevent slippage therein. It is contemplated that one, all, or any combination of the channels disposed on the backside of the charm may have a stopper member disposed therein.

In some embodiments, the charm may be formed as a disk, wherein the front side comprises a decorative face, including for example only and not limitation, an aesthetic arrangement of glass crystals or rhinestones, gems, and even stamped characters or other designs. In other embodiments, the charm may take other shapes. For instance, the charm may be formed as any polygonal shape, such as a hexagon or square, or even as any other shape having rounded or pointed sides, including combinations of the same. It is contemplated that forming the charm in accordance with any of these embodiments may operate to obscure any flanking stopper members from view, which may preserve the aesthetic integrity of the wrapped jewelry assembly when worn. This may also be achieved, for example, by providing a hemispherical charm, wherein a rounded portion may define the face and a flat portion may define the back side. Of course, one skilled in the art will recognize that disposing each stopper member within a respective channel also serves to obscure such stopper members from view.

Any charms, whether formed as a disk or not, are slidably replaceable over the length of the cord. Indeed, it is even contemplated that the cord may be threadably received by a plurality of successive charms, as desired, effecting increased opportunity for personalization. Providing stopper members for each charm along the cord may ensure that the charms are prevented from uncomfortably or even unaesthetically interfering with one another.

One or more of the above-disclosed embodiments, in addition to certain alternatives, are provided in further detail below with reference to the attached figures. The disclosed subject matter is not, however, limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the accessory assembly.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a close-up view of a clasp comprising the accessory assembly.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a close-up view of a charm comprising the accessory assembly flanked by opposing stoppers in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a close-up view of a charm comprising the accessory assembly having integrated stoppers in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

The disclosed embodiments may be better understood by referring to the figures in the attached drawings, as provided below. The attached figures are provided as non-limiting examples for providing an enabling description of the method and system claimed. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting of its scope. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without some of the details included in order to provide a thorough enabling description of such embodiments. Well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to that which is illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. Rather, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

With reference to FIG. 1 the wrapped jewelry assembly, or “bracelet” for the sake of brevity, may comprise an elongated cord 10 having a first and second end 12, 14, a clasp 20 operative to join such first and second ends 12, 14, a charm 30, and a plurality of stopper members 40a, 40b, configured to prevent the charm from sliding over the length of the cord. As may be seen in the figure, the charm 30 is particularly configured to maintain the cord 10 in a looped or wrapped configuration, causing the bracelet to appear layered, though only a single cord 10 is provided.

In accordance with one embodiment, the cord 10 may comprise any material as may be desired for its appearance, comfort, durability and other factors. For instance, the cord 10 may comprise decorative metal links comprising, for example only and not limitation, sterling silver, various grades of steel, gold, rose gold, various metal alloys and any other metal available for such purpose. Alternatively, the cord 10 may comprise natural or synthetic woven fibers, leather, and even polymer materials, including combinations of the same. Thus, one skilled in the art will recognize that the wrapped jewelry assembly will not be limited by particular materials comprising elements of such assembly.

Once the bracelet is securely wrapped as in the illustration, (a particular method for achieving this is discussed below), the first and second ends 12, 14 may be removably yet securably linked within a clasp. A detailed view of one embodiment of the clasp 20 is provided for example in FIGS. 2A and 2B. More particularly, it is contemplated that such clasp 20 may be formed to aesthetically complement additional elements comprising the assembly. Thus, when engaged, the clasp 20 may appear as another charm or bead secured to the cord 10. To achieve this, the clasp 20 may comprise a first concave half 22a hingedly connected to a second, opposing concave half 22b. Each half 22a, 22b may be releasably securable to the other to define a hollow interior 23. For instance, in the figures it may be seen that a tab 26 may be disposed on the bottom half 22b to resiliently secure such bottom half 22b a grip 28 disposed on the top half 22a, though of course other methods of securement are possible.

Each half 22a, 22b may be even further formed to securably retain a portion of one each of the first and second ends 12, 14 within the hollow interior 23. In one embodiment for instance, the first and second ends 12, 14 each define a cylinder terminating in a cone 24a, 24b. A depression 25 may be disposed each cylinder and may be grippable by the clasp, so as to maintain the cone 24a, 24b within the hollow interior 23 and a portion of the cylinder outside of the hollow interior 24. The broad base of each cone, then, prevents each end from slipping out of hollow interior 23. In other words, any furthest portion of the first and second ends 12, 14 may be cross-sectionally larger than an inner portion of the ends 12, 14 such that each furthest portion may be securely maintained within the clasp when the clasp 20 is engaged.

The gripping action may be enabled by defining a first and second aperture 27a, 27 as a notch, groove, or other opening, in a portion of one or both of first and second halves 22a, 22b of the clasp 20.

In some embodiments, one end, such as the second end 14b may be permanently secured by one half, such as the upper half 22a, of the clasp 20. This may be achieved, for example, by providing an aperture 27b defining a continuous circle. This may ensure that loss of the clasp 20 when such clasp 20 is disengaged may be avoided.

It may be seen that any outer surface defining each of the first and second halves 22a, 22b are depicted as generally smooth in appearance, however, it is contemplated that any aesthetic property of the clasp may be enhanced by embellishing one or both of such surfaces.

One embodiment of a charm 10 and stopper 40 combination provided to enable the aforementioned securely wrapped bracelet configuration is shown with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The replaceable charm 30 may define a disk having a front side 32 and a back side 34, with at least a first channel 36a and a second channel 36b disposed parallel to one another along the back side 34 to threadably receive portions of the cord 10. It should be noted that although drawn as a disk in the figures, the replaceable charm 30 may take any desirable shape, such as any polygonal shape, or even a shape having of rounded, or even a combination of pointed and smooth, edges. The disk is provided therefore, as a non-limiting example of one particular form that the replaceable charm 30 may take.

An end of the cord 10 may be received through the first channel 36a, then, such end may be received through the second channel 36b in the same direction as it was received through the first. In such an embodiment, the channels 36a, 36b comprising the charm 30 maintain the threaded cord 10 in a looped, or layered, configuration as shown in FIG. 1, which halves the circumference of the bracelet and prevents the cord from undesirably unlooping itself. Additional channels may be disposed along the back side of the charm to enable additional secured looping and layering, and the threading action may be repeated to loop the cord for as many channels as may be provided.

Referring again to FIGS. 3A and 3B, to increase security of the charm 30 and looped configuration, the cord 10 may be sequentially threaded through a plurality of elastic stopper members 40 so that that cord 10 and charm 30 are frictionally prevented from freely moving relative to one another. In one embodiment, for example, the stopper members 40 may comprise a first and second elastic o-ring, pictured, which may threadably receive portions of the cord and particularly placed thereon to flank the first and second channels 36a, 36b, elastically squeezing the cord 10, and preventing the charm 30 from freely sliding over such cord. In some embodiments, however, it is contemplated that the elastic nature of the stopper members 40 may permit forcible adjustment of charm 30 over the threaded cord 10. Thus, it should be apparent that it will not be necessary to completely immobilize the charm 30 in order to secure it along the looped cord 10.

Another embodiment of a charm 10 and stopper 40 combination is shown with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In such embodiment, a stopper member 40 may be respectively disposed within each of the channels 36a, 36b to frictionally prevent slippage of the cord 10 therein. It is contemplated that one, all, or any combination of the channels disposed on the backside of the charm 30, as the case may be, may have a stopper member 40 disposed therein.

In some embodiments, the charm 30 may be formed as a disk, wherein the front side 32 comprises a decorative face, which may be better seen in FIG. 1. Such face may include for example only and not limitation, an aesthetic arrangement of glass crystals or rhinestones, gems, and even stamped characters or other designs. In some embodiments, forming the charm 30 as a disk operates to obscure any flanking stopper members from view, which may preserve the aesthetic integrity of the wrapped jewelry assembly when worn. This may also be achieved, for example, by providing a hemispherical charm, wherein a rounded portion may define the face and a flat portion may define the back side. Of course, one skilled in the art will recognize that disposing each stopper member within a respective channel also serves to obscure such stopper members from view.

Any charms, whether formed as a disk or not, are slidably replaceable over the length of the cord. Indeed, it is even contemplated that the cord may be threadably received by a plurality of successive charms, as desired, effecting increased opportunity for personalization. Providing stopper members for each charm along the cord may ensure that the charms are prevented from uncomfortably or even unaesthetically interfering with one another.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicated to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/or limitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are or are potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

While certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications are contemplated and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the length of the cord and colors, shape and arrangement of the clasp, charm and various aesthetic portions of the invention may vary according to taste, market demand, and personal sizing needs. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited, except as by the appended claim(s).

The teachings disclosed herein may be applied to other systems, and may not necessarily be limited to any described herein. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.

Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being refined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the wrapped jewelry assembly with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be constructed to limit the wrapped jewelry assembly to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification unless the above description section explicitly define such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosed assembly and apparatus. The above description of embodiments of the wrapped jewelry assembly is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the precise form disclosed above or to a particular field of usage.

While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the assembly and apparatus are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible for which those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

While certain aspects of the method and system disclosed are presented below in particular claim forms, various aspects of the apparatus are contemplated in any number of claim forms. Thus, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the wrapped jewelry assembly.

Claims

1. A wearable accessory, comprising:

a flexible cord having a circumference, wherein the cord comprises at least one first portion, at least one second portion, a first end, a second end, a first end terminal portion element having a circumference, and a second end terminal portion element having a circumference;

at least one first ring-shaped stopper member configured to encircle at least one first portion of the cord and at least one second portion of the cord, wherein the at least one first stopper member is configured to prevent the at least one first portion of the cord from moving laterally away from the at least one second portion of the cord;

a charm having a front side and a back side, a plurality of channels disposed parallel to one another along the back side of the charm, wherein each channel is sized to receive one portion of the cord therethrough; and

a clasp having a first concave half hingedly connected to a second opposing concave half, each half releasably securable to the other to define a hollow interior, and each half further formed to securably retain the terminal portion elements of the first and second ends within the hollow interior when each half of the clasp is secured to the other.

2. The wearable accessory of claim 1, further comprising at least one second ring-shaped stopper member, wherein the at least one first stopper member and the at least one second stopper member are able to move freely with respect to each other.

3. The wearable accessory of claim 2, wherein the at least one first stopper member and the at least one second stopper member are disposed within separate channels disposed on the back side of the charm.

4. The wearable accessory of claim 1, wherein the front side of the charm comprises an aesthetic design disposed thereon, the aesthetic design comprising an arrangement of any of crystal glass and polymers.

5. The wearable accessory of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second ends of the cord are inseparable from one of the first and second concave halves of the clasp when such each half is released from the other.

6. The wearable accessory of claim 1, wherein the first end terminal portion element circumference and the second end terminal portion element circumference are each larger than the circumference of the cord.

7. The wearable accessory of claim 6, wherein the first end terminal portion element and the second end terminal portion element each comprise a cylinder terminating in a cone.

8. A jewelry assembly, comprising:

a length of flexible cord having a first portion, a second portion, a first end and a second end;

at least one ring-shaped first stopper member operative to encircle at least the first portion of the cord and the second portion of the cord, wherein the at least one first stopper member is configured to prevent the first portion of the cord from moving laterally away from the second portion of the cord;

a replaceable charm, comprising: an embellished front side; and a back side, at least a first and second channel disposed parallel to one another on the surface of the back side, wherein each channel is sized to receive a portion of the length of flexible cord; and a clasp operative to link the first and second ends of the length of flexible cord.

9. The jewelry assembly of claim 8, further comprising at least one ring-shaped second stopper member operative to encircle at least the first portion of the cord and the second portion of the cord, wherein the at least one second stopper member is configured to prevent the first portion of the cord from moving laterally away from the second portion of the cord, and wherein the at least one first stopper member and the at least one second stopper member are configured to move independently of each other.

10. The jewelry assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second stopper members are disposed within separate channels disposed on the back side of the replaceable charm.

11. The jewelry assembly of claim 8, wherein the clasp comprises a first concave half hingedly connected to a second opposing concave half, each half releasably securable to the other to define a hollow interior, and each half further formed to securably retain a portion of one each of the first and second ends within the hollow interior.

12. A charm for personalizable jewelry, comprising:

a flat front side defining a face for displaying decorative elements;

a flat back side;

at least a first and second channel disposed parallel to one another on the back side, wherein the first and second channels are configured to receive at least one cord; and

a ring-shaped elastic stopper member disposed within each of the channels, wherein each ring-shaped elastic stopper is sized to create drag on the at least one cord; wherein the flat front side and back side are sized to obscure the channels and elastic stoppers from view when the charm is viewed from the front side.