HOOP EARRING WITH FASTENER

Abstract

A hoop earring in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a fastener that secures a post of the earring to ensure that the earring is fastened to the user's ear.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/980,015 entitled HOOP EARING WITH FASTENER filed Oct. 15, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a hoop earring that is securely fastened to a user's ear.

Recently, the popularity of hoop earrings has increased dramatically. In particular, hoop earrings of great value that include expensive stones or other valuable features have become fashionable. The relatively high cost of these pieces makes it imperative that a secure means for fastening them to a user's ear is provided. In addition, any securing mechanism that is used should be aesthetically pleasing as well. A securing mechanism that detracts from the appearance of the earring would be of little value in such a valuable earring.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a hoop earring that is securely fastened to a user's ear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hoop earring with a secure fastener that is also aesthetically pleasing.

An earring in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a hoop shaped body with an opening formed in a top portion thereof, a post pivotally attached to a first end of the hoop shaped body adjacent to a first side of the opening and a fastener attached to a second end of the hoop shaped body, opposite the post, and adjacent to a second side of the opening. The post is movable from an open position to a closed position where the post is inserted into the fastener such that the fastener holds the post in the closed position.

An earring in accordance with another embodiment of the present application includes a first hoop element with a post attached to a first end thereof, a second hoop element with a fastener attached to a first end thereof, the first hoop element and the second hoop element pivotally attached to each other such that the first end of the first hoop element and the first end of the second hoop element are movable relative to each other. The fastener of the second hoop element is operable to receive the post of the first hoop element to hold the first and second hoop elements together in a closed position.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 illustrates a hoop earring in accordance with an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the hoop earring of FIG. 1 in the closed position.

FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed view of a fastener of the hoop earring illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a hoop earring in accordance with another embodiment of the present application.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate additional views of the hoop earring of FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a hoop earring 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. In particular, the earring 10 is substantially hoop-shaped with an opening 10a formed therein to accommodate a user's earlobe. A post 12 is pivotally attached to the earring 10 at one end 10b thereof and pivots between an open position (see FIG. 1) and a closed position (see FIG. 2) to allow for the user's earlobe to enter the opening 10a. A fastener 14 is rotatably connected to the earring 10 at an opposite end 10c, opposing the end 10b. The post 12 preferably includes a threaded portion 12a on an end closest to the fastener 14.

The fastener 14 includes an opening 14a, which allows entry of the post 12 into the fastener. The opening 14a preferably includes internal threads 14b (see FIG. 3, for example) which cooperate with the threaded end 12a of the post 12 to secure the post in the fastener. The fastener 14 is preferably mounted on a protrusion 10d that extends from the end 10c of the hoop 10. In a preferred embodiment, the fastener 14 is rotatable about the central axis A (see FIG. 3) of the protrusion 10d. The fastener 14 also preferably includes a cavity 14c in which the protrusion 10d sits. It is noted that the fastener 14 is preferably substantially cylindrical in shape (see FIG. 5A, for example) and is illustrated in cross section in FIGS. 1-3.

In operation, while the post 12 is in the open position, illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, the user inserts the post through a hole in their ear. Thereafter, the post 12 is pivoted into the closed position illustrated in FIG. 2, for example. The end 12a of the post 12 is inserted into the fastener 14 and the fastener is preferably rotated such that the threads on the threaded end 12a of the post 12 engage the internal threads 14b of the fastener 14. The fastener 14 is preferable mounted on the protrusion 10d such that is can move to a small degree back and forth along the axis A, to aid in inserting the post 12 in the fastener 14. As the fastener 14 rotates in a first direction, the fastener moves toward the post 12 slightly as the threaded end 12a engages the threads 14b. In this manner, the earring 10 is securely fastened to the user's ear. In order to release the earring 10, the fastener 14 is rotated in the opposite direction such that the threads 14b disengage the threaded portion 12a of the post 12. The fastener 14 will move slightly away from the post 12, thus freeing the post to pivot into the open position again for removal from the user's ear.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a hoop earring 100 in accordance with the present application. In this embodiment, the hoop shape is formed in two hoop halves 101, 102 pivotally connected at the pivot 104. The hoop halves 101, 102 are pivotable relative to each other to allow opening and closing of the opening 100a to allow for the post 112 to be inserted into a user's ear. In this embodiment, the post 112 is fixedly attached to the end 101a of the hoop half 101 since the pivot occurs at the pivot point 104. The fastener 114 is rotatably attached to a corresponding end 102a of the second hoop half 102 in the same manner as the fastener 14 of FIGS. 1-3 is attached to the end 10c of the earring 10. In operation, while in the open position, illustrated in FIG. 4, the user inserts the post 112 into their ear. Thereafter, the hoop halves 101, 102 are moved together with the post 112 being inserted into the fastener 114. The fastener 114 is rotated to secure the post 112 therein in the same manner as fastener 14 is rotated as described above. Similarly, the fastener 114 is rotated in the opposite direction to release the post 112 so that the hoop halves 101 and 102 are free to pivot away from each other to allow the post 112 to be removed from the user's ear.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate some additional views of the hoop earring 10 of FIGS. 1-3. It is also noted that positioning of the fastener 14, 114 in the present application not only allows for secure fastening of the earring to the user's ear, but also blends in well with the earring. Thus, users are provided with security without detracting from the aesthetic appeal of the earring.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein.

Claims

1. An earring comprising:

a hoop shaped body with an opening formed in a top portion thereof;

a post pivotally attached to a first end of the hoop shaped body adjacent to a first side of the opening; and

a fastener attached to a second end of the hoop shaped body, opposite the post, and adjacent to a second side of the opening, wherein

the post is movable from an open position where the post is separated from the fastener, to a closed position where the post is inserted into the fastener such that the fastener holds the post in the closed position.

2. The earring of claim 1, wherein the opening is sized to accommodate an earlobe of a user.

3. The earring of claim 2, wherein the post further comprises external threads formed on a distal end thereof.

4. The earring of claim 3, wherein the fastener is rotatably mounted on the second end of the earring and includes a post opening at a distal end thereof to accommodate the distal end of the post.

5. The earring of claim 4, wherein the post opening includes internal threads formed therein.

6. The earring of claim 5, wherein the fastener is movably mounted on the second end of the earring such that when the fastener is rotated in a first direction, the outer threads of the post interact with the inner threads of the post opening of the fastener to move the fastener toward the post to secure the post in the fastener, and when the fastener is rotated in a second direction, opposite the first direction, the fastener moves away from the post.

7. An earring comprising:

a first hoop element with a post attached to a first end thereof;

a second hoop element with a fastener attached to a first end thereof, the first hoop element and the second hoop element pivotally attached to each other such that the first end of the first hoop element and the first end of the second hoop element are movable relative to each other, wherein

the fastener of the second hoop element is operable to receive the post of the first hoop element to hold the first and second hoop elements together in a closed position.

8. The earring of claim 7, wherein the post further comprises external threads formed on a distal end thereof.

9. The earring of claim 8, wherein the fastener is rotatably mounted on the second hoop element and includes a post opening at a distal end thereof to accommodate the distal end of the post.

10. The earring of claim 9, wherein the post opening includes internal threads formed therein.

11. The earring of claim 10, wherein the fastener is movably mounted on the second hoop element such that when the fastener is rotated in a first direction, the outer threads of the post interact with the inner threads of the post opening of the fastener to move the fastener toward the post to secure the post in the fastener, and when the fastener is rotated in a second direction, opposite the first direction, the fastener moves away from the post.