CHARM JEWELRY ADORNMENT
An adornment attachable to a bracelet, necklace, or anklet, the adornment includes a front element having an inner surface, a rear element having an inner surface opposing the front element inner surface, and at least one hinge configured to hingedly interconnect the front and the rear element. The adornment can include a locking mechanism having a sphere, and a catch piece, wherein the catch piece is configured to capture at least a portion of the sphere to retain the front and rear elements in a closed position.
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This application is a U.S. national application and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Netherlands Patent Application No. 1038604, filed Feb. 23, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Netherlands Application No. 103 8604 was filed in the Dutch language.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe amulets which were produced and used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans long before the start of our era may be regarded as the forerunners of current charms. A charm bracelet is still a popular jewelry item, particularly among girls and young women.
A charm bracelet is a bracelet on which small articles, the charms, can be hung. A person wishing to see what was hanging from the bracelet was required first to pay for a new charm to hang from the bracelet. If the prospective viewer did not already have a new charm to hang on the bracelet, then the viewer was required to promise to buy a new charm for the wearer of the bracelet. Making payment in order to obtain a look is called “charming ” The individual charms served as a reminder to the wearer of the people who gave them the charms.
Charms originally were comprised of inexpensive materials, such as glass. Over time, it became more customary to use other materials for charms. Charm bracelets can be comprised of links, where the charms can be attached to a link of the bracelet. With smooth bracelets of a ribbon-like strip shape, the charms can be strung on or over the strip. With such charm bracelets, if one desires to change the order of the charms strung on the bracelet it is often necessary to remove a large quantity of the charms from the bracelet and then re-string the bracelet in the new order.
An aspect of the present invention can be an adornment which by its external features may be used as a charm. The adornment (e.g., the charm) does not have to be strung on a strip. The use of the adornment is not limited to bracelets but is practicable also for necklaces and anklets. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention relates to an adornment, particularly in the form of a charm that can be attached to a bracelet, a necklace, and/or an ankle bracelet. The adornment can be formed from silver, gold, platinum, or a combination.
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide an adornment which does not need to be strung on the bracelet or necklace, but which can be readily clamped to a strip, making it easy to arrange, or rearrange, the order of the charms.
Even if the front and rear elements are pressed together with the aid of a spring construction to form a kind of clip, this might not provide sufficient assurance that the adornment will not fall off of the bracelet. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, mechanisms are provided to ensure a secure mounting of the adornment on the bracelet.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the adornment includes locking mechanism 8. On an inner surface of front element 2, which opposes an inner surface of rear element 1, is located sphere 5. Sphere 5 is connected to shaft 6 which in turn is connected to the inner surface of front element 2, at a portion distal from the proximate portion where hinge 3 is located. Sphere 5 and shaft 6 assist in securing adornment 10 after the adornment is applied to surround strip 4.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, opposite sphere 5 and shaft 6 on an inner surface of rear element 1 is locking catch piece 7, at a portion distal from the proximate portion where hinge 3 is located. Catch piece 7 engages at least sphere 5 to secure the adornment. Catch piece 7 is configured so as to clampingly accommodate sphere 5, such that the adornment is then securely closed (as illustrated schematically in
According to another aspect of the invention, another mechanism to prevent unintended movement, along the strip, of an adornment can include the provision of projections on the surface of the rear and/or the front element of the adornment. These projections can be an integral part of the adornment. When the adornment is closed over a strip, such a projection presses locally against the strip, thereby preventing movement of the adornment. Because this solution can result in damage to the bracelet itself, it is not an advisable solution for expensive bracelets which are intended to have a long service life.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, elements 1, 2 need not be generally flat, but can be convex, concave and any other configuration.
While there have been shown and described fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to one or more aspects, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form, detail, and operation of these aspects may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one aspect to another are also fully intended and contemplated. The invention is defined solely with regard to the claims appended hereto, and equivalents of the recitations therein.
Claims
1. An adornment attachable to a bracelet, necklace, or anklet, the adornment comprising:
- a front element having an inner surface;
- a rear element having an inner surface opposing the inner surface of the front element; and
- at least one hinge configured to hingedly interconnect the front and the rear element;
- wherein when in a closed position the front element and the rear element form an aperture that accommodates a strip, wherein the strip is at least one of a bracelet, anklet, and necklace.
2. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the hinge is mounted on the respective inner surfaces of the front and the rear elements.
3. The adornment of claim 1, wherein at least one of the respective inner surfaces is substantially flat.
4. The adornment of claim 1, further including:
- a distal portion of the front element and a distal portion of the rear element include mating portions of a locking mechanism configured to resist unintended opening of the adornment.
5. The adornment of claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism includes:
- a sphere; and
- a catch piece, wherein the catch piece includes at least one of a ridge and a recess configured to capture at least a portion of the sphere.
6. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the hinge includes a spring that exerts a force on the front element and the rear element, whereby the adornment can be applied to a ribbon-shaped strip in a self-clamping manner.
7. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the adornment is comprised of at least one of silver, gold, and platinum.
8. The adornment of claim 1, further including a plug of deformable elastic material located between the respective inner surfaces of the front element and the rear elements.
9. The adornment of claim 8, wherein when the adornment is in a closed position the plug is compressible between at least one of the respective inner surfaces and the strip so that the adornment resists movement along the strip.
10. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the adornment is mechanically coupled to the strip without mechanically decoupling other adornments previously mechanically coupled to the strip.
11. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the respective inner surfaces of the front and the rear elements comprise projections, whereby each projection presses against the strip when the adornment is in a closed position to reduce movement of the adornment along the strip.
12. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the rear element is rectangular and the front element is substantially planar, whereby a locking mechanism is located behind the front element and distal from the hinge.
13. The adornment of claim 5, wherein when the catch piece contains both the ridge and the recess, and the recess is located below the ridge.
14. The adornment of claim 1, wherein the strip is a charm bracelet.
15. An adornment attachable to a bracelet, necklace, or anklet, the adornment comprising:
- a front element having an inner surface;
- a rear element having an inner surface opposing the inner surface of the front element; and
- at least one hinge coupled to a proximate portion of the front element and to a proximate portion of the rear element, the at least one hinge configured to hingedly interconnect the front and the rear element;
- wherein when in a closed position the front element and the rear element form an aperture that accommodates a strip, wherein the strip is at least one of a bracelet, anklet, and necklace.
16. The adornment of claim 10, further including:
- a distal portion of the front element and a distal portion of the rear element include mating portions of a locking mechanism configured to resist unintended opening of the adornment.
17. The adornment of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism includes:
- a sphere; and
- a catch piece, wherein the catch piece includes at least one of a ridge and a recess configured to capture at least a portion of the sphere.
18. The adornment of claim 10, wherein the hinge includes a spring which exerts a force on the front element and the rear element, whereby the adornment can be applied to a ribbon-shaped strip in a self-clamping manner.
19. The adornment of claim 10, further including a plug of deformable elastic material located between the respective inner surfaces of the front element and the rear elements.
20. The adornment of claim 14, wherein when the adornment is in a closed position the plug is compressible between at least one of the respective inner surfaces and the strip so that the adornment resists movement along the strip.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 7, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 23, 2012
Applicant:
Inventor: Ammar KATIB (Oud Beijerland)
Application Number: 13/367,570
International Classification: A44C 25/00 (20060101);