BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to wearable accessories worn by individuals, and more specifically to a wearable accessory that mounts an ornamental object, such as a jewel, or an electronic device, such as a pedometer, a glucose monitor, a physical activity tracking device, a phone, a watch, a personal alarm, or a global positioning system (GPS) device, to be worn on a hand or foot.
Wearable accessories worn by individuals on a hand or wrist are well known. Typically, such wearable accessories have a decorative function and are worn on a finger or wrist in the form of a ring or a bracelet, respectively, and are used to display one or more jewels, charms, or other ornamental objects.
Wearable accessories worn on an ankle or toe are also well known. Similar to finger rings and wrist bracelets, toe rings and ankle bracelets are also used to display one or more jewels, charms, or other ornamental objects.
Electronic wearable devices are also known that track physical activities and measure data such as the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of sleep, steps climbed, distance walked or run, calories burned, and other personal metrics involved in fitness. Typically, however, such devices are attached to a user's wrist, forearm or bicep by a strap or bracelet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A wearable accessory to be worn on the back, or dorsal side, of a hand intermediate the wrist and finger, or on the top, or dorsal side, of a foot intermediate the ankle and toe. The wearable accessory includes an endless elastic band sized and shaped such that when stretched from its relaxed state fits snugly around a wearer's finger and wrist or around a wearer's toe and ankle, a bail member slidably secured to the elastic band, a fastening arrangement securing the bail member to the elastic band, and a mounting assembly for removably mounting a wearable device on the bail member. The mounting assembly allows a person wearing the present accessory to easily and quickly interchange numerous different wearable devices on the bail member.
The endless elastic band forms a forward or digit loop at one end, a rearward or anchor loop at its opposite end, and a pair of elongate sections extending between the forward digit loop and the rearward anchor loop. In a first embodiment, the bail member is secured to the elastic band by a fastening arrangement that includes a first prong member projecting from one side of the bail member forming an opening that slidably receives therein one of the elongate sections of the elastic band, and a second prong member projecting from the other side of the bail member forming an opening that slidably receives therein the other elongate section of the elastic band. In a second embodiment, the bail member has a passageway extending therethrough that slidably receives therein both of the elongate sections of the elastic band. In either embodiment, the fastening arrangement permits the bail member to slide on the elongate sections of the elastic band between a forward position adjacent the forward digit loop, that is, near a finger or toe, a rearward position adjacent the rearward anchor loop, that is, near a wrist or ankle, and a plurality of intermediate positions between the forward and rearward positions. The fastening arrangement for the bail member positions the elongate sections of the elastic band adjacent one another to thereby minimize slack in the elastic band. Both the prong members of the first embodiment as well as the passageway of the second embodiment engage the elongate sections of the elastic band with sufficient frictional force to secure and hold the bail member at any of the forward, rearward or intermediate positions on the hand or foot, but the securement force is not so great that it prevents sliding movement of the bail member when a user grasps the bail member and applies a manual force to slide the bail member to a different position.
Other embodiments include various different mounting assemblies for removably and interchangeably mounting a wearable device on the bail member. One particularly advantageous mounting assembly includes a magnet disposed on the bail member, but alternately the magnet could be disposed on the wearable device itself In other embodiments, the mounting arrangement may comprise a snap-in mount, a threaded mount, a hook and loop mount, or a set screw mount.
The wearable device may comprise, for example, an ornamental object, such as a gemstone, other precious stones, a cameo, a glass object, beads, novelty items, or the like. The wearable device may also comprise, for example, an electronic device such as a phone, a watch, a personal alarm, a global positioning system (GPS) device, or electronic medical devices such as a pedometer, a glucose monitor, or a physical activity tracking device. The above listed wearable devices are only examples of the types of wearable devices that may be used, and should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of such devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the back or dorsal side of a hand and wrist illustrating a wearable accessory constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of the wearable accessory of FIG. 1, and further illustrating a magnet mounted on a wearable device as one manner of removably mounting the wearable device on the accessory of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the top or dorsal side of a foot and ankle illustrating the wearable accessory of FIG. 1 worn thereon;
FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1 except illustrating an alternate manner of wearing the wearable accessory which as shown is on a person's wrist instead of on the back of a person's hand;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 except illustrating an alternate manner of wearing the wearable accessory which as shown is on a person's ankle instead of on the top of a person's foot;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 2 except illustrating a magnet mounted in the underside of the bail member as an alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory of FIGS. 1 and 3;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 2 except illustrating a threaded mount as another alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory of FIGS. 1 and 3;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 2 except illustrating a magnet mounted in the upper side of the bail member as yet another alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory of FIGS. 1 and 3;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the back or dorsal side of a hand and wrist similar to FIG. 1 except illustrating an alternate embodiment of a wearable accessory constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 of the top or dorsal side of a foot and ankle illustrating the wearable accessory of FIG. 9 worn thereon;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged end view of the wearable accessory of FIGS. 9 and 10, and further illustrating a magnet mounted on a wearable device as one manner of removably mounting the wearable device on the accessory;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 11 except illustrating a magnet mounted in the underside of the bail member as an alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 11 except illustrating a threaded mount as another alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 11 except illustrating a hook and loop mount as yet another alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 11 except illustrating a set screw mount as still another alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory shown in FIGS. 9 and 10; and
FIG. 16 is an enlarged end view similar to FIG. 11 except illustrating a snap-in mount as a further alternate manner of removably mounting a wearable device on the accessory shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a wearable accessory, generally designated by the number 10, to be worn on a hand 12 (FIG. 1) or a foot 14 (FIG. 3) of an individual for displaying a wearable device 16, such as an ornamental object illustrated as being a heart-shaped gemstone 17 in FIG. 1. The wearable accessory 10 comprises an endless elastic band 18 stretchable between a relaxed state and a stretched state, a bail member 20 slidably secured to the elastic band 18 having the wearable device 16 thereon, a fastening arrangement securing the bail member 20 to the elastic band 18 and permitting the bail member 20 to slide forwardly and rearwardly on the elastic band 18, and a mounting assembly for removably mounting the wearable device 16 on the bail member 20. The mounting assembly allows a person wearing the accessory 10 to easily and quickly interchange numerous different wearable devices 16 on the bail member 20.
As shown in FIG. 1, elastic band 18 is sized and shaped such that when stretched from its relaxed state fits snugly around a wearer's second finger 22 and wrist 24. Band 18 thereby forms a forward or digit loop 26 at one end, that is, around finger 22, a rearward or anchor loop 28 at its opposite end, that is, around wrist 24, and a pair of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 extending between forward digit loop 26 and rearward anchor loop 28. The elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of band 18 extend from the forward digit loop 26 along the back, or dorsal side, of a wearer's hand 12, to the rearward anchor loop 28. The elastic band 18 preferably has an overall length of about four inches to about twelve inches when in its relaxed state, and an overall length of about eight inches to about sixteen inches when in its stretched state. However, band 18 may be longer or shorter than these preferred lengths depending upon its specific use and the wearable device being displayed.
Although the forward digit loop 26 of elastic band 18 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as extending around the second finger 22 of hand 12, the forward digit loop 26 could also be positioned around any other finger of hand 12, including the thumb. Also, elastic band 18 may be composed of any elastic material, such as rubber, Lycra, Lurex elastic yarn, Spandex, or similar materials, including compositions blended with such elastic material, and may have a circular, oval, hexagonal, or rectangular cross sectional shape. Preferably, elastic band 18 is in the form of an elastic braided cord having a circular cross section. Due to its elastic construction, elastic band 18 advantageously can stretch and contract so that it can be worn on, and snugly fit, hands and feet of many different sizes and shapes. The elastic band will typically have an overall length of about four inches to about twelve inches when in its relaxed state, and an overall length of about eight inches to about sixteen inches when in its stretched state.
The bail member 20 is slidably secured to the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18 intermediate the forward digit loop 26 and the rearward anchor loop 28 along the back, or dorsal side, of hand 12. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, bail member 20 comprises a solid body 56 having a flat upper surface 58 facing away from hand 12, a flat lower surface 60 facing toward hand 12, a forward end 62 facing toward finger 22, a rearward end 64 facing toward wrist 24, and opposite sides comprising left side 66 and right side 68, as seen in FIG. 1. Although bail member 20 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 as comprising a circular body 34, bail member 20 may be of any desired form or design, such as oval, rectangular, or hexagonal, and although preferably composed of metal, bail member 20 may be composed of any desired material, such as gold, silver, stainless steel, brass, or plastics. It is further to be understood that the body 34 of bail member 20 may also be constructed to include a picture, a powder puff, a mirror, tobacco, cigarettes, or other personal type items, in addition to the wearable device 16.
In one preferred embodiment, bail member 20 has a mounting assembly that enables it to display a wearable device 16 thereon. The mounting assembly is constructed so that the wearable device 16 may be removably mounted to bail member 20 which thus enables various different wearable devices 16 to be interchangeably mounted thereon in a quick and easy manner by a wearer. As shown in FIG. 2, this mounting assembly comprises a magnet 38 attached to the flat upper surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20. Since body 56 is preferably composed of a metal material, such as steel, magnet 38 will inherently magnetically attach to and remain in place on surface 58 by the interaction of magnetic forces. If, however, body 56 is not composed of a metal material, magnet 38 may be attached to surface 58 by adhesive or by suitable mechanical mounts or pins.
The wearable device 16 has a corresponding metal backing plate 40 which, when placed or moved near magnet 38 on surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20, will result in the attractive magnetic forces of magnet 38 securing device 16 in place on bail member 20. It is to be understood that although device 16 is illustrated as having an integral metal backing plate 40, it is only necessary that device 16 be magnetically attracted to magnet 38 in some manner for it to be removably secured to body 34. For example, device 16 may have a metal particle on its surface, or the metal particle may be imbedded therein, or the device 16 itself may be composed partially or completely of a material that is magnetically attracted to magnet 38.
In an alternate embodiment, the magnet 38 may be attached to the wearable device 16 itself rather than attached to the body 56 of bail member 20. As is readily apparent, in this alternate embodiment, the magnet 38 will inherently magnetically attach itself to metal backing plate 40 of device 16 or it may be adhesively attached or mechanically attached to device 16 by mounts or pins, and body 56 of bail member 20 will correspondingly be composed of metal, or of a magnetically attractable material, or have a metal particle on its surface or imbedded therein. As a result, when device 16 with magnet 38 thereon is placed or moved near surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20, the magnetic forces of magnet 38 will securely mount device 16 in place on surface 58.
FIG. 6 illustrates another alternate magnetic mounting assembly. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, magnet 38 is located in a recess or cavity 70 formed in the underside or lower surface 60 of body 56 of bail member 20. The magnet 38 is held in recess or cavity 70 by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means. The magnetic attractant forces of magnet 38 will extend upwardly through body 56 so that when device 16 is placed or moved near surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20, the magnetic forces of magnet 38 will securely mount device 16 in place on surface 58.
FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate mounting assembly where the device 16 is removably mounted to body 56 of bail member 20 by means of a threaded mount. The threaded mount includes a nut 72 having female threads formed therein located in a blind bore 74 formed in the upper surface 58 of body 56. The nut 72 is held in bore 74 by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means. A threaded screw 76 having male threads formed thereon projects downwardly from the backing plate 40 of device 16 and may be turned into or out of nut 72 to mount device 16 on bail member 20 or to remove device 16 from bail member 20, respectively. It is also apparent that the threaded mount illustrated in FIG. 7 could be reversed, and accomplish the same result of removably mounting device 16 on bail member 20. In other words, the nut 72 could be located in the device 16, and the screw 76 could be located on the body 56.
FIG. 8 illustrates yet another alternate magnetic mounting assembly. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, magnet 38 is located in a recess or cavity 78 formed in the upper surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20. The magnet 38 is held in recess or cavity 78 by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means. When device 16 is placed or moved near surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20, the magnetic forces of magnet 38 will securely mount device 16 in place on surface 58.
However, it should be noted that in all of the embodiments utilizing a magnet, the magnetic attractive forces of the magnet 38 are sufficient to secure device 16 in place on bail member 20, but these magnetic forces are not so great as to permanently secure device 16 on bail member 20. Thus, device 16 is removable from bail member 20 by applying sufficient manual pulling forces on device 16 to overcome the attractive magnetic force of magnet 38 to separate device 16 from bail member 20. In such a manner, one device 16 may be easily removed from bail member 20 and replaced by a different wearable device if desired. Thus, the use of magnet 38 in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2, 6 and 8, as well as the threaded mount illustrated in FIG. 7, advantageously provides an interchangeable mounting assembly for removably mounting various wearable devices on bail member 20.
The wearable accessory 10 includes a fastening arrangement that secures the bail member 20 to the elastic band 18 and permits the bail member 20 to slide forwardly and rearwardly on elastic band 18, As shown in FIGS. 1-3, one embodiment of this fastening arrangement includes a plurality of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48 that slidably and fixedly secure bail member 20 to the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18. Prong members 42 and 44 are adjacent and in-line with one another and project laterally from the left side 66 of body 34 while prong members 46 and 48 are adjacent and in-line with one another and project laterally from the opposite or right side 68 of body 34. As seen best in FIGS. 1 and 2, prong members 42 and 44 each form an opening that engages and slidably receives the elongate connecting section 30 of elastic band 18 while prong members 46 and 48 each also form an opening that engages and slidably receives the elongate connecting section 32 of elastic band 18. Thus, connecting section 30 extends from forward digit loop 26 along the back of, or dorsal side of, hand 12 and passes through the openings formed by prong members 42 and 44 to the rearward anchor loop 28. In turn, connecting section 32 extends from forward digit loop 26 along the back of, or dorsal side of, hand 12 and passes through the openings formed by prong members 46 and 48 to the rearward anchor loop 28. As shown best in FIG. 2, the openings formed by prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48 preferably have inner diameters slightly less than the outer diameter of elastic band 18, which as illustrated is in the form of an elastic braided cord having a circular cross section, so that prongs 42, 44, 46 and 48 engage band 18 with sufficient frictional force to secure and fixedly hold bail member 20 thereto, yet also permit bail member 20 to be slid to forward, rearward and intermediate positions along the back of hand 12 when grasped and pulled using manual force by a wearer of accessory 10. Prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48 thus secure bail member 20 to band 18, but also slidably receive the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 therein to permit bail member 20 to slide on the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 between a forward position adjacent the forward digit loop, a rearward position adjacent the rearward anchor loop, and a plurality of intermediate positions between the forward and rearward positions.
As is illustrated in FIG. 1, prong members 42 and 46 are positioned on body 56 to be closely adjacent the forward end 62 of bail member 20, and prongs 44 and 48 are positioned on body 56 to be closely adjacent the rearward end 64 of bail member 20. As a result, when accessory 10 is worn by a user, prongs 42 and 46 pull the portions of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18 which extend between bail member 20 and forward digit loop 26 inwardly to be closely adjacent one another, and prongs 44 and 48 pull the portions of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18 which extend between bail member 20 and rearward anchor loop 28 inwardly to be closely adjacent one another, to thereby not only create sufficient friction to securely hold bail member 20 in place on elastic band 18 but also to minimize slack in the elastic band 18.
Turning now to FIG. 3, the wearable accessory 10 is illustrated as being worn on the top or dorsal side of foot 14. As shown in FIG. 3, elastic band 18 is sized and shaped such that when stretched from its relaxed state fits snugly around a wearer's second toe 50 and ankle 52. Band 18 thereby forms forward digit loop 26 at one end, that is, around toe 50, rearward anchor loop 28 at its opposite end, that is, around ankle 52, and the pair of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 extending between digit loop 26 and anchor loop 28. In this embodiment, the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of band 18 extend from the forward digit loop 26 along the top, or dorsal side, of a wearer's foot 14, to the rearward anchor loop 28. Although the forward digit loop 26 of elastic band 18 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as extending around the second toe 50 of foot 14, the forward digit loop 26 could also be positioned around any other toe of foot 14, including the big toe. In this embodiment, the body 34 of bail member 20 is oblong in shape, and the wearable device 16 is again illustrated as being an ornamental object, but displaying a wearer's name 54, such as “Liz”, instead of displaying the heart-shaped gemstone 17 as in FIG. 1. Other than these differences and being illustrated as worn on a wearer's foot 14, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 3 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 3 for like components.
Turning now to FIG. 4, the wearable accessory 10 is illustrated as being worn completely on the wrist 24 of hand 12. As shown in FIG. 4, elastic band 18 is sized and shaped such that when stretched from its relaxed state fits snugly around a wearer's wrist 24. The forward digit loop 26 is located on the palm side of wrist 24 while the rearward anchor loop 28 is also located on the palm side of wrist 24, and the pair of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 extending between loop 26 and loop 28 extend around wrist 24 from the top or dorsal side of hand 12 to the palm side of hand 12. In this embodiment, the wearable device 16 is again illustrated as being an ornamental object, such as the heart-shaped gemstone 17 as in FIG. 1. Other than being illustrated as worn completely on a wearer's wrist 24, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 4 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 4 for like components.
Turning now to FIG. 5, the wearable accessory 10 is illustrated as being worn completely on the ankle 52 of foot 14. As shown in FIG. 5, elastic band 18 is sized and shaped such that when stretched from its relaxed state fits snugly around a wearer's ankle 52. The forward digit loop 26 is located at the back of the lower part of ankle 52 while the rearward anchor loop 28 is located at the back of the upper part of ankle 52, and the pair of elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 extending between loop 26 and loop 28 extend around ankle 52 from front to back. In this embodiment, the body 34 of bail member 20 is oblong in shape, and the wearable device 16 is again illustrated as being an ornamental object, but displaying a wearer's name 54, such as “Liz”, instead of displaying the heart-shaped gemstone 17 as in FIG. 1. Other than these differences and being illustrated as worn on a wearer's ankle 52, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 5 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 5 for like components.
It should be understood that although the drawings may illustrate, and the text herein may describe, the wearable device 16 to be an ornamental object, the wearable device 16 is not limited to being only ornamental objects such as gemstones. Thus, the wearable device 16 to be displayed on bail member 20 may comprise, for example, an ornamental object, such as a gemstone, other precious stones, a cameo, a glass object, beads, novelty items, or the like. Exemplary gemstones include garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, citrine and topaz. Exemplary precious stones include turquoise, onyx, cat's eye, amber and quartz. However, the wearable device 16 may also comprise other wearable personal items such as electronic devices like a phone, a watch, a personal alarm for emergencies, a global positioning system (GPS) device, or electronic medical devices such as a pedometer, a glucose monitor, or a physical activity tracking device.
It should also be understood that although the drawings illustrate, and the text herein describes, the present invention as using magnet 38 as the preferred mounting arrangement for removably mounting the wearable device 16 on bail member 20, the present invention is not limited to such a mounting arrangement. For example, the mounting arrangement for wearable device 16 could also be a snap-in mount, as illustrated in FIG. 16, a threaded mount as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 13, a hook and loop mount as illustrated in FIG. 14 , or a set screw mount as illustrated in FIG. 15.
Turning now to FIGS. 9-16, there is illustrated an alternate fastening arrangement that secures the bail member 20 to the elastic band 18 and permits the bail member 20 to slide forwardly and rearwardly on elastic band 18, As shown in FIGS. 9-16, this alternate fastening arrangement comprises a passageway extending through the body 56 of bail member 20 from the forward end 62 of body 56 to the rearward end 64 of body 56. Passageway thus forms an opening that engages and slidably receives both of the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18 therethrough. Thus, connecting section 30 extends from forward digit loop 26 along the back of, or dorsal side of, hand 12 (FIG. 9), or the top or dorsal side of foot 14 (FIG. 10), and passes through the opening formed by passageway 80 to the rearward anchor loop 28. Likewise, connecting section 32 extends from forward digit loop 26 along the back of, or dorsal side of, hand 12 (FIG. 9), or the top or dorsal side of foot 14 (FIG. 11), and passes through the opening formed by passageway 80 to the rearward anchor loop 28. As shown best in FIGS. 11-16, the opening formed by passageway 80 preferably has an inner diameter slightly less than the combined outer diameters of connecting sections 30 and 32 of elastic band 18, which as illustrated is in the form of an elastic braided cord having a circular cross section, so that it engages band 18 with sufficient frictional force to secure and fixedly hold bail member 20 thereto, yet also permit bail member 20 to be slid to forward, rearward and intermediate positions along the back of hand 12 when grasped and pulled using manual force by a wearer of accessory 10. Passageway 80 thus frictionally engages band 18, especially at the edges of passageway 80 which open to the forward end 62 and rearward end 64 of body 56, to secure bail member 20 to band 18, but also slidably receives the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 therein to permit bail member 20 to slide on the elongate connecting sections 30 and 32 between a forward position adjacent the forward digit loop, a rearward position adjacent the rearward anchor loop, and a plurality of intermediate positions between the forward and rearward positions.
FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 2, which utilizes magnet 38 attached to the flat upper surface 58 of body 56 as the mounting assembly to removably mount wearable device 16, except utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. Other than that difference, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 11 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 2, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 11 for like components.
FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 6, which utilizes magnet 38 located in recess or cavity 70 formed in the underside or lower surface 60 of body 56 as the mounting assembly to removably mount wearable device 16, except utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. Other than that difference, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 12 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 6, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 12 for like components.
FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 7, which utilizes a threaded mount having nut 72 in body 56 and screw 76 as the mounting assembly to mount wearable device 16, except utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. Other than that difference, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 13 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 7, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 13 for like components.
FIG. 14 is similar to FIGS. 11-13 which illustrate utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. However, FIG. 14 illustrates a hook and loop mounting assembly to removably mount wearable device 16 on body 56 of bail member 20. This hook and loop assembly is of conventional design and includes a hook member 90 comprised of small hooks attached to a fabric backing material which in turn is attached to plate 40 of wearable device 16, and a loop member 92 comprised of small loops attached to a fabric backing material which in turn is attached to the upper surface 58 of body 56 of bail member 20. When the two members 90 and 92 are pressed together the hooks catch in the loops and the two members thus fasten or bind device 16 on bail member 20. When separated, by pulling or peeling the two members 9( )and 92 apart, device 16 is removed from bail member 20. It is also apparent that the hook and loop mount illustrated in FIG. 14 could be reversed, and accomplish the same result of removably mounting device 16 on bail member 20. In other words, the hook member 90 could be located on the body 56 of bail member 20, and the loop member 92 could be located on the wearable device 16. Other than the hook and loop removable mounting assembly described above, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 14 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 11-13, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 14 for like components.
FIG. 15 is similar to FIGS. 11-14 which illustrate utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. However, FIG. 15 illustrates a conventional set screw mounting assembly to removably mount wearable device 16 on body 56 of bail member 20. This set screw assembly includes a hollow boss 82 located in a blind bore 84 formed in the upper surface 58 of body 56. The boss 82 is held in bore 84 by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means. A pin 86 projects downwardly from the backing plate 40 of device 16 and may be inserted into boss 82. Once pin 86 is inserted into boss 82, a set screw 88 may be turned into boss 82 to engage pin 86 to hold and mount device 16 on bail member 20 or turned out of boss 82 to remove device 16 from bail member 20, respectively, in a conventional set screw arrangement. It is also apparent that the set screw mount illustrated in FIG. 15 could be reversed, and accomplish the same result of removably mounting device 16 on bail member 20. In other words, the boss 82 and set screw 88 could be located in the device 16, and the pin 86 could be located on the body 56. Other than the set screw mounting assembly described above, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 15 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 11-14, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 15 for like components.
FIG. 16 is similar to FIGS. 11-15 which illustrate utilizing passageway 80 as the fastening arrangement for bail member 20 to elastic band 18 instead of prong members 42, 44, 46 and 48. However, FIG. 16 illustrates a conventional snap-in mounting assembly to removably mount wearable device 16 on body 56 of bail member 20. This snap-in assembly includes a hollow boss 94 located in a blind bore 96 formed in the upper surface 58 of body 56. The boss 94 is held in bore 96 by means of an adhesive or any other suitable means, and includes an inwardly projecting lip. A pin 98 having an expandable tip projects downwardly from the backing plate 40 of device 16 and may be inserted into boss 94. As pin 98 is inserted into boss 94, the tip of pin 98 contracts slightly as it engages the lip of boss 94 and once the tip of pin 98 passes over the inwardly projecting lip of boss 94, it expands in boss 94 to hold and mount device 16 on bail member 20 or with sufficient force is pulled out of boss 94 to remove device 16 from bail member 20, respectively, in a conventional snap-in arrangement. It is also apparent that the snap-in mount illustrated in FIG. 16 could be reversed, and accomplish the same result of removably mounting device 16 on bail member 20. In other words, the boss 94 could be located in the device 16, and the pin 98 could be located on the body 56. Other than the snap-in mounting assembly described above, the wearable accessory 10 of FIG. 16 is identical to the wearable accessory 10 illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 11-15, and thus, like numbers are used in FIG. 16 for like components.
