Ergonomic Pierce-Free Weight-Bearing Earrings, Earring Components And Methods For Making And Fitting Same
The present invention is directed to ergonomic pierce-free custom-fitted earring devices capable of bearing ornamentation weighing about 30 grams or more, and more safely and comfortably mounting the same onto the lowermost one-third of each ear without utilizing the lobule of the ear, wherein the fully latched front loop of the first end and the rear component on the second end comprise critical ear-contact-points that engage a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and rear of the ear with little to no perceived squeezing. Methods of making such earring devices comprise effective and efficient methods to ensure accuracy of fit of these earrings to within about 1 to about 3 millimeters for each of multiple critical ear-variable-dimensions (EVD) that taken in concert serve to fit individuals and/or segments of the population of potential and/or targeted wearers, wherein certain preferred embodiments of such methods comprise computer-implemented sizing and fitting processes that convert EVDs into individually grouped fit gauges that are correlated to any of thousands of circumscribed fit profiles, enabling the efficient fabrication of custom-fitted devices, the setting of the same with weighted jewelry ornamentation, and delivering of the same as finished.
This application claims the benefit of a US patent application that was filed on Aug. 3, 2021 as U.S. Ser. No. 63/229,068, which application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to jewelry and, in particular, earrings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThere exists a need in the fine jeweler and fashion-costume jewelry industries for pierce-free weight-bearing alternatives to one-size-fits-all earrings for attaching and/or displaying jewelry on the lower one-third of the ear. There is also a need for earrings that enhance precious metal and/or gem sustainability by providing earrings that can be used, reused, and/or recycled with or without different ornamentation. In addition, there exists a need for earrings that can safety mount heavier ornamentation, above about 20 grams or more. Furthermore, there is also a need for earrings that cover ear lobules that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable, such as gauged holes and ripped, stretched or enlarged piercings. There is also a need for methods for fitting earrings that have advantageous properties, such as some or all of those identified above, to individual ears.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe preferred embodiments of this invention provide the wearer of jewelry, and the fine jeweler and fashion-costume jewelry industries, with custom-fit pierce-free weight-bearing earrings and earring components. Certain embodiments of this invention are capable of enhancing precious metal and/or gem sustainability by providing earrings and earring components that can be used, reused, and/or recycled with or without different ornamentation. Certain embodiments of this invention can also provide for earrings and earring components that can safety mount heavier ornamentation, above about 20 grams, and more preferably above about 30 grams. Certain embodiments of this invention provide earring and earring components that cover ear lobules that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable (e.g., not preferred by the wearer of the earrings), such as gauged holes and/or ripped or enlarged piercings. Certain embodiments of this invention also provide methods for fitting earrings and earring components to individual or groups of ears, including fitting the earrings and earring components of this invention.
In certain of the most preferred embodiments of this invention, a custom-fit fasten-on earring base device is provided for an individual's ear, the ear having an antitragus peak rise with adjacent dips; a concha with an inner conchal cavum pocket floor, a concha cavum wall, and a rear eminence of the concha; and a lobule. The base of these embodiments comprises a number of components, including (a) a frontal-display fixture-plate for placing heads and/or designs for setting precious gems and/or other jewelry; (b) a front loop comprising a steep diverging-banded upper nexus above the frontal-display fixture that is a bend-angled fastening mount shaped like a backward-bent clothoid loop, said front loop serving as a mounting latch that reaches up and over, and simultaneously flanks, the antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, while accommodating any relative differences in the height of each dip; (c) an end loop portion on the front loop that extends to and engages the depth of the inner conchal cavum pocket floor at multiple points and forms a fulcrum for the base; (d) a sharp curve at the device's lower-most portion that runs under and clears the longest tissue of the individual's ear lobule from front to back (about face) as disposed below the lower end of the frontal-display fixture location in front and joining with a lower rear-lobule portion in back; (e) the lower rear-lobule portion connects to the curving lower-most portion on the lower side and to a rear hinge on the higher side, skimming past the rear lobule; (f) the rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents; and (g) an extended rear-fitter member that contacts the rear eminence of the concha at multiple points, and which is engaged and disposed at the rear hinge.
With these most preferred embodiments of the base device, the opening between the front loop and the extended rear-fitter member is defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a thickness of the concha cavum wall when in closed hinging position, which will not be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure. In addition, the base when fastened into the conchal cavum pocket floor in front, clears the soft-tissue lobule at bottom, and is hinge-closed in rear such that the extended rear-fitter member spoons the rear eminence of the concha, and said base is coupled to the lower one-third of the ear including the area where traditional piercing earrings display décor.
Also, with these most preferred embodiments of the base device, the base is capable of safely and securely carrying adornments with weight levels up to and greater than about 30 grams per ear; the frontal-display fixture component may preferably comprise a fixture-plate; may preferably comprise a center-receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps, may preferably comprise a center-receiving slide-in socket for receiving decorative T-bar backed adornment with a securing mechanism activated at click in, may preferably comprise vertical tubing of differing lengths for receiving short bent pierced-posts or longer brooches and pins secured vertically, and may preferably comprise onboarding features such as adaptors for adding “cargo” at top, bottom, and/or middle to include a clip-on earring adaptor at bottom or top (not shown) and pierce earring adaptors at top, middle and bottom.
Furthermore, with these most preferred embodiments other than those comprising fixed-set fine jewelry at the fixture plate, the base may further comprise an open-ended slide on adaptor that is disposed on the front portion of the front fastener latch loop, and onto which additional décor may be onboarded. The base may also further comprise a dangleixed closed loop adaptor that is disposed on the front center portion of the frontal display area, or the lower portion of a cargo base device onto which additional décor maybe onboarded. Moreover, the frontal-display component fixture may be a short tube with an open-end that is disposed at the center of a frontal-display wire band, with or without silicone lining, into which a bent pierced-post earring may be inserted, or a longer tube into which a vertically placed brooch or pin may be inserted.
In preferred embodiments of this invention, for fitting individuals, groups of individuals, and/or populations of individuals, five critical ear variable dimensions (EVD), or “Five EVD measurements” are taken:
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- EVD1=Concha cavum pocket-depth, preferably measured with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe of this invention;
- EVD2=Antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, preferably measured with a ruler;
- EVD3=Antitragus ridge decline slope angle, preferably measured with a centered protractor;
- EVD4=Ear length below the antitragus ridge, preferably measured with a ruler; and
- EVD5=Ear lobule height, preferably measured with a ruler.
In embodiments of this invention, certain methods of making (e.g., fitting components to an ear) of earrings and/or earring components (e.g., an earring base component) to an individual ear using Five EVD measurements comprise (a) measuring at least the Five EVD measurements; and (b) fabricating (e.g., creating, forming, or adjusting a pre-formed shape) the earring and/or earring component to conform to the Five EVD measurements. In some of these embodiments, before step (a), the user (i) compares the ear to a plurality of prototype measurement guides (e.g., nine such guides for nine different ear types) that contain directions on taking measurements; (ii) selects the best match of the ear to one of the plurality of prototype measurement guides; and (iii) takes the measurements of step (a) according to the prototype measurement guide selected. In some of these embodiments, a base component is fabricated and a setting is imposed in the fixture-plate and/or other components (e.g., ornamentation) is attached to the base component after it is fabricated. In some of these embodiments, after the earring is fabricated, adjustments to the components are performed to conform to the ear.
In other embodiments of this invention, certain methods of making (e.g., fitting components to an ear) of earrings and/or earring components (e.g., an earring base component) to an individual ear using Five EVD measurements comprise (a) obtaining at least two photographs of the ear, wherein at at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe of this invention in place; (b) identifying a plurality of registration points on the photographs; (c) deriving the Five EVD measurements from the registration points; and (d) fabricating (e.g., creating, forming, or adjusting a pre-formed shape) the earring and/or earring component to conform to the Five EVD measurements. In some of these embodiments, a base component is fabricated by these steps and a fixture-plate and/or other components (e.g., ornamentation) is attached to the base component after it is fabricated. In some of these embodiments, after the earring is fabricated, adjustments to the components are performed to conform to the ear.
In other embodiments of this invention, certain methods of making (e.g., fitting components to an ear) of earrings and/or earring components (e.g., an earring base component) to an individual ear using Five EVD measurements comprise (a) obtaining at least two photographs of the ear, wherein at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear and at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe of this invention in place; (b) matching (e.g., obtaining the best fit) the ear from one or more of the photographs to one of a plurality of templates and obtaining an estimate of the measurement of the concha cavum pocket-depth from the template; (c) detecting points on rail scales intersecting the antitragus ridge on at least one of the photographs to find the antitragus ridge decline slope with respect to vertical, estimated (e.g., using a bubble leveler) from the image; (d) detecting points on one or more of the photographs corresponding to the (i) antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (ii) ear length below antitragus ridge, and (iii) ear lobule height; (e) obtaining Five EVD measurements from steps (b) through (d); and (f) fabricating (e.g., creating, forming, or adjusting a pre-formed shape) the earring and/or earring component to conform to the Five EVD measurements. In some of these embodiments, a base component is fabricated by these steps and a plate and/or other components (e.g., ornamentation) is attached to the base component after it is fabricated. In some of these embodiments, after the earring is fabricated, adjustments to the components are performed to conform to the ear.
A person of skill in the art will readily see that additional methods of fitting and making the earring and/or earring components can be applied. In addition, some of the aforementioned methods and steps of the methods can be combined to fit and make such earrings and/or earring components.
In certain of the embodiments of this invention, an earring device that displays ornamentation is provided. This earring device comprises a base that is capable of being mounted on an ear that has an antitragus peak rise and adjacent dips, a concha cavum cartilage, a rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage, and an inner conchal cavum floor. The base comprises a first end on the front and a second end on the rear. The base also comprises (i) at least one fastener looped latch component on the first end, which is at least in part oriented on the front of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises portions that reach up and over and simultaneously flank the ear's antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, and which further comprises an end loop portion that extends to the depth of the inner conchal cavum floor and contacts it at more than one point; (ii) at least one rear component on the second end, which is at least in part oriented on the rear of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises a rear-fitter member portion that contacts and spoons the rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage at more than one point, and which when the base is mounted it has portions of the rear-fitter member portion that are superior, or higher, in plane than the height of the looped-latch component in front; (iii) said base when mounted on the ear is mounted onto the lower portion of the ear without using any piercing of the ear and without clamping onto the lobule of the ear; (iv) said base when mounted on the ear engages a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and the rear of the ear using the at least one latch component and the at least one rear component. The frontal display location of the device also displays ornamentation that is attached to the base.
In certain of these embodiments, the base further comprises a rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents, and said rear hinge is posterior to and it engages and disposes the rear-fitter member portion. The base may also comprise a frontal-display fixture for attaching and displaying ornamentation, and the frontal-display fixture may comprise a plate, and a plate that comprises a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps.
In certain of these embodiments, the latch component further comprises an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component, and on which ornamentation may be onboarded. In certain embodiments, the base frontal fixture further comprises a dangle slide-on adaptor that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and onto which décor may be onboarded. In other embodiments, the base frontal fixture further comprises a tube with an open-end that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and at the center of a frontal-display wire band, into which a bent pierced-post earring may be inserted.
In certain of these embodiments, the earring device is capable of displaying ornamentation that is attached to the base that weighs about 30 grams or more and the ornamentation may be selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems. In some embodiments, the ornamentation is removable and replaceable with other ornamentation. In some of these embodiments, the base and/or the ornamentation, when the earring device is worn on the ear, covers portions of the lobule of the ear that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable.
Certain of these embodiments may be made (e.g., fitting components to an ear) to fit an individual ear. One such method comprises fitting the base to the ear, the fitting the base to the ear comprising: (a) measuring at least five variable dimensions of the ear to obtain at least five measurements, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and (b) fabricating and/or adjusting the base to match the at least five measurements.
In certain preferred embodiments of this method, the method further comprises (c) attaching ornamentation to the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems.
Another method of making (e.g., fitting components to an ear) earring devices that fit individual ears comprises fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base. The fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base comprises (a) measuring at least five ear-variable-dimensions of a population of potential and/or targeted wearers to obtain at least five measurements for each such wearer, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; (b) dividing the at least five measurements for each such wearer into groups that vary from one another by about 1 to about 3 millimeters for at least one of each of the five measurements; and (c) fabricating and/or adjusting bases that fit one or more of the groups of step (b).
In certain preferred embodiments of this method, the method further comprises a step (d) of adjusting the fabricated bases of step (c) to individual ears. The method may also further comprise (e) attaching ornamentation onto the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems, and wherein step (e) can be performed before or after step (d).
As used herein, the terms “ornamentation” or “adornment” is used to mean decoration; décor; paint; coloring; ornamentation; adornment; bejeweling; attaching gems and/or other things, such as precious metals; plating; embellishments; glass; plastic; cloth; feathers; other materials, other things used by jewelers and others for earring and other jewelry, etc., which may be mounted on one or more allocated fixture plates (e.g., attaching or adorning surfaces) at the front (e.g., middle front) of the earring base device, or elsewhere. This plate portion may be further developed into any shape and setting style, to include but not limited to: prong, pave, bezel, cluster, gypsy, channel, tension, cluster, and etoile jewelry settings and also baskets, gemstone stations, and all manner of gems in appropriate heads, cuts, and designs.
“Attaching” (or “adorning”) such ornamentation or adornment to a base may be by several methods taught explicitly herein and those known to a person of skill in the art, including without limitation, painting, enameling, plating, wiring, chained, tying, gluing, sliding on, fitting between prongs, welding, soldering, banding, magnets, setting, screwing, compression fitting, posts, spring clasps, other clasps, connectors, loops, onboarding existing or legacy ornamentation and/or jewelry, adaptors, convertors, embedding, etc., used individually or in combination with other such methods and materials and/or their equivalents. In addition, the base itself can be made to provide ornamentation (e.g., by painting, enameling, plating, or by choice of materials used to make the base, and other methods and materials and/or their equivalents). In certain preferred embodiments, an allocated fixture plate on the earring base is placed at the middle front of the fasten-on earring base device. These and other plate embodiments may be further developed into any shape and setting style, to include but not limited to: prong, pave, bezel, cluster, gypsy, channel, tension, cluster, and etoile jewelry settings and also baskets, gemstone stations, and all manner of gems in appropriate heads and designs. The attaching may be permanent and/or temporary. This may include having removable and exchangeable components that use one base for multiple pieces of ornamentation. This may also include ornamentation that is solidly fixed onto the base or other component of the earring, or it may be moveably fixed (e.g., spinning, waving, changing position, rising and falling, etc.).
Additional features and advantages of various embodiments will be set forth in part in the descriptions that follows, and in part will be apparent from the descriptions, or may be learned by practice of various embodiments. The objectives and other advantages of various embodiments will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the description and appended claims.
Currently, the jewelry industry's earring settings for adorning lower ears have been established and in practice for several generations. These legacy earring settings comprise pierce- and clip-on-based solutions that require remaking settings for each new pair. These legacy solutions pin décor starting at the center of the soft-tissue ear lobule's surface and flow downward. Both legacy solutions fail to exploit the entire ear lobule surface and also fail to exploit the declining, sloped, hard ridge of tissue above the lobule as a canvas for mounting décor. The cartilaginous ridge above the lobule includes the antitragus peak and its two flanking dips, hereinafter referred to as the “antitragal ridge” or “ridge”. The ridge serves as a declining sloped “curtain rod” from which the entire soft-tissue lobule hangs. The antitragal ridge also includes the lower-conchal-cavum's raised ridge-wall, behind which a hidden conchal cavum pocket exists.
In addition, legacy solutions lead to loss of value when precious metals cannot be reused and must be disposed, if a penetrating pierce-in or clip-on (aka clamp-on or compression) earring-base setting becomes, either no longer tolerable due to wearer discomfort, or no longer desirable due to changes in personal preferences.
Legacy solutions on a population-wide basis also fail to provide an earring-base setting upon which to place adornments that in aggregate mount significant weight levels upon relatively large areas of cartilage along multiple contact points front and back, and where said cartilage does not have significant nerve tissue. Instead, clip-on legacy solutions clamp or squeeze the high-nerve-ending, sensitive soft-fiber lobule tissues of each ear.
Currently, piercing, and clip-on earrings are not the safest or most effective settings upon which to bejewel ears with significantly heavy décor. All piercings present the potential health risk of infection, allergic reaction, and/or bloodborne diseases such as hepatitis B per Mayo Clinic. A piercing also can get caught and tear out accidentally. Additionally, pierced-ear backings, during infection, can become “sucked” into the swollen lobule soft tissue. Piercing the cartilage is particularly hazardous as it can become inflamed resulting in damage or deformity of the ear.
The presently disclosed innovative pierce-free earring-base device settings are novel because the devices are engineered to traverse both dips that flank the antitragus peak, simultaneously, while accommodating the differences in height of each dip due to the declining slope of the antitragal ridge itself, which provides further support to ergonomically balance the unexpected high weight-bearing capacity claimed. This unique feature enlarges the available area of design canvas, thus providing a larger design-palette upon which industry sets gems and jewelry, thereby providing a relatively large setting adornment workspace. Said larger canvas may be gem and jewelry adorned by industry, whether via fixed-set, or spring-clasped, or slid-on as add-on jewelries interchangeably retained.
Other solutions attempt to provide the visual experience of full lower-ear adornment via unseen penetrated soft lobules, but these solutions also are unable to meet industry needs because they include a hidden pierce-post behind the adorned jewelry setting's center laying atop the center of the front of the lobule. While the top and bottom of these adorned settings on these pierced-earring posts look like they are somewhat rounding the top of the antitragal ridge-wall or the bottom of lobule, these settings actually require the earlobes to be pierced at center point and include a penetrating post to hold the large and/or tall decorative fixed-set décor. These settings can create health- and aesthetic-problems over time as the weight added to the penetrating posts draw downward, putting pressure on the hole opening, which is a pressure area of approximately 3 square millimeters and potentially creating a cheese-slicer-like-cut or worse, a cleft lobe, “rabbit-ear” look that may require lobectomy.
It would also be desirable to have a pierce-free earring base that solves the problem of pierced-ear adornments affixed at the very tip of the earlobe due to naturally occurring, age-related earlobe elongation.
Other pierce-free solutions hang a simple open-gaping one-wire-banded hoop or oval shape around the lower ear that is not capable of onboarding, via fixed-set or interchangeable, significantly heavy adornment(s). In terms of sizing, at best these options scale in size with the overall size of the ear. But these solutions fail to meet industry needs due to the fact that ears come in all manner of shapes, curves, and dimensions, including varying cartilaginous apportions, and have wide variations in the metrics of individual-features such as height, width, breadth, depth of the interior conchae cavum (concha cave) pocket, varying overall feature dimensionalities, variable-alignments of the ear in juxtaposition to the head, and differences in the slope of the antitragal ridge in terms of a steep, standard, or low decline as the ridge is drawn at the top of the entire earlobe moving from the back of the head, or rear portion of said ridge forward toward the face. Without accommodating the aforementioned ear variable dimensions, these attempted solutions do not provide a configuration or dimensional profile that ergonomically accommodates, balances, and distributes significant adornment weight.
Currently lacking within the industry are solutions that can readily and easily be adapted on a widespread basis for providing chiral-engineered, pierce-free, fasten-on customized ear-wear base-setting devices, without and with jewelry-embedded mounted settings that bear significant jewelry-adornment weight(s) safely. Safety here is defined as safe to wearers' ear health in that no heavy-weight-bearing piercings are required. Safety also refers to potential health hazards due to infections from use of piercing guns, which are banned in some countries, and which are limited to single-disposable-use only in some U.S. states, and to yanking and pulling injuries.
The disclosed novel invention is an ergonomic approach to provision of chiral, no-squeeze, pierce-free fasten-on custom-fitted ear-wear apparel foundational device settings, based on exploiting computer processes that combine automation methods for fitting about 99 percent (or some other chosen range) of jewelry earring apparel wearers. Included in this disclosure is a computer system with self-perfecting profile-based fitting processes.
The ear-contact points, to which the most preferred earring base with hinging fastens in both the front and the back of the ear, are cartilaginous which does not have significant nerve tissue. As a result, the wearer may be unaware of, or have little awareness of, any sensation of bearing significant jewelry weight.
The sizing and fitting methodologies are disclosed. Certain of the preferred computer-implemented sizing and fitting methodologies convert a series of individually extracted critical ear-variable-dimensions (EVDs) into individually grouped fit gauges that then are mapped to any of tens of thousands of circumscribed fit profiles, thus enabling industry easily and efficiently to fabricate custom-fitted and semi-custom-fitted ergonomically designed devices; set the same with significantly weighted jewelry adornment(s); and deliver the same as finished. The same methodologies are used in fabrication of custom-fitted earpiece adornment covers that serve to stabilize hearing aids, pods, and/or buds worn in the ear (not shown).
The lack of a computerized sizing- and fitting-system, and hand-held sizing- and fitting implementation, leaves industry insufficiently able to provide accurately fitting componentry that is ergonomic, custom- and semi-custom-fitting, and safely able to bear weight levels of about 30 grams and greater onto each ear.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a computerized system with multiples processes that ensure population fit accuracy, which is disclosed herein. Without said functional methods, accommodating the seemingly unlimited variety of differently shaped lower ear curves, dimensions, and overall size metrics becomes logistically unmanageable for large scale fabrication, configuration, manufacturing and distribution.
Therefore, it is important to have a readily usable and accessible computer fit profile system that provides industry with an accurate means for ascertaining a complete and unique fit profile for each individual to within a precision fitting level of between about 1 and about 3 millimeters for each of the critical ear-variable dimensions associated with the device that when presented in whole custom fit about 99 percent (or some other chosen range) of the population of potential wearers.
Therefore, also disclosed, in addition to said device, is a computerized sizing and fitting process and program for determining the size requirements of wearers for fitting high-weight-bearing, chiral-engineered adorn-able ear-fastener devices, offering access to said program for exploitation to users, both wearer users and provider users, and for facilitating the exercise of those interactive options between all users.
Continuously updating anthropometrics-based parametric values from customer measurement provide data that also is used by the computer program to accurately issue feedback to users in the form of an assessment of fit availability, as it is an object of the invention to provide a means for sizing users with properly fitting devices to within a fine degree of accuracy. If the wearer's individual dimensions can be matched with an existing multi-dimensional fit-profile option to within the quality of accuracy standards specified, their fabrication for high-end custom fine jewelry or for a mid-end semi-custom fastener earring base can be immediately provided and fulfilled. If, on the other hand, their dimensions cannot be matched to an existing fit profile option, but meet criteria described herein, their custom-fit base is scheduled to be accommodated with a new device fit profile that meets the qualified accuracy standards as specified.
Therefore, there currently exists a need in the industry for a practical method to size, meaning measure, individual wearer's critical ear-variable dimensions (EVDs) and moreover also for a computer-implemented system that performs fitting processes that include automated self-perfecting fit profile-based custom- and semi-custom fitting processes. Further, there currently exists a need in the industry for a practical local method to measure individual wearer's critical ear-variable dimensions (EVDs) and a computer fit profile system with automated processes that correlate critical ear-variable dimension measurements into fit gauges. The processes then correlate the uniquely bespoke fit profiles with extensive sets of discrete fit options and selections.
The custom sizing methods, in some embodiments are based on use of novel hand-held fitting implements, basic tools of the trade, computer systems with processes, and photogrammetry, together ensure the accuracy of the fit of a pierce-free ear-fastener base device settings as ergonomically engaged when mounted on one or both lower ears in chiral fashion.
The computer fit-profile system is also configured to convert extracted ear-variable-dimensions into grouped fit gauges, which include data on the length, width, depth, breadth, and arcuate curve of outer and hidden inner individual ear components and to provide formed patterns that correlate to thousands of bespoke fit profiles.
Now addressing the problem of lack of functionality for balancing and distributing significant jewelry weight of legacy clip-on or pierce through earrings, the novel device in certain preferred embodiments concurrently presents, at the frontal display componentry, a steep double-banded upper bend-angled fastening mount shaped like a backward-bent clothoid loop. Said loop serves as a mounting latch that reaches up and over, and simultaneously flanks, the antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips. The sides of the mid area of the reverse-bent loop straddling over the two lower dips adjacent to, or flanking, the antitragus rise. Additionally, because the antitragus ridge (dip-rise-dip) itself moves at a decline, or downward slope, toward the face, the band at the back most often bends over the antitragus ridge at a higher point then that of the band at the front. The fitting methods disclosed accommodate the declining slope toward the face that determines, on most wearers, the extent of the greater height of the rear bent band unto that of the face-forward band.
Said double banding of the mid loop then repel down into the hidden lower conchal cavum's interior pocket, where the two bands connect forming the end of the loop via angles with a lower-bottom-connecting portion referred to as soft-spread-footing, which lies along the floor of the conchal pocket and serves as a balancing fulcrum. The length of the double bands of the looped latch, as repelling down the hidden conchal pocket, settle at the conchal floor, where they join the device's soft spread footing that is shaped like a curved bar. The fit of the depth of the individual wearers interior pocket is gauged to within about 2 millimeter of accuracy in length.
Custom- and semi-custom-sized attachable and detachable pierce-free chiral ear-fastener base devices, embellish-able by industry and individual, can be used as an alternative to conventional ear-piercing products that cause damage to soft lobe-tissue-fiber over time.
The novel computer-implemented systems with fit-profile gauging processes and hand-held-based implements further the ability of industry to accurately fit pierce-free ergonomic earring-base fastener device settings that bear weight for adorning jewelry onto lower ears.
Readily available hand-held proprietary ear-metric implements aid in sizing and fitting chiral pierce-free weight-bearing ear-fastener devices as tailored to individuals' specific shapes and sizes, for jewelers serving wearers, as a method to provide customized outfitting beyond a one-size-fits-all approach.
For these, and other health- and jewelry-fashion-related reasons, industry is supported with the addition of a pierce-free, chiral, fasten-on earring base setting for the multitude of adornment that is custom and/or semi-custom fitted using readily and easily available computer-implemented methods disclosed along with hand-held implements.
It should be understood that the quality standard for fit accuracy of between about 1 and about 3 mm for each of the individual critical ear-variable dimensions that comprise basic embodiments, in concert, create each individual wearers' fit gauge unit that is later correlated to a uniquely bespoke fit profile, and is integral to imparting the new and unexpected result of significant jewelry weight-bearing capacity produced. Each of the separate critical ear variable dimensions, as extracted and accommodated, and all said variables simultaneously grouped, together with hidden rear-ear diverging directionality, chiral engineering, rear non-lobule-contact hinging, and significant cartilage-contact points in the front (conchal pocket depth) and at the rear (eminence of the concha), constitute a novel, unobvious, and innovative approach and improvement to pierce-free earring base device settings and earwear apparel, to include ergonomically fit adorn-able pierce-free earring-base device settings and earpiece covers such as to stabilize as well as esthetically enhance hearing aids and audio sound buds.
A chiral ear-fastener single device and/or a chiral device set, which are mirror-image, non-interchangeable, devices for both an individual wearer's right and left ears simultaneously, are customizable at the frontal display jewelry placement location portion, which may be disposed as a fixture-plate, of the earring-base device setting, to be adorned by industry with embedded and/or interchangeable jewelry.
Industry adornment may include, but is not limited to, embedding light-to-heavy jewelry that is permanently affixed and/or interchangeably attached to the surfaces of ear fasteners without piercing. While there may be a multitude of variations in the “settings” and “embedded settings” of the frontal display and other portions and surfaces of ear fastener devices disclosed, it should be understood that the present disclosure of embodiments is to be considered as examples of the principles and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described.
Sizing a minimum of critical ear-variable dimensions into whole multi-dimensional “fit-profiles” is necessary to the provision of properly-fitting, ergonomic no-pressure fasten-on componentry specifications. Ear anatomy measurement metrics drive properly fitting ear-fastener dimensions and configurations such as component bend-angles, lengths, width, breadths, and thicknesses as well as ear-fastener base device style, number of bands on looped latches beyond the required minimum of two flanking the antitragus peak, hinge-motion range, and optional extender-length ranges, all of which enhance the provision of properly fitting ear-fasteners that effectively, securely and comfortably fit users' ears.
Therefore, there currently exists a need in the fine jeweler industry for a computer system with processes for selecting best-fitting profiles for mass fabrication and delivery of custom- and semi-custom ergonomic, pierce-free, weight bearing earwear apparel that encompasses earring apparel and earpiece apparel (hearing aid and pods/buds jewelry embellished stabilizing covers).
Certain of the Most Preferred EmbodimentsDisclosed next are the basic, or core, components of certain of the most preferred embodiments that are contemplated, which are multi-part hinged and fastener-latched, custom-fitted embodiments. Preferred embodiments of the custom-fitted earring base device disclosed herein include, in the front, a double-banded fastener-latch shaped like a backward bent clothoid loop that flanks each individual ear's antitragus peak, and in back, said devices include hinging joined at the top with an extended lower armed, concave-shaped upper fitter that contacts and curves along the rear convex eminence of the concha. These preferred embodiments, which are fabricated of multiple parts, include either a rear low-pressure-hinge, a stop-gap hinge, a click-back hinge, or a sway-and-snap hinge, among other types of hinges and their equivalents. Said preferred device together with disclosed custom- and semi-custom-computer sizing and fitting methods as deployed serve the needs of industry for adorning significantly weighted jewelry onto the lower one-third of the ear, without piercing or clamping, effectively, safely, and securely.
Also disclosed herein are the associated computer-implemented sizing and fitting methodologies that convert a series of individually extracted critical ear-variable-dimensions (EVDs) into individually grouped fit gauges that then are mapped to any of tens of thousands of circumscribed fit profiles, thus enabling industry easily and efficiently to fabricate custom-fitted and semi-custom-fitted ergonomically designed devices; set the same with weighted jewelry adornment(s); and deliver the same as finished.
All ear-fastener device settings disclosed are chiral in design, meaning not interchangeable between left and right ears. Also disclosed are the same as sets, meaning that a set comprises both a single chiral device for a right ear and a single chiral device for a left ear, wherein the two devices together are mirror images of one another, but not interchangeable with one another.
The ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing fasten-on earring base fulfills the needs of industry via inclusion of a blank fixture-plate portion at the middle of the frontal display componentry, which is a jewelry placement location site. At the design stage, the plate at the middle of the front of the device is industry-customizable such that industry adorns the base device setting with embedded fixed-set gems and jewelry weighing up to and more than 30 grams each ear. Other embodiments provide portions that include fixed or removable adaptors for onboarding add-on and take-off interchangeable jewelry.
Hereinafter ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing earring-base device settings will be referred to interchangeably as an earring “base”, “ear-fastener-bases”, “ear-fastener-base-devices”, “ear-fastener-base-device settings”, “ear-fastener-base settings”, “ear-fasteners”, “fasten-on earring base”, “fasten-on earring base device”, “fasten-on earring base device setting”, “fasten-ons”, and/or the brand referred to as FASCINEARS™.
Disclosed below are the required structural specifications for implementing the most preferred embodiments of this invention of custom-fitted ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing earring-base device settings upon which industry may fix-set, or interchangeably affix, adornments with weight levels of up to and greater than about 30 grams each ear safely and securely, without penetrating or clamping ear lobules.
Critical aspects and mechanical functionality of the invention's most preferred contemplated embodiments is a multi-sub-component embodiment that, at the most basic level and iteration, is made up of nine core portions. Certain of these preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention require rear hinging that is either: the hidden rear low-pressure hinge, stopgap hinge, click-back hinge, or sway-and-snap hinge. Said hinging joins a relatively long-armed upper rear fitter, which contacts, curves, and cups the cartilaginous eminence of the concha above the rear lobule. This most preferred embodiments of the device also comprises, at the front componentry, the multi-portion upper fastener looped latch that itself has sub-component portions.
All embodiments have front components and rear components. The front components have sub-components. The rear components have sub-components. Nine core portions within their sub-components together comprise the basic portions of the invention's preferred multi-part embodiments as described below.
All embodiments are fabricated of multiple parts that include either a rear low-pressure-hinge, stop-gap hinge, click-back hinge, or sway-and-snap hinge, or whether versions fabricated of one-piece material, have key ear-contact-point elemental portions that engage at the ear's critical front cartilage location and the ear's critical rear cartilage location as specified.
The nine core portions of certain of the most preferred embodiments, are listed below and divided between the front componentry and the rear componentry:
At the front of the device, the upper fastener-latch sub-component, shaped like a backward bent clothoid loop, comprises:
1) The first portion of the fastener latch subcomponent is two bands diverging upward from the top of the front of the device. This portion forms the Y-shaped nexus of the clothoid loop. The bands continue to bend upward toward the antitragus ridge along the sides of the clothoid loop to where they are nearly parallel.
2) The second portion of the fastener latch is the double-latching band's bends at the points where the double-bands start to bend backward over the antitragus ridge and said double-bands continue bending downward and slightly toward each other as they reach downward to the bottom or floor of the conchal pocket. Because the antitragus ridge runs at a downward angle, or slope, toward the face, the band at the back bends over the antitragus ridge at a higher point then the band at the front.
3) The third portion of the fastener latch is soft-spread footing that joins with the bands on both ends at the bottom of the conchal pocket to form the tightly curved portion of the clothoid loop nearly opposite its nexus point. The curved soft-spread footing rests at the curved bottom of the conchal pocket. Said footing portion comprises the key ear-contact-point elemental portion in front. Said footing's curved shape distributes and balances the weight of the device.
At the front of the device, the middle sub-component, when fabricated of high-end-material that is fine jewelry precious metals, comprises:
1) The portion that is the entire frontal area facing viewers, made up of a blank plate that is disposed between the upper and lower sub-components of the front componentry of the entire device. Said plate is used by industry to augment and impose preferred jewelry setting designs, including gem prongs, for embedding light-to-heavy gems and jewelry that later are permanently fixed set into the setting, and therefore the base device, itself. Said portion also may comprise simple non-adorned banded configurations and/or may include fixed or non-fixed elemental adaptor sub-portions.
At the front of the device, the middle sub-component, when fabricated of mid-end-material that is qualified metals and/or low-end-materials that are qualified plastics, comprise:
1) The portion that is the entire frontal area facing viewers, comprising a simple wire-banded configuration. Said banded configuration may include a fixed adaptor elemental portion in which add-on and take-off, interchangeably attached jewelry, may be “onboarded” to the “frontal display componentry” surfaces of the ear fastener base as mounted onto the ear without piercing. On other said embodiments, frontal banding, which may be plate-flattened, may be used by industry to augment and impose preferred jewelry setting designs, including gem-setting openings and/or prongs, for embedding compatible gems and jewelry that later are permanently fixed set into the setting, and therefore the base device, itself.
At the front of the device, the lower sub-component, comprises:
1) The lower-most portion of the entire device that curves while extending from the front to the back of the device at the lowermost end of the device where the device clears the longest point of an individuals' lobule as determined via the sizing and fitting methods disclosed herein. Said lowermost curved portion is seamless in most embodiments and may be disposed with a seamless open and close mechanism portion in others. Said mechanism is disposed with a near invisible hinged closure point.
At the rear of the device, non-adorn-able sub-components, comprise:
1) a hidden-from-view lower rear-lobule portion that joins with entire device's front-to-back lowermost portion at its lower end. At its upper end, or top, the lower-rear-lobule portion, on preferred multi-component hinged embodiments, join with one of the rear hinging portions described below.
Said lower-rear-lobule portion, alternatively, will join directly to an upper fitter portion described below in one-piece-material embodiments.
2a) a hidden-from-view un-adorned rear sub-component portion at about the middle of the rear componentry behind the rear lobule that comprises a lower sub-portion of either a low-pressure hinge, a lower sub-portion of a stopgap hinge, a lower sub-portion of a click-back hinge, or a lower sub-portion of a sway-and-snap hinge. Said stopgap hinging shuts such that a more fixed opening exists between the entire device's front componentry's fastener looped latch footing at the floor of the conchal pocket, in between which is sandwiched a thickness of conchal cavum hard tissue and skin. All hinging options disclosed join with the rear componentry's upper “fitter” portion describe below.
2b) alternatively, in other embodiments made of one-piece, a hidden-from-view un-adorned rear sub-component portion extends seamlessly and near-vertically behind the rear lobule as it connects at its lower end with the entire device's lowermost portion that runs from front to back. At its upper end, seamlessly, said portion joins with a convex-curving fitter portion above as described below. The location of said portion is at the middle of the rear componentry behind the rear soft-tissue lobule.
3) A rear-fitter portion (disposed at the upper end of the backside of the device) that may make contact with 3 ear wearer contact points: the skin over the skull and neck area adjacent to the convex-curved, vertically long, eminence of the concha; eminence of the concha outer area itself; and the south inception of the eminence of the conch immediately above the soft-tissue rear upper-lobule.
The inception of the ear's eminence of the concha, at its w south end, is joined and located directly above where the soft rear lobule tissue ends.
Regarding the opening between the rear componentry's upper “fitter” portion and the sub-component portion in front that is the conchal-pocket footing, said opening, whether multi-component or one-piece fabrication, may stay at a constant opening of as little as about 2.5 mm for some wearers. It should be noted that the opening size is not one-size-fits-all, but instead is based on sizing and fitting methodology results per disclosed processes.
More critically, while the opening in devices made of one piece or with a stopgap hinge may be as relatively small as about 2.5 mm depending upon an individual fit profile as ascertained via deployment of the disclosed sizing and fitting method, limits associated with said opening also are defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a thickness of the concha cavum wall, which is preferred to be no more than about 24,516 Pascals of pressure, but in no embodiment will be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure.
It should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as examples of the principles and not intended to limit the invention to the specific earring-base device setting of only the specific embodiments shown and described.
The heavily weighted adornment(s) born by pierce-free ergonomic lower-ear-fastener device settings comprise 1) jewelry that is fixed-set by fine jewelry brands, local jewelers and/or their designers, manufacturers, and fashion jewelry-makers, 2) jewelry that is retained via embodiments with permanently fixed upper or lower adaptor elements, or “cargo” embodiments, capable of onboarding jewelry décor and accessories. In one upper adaptor embodiment, said add-on jewelry is slid onto the discrete adaptor portion of said fixed adaptors such that the jewelry flows over the entire ridge and lobule; and 3) jewelry that is onboarded and off-boarded interchangeably via removably connected spring-clasp joiners or via small circular joints that slide-onto open-ended adaptors that aid in connecting traditional-earrings that have been adapted by wearers or jewelers to be onboarded. Said jump clips and joiners are also are interchangeably applied to base device(s) and their fixed adaptors by wearer(s) and/or jewelry providers.
More specifically, the core components of certain of the most preferred embodiments comprise multi-part hinged embodiments that are connected and inter-related as follows:
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- A fastening looped latch sub-component that itself has multiple portions including bend-angles and looped fastener-latch bands whose arms repel down into the hidden conchal pocket at a customized depth of the inner conchal cavum floor, wherein said depth(s) are determined by the disclosed automated sizing and fitting methods.
- A jewelry setting placement location site portion at the front componentry, which is represented by an allocated fixture, such as a plate at the middle front of the fasten-on earring base device. This fixture-plate portion may be further developed by industry into any shape and setting style, to include but not limited to: prong, pave, bezel, cluster, gypsy, channel, tension, cluster, and etoile jewelry settings and also baskets, gemstone stations, and all manner of gems in appropriate heads and designs.
- The fixture-plate allocating jewelry setting display placement is atop the middle of the frontal display portion, which is connected to the upper front top looped fastening latch sub-componentry of the earring base. Said plate is connected at bottom to the earring base device's lowermost component, which moves about face, clears the lowermost longest lobule tissue length, and joins with rear componentry portions. Said frontal-display adornment allocation plate, when set with industry jewelry, is capable of safely and securely carrying embedded fixed- and/or interchangeable jewelry adornments at weight levels up to and greater than 30 grams per ear.
- A curved entire device lowermost bottom portion runs under and clears the longest tissue of an individual's lobule from front to back (about face) and is disposed at the lower end of the frontal-jewelry-placement display location plate sub-component of the front componentry as the device is vertically emplaced, or elevated, standing up in its deployed position when donned by a wearer. This entire device lower-most curving component moves about face from front to back and joins an unseen lower rear-lobule portion that is part of the rear componentry. At this juncture, at the rear componentry, the rear-lobe lowermost portion, in certain preferred embodiments, seamlessly, and alternately, connect to either a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a click-back hinge or a sway-to-snap hinge, all depending on the specific material forming the specific device as outlined in the section entitled Certain of the Most Preferred Embodiments. The stopgap hinge, along with other preferred hinges, serves to snuggly fit rear portions of the device against the eminence of the concha and possibly skull and neck areas, while allowing the wearer to comfortably mount the device into place.
- An open-ended, rear eminence of the concha contacting, rear-fitter portion is disposed at the end of the hinging portion. Said fitter may be any one of a multitude of interchangeable fitter shape options. The relatively long-armed rear fitter portion, at its lower end, joins with the rear-stop gap hinge, low-pressure hinge, click-back hinge, or sway-to-snap hinge. At least one eminence of the concha cupping or “spoon laying” rear fitter portion is present in all embodiments, at the top of which constitutes the rear fitter-ended portion of the rear componentry. Said rear-fitters disposed at the top of rear componentry itself may have three contact abutments: an abutment that makes contact with skin over the back-of-ear's skull and/or neck area; an engaging abutment above the upper rear-earlobe; and always the abutment with the rear-ear's convex eminence of the concha. These abutments result from the multitude of ergonomic fitter options of various shapes and sizes, and on some embodiments said fitters are interchangeable.
Rear-fitter configurations disposed above the rear hinging portion come in a multitude of shapes described further in the section entitled Certain of the Most Preferred Embodiments. Rear upper fitters are shown in limited number in
All recited alternate rear fitter options may come with cut out versions to save on costs of precious metals as well as other metals and materials including qualified stainless steels, titanium's, brass alloys, and plastics. Said upper rear-fitter backing components may alternatively be apportioned with choices of alternative shapes and sizes both permanently fixed as chosen at time of manufacture and/or via screw on screw off mechanisms, and or interchangeable interface with the stopgap and other hinges and other hinge options. The multitude of rear-fitter alternative shapes and sizes further serve the myriad differences of size, shape, and dimensionalities of individual ears.
At the front component of the earring base device setting, the upper fastener-latch sub-component, which is shaped like a backward bent clothoid loop, itself has key portions that are interconnected:
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- Soft-spread-footing is a curved-bar shaped portion disposed at the end of backward bent clothoid loop fastener-latch configuration. The upper fastening-latch that starts at the top of front display section with bands that diverge in an upper “Y” shape, has the appearance of a curved bar formed into a clothoid loop that bends back over the antitragus with the top of the loop then resting down to the floor of the conchal pocket, as gauged via the sizing methods deployed. The top of the clothoid loop resting at the bottom of the conchal pocket is referred to here as the soft-spread footing. The curved bar-shaped end-footing portion disposed at the lower end of the fastening latch, engages with the floor of the conchal pocket when ear mounted, and flanking the center rise of, the ear's antitragal ridge. A minimum of two bands, meaning a double-banded about 90-degree flattened-apexed bend-angle that has a median lower latch-opening width of about 11 millimeters with a standard deviation of plus or minus about 4 millimeters. At the far end of said double-banded, or parallel bands of the looped latch, the earring base device's soft-spread footing is disposed and connected at its ends with the sides of said loop, meaning the sides of the looped fastener-latch. Said latch bands rappel over the antitragal ridge-wall, and down into the hidden conchal pocket where the soft-spread footing nestles onto the “conchal basin” floor at the bottom of the conchal pocket. The soft-spread footing runs like a curved bar at the floor of the conchal pocket, providing a balancing fulcrum, and is sized according to the disclosed fitting methods.
- The inside flattened apex of the upper looped fastening-latch's inner bend-angle is at an about 45-degree to about 75-degree inner bend-angle and widens at the opposite, open, fastener-latch portion, to a preferred approximately 11-millimeters between the latch's hidden soft-spread footing end and the visible adjacent portion about 11 mm away, constituting the latch opening. A typical ear's antitragus presents a “shelf” that is variously about 3-to-5-millimeters deep (front to back) depending upon age, which is found at the top of the ear-antitragus's high-point as well as its two adjacent or flanking dips. Therefore, the inner side of the apex of all device fasteners are by necessity flattened, and not sharp inverted V-shaped as with the vertex of a triangle.
- The underside of the flattened apex of the upper bend-angled portion of each of the minimum of two top-fastener latch band(s) are defined as comprising preferably a 45-to-75 degree inner angle, and said interior angle must be bent at the very least, less at the interior than a right angle such that the apex of said angle is implemented, or positionally disposed, as a softened inner curve that may extend horizontally over the antitragal ridge by about 4 millimeters.
- Said flattened inner curve of the double-banded looped fastener-latch whose bands flank the antitragus peak is upper bend-angled and engaged-mounted onto the antitragal ridge where the latch's soft spread footing contacts the floor of the conchal pocket providing further weight-bearing stability and a balancing fulcrum. The conchal pocket floor beneath skin is cartilaginous, which does not have significant nerve endings.
Examples of preferred embodiments that illustrate certain of the aspects of this invention are found in the drawings.
FIG. 15ABCDE are top, perspective, side, side, and side views respectively of base devices with alternative T socket embodiments at the frontal display location. The T socket mating members 195 are also shown, either attached or separated from their slide in socket on the front of the base 190. The slide-in T socket allows décor to be slid-on and clicked into place via a top T clicking mechanism at will. FIG. 16ABCD are side, perspective, and close-up perspective views respectively of base devices with additional alternative T socket embodiments at the frontal display location. The T socket mating members 195 are also shown, either attached or separated from their slide in socket on the front of the base 190. The slide-in T socket allows décor to be slid-on and clicked into place via a top T clicking mechanism (or other mechanism) at will.
Also Disclosed Herein are the Custom Sizing and Fitting Methods.
Five alternative sizing methods include: novel automated, novel semi-automated, both novel- and trade-hand-held sizing implements, a photogrammetric-based method, and a combination of automated and photogrammetric-based.
The sizing method specifically extracts critical ear-variable-dimensions (EVDs) of each individual wearer, which results in metric data on the length, widths, decline slope, depth, breadth, and line and arcuate curving of outer and hidden-inner key individual ear variable dimensions. The extracted individual metric data next are entered into a different fitting computer-implemented system whose processes group the EVD data metric sets. The individual's set group at this stage of processing is then referred to as an ear fit gauge. The processes then allocate the fit gauge to a matched circumscribed fit profile within the system from among tens of thousands of circumscribed profiles, thus serving about 99 percent (or other chosen range) of the potential wearing population.
Accurately measured ear-variable dimensions, which are the set of critical metrics of the lower half of the ear, are acquired via the sizing methods disclosed. Said metrics as extracted via deployment of the sizing methods underly the design and engineering of the customization of said devices, which is critical to the functionality resulting in the ability of the novel devices securely to stay onto the ear after mounting, while bearing significant jewelry weight.
Both the sizing and the fitting computer-implemented methods are integral to the scope of the invention's functionality safely and effectively to bear relatively high levels of jewelry weights in comparison to legacy solutions. Safely in this context means that the value of embedded fixed-set gems is safe from loss of value, and that the wearer is safe from damage to soft and hard ear tissues.
The novel computer-implemented systems with processes, which may include photogrammetry, together provide alternatives for sizing ear to ensure the accuracy of the fit of a pierce-free ear-fastener base device as ergonomically engaged when mounted on one or both lower ears in chiral fashion.
Novel Computer-Implemented Fitting Systems and Processes
The custom- and/or semi-custom sizing-and-fitting computer system with processes function to group ear variable dimensions into sets of fit gauges that then are correlated to any of thousands of unique circumscribed fit-profiles. Said fitting system with processes herein are referred to as the “computer system with self-perfecting profile-based fitting processes”, “computer perfect profile fitting system”, “CPPF system”, “fit profile system”, or the “perfect profile system”.
In certain preferred embodiments, the computer system also is configured to interact with extracted EVD data acquired for entering into the semi-custom size-and-fit methods in which a multitude of individual circumscribed fit-profiles generated are selected from for correlating with the population of potential individual wearers.
In other sizing- and fitting-embodiments, the computer system with processes use the fit-profiles generated from EVD metric data to provide further customizable profiles where statistical extremes, or outliers, may present.
The fit profiles are defined and configured in accordance with fit accuracy standards, limitations, and qualifications that ensure the functionality of the disclosed novel devices fitting the scale of the mass population.
The automated computer systems' processes yield engineered and designed earring base fastening device settings that are configured as sized to individuals' critical ear-variable dimension shapes, curves, and sizes. The critical ear-variable dimensions, which as a set are an intermediate step in the computer system's fit-gauge processes, can be measured by either a fine jeweler or fashion jeweler, equipped with training and both the herein disclosed novel implement and trade tools, and through photogrammetry, permissioned images taken of the ear in concert while integrating use of said novel implement.
All devices are customized to fit individually by way of deploying the custom- and/or semi-custom sizing and fitting processes disclosed herein. Semi-custom fitting computer methods are directly applicable to embodiments that are made of materials that lend themselves to mass factory manufacturing processes. Hinged cargo-model embodiments, for example, that do not accept set gems or jewelry, may be manufactured from a set of circumscribed fit profiles serving about 85 percent of some wearer populations, as an example. Said embodiments may be made, for example, of health grade, hypoallergenic stainless steel or brass alloys as outlined in the section entitled Most Preferred Embodiments, and as used by the industry.
Device embodiments may have one or more of the following optional features:
Some embodiments by way of utilizing the sizing and fitting methodologies disclosed herein enable fabrication of custom-sized and -fitted earpiece adornment covers that stabilize buds worn in the ear.
Some embodiments may include a hidden rear-rotating cuffed extender wherein the cuff is referred to as a turnbuckle. Said optional feature element optimizes fitting efficiency for ears that present with lobule lengths that fall within an extreme outlier column. The optional turnbuckle extender raises or lowers the rear fitter that cups the eminence of the concha. Regarding the location of the turnbuckle: The entire device lower-most curving component that moves about face from front to back underneath the ear lobule joins an unseen lower rear-lobule portion that is part of the rear componentry. At this juncture, at the rear componentry, the rear-lobe lowermost portion may alternately connect to a telescoping turnbuckle style extender, however. critically, these embodiments must include a safety open and close mechanism at the lowermost portion of the device located beneath the ear lobule.
In yet another complete embodiment's unique-feature set, existing post-pierce-earrings are soldered onto the pierce-free chiral-engineered ear-fastener device(s), where the rear portion of extended post is cut off, thus permanently converting the post-stud earring into a non-penetrating product. Currently, rudimentary adaptors exist that are attached to the bottom of pierce or clip-on earrings, thus the solution and objective to adorn ears without penetrating or clamping is not achieved.
Legacy pierced earring jewelry, and/or post-pierced earring jewelry that have been slightly modified may connect with embodiments that have any of three types of fixed adaptor either directly or via use of small additional open-and-close connectors referred to as “spring clasps”. These fixed adaptor embodiments altogether safely onboard total jewelry weight levels up to and greater than 30 grams per ear safely, effectively, and securely.
Additional permanent and interchangeable structural components and accessory components that enable the addition and/or removably connected add-on gem and jewelry to the core invention include:
(1) a permanently affixed clip-on earring adaptor allowing attachment of standard clip-on earrings, similar to that described in #2 below. Each said converting adaptor supplies a means for inserting and removing myriad clip-on earring jewelry that is compatible with said permanently installed adapter. It should be noted that said compatible clip-on earrings are placed in the opposite direction from the directional approach utilized when said clip on earring is mounted to an ear lobule, meaning the adaptor receives the clip-on backing of the clip-on earring as inserted into the adaptor upside down.
(2) the adaptor described in (1) above, but with connecting mechanisms for removing said adaptor from the ear-fastener base itself. Said adaptor may be connected to a base with double-banding at bottom, such as the Ex model embodiment, via spring clasps, and/or proprietary connectors and/or loops. Said adaptor is described in
(3a) a permanently affixed converting-adapter that is “slide on” style at top of the specific cargo model embodiment(s) that enable interchangeably sliding and onboarding existing post-pierce or wire-pierce earrings that have been modified such that the pierce post or pierce wire have been removed wherein an opening is left at the top of said décor. Said opening is used to easily slide the modified legacy earring(s) onto the fasten-on earring base via the slide-on adaptor. In addition, any décor, such as dangling earrings so modified may be slipped onto the slide adaptor at the very top of the fasten-on earring base itself. Legacy earring posts or wires may be removed by jewelers, artisans, and/or wearers with appropriate tools. Each permanently affixed onboarding converting adaptor supplies a means for onboarding myriad removable décor including compatible earring jewelry that has been disconnected from its original post-pierce or wire-pierce setting. This onboarding furthers the sustainability of the ear-fastener cargo model embodiment device.
(3b and 3c) permanently affixed converting-adapter at the middle and bottom of the device that, unlike the adaptor of 3a require a connector such as a spring clasp to connect add-on décor to said adaptor. In one embodiment, the adaptor is a bar-shaped portion added below the middle of a model shaped like an Ex in the front. In another embodiment, the adaptor comprises a loop at the bottom lowermost portion of the overall device.
(4) A post pierced earring adaptor may also be accomplished by using for example a tabletop laser welder or torch used by a jeweler. This permanently attaches an altered pierced earring onto the ear fastener base device at the jeweler's chosen location. The method involves inserting the post through the ear-fastener base's fixed set adaptor, permanently cutting the remaining post extension on the back side, and soldering for a final result in which both the setting device and modified pierce-post earring become a renewed, permanently fixed-set result.
(5) Removable adaptor parts may also include ear-fastener “skirts” and “jackets” or “adaptors” that are attached and unattached to the frontal display componentry via, for example, flat shallow screws with tiny rear bolts, snaps (with male and female componentry mechanisms), clasps, magnets (both attracting sides), and a multitude of types of fasteners.
(6) a removably connected converting-adapter that interchangeably onboards existing post-pierce earrings that have not been permanently modified. Each said converting adaptor supplies a means for inserting myriad removable post-pierced earring jewelry, and/or post-pierced earring jewelry connected with other jewelry items (often referred to as an earring “jackets” or “adaptors”) via additional connectors and/or converting adaptors, that altogether safely and securely onboard jewelry weight levels up to and greater than 30 grams per ear. The difference between #4 and #3 is that #4 describes an adaptor for post-pierce earrings that can be removed and replaced with other traditional post-pierced earrings.
(7) a removably connected converting-adapter that interchangeably onboards existing wire-pierce earrings. Each said converting adaptor supplies a means for inserting myriad removable wire-pierced earring jewelry, and/or wire-pierced earring jewelry connected with other jewelry items via additional connectors and/or converting adaptors, that altogether safely and securely onboard jewelry at weight levels up to and greater than 30 grams per ear. Each of these converter-adapters provide a means for inserting and removing jewelry by means of a variety of removable spring clasps, screws, nuts, washers, connectors, adapters, and converters embodiments.
(8) a locking, or snap mechanism attached to or combined with rear hinging to inhibit movement of the opening as a key indispensable opening and closing element of the rear hinging sub-component. See sway-and-snap hinge Figure.
(9) embodiments allowing for installation of screw-on art at the central lobule area via a hidden capped hole that receives screw adaptors at the center of, and embedded into, the device. This will be done using a wide variety of novel and standard screws, washers, nuts, snap and/or other connecting components.
(10a) For some embodiments, such as the “ex” model (pronounced “X”) embodiment described in
(10b) An additional object of the invention is to provide a means for adding adornments such as skirt- and jacket-fronts or adaptor-fronts whose underside is disposed with a female receiver opening part, that receives said small jewelry screw into, and through the threaded hole within a location on an embodiment base, such as the X frontal-display component, whereby both the screw, and the adornment's threaded hole, together sandwich said skirt or jacket or adaptor accessory between the ear-fastener Base frame, the frontal display. From front to back, this sandwich would include decorative screw head, skirt or jacket or adaptor, frontal display, and threaded hole at the very back. This allows a wearer to don the ear-fastener plain, and/or with a decorative cap covering said hole in place, or with said decorative screw cap removed, and in back of cap an add-on décor is threaded onto the back of said screw, such that not only skirts and jackets or adaptors, but also themed and other décor is added, such as long-horns prior to attending rodeo, then the couple is threaded through the device's opening and screw nut tightened onto the device in the back of the device. After said procedure, the device with alternate frontal-display décor is ready to wear in pierce-free fashion.
(11) Some embodiments may have links pinned together such that portions of the entire length of the ear-fastener device may be adjusted longer or shorter by a jeweler for further customization.
It is also contemplated that for future use, wearers will benefit from augmented reality try-on technologies as applied providing users digital try-on experiences. Remote measurement capabilities can also be applied in the processes of fitting individual ears described herein.
Methods for Sizing and Fitting
While the present novel invention is directed at said fasten-on earring base device setting, the methods for sizing and custom-fitting the same on a population-wide scale are integral to the invention and said methods are disclosed in complete version herein.
With respect to the device, it should be noted that the level of fit accuracy of between about 1 and about 3 mm for all critical ear-variable dimensions, in concert, is integral to imparting the unexpected result of significant jewelry weight-bearing capacity produced.
The core elements, sub-components and portions of the device include cartilage-contact points at both the front (conchal pocket depth via soft-spread footing) and rear (convex eminence of the concha via concave fitter above hinging). Additionally, in the front, a double-banded fastener-latch shaped like a backward bent clothoid loop that flanks each individual ear's antitragus peak; chiral “like gloves” engineering; a rear-fitter sub-component portion at the topmost point of the rear componentry, which joins with rear hinging; a hidden lower rear-ear portion that joins with upper rear-ear portions whose direction slightly diverges directionally from frontal portion direction; individual conchal-pocket depth accommodation; antitragus-ridge dip-to-dip width accommodation; antitragus ridge slope accommodation; length below tragus accommodation; lobule height in front and rear accommodation; thickness of a wall of concha cavum below the antitragal ridge accommodation; and eminence of the concha width accommodation.
The device fastens widely across the top of, and specifically flanks both sides of, the antitragus's cartilaginous rise where one exists. Behind the ear, the setting fastens alongside the cartilaginous area above the rear of the earlobe referred to as the “eminence of the concha”.
In implementation, the depth of the conchal cavum pocket is individually accommodated such that the portion of the earring base that nestles along a swath of the floor of the hidden conchal pocket fits to within about 1 to about 2 millimeters of accuracy from among 12 discrete device lengths that match 12 distinct conchal pocket depths (thus forming a balanced interior-pocket fulcrum).
In implementation, the width between the two dips flanking the center antitragus rise is individually accommodated to within about 1 to about 2 mm accuracy among 18 about 7 to about 25 mm metric positions.
In implementation, the depth of the conchal cavum pocket is individually accommodated such that the portion of the earring base that nestles along a swath of the floor of the interior conchal pocket fits to within about 1 to about 2 millimeters of accuracy.
In implementation, the degree of slope of the antitragal ridge's descent, from higher in back to lower toward the face, is accommodated and accounted via a specific EVD measurement extracted from between about 0° and about 90°. Said degreed slope is converted via sine to a metric difference of between about 0 and about 15 millimeters. Said descending slope is accommodated in that the two upper bent bands of the looped fastener latch are not always the same height, unless the individual ear being accommodate has a flat, or level, antitragus ridge. The rear latch band may bend over the antitragal ridge up to about 15 millimeters higher than the upper bent band at toward the front of the face.
In implementation, the vertical length from the antitragal ridge to the longest most lobule tissue plumb downward, is accommodated, such that the lower-most portion of the custom-fitted device clears the lower lobule but does not extend unduly beyond the lobule.
In implementation, all embodiments as contemplated in the most preferred embodiments will include rear hinging whose pivotal engagement is hidden behind individuals' rear soft-tissue lobule, and whose upper is disposed with any of a multitude of elongated concave fitters that reach upward and high enough to contact and curve alongside the convex cartilaginous tissue of the eminence of the concha.
In the front of some embodiments, an upper fixed adaptor accepts converted legacy earrings that flow down the entire frontal display area including the entire front of the ear lobule. In the front of some embodiments, a magnetic iron core may fix compatible onboarded interchangeable flowing décor from moving right and left during wear.
In the front of other embodiments, an ample decorative plate, some magnetized, provide cover for gauged-hole ears without penetration, or accept compatible snap-in decor. In still other embodiments formed of health-grade stainless steel (SS), or hypo-allergenic SS plated over copper, an embedded petite telescoping cuff extender may be allocated behind the soft tissue of the rear-lobule above the lowest rear portion of the earring base, which lengthens or shortens the slightly divergently bent upper-rear fitter curving alongside and cupping the eminence of the concha above the rear earlobe. These embodiments safely open and close via an opening and closing mechanism below the ear lobule.
One Piece Embodiments of the BaseEmbodiments made of one piece differ from certain of the more preferred hinged embodiments. More specifically, the core components and portions of devices made of one piece are different from multi-component devices in that they are connected and inter-related as follows:
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- An open-ended, rear eminence of the concha contacting, rear-fitter portion is disposed at the end of the rear-lobe componentry in one-piece earring bases. Said fitter is any one of a multitude of fitter shape options in the scope of those disclosed.
- The non-adorning lower rear-lobe portion seamlessly connects to the device's lower-most portion at its that runs underneath the lobule at its lower end. The mid rear lobule portion meets the convex “dial-shaped” curve of the rear eminence of the concha. At this junction, the concave rear fitters described in multi-component preferred embodiments are disposed.
- The non-adorning lower rear-lobe portion seamlessly connects to the entire device lower-most portion that runs underneath the lobule from front to back. The lower rear-lobe portion itself will include a diverging directionality at the transition of the lower-most component to the rear-lobe component in embodiments made of one piece and said divergence is required in earring base settings that are made of one piece and/or do not comprise hinging, but comprise the bendability and shore strength levels specified below.
Embodiments that are not outfitted with a rear hinging portion and that are made of one-piece, are by necessity, made of materials that either have enough bendability to be bent back into original form after minor stretching such as with gold, silver and their alloys and qualified brass alloys, but are not limited to said metals and their alloys as follows.
In implementation, one-piece ear-fasteners also may be made with materials that have memory to shape back into original form after minor bending and/or that have lower shear strength than gold, silver and/or their alloys and/or lower shear strength than qualified brass alloys. In implementation, the shape memory elemental feature may be accomplished via use of solid or coated beta and/or pure titanium in medical health grades, all comprising the critical hypoallergenic features of nickel and lead free. Coatings may be accomplished by depositing a coating of gold, other compatible metals, alloys, composites, and/or other materials, onto the said titanium(s) by way of plating processes. The elements of lightness, relatively high yield strength, high tensile strength, ability to bend while hard, and durability of titanium alloys and titanium gold, or Ti—Au or Au—Ti, are highly desirable for use in pierce-free ear-fastener base device settings. In other implementations, the shape memory metal element may be accomplished, by non-limiting example, by use of titanium and titanium alloys marketed under the trade name EXCELLENCETITAN, Z TITANIUM, and/or TITANIUM PERFECTION by CHARMANT USA Inc. of Morris Plains, N.J., USA.
All devices made of one piece include a diverging directionality, which is a “bend,” that changes the direction of the frontal-facing componentry unto the direction of the rear-facing componentry. From a head on view (as facing a wearer) the portion moving from underneath the earlobe to behind the earlobe will bend towards the eminence of the concha, while moving upward alongside the length of the rear lobule. At the junction of the rear lobule and the eminence of the concha, the lower rear fitter joins the lower rear portion. The entire rear concave fitter cups the convex eminence of the concha as do rear fitters on multi-part devices.
Restated differently, when the device is on a wearer who is facing north, the frontal-jewelry-display portion faces east from the head on a right ear and west from the head on a left ear. However, at the rear or lowermost componentry of the right- and left-ear devices, in contrast, a diverging bend is allocated such that the rear componentry changes direction and faces north, meaning forward toward the rear eminence of the concha. Said change in direction allows the device efficiently to spread and balance weight more evenly throughout the entire device and for the device's rear end fitter to cup, or “spoon”, the rear eminence of the concha, which requires the rear fitter to face north.
The simplest embodiment made of one-piece material includes in its most basic form the same custom-fit two-banded upper fastening loop as disclosed for the multi-part devices, which are allocated at the top of the front componentry of the device. Said one-piece material embodiment is required to include the diverging bend disclosed above. Said diverging bend is located, as the device is elevated, or upright, while mounted on its assigned chiral ear, at either the lowermost portion underneath the ear lobule, or behind the rear lobule, or at the inception of the rear fitter. More specifically, the diverging-bend preferably occurs where the lower-most component meets the rear-lobe component or where the rear-lobe component meets the upper-rear-fitter components or may be a portion of the rear-fitter component.
Fitter contact points at the posterior of the ear must include points along the convexly curved eminence of the concha. The neck area adjacent to the upper rear-lobule forms a depression on some wearers that often is shaped like an upside-down triangle. While this area may be skimmed by rear componentry and/or portions, said contacts are not key to the functionality of safety and securely mounting significant jewelry weight onto the lower one third of the ear in the rear.
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- A non-adorning rear-lobe portion is seamlessly connected to the curved entire device lower-most portion that runs underneath the lobule from front to back. The rear-lobe portion itself may include a diverging bend at the transition of the lower-most component to the rear-lobe component and said diverging bend is required in earring base settings that are made of one piece and/or do not comprise hinging, but comprise the bendability and shore strength levels specified below.
Ear-fastener base setting devices made of one piece are fabricated with materials that include stretch, shape memory, and/or include the ability to reform shape after minimal bending, or materials that retain shape after being repositioned to original form after being stretched or bent. Said materials may include metal(s) and/or qualified plastics as specified herein. If an embodiment is made from one material, fabrication must include stretch such that the device springs back into place after stretching or will retain shape after being stretched out and placed back to original form.
In implementation, no portion of an embodiment, when fabricated out of qualified titanium has an elastic modulus greater than about 125 GPa. The elastic modulus of other metals and/or their alloys used in the manufacture of one-piece embodiments are at least 55 GPa to retain form. In implementation, any embodiment made of in plastics are fabricated of pure, uncontaminated material and no portion of the embodiment has an Ultimate Tensile Strength greater than 46 megapascal (MPa).
Additional Features of Certain Preferred EmbodimentsThe more preferred embodiments include either a low-pressure hinge, a stopgap hinge, or a sway-to-snap closure hinge.
All of the most complete embodiment versions of the device have both the core front cartilage and core rear cartilage contact points, and all nine core portions as follows:
1) An obscured Soft-Spread-Footing portion serves as an end-portion that nestles down onto the interior floor of the ear's conchal “basin” floor, referred to as the conchal pocket floor. At either end of the Soft Spread Footing disposed are the minimum of two-latch bands of the clothoid loop that flank the antitragus rise (see 2 below) as they curve up and over the antitragal ridge. It is noted that the number of bands that comprise the top-bend-angle of each device's upper fastener latch sub-component at the bend angle portion is not limited. In addition to the basic double-banded fastening latch portion, said banding may alternatively comprise a plurality of three or more bands and may be configured to either straddle the antitragal ridge's central high point (rise or peak) by parting, meaning diverging to either side of the AT ridge, or the plurality of banding may at center encircle said antitragal ridge's central high point lasso style while disposing multiple bands at the flanking side dips outward. Still further said plurality of banding may rise at center to accommodate the rise of the antitragus ridge peak.
It also should be noted that implementation of the invention's custom- and/or semi-custom sizing-and-fitting methods further ensure the accuracy of the fit of the pierce-free ear-fastener device as ergonomically engaged with one or both lower ears after installed. The Soft-Spread-Footing's hidden portion is adjacent an opening inside of which is sandwiched the human ear's concha cavum interior. The other side of the said conchal cavum sandwich is at the rear of the ear, specifically at the outer convex-curved cartilaginous eminence of the concha.
2) A Bend-Angled, Double-Banded Top Fastener Latch sub-component that begins, and is disposed at, the upper end of the device's frontal-display and/or jewelry placement location subcomponent. Said latch is shaped like a bent angled about-faced clothoid loop.
Said double bands curve and bend angle toward and over the AT Ridge and those bends are shaped to follow the form of an obtuse top-angled isosceles triangles. Starting at the top, or softened apex, of the inner side of said triangle-shaped bends, moving from front to back along the antitragal ridge, the fasten itself is sandwiched between two equal-length extending-band portions: one end joins with the said front-display portion, and the other end joins with said soft-spread-footing portion. The side of the bend extending away from the softened apex descends, or repels, down into the interior of the conchal-basin, preferably settling on the bottom of the conchal-basin, which is made possible via the computer perfect fit-profile system. The inner side of each of the two bands of the fastener is preferably bent-angled back toward the start of the outside of the fasten as defined by the acute apex angle over a range of between about 45-degrees and 75-degrees, and at an average of about 55 degrees.
It should be understood that in implementation of all embodiments, the fastener's double-banded bend-angles do not project as a simple cantilever or form a simple right angle that cantilevers over the antitragal ridge. Similarly, in implementations, no portion of the front fastener-latch that is integral to installing the device onto an ear has an inner bend-angle less than a right angle or about 89.99 degrees.
Each double-banded bend-angled fastener-latch portion, as disposed on a single banded or jewelry placement plate at the frontal jewelry setting display component, on a single device, is itself interconnected with major tangible portions and one intangible portion:
a) The width of the distance between the top ends of two parallel “arms”, of the isosceles triangle formed by the bend into the concha cavum is between 7 millimeters and 25 millimeters as determined via the perfect profile computer fitting system.
b) The double banded bent-angles' upper-triangular apex is softened, or slightly flattened, rather than pointed like a vertex, such that the depth of the bend at the top apex of the bend-angle may extend over about 4 millimeters straightening the bands into plane that holds the curve into the shape of the soft-spread footing. Said softened apex is disposed at the portion of the fasten that curves over the antitragus, which for a simple single-banded frontal display setting will include the double-banded split Y-top-shape in which both bands become parallel at the point where they flank, meaning remain adjacent to, any peak in the middle of the antitragal ridge referred to as an antitragus rise.
c) The degree of the inner bend-angles is always more acute than a right angle, and is preferably between about 45 degrees and about 75 degrees. Said double banded bend-angled-fastener components curve over the top of the antitragal ridge at its inner, downward-bending-angle side where it joins with the soft-spread-footing curved-bar shaped portion, which nestles along the bottom of the conchal-basin floor.
3) A jewelry setting placement location portion of the frontal-display componentry for each device is either: a) unadorned, meaning the device's base-frame material is exposed and comprises simple finished product; b) to be adorned with fixed-set or studded gems and jewelry, and or otherwise embellished via surface and/or hanging decorative treatments by industry; c) adorned with interchangeable décor; or d) both b and c. Each earring-base device setting's gem and jewelry placement location portion of each frontal-display componentry may be adorned, fixed-set and/or implemented with a multitude of decorative variations, serving both the fine-jewelry and fashion-jewelry sectors of industry.
4) A Lower-Most component that curves about-face to the rear of the device from front to back and joins with a lower rear-lobe component at the back of the ear. In some embodiments, particularly those without a hinge, as moving toward the rear of the ear, the lower-most end component forms a diverging bend in joining with said rear-lobe component. Said diverging bend changes the direction of the bend curve from front to back such that the rear-lobe components turns to face forward with the face of the wearer. This means that the rear-lobe components of embodiments with said diverging bend turns such that they face to the front of the head. The diverging bend imparts three-dimensionality to the device, and aids in distributing a fully adorned device's weight across a greater area over the device to maintain a more vertical orientation than a flat circular curve would allow.
5) A lower rear-lobe portion of the earring-base's rear componentry that clears the turn below the ear lobule and joins with the a hinging above. The lower rear-lobe portion is hidden behind the rear of the ear lobule, and also may alternatively join with a sex bolt cuff portion used to extend the reach of rear portion of device behind the ear.
6) A stop-gap hinge with long-neck joining rear fitter (7) described below that is disposed at and onto the lower rear-lobe portion. Said stop-gap hinge is allocated behind the rear lobule, but does not necessarily touch the rear lobule. The top of said stop-gap hinge is attached to an end fitter as described in core componentry portion number 7 below. The end of the long neck of the stop-gap hinge ends at the anatomical intersection of where the top of the soft-rear lobule tissue hangs, like a curtain, from the lower end of the elliptical, or dial shaped curve of the cartilaginous variable of the ear referred to as the eminence of the concha, which is at the mid-point of the rear of the ear. The first basic low-pressure hinge provides a secure closure that is moderate, neither tight nor squeezing, in its fastening function, or grip. The second, a stopgap hinge, leaves a fixed opening that is gentle to cartilage sandwiched in between via its low pressure opening, but still provides the secure hold required to keep the device onto the ear while bearing significant jewelry weight levels. For fine jewelry fabricated via casting methods, the hinge includes a yoke, rivet and dented Omega-shaped rear “fitter” that curves along the eminence of the concha. The components are soldered and provide comfortable as well as secure installment of the device onto the ear.
7) An upper rear-fitter portion of the device's rear componentry is disposed at the top end of the device's rear componentry. This upper rear-fitting component itself, may alternatively, via a variety of interchangeable upper rear-fittings, be replaced by disengaging the component and attaching another.
The upper rear-fitting portion joins with the stop-gap hinge below, and said hinge snaps shut leaving an opening that is fixed between the two major components, which are the frontal components and the rear components: the fastener's frontal soft-spread-footing recited in #1 above and the rear-fitting component herein recited in #7, both of which face one another as bracing with the sandwiched ear's cartilaginous hard concha tissue, referred to as the conchal basin on the frontal side, and the eminence of the concha on the rear side. The rear fitter, which spoons the rear ear's eminence of the concha, comprise one side (the rear side) of a sandwich with a middle that is a section of the concha cavum. The fitter at the top of rear hinge and rear component at large specifically makes key contact with, and spoons, the convex cartilaginous curve of the rear eminence of the concha.
When the ear-fastener is engaged, meaning installed onto the correctly assigned ear, a stopgap hinge, in its closed position, will impart a fixed opening that is held at a constant size, thus the ear is not squeezed. The size of the fixed opening is predicated via differences in ear-variable dimensions as determined by deployment of the custom- and/or semi-custom sizing and fitting systems, processes, and methods disclosed.
More critically, while the opening gap in devices fabricated either of one piece or of multiple parts that include a stop-gap hinge, may be as small as about 2.5 millimeters thick, plus or minus about 0.4 millimeters thickness, said opening gap may have size-related differences that are narrower or wider by between plus or minus about 14 percent respectively based on EVD measurement results.
Moreover, said gap size also is predicated by the amount of pressure imposed on a single thickness of the concha cavum wall. In implementation, the most favored preferred type of embodiment contemplated is that no portion of the pierce-free weight-bearing custom-fitted earring base imposes pressure onto the ear greater than about 24,516 Pascals. In implementation, no portion of pierce-free weight-bearing custom-fitted earring bases impose pressure onto ears greater than about 32,361 Pascals.
In addition, the relatively small opening gap sizing also is predicated upon the stretchiness of qualified metals specified in ear-fastener earring base devices made of one piece and the ear-contact pressure limitations as defined herein. In addition to above-stated opening gap sizing, a device made of one-piece, with its elemental diverging directional feature from front to back in conjunction with specified fabrication materials provide enough “stretchy” elasticity to allow the wearer to mount the device setting onto the ear through a relatively small stretchable opening without breaching the ear pressure imposition limitations specified.
The soft-spread-footing's hidden interior front contact portion is adjacent to an open gap inside which is sandwiched a single thickness of the human ear's concha cavum wall. On the opposite side of the single thickness of concha-cavum wall, at the convex curve of the rear outer eminence of the concha, is the device's rear upper fitter sub-component. Said gap is joined end-to-end by the device's front, lowermost, and rear sub-components.
Said diverging bend spreads and balances jewelry-adornment weight across the entire device, versus weight born via a single contact point.
1) Soft-spread-footing is a portion that is shaped like a curved bar and is disposed at the end of double-banded clothoid loop configuration. The curved-bar shaped end-footing portion is disposed at the lower end of the fastening latch, which nestles along the floor of the conchal pocket when fastened onto, and flanking the center rise of, the ear's antitragal ridge.
In addition, the front of the device specifically makes key contact with the interior cartilaginous conchal pocket floor, also referred to as the floor of the conchal basin, providing the device with the functionality of allowing the device to spread and sufficiently balance relatively high-jewelry-weight levels including up to and greater than about 30 grams upon each ear over the entire device. The cartilaginous contact points below skin at the front and rear of the device do not have significant nerve endings.
The Soft-Spread-Footing portion is shaped like a curved bar that is disposed at the end of a minimum of two legs, or “bands” attached on either side of said bar-shaped footing. The footing is custom sized to sit on the floor of the conchal pocket, where said footing acts as a fulcrum balancing and spreading weight and pressure points across the device and floor of the pocket;
2) A double-banded fastener-latch, wherein said looped latch always presents with a minimum of two near parallel bands that curve over the antitragal ridge wherein each of the two bands straddle the high point rise of the antitragus peak. Both bands, as they flank the mid-point of the two dips on either side of the AT peak, are bent as they curve over the cartilaginous ridge, preferably at a about 45-degree to about 75-degree bend angle. The inner-angle side of the bend angles present as softened-apexes of the double band. The double-banded fastener-latch makes contact with the AT ridge at the upper inner portion of the bend-angles in said fastener-latch component of the device; and
3) A custom sized slope wherein the rear bent-angled band of each double-banded fastener-latch, in most devices, is higher than the band that is closest to the face.
Ear-fasteners may be worn as fixed-jewelry-set adorned base-frames. Said ear-fasteners, when fixed-set with gems and/or jewelry, are further developed by jewelers, manufacturers and/or other businesses by building up the jewelry placement location plate with the setting infrastructure for gems and/or jewelry. The setter then bejewels, embeds, and/or studs said settings with any number and style of planned jewelry material, including gems (precious, semi-precious and fashion) and any other compatible embellishment. Said fixed-set embellishments may weigh up to and greater than about 30 grams weight each ear. Industry adornment may include, but is not limited to, embedding fixed-set light-to-heavy gems and jewelry at the middle plate sub-component of the front component. A multitude of fixed-set gems, jewelry, and/or other décor may be embedded, meaning fixed set, into said earring base devices by industry yielding finished permanently jewelry set ear-fastener earring product(s).
Ear-fasteners may be worn as fixed-jewelry-set adorned base-frames, but said may also further be adorned with additional interchangeable décor onboarded. It should be understood that the aggregate weight-bearing capacity of about 30 grams each ear includes both the weight of the fixed-set jewelry and the weight of the interchangeably onboarded jewelry as total weight.
Ergonomic pierce-free ear-fasteners devices may present, meaning be worn, as simple unadorned bases, much like band- or wire-based earrings, not requiring or set with additional decor. Embodiments that are fixed-set with gems and jewelry, however, may include a permanently fixed adaptor element at either the top, the bottom, or both the top and the bottom. Said adaptor element may be used to adorn the base setting with interchangeable décor onboarded by sliding said décor and/or jewelry onto the device without need for additional “spring clasps” parts for connecting add-on jewelry to the base itself.
Also in the most complete and complex version, the device may have, instead of two clothoid loop shaped fastener-latch bands flanking the antitragus in the custom-fit fashion, more than two bands may be disposed at the upper fastener latch. The middle band of said multiple bands may have an encircling accommodation for lassoing the antitragus peak, where said multiple bands, once scaled the summit of the antitragal ridge, over the lower-concha ridge-wall top make up the core inner bend-angled fasten componentry, which itself may span approximately 4 millimeters at the antitragal-ridge shelf, which then connects to the soft-spread-footing below.
Alternative upper rear-fitter backing components comprise a multitude of options providing best choices of shapes and sizes. The multitude of different upper-rear fitting sizes, shapes, and dimensionalities further serve the multitude of different shapes and sizes of individual ears.
Said configurations may be shaped, but are not limited in shape, to rear-fitter configurations that include, but are not limited to, fittings shaped like a reversed “P” (where the inside loop of the “P” faces the head), a concave dome, a polygon, a 3D triangle, a 2D triangle, a half moon, a hammerhead shark head with and without suction cups on both skull sides of right chiral-design and left chiral-design, half hammerhead shark head, a fish tail, a wale tail, half wale tail, a fish fin, a half fish fin, a ridge, a bullet, a mushroom, a mushroom head, a spiral, a heart, a bird foot, a reversed (upside down triangle), a moon, a half or quarter moon, a G-Clef, an oval, a smile, and inverted-smile, circle w concave smile, a circular pad w ridges, a bent bird foot, bent bird feet, soft clear pad with protruding nub for insertion through a loop, any alphabet letters such as “S” and “K”, an anvil shape, suction cups w a concave smile facing the convex eminence of the concha, soft pads and suction cups of any shapes and sizes, and 3D shapes that contact 3 skin points at back of ear, such as origami shapes, above the rear upper lobule where the eminence of the concha is adjacent to abutting skin that covers neck and skull locations.
Alternative upper-rear-fitter backing components may be chosen at time of manufacture or may be alternated via a screw on, screw off capability at the connected lower rear-lobe component in which a female portion is disposed at the short end of said fitter that receives a male portion at the top of said rear-lobe component in which the two may be screwed apart and put back on and/or replaced with an alternate upper rear-fitter component (not shown).
The numerous alternating attachable fitting options at the upper rear-fitting component as seen in
Incidental skin contact may occur at the front lobule area, and in rear, at the often upside down tri-angular shaped depression found on some wearers at a neck-area depression that appears directly below the eminence of the concha, and is also flanked by the skull, and the upper end of the rear earlobe, whether attached or not attached to the side of the head.
Fabrication of Low- and Mid-End Fashion Jewelry Lines and High-End Fine Jewelry Lines
Materials Used in Fabricating Ergonomic Pierce-Free Weight-Bearing Ear-Fastener Base Devices
Materials used in the fabrication of ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing ear-fastener base devices or settings and/or the brand of ear-fasteners referred to as FASCINEARS™ follow safety guidelines as outlined via American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for adult jewelry.
Fabrication in Low-End Cost Lines: Use of Qualified Plastics
Pierce-free chiral ear-fastener base devices may be made of qualified plastics, preferably medical grade plastics, for economical low-end cost lines of product, whether multi-part or made of one material. Certain plastics also may be used in conjunction with metals used in fabrication of weight-bearing ear fastener base devices, or the brand referred to as FASCINEARS™ as qualified herein, wherein a soft resin or other plastic pad is attached to increase comfort in wearing. The following plastics and/or materials are preferred or not acceptable for use in weight-bearing ear-fastener base devices:
Silicones—Medical grade silicone and/or silicone rubber that are certified for biocompatibility and compliant with the highest national and international regulatory and quality requirements are preferred.
Rubbers—Medical-grade rubber(s) that are flexible and durable may be used if pass the qualifications outlined below.
Other non-toxic plastics—may be used if medical grade and or hypoallergenic, and if the hardness-to-elasticity ratio of the material is at preferred medium and somewhat flexible and medium hard to hard. Semi-rigid plastics used may be measured on the high end of the Shore A Scale. Preferably the hardness of semi-rigid plastics and other plastics, such as rubbers and silicones, used to make ear-fasteners may fall approximately in the durometer range of Shore A at between about 60 and about 100 or Shore D at a range of about 30 to about 80.
Lucite—also called acrylic glass or methacrylate, while light weight and transparent, should not be used in fabrication of ear-fasteners made from one piece due to its hardness. Lucite does not meet the elasticity and shape memory requirements for ease of insertion (snapping back into original shape) as required for the security of sustaining the ear-fastener onto the lower ear for a wearing duration.
Thermoplastic Poly Urethane (TPU)—in health-grade that has a flexibility level between rubbers and plastics may be used. Healthcare grade TPU used in ear-fastener devices may not contain rubber accelerators and/or plasticizers that can cause skin irritation or dermatitis.
Resins—There are many types of plastic resins used by multiple industries. Addressing resins as used in custom- or semi-custom fit ergonomic weight-bearing ear-fastener base devices, and the brand referred to as FASCINEAR:
a) A clear flexible stretchy plastic resin that is soft and elastic but also strong may be used for fasten-on earring bases made of one piece within certain specification qualifications. A high enough percentage of elongation before breaking must be screened for use in said ear-fasteners and the brand referred to as FASCINEARS™ such that wearers can install the ear-fastener base or jewelry fixed-set finished earring onto the ear, if made on once piece, while bending the resin somewhat without breaking, while at the same time rating high quality for Tensile Strength.
b) These resins may be embedded with non-precious stones such as glass crystals, rhinestones, and other safe fillers. While resin is very light weight, it also can be made with no flexibility. Therefore, resins used in FASCINEARS™ should preferably rate between about 2.75 and about 5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Using the Vickers hardness scale of (kg/mm2), which rates a resistance to indentation under pressure, a preferred Vickers rank for resins used to make FASCINEARS™ may be between about 133 and about 535. Resins used for making ear-fasteners have not been tested for relatively significant weight-bearing at this time, and may not bear significant stretching without breaking.
(c) Pierce-free, chiral, ear-fasteners, including those made of one material without a hinge or an extender, are preferred to be made, if made of plastic, said plastic(s) are comprised of pure, uncontaminated material. If a test for contamination is not available, the plastic resin should be examined under a microscope for contaminants.
Contaminated plastic material is too inflexible in comparison to pure plastic material such that the resulting ease of breakage of any portion(s) of contaminated plastics is unacceptable. To insure no contaminants, enter resins used to make ear-fasteners or the brand referred to as FASCINEARS™, painted reground material(s) should never be used in resins that produce ear-fastener base devices. Resins that have a minimal percentage of “clean, non-contaminated, recycled or reground material” should not be used to fabricate ear-fastener base devices.
(d) To test strength of resin provided by small producers, the factory may cut a shape-piece from a fixed place of the product, where it is regular and smooth. That piece should be hung by the border of a table, hanging out more or less 50 percent of its length. Using a 50-gram weight to the opposite end, the test involves checking if the piece breaks or bends. This test also will aid preventing in inappropriate percentages of recycled material inclusion.
(e) May be tested with qualified methods to ensure that undue yellow coloring resins slated for ear-fasteners and/or the brand referred to as FASCINEARS™ occurs, or will occur, over time.
(f) The four tests listed below are useful for comparing acceptable resins and the flexibility they give to plasticity used in ear-fasteners.
1. Impact test: the plastic is hammered with a device. This test will tell how tough the plastic is. Higher toughness means “more difficult to be broken”.
2. Fatigue test: the plastics is flexed back and forth until its breaks. The higher the number of cycles, the better the plastic's property.
3. Destructive pull test: this test will tell if the plastic breaks with longer elongation (better quality plastic) or a short elongation (lower quality).
4. An ultra-violet (UV) resistance impact test conducted with and without UV exposure. The plastics is placed in a UV chamber, and then the impact test is performed.
The device disclosed herein, when made of plastics such as silicone, polymer, acrylic, or resin, or any combination of same, preferably no portion of the device, in implementation, would have an Ultimate Tensile Strength greater than about 46 megapascal (MPa). When made of plastics, ear fastener base device settings may be made with plastics that contain a mix of colorants including metallics and fleck materials that add sparkle, sheen, and texture in either or both the coating and/or solid filling. However, plastics must meet the qualifications disclosed above.
Fabrication: Use of Metals in Multi-Component, Multi-Part, and/or Multi-Material Devices
Materials used in the fabrication of ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing chiral ear-fastener base devices follow safety guidelines as outlined via American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) regarding antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and selenium in paint, and follow the guidelines about surface coatings for cadmium in certain substrate materials of adult jewelry. Additionally, use of nickel and phthalates is strictly cautioned in adult jewelry per ASTM. Embodiments are preferred to be fabricated with lead and nickel free materials, or to decrease exposure to nickel via nickel contents at trace levels only, such as in white gold.
Ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing chiral ear-fastener base devices fabricated in precious metal is defined as, and comprised of, the fine-jewelry metals, which include gold (bonded, yellow, white, rose, tri-color), platinum family metals (platinum, rhodium, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium), and both sterling silver as well as the preferred silver of Argenteum high performance silvers marketed under the trade name ARGENTIUM EXCEL™ 940 and 960 by Argenteum International Limited of London UK.
Precious metals used in the fabrication of ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing chiral ear-fastener base devices as settings also will be defined as including qualified metals that are plated with a precious metal; that are vermeil; and that are gold-filled jewelry.
For mid- to fine-material-cost fabrications, ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing chiral ear-fastener base devices are preferred to be made from golds or gold-plating or gold-vermeil and other precious metals. Said precious metals may include gold and gold alloys at 10K-, 14K- and/or 18K; silver, sterling silver 925, ARGENTIUM brand patented silver, and silver alloys; palladium; rhodium; and/or platinum, all in plating and vermilion versions as well. Also preferable is any of these precious metals as applied over other qualified metals and metal-alloy bases.
Also preferable is use of semi-precious or “contemporary” metals including copper and titanium, and other metals such as brass, zinc, aluminum, molybdenum and other lead and nickel-free metals, including in alloys. Also preferred is hypo-allergenic stainless steel (referred to as medical- and/or health-grade stainless steel) and hypo-allergenic stainless steel plated over copper.
The preferred ear fastener base devices made of multiple components specifically the rear hinging function and front fastener latch, also may comprise metals and/or alloys of metals, and/or qualified plastics recited above, and said sub-portions may be made of harder, less elastic metals, than those qualified for ear-fasteners made of one material. As stated previously, ear-fasteners made of one material are preferred to be made of shape memory titanium and plastics as qualified herein.
Single-Material-Device Metals and Materials
When ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing ear-fastener bases are made of one-piece and from metal(s), said metals are required to be nickel- and lead-free as in a content less than about 8 percent.
Ear-fasteners made from one material are preferably fabricated from “stretchy” and/or memory and/or shape memory metals and/or related alloys, such as pure, beta or near-beta titanium, gold, silver, and platinum including palladium, all of which have the desirable Young's Modulus greater than about 30 gigapascal (GPa).
In implementation, preferably no portion of a one-piece ear fastener base made from pure, beta or near-beta titanium or other hypoallergenic titanium used in ear fastener bases, or in the brand of ear-fastener bases referred to as FASCINEARS™, has an elastic modulus greater than about 125 GPa.
Elastic modulus of metals and/or their alloys and/or plated/vermeil versions of the same, used in the manufacture of one-piece ear fasteners, is preferred to be of at least 5 about 5 GPa to meet minimum elasticity requirements. This means the level of stretchiness, ductility, and/or flexibility of one-piece, pierce-free chiral-engineered deco-ratable weightbearing ear-fastener devices must allow the device to retain its form after any stretching or bending, either via shape-memory functionality or reforming capability. Without these stringent requirements, the device will lose its integrity as a weight-bearing device as claimed.
Preferably, metals used in making one-piece ear-fasteners have high-end elastic-ability to snap back into an original shape and form, similar to stretchy metals and/or related alloys, such as pure, beta and/or near-beta titanium.
Brass, as a generic term for a range of copper-zinc and other alloys, when used in fabrication of one-material ear-fastener base devices, is preferably alloyed with zinc to provide the material with improved strength and ductility. Brasses used in one-material ear-fastener bases also are preferably alloyed with a copper content greater than about 63 percent for optimal material ductility. Additionally, brass, as a copper-zinc alloy, are among preferred alloys for ear-fasteners made of one material, based on bendability and ability to reshape into original form after any bending during insertion and rebending after insertion. Because brass and brass alloys, as qualified herein, have higher malleability than bronze, brass and brass alloys are preferred over bronze as material used in making ear-fasteners.
Other materials besides qualified plastics and qualified metals as outlined via qualifications specified above may also be used in fabrication of ear-fasteners.
Novel Ear Variable Dimension (EVD) Measurement Methods
The present novel invention is directed to an ergonomic pierce-free weight-bearing fasten-on earring base device setting, and the methods for fitting the same are integral to the invention.
After one of the novel automated, semi-automated, and/or hand-held implements methods (described below) is used for sizing each individual wearer, the novel computer-implemented fitting systems and processes are executed. The most complete method of executing the “computer system with self-perfecting ear-profile-based fitting processes” will be disclosed here in this section. Said system also will be referred to as the “computer perfect profile fitting system”, “the CPPF system” and/or the “fit-profile system” in this and all sections.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a computer system with statistically pre-allocated manufacturing resource profile-based fitting processes directed toward efficiently outfitting about 99 percent of all wearer-customers accurately to within about 1 to about 3 millimeters for each of the five critical EVDs. The computer-implemented system's processes and methods enable the fine jewelry and fashion jewelry industries efficiently to fit a large percent of the customer base without building new device fit profiles, providing producers the ability to expediently fulfill orders to customers through the best-fit found among the pre-allocated fit profiles.
The customer acquires a best fitting device through a sequence of device model selection, ear variable dimension measurement, fit feasibility assessment, fit method selection, auxiliary device fasteners and jewel adornment option selection, cost and schedule option selection, and ordering. The order is specified by the jeweler with the computer process that aided the sale, and the device is fabricated by the jeweler's caster and/or manufacturer according to the specification.
The device model selection is performed either online or in the jewelry store based on the style and functionality of the models available. These models and their functionality are described above.
The ear variable dimension measurement is performed one of five ways by a trained jeweler technician with the proper implements and/or image-based software. These methods include 1) fully manual method, 2) photogrammetric-based method, 3) photogrammetric-assisted method, 4) fully automated method and 5) semi-automated method.
The fully manual measurement method can be performed with hand-held implements to include a ruler or caliper, a leveling protractor and two specially fabricated measurement implements. Three EVDs can be measured directly with a ruler. These include 1) the ear length from the top of the anti-tragus ridge to bottom of the lobule 2) the anti-tragus mid-dip to mid-dip width and 3) the length of the lobule below the eminence of the concha. Although a caliper can be used to increase the accuracy and precision of these measurements, a carefully employed millimeter scale transparent ruler meets the precision and resolution requirement of 1 mm of accuracy (closeness to true value) requirements of between 1 mm and 3 mm among these EVDs to be used for a total range fit profile.
The EVDs, the antitragus ridge slope and the concha cavum pocket depth each require specialized measurement implements. The antitragus ridge slope is measured with a level protractor while the concha cavum pocket depth is measured with a novel U-shaped scale-embossed plastic probe that has a handle for ease of insertion referred to here as the pocket-depth probe. After each of the EVDs are measured their values are entered into the profile assignment application.
The implements employed to manually hand-measure the antitragal ridge slope are essentially a protractor with a level float positioned horizontally along the bottom of the protractor to ensure the angle is relative to gravity. Without ensuring the angle is relative to gravity, rather than a tilt of the head forward or backward, ensures hanging adornments are oriented vertically without any visibly distorting twist. The protractor positioned to locate its pivot point at the inter-tragal notch while letting the angle line segment point to the point where the antitragus meets the antihelix. The angle can be read from the protractor with a precision of one degree. The accuracy of the readings from a typical protractor is 0.5 degrees but the location of the antihelix-antitragus juncture cannot be precisely defined. Measurements are allocated to profile clusters that are specified by the difference in the point where the forward and rear fastener latch bands bend over the sloped antitragus. The fastener latch bands bend over the antitragus dips on each other side of the antitragus peak at the center of the antitragus ridge. The distance between these dip points is the antitragus width EVD. The rear band of the two sides of the backward-bent clothoid loop may bend over the dips of the antitragus ridge at a point that may be up to 15 mm higher than that of the front-face-forward band. Because the antitragus ridge (dip-rise-dip) itself moves at a decline, or downward slope, toward the face, the band at the back most often bends over the antitragus ridge at a higher point then that of the band at the front. The present fitting methods disclosed accommodate the declining slope toward the face that determines, on most wearers, the extent of the greater height of the rear bent band unto that of the face-forward band.
This antitragus height difference defined here as ΔATH is calculated from the antitragus slope defined here as θATR and the antitragus width defined as ATW as:
ΔATH=ATW*sin(θATR)
The antitragus height difference is partitioned into 2 mm profile fit clusters in alignment with other length based EVDs. For a typical antitragus width of 16 mm, a height difference profile cluster of between 5 and 6.9 mm corresponds to measured AT slope angles between 18 and 25 degrees.
The hand-held concha pocket depth probe used to manually measure the depth of the concha cavum pocket behind the antitragus ridge is a hand-held implement with a handle to place and hold the probe down onto the floor of the conchal pocket. The vertical probe is no more than 1.5 mm thick front to back, no more than 15 mm wide from side to side, and no more than 20 mm height from bottom to top. The pocket depth prove is embossed with a millimeter scale. In addition to the probe there are pair of vertical alignment rails that are positioned outside the ear at the end of the handle. The vertical alignment rails flank the vertical probe with their own millimeter scale markings. The hand-held vertical measurement with the measurers eye aligned in the horizontal plane intersecting with the top of the center of the antitragus ridge (typically the observable peak rise). The device is held with the alignment rail scales lined up with the probe scale when the viewer's eyes are aligned with the top of the antitragus ridge. Sticking out above the plane that attaches the handle to the probe and the alignment rails is a vertical plank that supports a leveling bubble that is used to ensure that the probe and alignment rails are positioned vertically at the time of the measurement. The reading will be biased higher if the probe is tilted toward the observing eye and lower if the probe is tilted away from the eye. An accuracy of 0.5 mm for the measurement of the concha cavum pocket is critical to achieving vertical balance in the device.
1). A photogrammetric-based method also may be utilized in conjunction with the hand-held implements that increase the accuracy and reliability of EVD measurements. In the front close-up photograph is taken while a novel handheld implement is in position at the floor of the conchal pocket. The two pictures are taken of the ear at angles capturing the EVDs. A picture is taken at an angle directly pointed at the ear (a right angle to the subject's face) with the concha pocket depth probe in position, preferably from the vantage point of the viewer during the hand-held measurement of the concha cavum pocket depth. Another picture is taken from behind the ear directly in line with the eminence of the concha and behind the ear lobule with a hand-held implement such as a ruler with a millimeter scale.
The resolution of the photograph and its proximity to the ear should achieve at least 10 pixels per mm. How this is achieved depends on the camera's distance to the ear and the raw (uncompressed) resolution of the digital photograph. The images are read into an application that acquires and registers the images with either an existing customer or an anonymous potential customer flag. In both cases, an acquisition serial number is assigned to and shared by the two photographs. The application then interacts with the measurement user i.e. the jeweler technician through a sequence of identification and pixel location queries. The user is first asked to identify the direct side view photograph and the rear of the ear view photograph. The user is asked to match the ear with one of a small set of ear images based on their general appearance and brief description. The number of prototype ears would number about less than ten. For example, a set of prototype ears could be described as a combination of shallow, medium, and steep AT Slope and long, medium, and short AT to lobe bottom lengths. A set of nine prototype photos would be offered that match each of these descriptions. When the user selects a prototype photo, they are offered a side-by-side view of the prototype and measurement input photo. All key locations are identified on the prototype image in sequence. After the user is shown a key anatomy location on the prototype, they zoom into the section on the measurement photo and mark the equivalent location on the measurement photo. The same acquisition sequence occurs for the rear ear view image for a different set of EVD measurement locations. The application processes the image-based anatomy location selections to compute the EVD values and their expected error based on the image properties and a-priori error in the true knowledge of a location. These values are displayed to the user along with indications of their validity. If an EVD measurement has a value outside of verification limits, then a remeasurement of the EVD in question will be executed to verify its accuracy before finally validating the measurement. Validating a set of measurements invokes the computer perfect profile fitting system which ingests those measurements to be allocated to a fit profile.
2). A photogrammetric-assisted method can also be used in which some of the EVD measurements are measured directly with the hand-held implements and the remaining EVDs are measured using the photogrammetric based methods. In this mode of measurement, the jeweler technician can interact with the photogrammetric assisted method to either skip or override the interactive image-based measurements of one or more EVDs of an ear.
3). A fully automated measurement method would require the same two photos taken with the novel calibrating implements positioned in and next to the ear and could process the images using computer vision techniques described below to produce EVD measurements without requiring any further interaction from the user. Object recognition methods are initially used to detect the calibrating implements through 2-D image correlations with calibration template images to support the registration of the image that rescales the image from pixel to millimeter dimensions. The ear image is correlated with a diverse set of template images like those prototype images offered to the user in the photogrammetric assisted method. The template image with the highest correlation peak will be used as the basis for anatomical feature recognition. Anatomical features of the lower ear are recognized by image processing which initially generates the pixel points of distinct high-contrast boundaries of large objects within the image. These boundary objects are allocated to the anatomical features based on rules parameterized from the template ear that bound their general location relative to the calibration implement. Multiple boundary objects allocated to a feature are aggregated into a single boundary object by a set of rules parameterized from the ear template. The coordinates of the boundary object are fitted to a polynomial curve with an order and coefficients that are initialized according to the ear template anatomical feature. Since the boundary objects are high contrast edges within the image formed as highly elongated objects, the polynomial curve is fitted through the locus of points centered between the closely spaced points of the two long sides of the elongated boundary object. With a parameterized polynomial curve fit to the ear-variable feature elongated boundary object, key measurement points along the curve associated with EVD measurements are defined at predetermined curve inflection points. With the measurement point locations and their uncertainty thus determined, the geometric calculation of the EVD proceeds identically with that used for the interactive photogrammetric method.
4). A semi-automated method enables the jeweler technician to override one or all the automated measurements with the equivalent interactive photogrammetric-based measurement. This method is most likely to be exercised after the fully automated method displays its EVD measurements and statistics and the computed location of the measurement points on the image. It is at this point that, given the display of this annotated image and the measurement error statistics, the jeweler technician may decide to override either the calibration automation or the computed location of the measurement points used to compute individual EVDs.
Additional descriptions of certain of these preferred methods are described further below.
Manual measurement of the Ear Variable Dimensions is performed according to the steps summarized in the flow chart of
The Concha Cavum Pocket Depth Probe is presented in three views shown in
In certain embodiments of this invention, the photogrammetric-based method of EVD measurement is performed according to the steps summarized in the flow chart of
The fully automated EVD measurement method repeats the purchase order ID generation and measurement method selection steps presented in the Manual and Photogrammetric Measurement method flow charts in
The Fit Profile System
All five measurement embodiment methods provide results meeting the accuracy requirements of a semi-custom fit product ready for mass manufacture. In one Fit Profile System embodiment, the system provides a method to manage the manufacturing process for fasten-on earwear devices by minimizing both the vast number of model dimensional sizing configurations to be maintained and the rate at which newly incoming device fitting configurations must be designed to accommodate ears with EVDs that have yet to be fit. Given anthropomorphic statistical and structural analysis of the anatomy of the ear, a method is described herein that will accommodate 90% of the population with 9% of all possible custom fit profiles. When fitting standards are relaxed to semi-custom fit clusters of custom fit profiles, the number of possible sizes is reduced by a factor of about 35 in which about 2000 fit profile clusters can be used to accommodate 90% of the population.
All length based EVDs are measured with an accuracy of 0.5 mm and the Antitragus Slope EVD is measured with an accuracy of 0.5 degrees. When using the variances associated with measurements reported in various anthropometric surveys of populations for different ear anatomical parts corresponding to the EVDs described in this patent, and applying these variances to a normal distribution that is the standard for anthropometrics, the design and manufacture of earwear devices to accommodate 99% of the population of each EVD to the accuracy of the measurement would result in potentially millions of uniquely fit and sized configurations. Parametric design software can be developed as an overlay to the jewelry design software to configure and fabricate each individual order based on precise EVD measurements. A production model which is more responsively scalable to customer demand would allocate EVD measurements into discrete fit cells while still meeting fit performance criteria. Conventional or parametric jewelry design software can be used to generate an initial set of stereolithography (STL) files to print 3-D molds for precious metal or stainless-steel castings or to be used as inputs to high volume injection molding machines for non-toxic plastics or medical grade silicones or rubbers. To maximize production to fit the most customers effectively, an efficient sizing system that minimizes the number of STL files while maximizing the efficient and productive use of casting and injection molds is disclosed here based on the application of measures of association to population-based anthropometric statistics.
Based on prototyping, EVD measurements can be allocated to 1-millimeter-wide fitting cells for the concha cavum pocket depth, 2-millimeter-wide fitting cells for the ear length below the antitragus, the antitragus width and the ear lobule height, and 5-degree-wide fitting cells for the antitragus slope. To cover 99 percent of the population for each EVD, nine EVD cells are allocated for the ear length below the tragus, the ear lobule height, and the eminence of the concha, 14 cells for the concha cavum pocket depth and seven cells for the antitragus width and its slope. Allocating measurements of 0.5 millimeter and 0.5 degree accuracy to fitting cells reduces the number of possible size combinations for the five EVDs from 9,053,352 to 152,460. However, a jeweler will not pre-design this many fit profiles but will either design to and fulfill orders as they arrive, or the jeweler will pre-design and possibly fabricate the most likely sizes in anticipation of demand.
The fit profile system allows the jewelry manufacturer to agilely respond to demand and plan fabrication of earwear devices in anticipation of demand. A product with a potential market of billions of customers could be worth initially marketing at large scale. Any operational startup investment plan would focus on meeting an initial demand with an optimally scaled design, fabrication, and inventory capacity. The brand referred to as Fascinears' fit profile system described here is a key aspect of this invention necessary to meet demand stemming from a large number of sizing configurations likely to be on order within weeks of a widely marketed product roll-out. The fit profile system described here enables a jeweler-manufacturer to launch and maintain the continued sale, manufacture, and distribution of this product at a scale that manages the risk (generally medium) associated with launching a new product to a familiar market segment of earring or earwear customers.
To meet product launch demand, the fit profile system pre-populates a library of usable STL files based on the most likely sizes of the device to be ordered. Clearly, the most likely size is the mean size for each EVD and the most likely other sizes are clustered around the average sizes for each EVD. In addition, the more any EVD measurement for an individual varies from the mean, the more likely the other EVD measurements for that individual will vary to the same side of the mean and to the same extent from the mean. Published Anthropometric studies of the ear anatomy report statistics of EVDs as if they were independent of the other EVDs. Although these studies do provide significant sample statistics of EVDs for different age and gender groups, no analysis is provided for the statistical clustering of EVDs for individuals. If an individual's specific EVD is larger than average, then knowing how likely a different EVD for that individual varies from larger than average aids the jeweler-manufacturer in determining the value of pre-populating the design and fabrication of 152,460 possible custom fit profiles in the order of the most likely size combinations. To address the lack of statistical information available for a given set of EVD values for an individual, a method is presented here to determine the probability of any possible fit profile with a set of correlation values among the EVDs derived from a geometric analysis of the ear's physical structure in addition to the publicly available values for the mean and standard deviation for the individual EVDs.
The probability of a given fit profile is computed by integrating a multivariate normal probability distribution function ƒx(x1, . . . , xN) over the boundaries of the fit profile where:
With the multivariate normal probability distribution function given by
Where:
x is the real N-dimensional column vector containing the values (x1, . . . , xN) of the given partitioned fit profile of ear variable dimensions integrated over each fit profile EVD, xk, defined by the partition boundary xk
μ is the real N-dimensional column vector containing the population mean values (μ1, . . . , μN) of the EVDs.
Σ is the real N by N covariance matrix containing the covariances σjk between EVDj and EVDk is given by:
The covariance between two EVDs σjk=ρjkσjσk where ρjk=ρkj is the population correlation coefficient between EVDj and EVDk.
Note that for the purposes of applying population statistics, sample mean and variance data from publicly available studies are used for the purposes of performing initial calculations of predicting demand for individual fit profiles. The probability of fit profile is calculated numerically using a commercially available quasi-Monte Carlo integration algorithm.
Insight into the raw data sets used for these studies can validate the deterministic analysis leading to the estimation of the covariance matrix. Acquisition of significant raw data sets enabling the arithmetic calculation of the EVD covariance matrix can improve the initial estimation of the covariance matrix for product launch. As more anonymized measurement data are accumulated from the customer base from the market sales orders, a relatively large sample base can soon be established to represent the market population more closely for predictive maintenance underlying the production planning system.
An updated PDF can be computed by weighted mixture of the means, variances and covariances of the initial launch PDF with those means, variances and covariances of growing sample size newly ordered EVD measurements. The updated PDF is given by:
where Pl is the sample size of the launch statistics, Pm is the sample size of the accumulated Fascinear® market sales order measurements, μl is the product launch mean vector of the EVDs, and μm is the sample mean vector of the market sales order measurements.
All the elements of the updated covariance matrix are separately computed
Where the term σu
Which can be separated into the launch and market sales samples so that
Where the updated sample means
Which can be expressed in terms of the launch and market sale order sample means as
If launch and market EVD means
then the updated covariance will be biased until the market sales or sample size Pm>>Pl. However, these approximations can be used to estimate the updated covariance matrix when the original launch measurement data is not available to compute the covariance matrix directly. As a result
While the market sales order covariance covm(xj, xk) can be computed directly from the sales order measurement data, the launch covariance covl(xj, xk) is estimated according to the pre-launch publicly available EVD means and standard deviations as:
covl(xj,xk)=σl
Where {circumflex over (ρ)}l
Along with published EVD mean and variance statistics, the EVD correlation values can be used to compute and sort the probability of all individual fit profiles. The practical consequence of using non-zero correlation values among the EVDs results in a distribution function indicating a natural clustering of the multi-dimensional fit profiles where the most likely fit profiles will be those in which the marginal probabilities of each EVD are close together. For example, an individual with an extra wide antitragus width is very unlikely to have an extra short ear length below the antitragus. An impractical result of treating the EVDs as independent variables e.g., zero off-diagonal covariances, indicates a combination of a short ear length and an extra wide antitragus to be more likely than an extra-long ear length below the antitragus with an extra wide antitragus. Sorting the probabilities of the fit profiles enables the jeweler-manufacturer to reliably prioritize the design and fabrication of devices in anticipation of customer demand, particularly during product launch.
A jeweler-manufacturer would follow these steps toward launching and maintaining the Fit Profile System to predict, meet and maintain customer demand for a product like the brand referred to as Fascinears® which comfortably and effectively fits the wide variety of human ear shapes.
1. Research open anthropometric literature to find large sample size mean and variance statistics for ear variables used to size and design devices. If individual measurements are available from significant sample size studies (>200 ears), then directly compute means, variances and covariances.
2. Establish a minimum set of discrete size partitions for each ear variable dimension covering 99 percent of the population measurements for that ear variable assuming a normal statistical distribution.
3. If ear variable covariance data is not available, construct a set of correlation values between the EVDs based on physical rationale.
4. Compute the joint probability of all discrete EVD size partition combinations defined here as fit profiles.
5. Sum the fit profile probabilities in an order sorted from highest to lowest probability until the desired fraction of the target market is met for pre-launch design and production. The number of fit profiles meeting the desired fraction of the market will drive the cost of responsively meeting target launch demand.
6. Apply the sorted fit profile probabilities to an estimate of the number of product launch customers to compute the number of each fit profile to initially manufacture and stock.
7. Maximize product launch effectiveness by designing (creating chiral STL pairs) for fit profiles with lower projected demand while fabricating some devices to meet medium projected demand and stocking more devices with higher projected demand.
8. As orders for the product arrive, either build a new sample-based probability distribution to replace the launch probability distribution when the sample size meets statistical significance criteria or update the launch probability distribution with market sales order measures of profile sample sets according to the procedures described above.
9. Update design, fabrication, and stocking priorities for fit profiles as statistically significant numbers of orders are received. When unexpected fit profile orders are received and must be met with design and single order fabrication, they may not immediately impact the profile probability distribution but will expand the number of fit profiles with designs ready for fabrication.
The results of a paper example of the fit profile demand prediction method described above are summarized here and presented graphically in
A jeweler-retailer that is licensed to sell semi-custom fitting Fascinears® shows samples of unadorned base models as well as pictures and models of ears wearing the base and adorned device. A jeweler-retail salesperson could also be wearing a fitted sample and demonstrate an interested customer how to attach existing jewelry to the device and how to attach the device to the ear. The salesperson would explain the necessity of fitting the device to the ear and how the ear would be measured to the customer. The salesperson would explain how much time is involved in performing the measurement and would at least require a deposit. The customer would have the opportunity to order a low-cost plastic temporary device model to order under the understanding that the cost of the test model would be applied to order of an actual precious metal device. If the test model does not fit comfortably, a new test model, based on updated EVD measurements, can be ordered at no additional cost. The customer would be offered multiple days to acclimatize to the test model before deciding to proceed with the order of the precious metal device. Otherwise, the customer can immediately decide to order the precious metal device that matches the test model or be measured for a new test model. Alternatively, a customer can decide to waive ordering the test model and directly order a precious metal device after the initial measurement. When the customer tries on the device for the first time and does not feel comfortable enough with its fit, the jeweler may manually adjust the device by bending it in places to improve the fit to the customers satisfaction. When a jeweler manually adjusts the device to fit the customer, the device can no longer be returned to be stocked by either the retailer or the fabricator and the customer must accept the jeweler adjusted device as unreturnable to the retailer. Depending on the business model adopted by the retailer, the delivered precious metal Fascinear may either be returned within a given time by the customer for a full or partial refund (lost deposit) or be asked to accept it at order time as a no-returns-accepted custom fitted device.
A jeweler-retailer would interact with the Fit Profile System for ear fasteners or the brand of same referred to as Fascinears® by entering the EVD measurements either through one of the semi-automated or automated measurement applications or directly into a keyboard entry dialogues if the measurement was performed manually as described in the previous section. When an individual's identity is associated with their EVD measurements it can be used as biometric data to identify the individual with their EVD measurements. Anthropomorphic measurements of an individual's ears are considered as biometric data that can be used to covertly identify the individual in a public setting. The Fit Profile System does not need nor intend to collect biometric data. The Fit Profile System uses only the order number with the fit profile to compile better statistics to predict customer demand. The EVD measurements are mapped by the Fit Profile Application on a local device to a fit profile code which is associated to the order number for the individual. The order number is assigned to a base device code that identifies the model and fit profile. This order is sent to the Fit Profile Server which uses the base device code to compile it as a statistic and transmits the order to the jeweler-fabricator.
The individual's identity attached to the order number remains exclusively with the jeweler-retailer. The customer signs a disclosure stating that the retailer keeps the order information including the customer's identity and the fit profile code locally for a period of one year before the order information is destroyed. The jewelry-fabricator satisfies the order by returning the fabricated device associated with the order number to the retailer who matches the order number with the customer identity. Under this scheme, drop shipments from the jewelry-fabricator directly to the customer are only possible when the customer explicitly approves sending their identity associated with the order's fit profile to the Fit Profile Server and jeweler-fabricator; and then only after being informed that they are releasing biometric data for permanent retention by the Fit Profile Server, or in some other manner that conforms with any applicable laws or regulations. The fabricated device and its packaging will be stamped with the base device code. Since the fabricated device is small, the code will be necessarily tiny but legible with a modest jeweler's loupe in an easily decipherable format. For example, a nine digital hex number could identify a version number in the first two digits, a model number in the third digit, while the remaining five digits are allocated separately to each EVD. In compliance with emerging biometric data collection legislation, the customer will have direct access to the fit profile code as part of their receipt with a plain language listing of their ear size data after submitting the order.
A jeweler-retailer that is licensed to sell custom fitting and custom adorned models would sell and order a pair of Fascinears® in a manner like that of a semi-custom fit but would transmit the actual EVD measurements to the jewelry fabricator who would build a pair of STL CAD models directly from the precise measurements to be used for printing the temporary plastic model and ultimately the casting of the precious metal device. Under the arrangements of the custom Fascinears® licensing agreement, the measurement is transmitted to the Fit Profile Server under the anonymous cover of the purchase order number to be used solely for statistical purposes.
As stated previously, a jeweler-manufacturer may use the statistical embodiment method described above to pre-populate the most likely to be ordered fit profiles with STL CAD design files and even an inventory of temporary qualified plastic fasten-on earwear devices or the same devices referred to as the brand Fascinears®. Until a larger jeweler-manufacturer can make this investment to anticipate and prepare for nationwide demand, smaller independent jeweler-retailers with the resources to fabricate these devices on an order-by-order basis would also be able to exploit and support the Fit Profile System Server under a licensing agreement. Under this arrangement, nearly all devices would be custom-made while also be assigned a fit profile code. When the Fit Profile System Server is initially launched, the number of fit profiles having been populated with STL CAD files will be relatively low. When each independent jeweler-manufacturer measures a customer's ears and custom creates a pair of STL CAD files, they a required to submit both the anonymized measurement and the STL CAD files to the server, to populate a fit profile for re-use. The independent jeweler-retailer may submit the measurement to the server to see if the fit profile has already been populated with custom pair of STL CAD files. If these STL CAD files exist for the fit profile matched to the customer's EVD measurement set, the retailer may offer the customer a semi-custom fit design at a lower price since the device fabricated from the existing STL CAD files would fit within the fit-accuracy criteria set for semi-custom fits. When examining the metadata describing the fit profile assigned STL CAD files, the retailer would see the precise EVD measurement values used for the custom fit mapped to the semi-custom fit profile. The retailer could decide to create their own custom fit STL CAD files for the customer and would still submit the new STL CAD files to the Fit Profile System server as a second slightly different set to be associated with the individual fit profile. In this case embodiment, future orders mapped to this fit profile may be provided both or several sets of STL CAD files to choose from as a semi-custom fit. Note that any jeweler entity who would pre-populate fit profiles before any orders are received for the fit profile would produce a set of STL CADS exactly matching the center values of the EVDs for the fit profile. Custom fitting sourced STL CAD files would most likely be made for EVD measurements that vary slightly from the center values of the EVDs for the fit profile while remaining in the fit profile qualified as a semi-custom fit for any order mapped to that profile. As more data is submitted to the Fit Profile Server, the statistics will improve to the point where a larger scale manufacturer can see the value of pre-populating fit profiles with designs and inventory for a larger scale roll-out.
The disclosed device is unique when compared with other known attempted solutions such as a wire or banding that cantilevers somewhat over one side of the antitragus rise and has neither a stopgap hinge nor eminence-of-the-concha fitters in rear because it provides:
(1a) The strength of the entire antitragal ridge-wall of hard cartilage due to all ear-fastener base device embodiments, as exemplified by the upper Y-shaped embodiments, flank the center rise of the antitragal peak at the two adjacent dips on either side of said antitragus rise. None of these embodiments curve over the antitragal-ridge via one band or via one side of the antitragus rise, but instead are required to straddle both sides of the custom-measured antitragal ridge on both sides of the antitragus rise. This is possible because the associated ear-variable-dimension sizing- and fitting-methods disclosed ascertain the degree of the antitragal-ridge's slope as inclining lower toward the face, and also the width of the antitragus ridge as a metric defined by the mid-point of the two dips that flank the raised peak of the antitragus itself for each individual wearer. These dimensions and their population differentiations accordingly are accommodated. It should be noted that not everyone has a ridge wall that includes an antitragus upward protrusion, or peak rise, at mid-center, meaning at the mid-point of the antitragal ridge, and said differences are accommodated via the fitting methods disclosed.
(1b) The entire antitragal ridge-wall, and the ear-lobule soft-tissue length that hangs like a curtain from said ridge-wall below, is exploited via the engineering of ear-fasteners base devices as fixture-plated settings upon which fixed set precious decorative gems and jewelries may be permanently set in the frontal display placement location. The ear-fastener device also is engineered with significant weight-bearing functionality as disclosed via optimized design by the use of the double-banded fastening latch-loop that not only makes contact at two separate points along said antitragal ridge-wall width, but with the qualification that said bands are required to simultaneously straddle the antitragus mid-point on either side (not one side or the other). Additionally, the bottom of the frontal fastener latch-loop is custom length to sit on an individual wearer's conchal pocket floor, thus providing a balancing fulcrum to onboarded weight.
The probability scatter plot presents another way to show the relative likelihood of individual fit profiles.
Structural Method Differences from Other Available Solutions
The disclosed device is unique and different in that it is structurally custom fitted unlike known options or solutions for earring jewelry adorning the lower one-third of an ear without penetrating or clamping the ear lobule.
Skin and cartilage synergistically strengthen the conchal cavum and using ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of about 27 MPa for skin, inference suggests that the conchal-basin could withstand a force of about 540 Newtons, or about 119 pounds equivalent. This force would exceed the breaking point of an ear fastener device with a UTS of about 60 MPa where the weight-bearing stress is concentrated in the fastener area of about 6 square millimeters at end loop area at the bottom of the concha pocket, after bending over the antitragus could withstand a force of about 360 Newtons. In the unlikely accidental event of the ear fastener being subject to such a force, it would be safer for the ear fastener to break apart away from the ear.
In addition, the ear fastener provides an enhanced aesthetical effect by virtue of the increased jewelry display canvass due to the practicality of covering the entire earlobe area and the ridge above. As an example, the ear fastener embodiment shown in the figures provides over about 400 square millimeters of canvass upon which jewelry may be set in place along the frontal adornment fixture plate portion of front componentry.
Multiple “cargo” embodiments are included, some with a permanently fixed upper slide-on adaptor and others with adaptor portions in the middle or bottom of the device requiring spring-clasps for onboarding removable additional décor. Said cargo embodiments comprise portions that allow for onboarding additional jewelry décor such that the wearer is at low risk of losing value of precious metals via precious metal that is permanently fixed-set in multiple repeat fixed settings, which may no longer be usable due either to no longer being comfortable (pierce and clamp) or no longer in style (changes in fashion and trends).
Additionally, a wearer may don the device as a base-frame alone; as an underlying base-setting studded and fixed-set with jewelry that also onboards more interchangeable decor; and/or as a plain base-frame onto which add-ons are attached, such as via spring-clasps, snap-ons, magnet-ons, and screw-ons. The user may also add on modified legacy earrings via adaptors that onboard interchangeable decor, such as existing post-, pierce-, and clip-on ear jewelry via adaptors disclosed.
More specifically, the device is unique due to its sustainable metals aspect based on the timelessness that the custom- and semi-custom sizing and fitting methods provide.
Each ergonomic pierce-free custom-fitted ear-fastener base device that includes a fixed-set adaptor, referred to as “cargo-bases”, allow wearers interchangeable to add-on or take-off a multitude of existing décor, thus reducing the number duplicative settings in jewelry earring wardrobes. For example, once a wearer has a custom-fitted cargo, or onboarding, model, which is timeless, the wearer has no need to keep rebuying precious metal pierced or clip-on earring settings in perpetuity, thus saving on precious metal repurchasing costs. Said sustainability in use of precious metals such as gold and silver in jewelry earrings constitutes a novel approach that is earth and budget friendly.
The device also is unique when configured as a one-piece, non-hinged embodiment in that the directionality of the device diverges more significantly moving from front to back than that of the more subtle diverging bend in multi-component embodiments. All devices made of one piece include a diverging directionality, which is a “bend,” that changes the direction of the frontal-facing componentry unto the direction of the rear-facing componentry. From a head on view (as facing a wearer) the portion moving from underneath the earlobe to behind the earlobe will bend towards the eminence of the concha, while moving upward alongside the length of the rear lobule. At the junction of the rear lobule and the eminence of the concha, the lower rear fitter joins the lower rear portion. The entire rear concave fitter cups the convex eminence of the concha as do rear fitters on multi-part devices.
Restated differently, when the device is on a wearer who is facing north, the frontal-jewelry-display portion faces east from the head on a right ear and west from the head on a left ear. However, at the rear or lowermost componentry of the right- and left-ear devices, in contrast, a diverging bend is allocated such that the rear componentry changes direction and faces north, meaning forward toward the rear eminence of the concha. Said change in direction allows the device efficiently to spread and balance jewelry-adornment weight across the entire device, more evenly throughout the entire device and for the device's rear end fitter to cup the rear eminence of the concha, which requires the rear fitter to face north.
That elemental diverging directional feature from front to back in conjunction with specified fabrication materials providing enough “stretchy” elasticity to allow the wearer to mount the one-piece device setting onto the ear through a relatively small stretchable opening, depending upon sizing and fitting method results. More critically, while the opening in devices made of one piece may be relatively small, limits associated with said openings also are defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a single thickness of the concha cavum wall, which is preferred to be no more than about 24,516 Pascals of pressure, but in no embodiment will be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure.
Devices made of one material as disclosed have enough shape memory to reform into original shape after mounting, and to do so consistently over time during the life of the device per specification herein disclosed.
Certain highly preferred embodiments will now be described. In a highly preferred embodiment, a custom-fit fasten-on chiral earring base device for an individual's ear is provided. The base comprises (a) a frontal-display jewelry design fixture plate for placing heads and/or designs for setting precious gems and/or other jewelry; (b) a front loop comprising a steep diverging-banded upper nexus above the frontal-display fixture that is a bend-angled fastening mount shaped like a backward-bent clothoid loop, said front loop serving as a mounting latch that reaches up and over, and simultaneously flanks, the antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, while accommodating any relative differences in the height of each dip; (c) an end loop portion on the front loop that extends to and engages the depth of the inner conchal cavum pocket floor at multiple points and forms a fulcrum for the base; (d) a sharp curve at the device's lower-most portion that runs under and clears the longest tissue of the individual's ear lobule from front to back (about face) as disposed below the lower end of the frontal-display fixture location in front and joining with a lower rear-lobule portion in back; (e) the lower rear-lobule portion connects to the curving lower-most portion on the lower side and to a rear hinge on the higher side, skimming past the rear lobule; (f) the rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear-lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents; and (g) an extended rear-fitter member that contacts the rear eminence of the concha at multiple points, and which is engaged and disposed at the rear hinge. The opening between the front loop and the extended rear-fitter member is defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a thickness of the concha cavum wall when in closed hinging position, which will not be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure. The base when fastened into the conchal cavum pocket floor in front, clears the soft-tissue lobule at bottom, and is hinge-closed in rear such that the extended rear-fitter member spoons the rear eminence of the concha, and said base is coupled to the lower one-third of the ear including the area where traditional piercing earrings display décor.
In this embodiment, the base may be capable of safely and securely (i.e., not falling off under normal, non-strenuous use, such as when working in an office-type environment) carrying adornments with weight levels up to and greater than about 30 grams per ear. In some of these embodiments, the base further comprises an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed at the lowermost portion of the device onto which additional dangling décor may be onboarded.
In another preferred embodiment, an earring base device is provided. The base comprises a first end oriented at least in part on the front of the base and a second end oriented at least in part on the rear of the base. The base also comprises (a) a latch component on the first end, which is oriented on the front of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises portions that reach up and over and simultaneously flank the ear's antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, and which further comprises an end loop portion that extends to the depth of the inner conchal cavum floor and contacts it at multiple points; (b) a rear component on the second end, which is oriented on the rear of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises a rear-fitter member portion that contacts and spoons the rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage at multiple points, and which when the base is mounted there are portions of the rear-fitter member portion that are anterior and higher in plane to the latch component in front. The base of this embodiment when mounted on the ear is mounted onto the lower portion of the ear without using any piercing of the ear and without clamping onto the lobule of the ear. The base of this embodiment when mounted on the ear engages a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and the rear of the ear using the end loop portion of the latch component and the rear-fitter member portion of the rear component.
In this embodiment, the base may further comprise a rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents, and said rear hinge is posterior to and it engages and disposes the rear-fitter member portion.
In this embodiment, the base may also comprise a frontal-display fixture attached to the base and adornments, wherein the adornments are attached to either the frontal-display fixture or to an onboarding adaptor that is attached to the frontal-display fixture. In some of these embodiments, the frontal-display fixture comprises a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps or comprises a slide-in socket for receiving T-bar backed adornments. In some of these embodiments, base may further comprise a dangle onboarding bar or circle adaptor that is disposed at the center of the frontal-display fixture below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and onto which adornments may be onboarded. In some of these embodiments, the frontal-display fixture may comprise sockets and tubes at the front. In other of these embodiments, the frontal-display fixture may comprise a round plate, the plate comprising a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps.
In this embodiment, the base may further comprise a closed-ended circular-shaped adaptor that is disposed on the lowermost portion of the device, and onto which additional adornments may be onboarded. In some of these embodiments, the base may further comprise an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed on the upper front portion of the latch component, and onto which pierced and/or clip-on earring body adornments, and/or other adornments, maybe onboarded. In other embodiments the base may further comprise a frontal-display vertical fixture-wire band for attaching and displaying adornments on an onboarding slide-on adaptor, wherein the center of said band dips toward the lobule to clear adornments hanging from above the onboarding slide-on adaptor.
In this embodiment, the latch component may further comprise an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component, and on which adornments may be onboarded. In other embodiments, base may further comprise a frontal-display wire band and a tube, wherein the frontal-display wire band is attached to the front of the base, wherein the tube comprises an open-end that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and which is also disposed at the center of the frontal-display wire band, wherein a brooch, pin or bent pierced-post earring may be inserted vertically into the tube.
In this embodiment, the base may be capable of displaying adornments that are attached to the base that weigh about 30 grams or more. In some of these embodiments, the base further comprises adornments, wherein the adornments are removable and replaceable with other adornments. In addition, in some embodiments, the base and/or adornments attached to the base, when the earring base device is worn on the ear, covers portions of the lobule of the ear that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable.
It is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations, modifications, changes and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure, and, in some instances, some features of the novel invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Many such variations and modifications may be considered obvious and desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of preferred embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.
Additional DefinitionsThe term “lower-conchal ridge-wall,” also referred to herein as the “antitragal-ridge wall” refers to the hard-cartilage-tissue ridge that spans horizontally, or sloping-toward-the face declined, at a width that lies between the soft junction at the lower start, or origin, of the anti-helix, all the way to the hard-cartilage tissue incisure that lies below the tragus above.
The term “antitragus” herein refers to an “antitragus protrusion” or “antitragus rise,” means a jutting cartilaginous nob, of varying sizes, that may, but not on all individuals, be situated in front and center of the middle of the cartilaginous lower-conchal ridge-wall at the lower conchal cave, also referred to here as the antitragal-ridge wall. All ears do not have said jutting protrusion at the mid-point of the antitragus, and herein said antitragus rise may be referred to as ranging from “extra-low-rise” to “extra-high-rise”.
The term “and/or” as used herein is to be interpreted as inclusive, meaning, “1 and/or 2” means any of the following: “1; 2; 1 and 2”. The term “and/or” as used herein is to be interpreted inclusively, or more specifically A, B, and/or C refers to any of the following: “A; B; C; A and B; A and C, B and C; A, B and C”. An exception to this definition occurs when the combination of core components, portions, elements, features, steps, and functions, as defined hereto as essential core components and functionality without which the device and its sizing and fitting computerized method will not work safely to hold by way of fixed embedded or interchangeably connected means, weight levels up to 30 grams per each ear.
The term “weight levels up to at least about 30 grams per each ear” herein is to be interpreted as inclusive, meaning the device is capable of holding, via fixed adornments, or carrying, via interchangeably connected adornments, weight levels aggregated as a whole, weighing together including the base itself, up to at least about 30 grams per ear.
The term “chiral” and/or “chirality” herein means an ergonomic consideration to the property of asymmetry of each ear, the left and the right, as distinguishable from its mirror image and that cannot be superimposed onto one another. The chiral-engineered ear-fastener devices presently disclosed are not interchangeable.
Claims
1. A custom-fit fasten-on chiral earring base device for an individual's ear, the ear having an antitragus peak rise with adjacent dips; a concha with an inner conchal cavum pocket floor, a concha cavum wall, and a rear eminence of the concha; and a lobule, the base comprising:
- a frontal-display jewelry design fixture plate for placing heads and/or designs for setting precious gems and/or other jewelry;
- a front loop comprising a steep diverging-banded upper nexus above the frontal-display fixture that is a bend-angled fastening mount shaped like a backward-bent clothoid loop, said front loop serving as a mounting latch that reaches up and over, and simultaneously flanks, the antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, while accommodating any relative differences in the height of each dip;
- an end loop portion on the front loop that extends to and engages the depth of the inner conchal cavum pocket floor at multiple points and forms a fulcrum for the base;
- a sharp curve at the device's lower-most portion that runs under and clears the longest tissue of the individual's ear lobule from front to back (about face) as disposed below the lower end of the frontal-display fixture location in front and joining with a lower rear-lobule portion in back;
- the lower rear-lobule portion connects to the curving lower-most portion on the lower side and to a rear hinge on the higher side, skimming past the rear lobule;
- the rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear-lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents;
- an extended rear-fitter member that contacts the rear eminence of the concha at multiple points, and which is engaged and disposed at the rear hinge;
- wherein the opening between the front loop and the extended rear-fitter member is defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a thickness of the concha cavum wall when in closed hinging position, which will not be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure; and
- wherein the base when fastened into the conchal cavum pocket floor in front, clears the soft-tissue lobule at bottom, and is hinge-closed in rear such that the extended rear-fitter member spoons the rear eminence of the concha, and said base is coupled to the lower one-third of the ear including the area where traditional piercing earrings display décor.
2. The base of claim 1, wherein the base is capable of safely and securely carrying adornments with weight levels up to and greater than about 30 grams per ear.
3. The base of claim 1, further comprising an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed at the lowermost portion of the device onto which additional dangling décor may be onboarded.
4. A method of making the base of claim 1 for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
- (a) measuring at least five ear variable measurements, the five ear variable measurements comprising (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and
- (b) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable measurements.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step before step (a) wherein the user (i) compares the ear to a plurality of prototype measurement guides that contain directions on taking measurements; (ii) selects the best match of the ear to one of the plurality of prototype measurement guides; and (iii) takes the measurements of step (a) according to the prototype measurement guide selected.
6. A method of making the base of claim 1 for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
- (a) obtaining at least two photographs of the ear, wherein at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear and at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe in place;
- (b) identifying a plurality of registration points on the photographs;
- (c) deriving at least five ear variable measurements from the registration points, the five ear variable measurements comprising (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and
- (d) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable measurements.
7. A method of making the base of claim 1 for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
- (a) obtaining at least one photograph of the ear, wherein the at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe in place;
- (b) matching the ear from one or more of the photographs to one of a plurality of templates and obtaining an estimate of the measurement of the concha cavum pocket-depth from the template;
- (c) detecting points on rail scales intersecting the antitragus ridge on at least one of the photographs to find the antitragus ridge decline slope with respect to vertical, estimated from the photograph;
- (d) detecting points on one or more of the photographs corresponding to the (i) antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (ii) ear length below antitragus ridge, and (iii) ear lobule height;
- (e) obtaining five ear variable dimension measurements from steps (b) through (d); and
- (f) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable dimension measurements.
8. An earring base device, said base being capable of being mounted on an ear that has an antitragus peak rise and adjacent dips, a thickness of concha cavum cartilage, a rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage, and an inner conchal cavum floor, the base comprising a first end oriented at least in part on the front of the base and a second end oriented at least in part on the rear of the base, said base further comprising:
- (a) a latch component on the first end, which is oriented on the front of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises portions that reach up and over and simultaneously flank the ear's antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, and which further comprises an end loop portion that extends to the depth of the inner conchal cavum floor and contacts it at multiple points;
- (b) a rear component on the second end, which is oriented on the rear of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises a rear-fitter member portion that contacts and spoons the rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage at multiple points, and which when the base is mounted there are portions of the rear-fitter member portion that are anterior and higher in plane to the latch component in front;
- (c) said base when mounted on the ear is mounted onto the lower portion of the ear without using any piercing of the ear and without clamping onto the lobule of the ear;
- (d) said base when mounted on the ear engages a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and the rear of the ear using the end loop portion of the latch component and the rear-fitter member portion of the rear component.
9. The earring base device of claim 8, wherein the base further comprises a rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents, and said rear hinge is posterior to and it engages and disposes the rear-fitter member portion.
10. The earring base device of claim 8, wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display fixture attached to the base and adornments, wherein the adornments are attached to either the frontal-display fixture or to an onboarding adaptor that is attached to the frontal-display fixture.
11. The earring base device of claim 10, wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises (a) a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps or (b) a slide-in socket for receiving T-bar backed adornments.
12. The earring base device of claim 10, wherein the base further comprises a dangle onboarding bar or circle adaptor that is disposed at the center of the frontal-display fixture below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and onto which adornments may be onboarded.
13. The earring base device of claim 10 wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises sockets and tubes at the front.
14. The earring base device of claim 10 wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises a round plate, the plate comprising a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps.
15. The earring base device of claim 8, further comprising a closed-ended circular-shaped adaptor or an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed on the lowermost portion of the device, and onto which additional adornments may be onboarded.
16. The earring base device of claim 8, further comprising an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed on the upper front portion of the latch component, and onto which pierced and/or clip-on earring body adornments, and/or other adornments, maybe onboarded.
17. The earring base device of claim 8 wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display vertical fixture-wire band for attaching and displaying adornments on an onboarding upper slide-on adaptor, wherein the center of said band dips toward the lobule to clear adornments hanging from above the onboarding slide-on adaptor.
18. The earring base device of claim 8, wherein the base further comprises permanently affixed onboarding adaptors at the middle and bottom of the device that, unlike slide-on adaptors, require a connector such as a spring or circular joiner to connect and onboard add-on décor.
19. The earring base device of claim 8, wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display wire band and a tube, wherein the frontal-display wire band is attached to the front of the base, wherein the tube comprises an open-end that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and which is also disposed at the center of the frontal-display wire band, wherein a brooch, pin or bent pierced-post earring may be inserted vertically into the tube.
20. The earring base device of claim 8 that is capable of displaying adornments that are attached to the base that weigh about 30 grams or more.
21. The earring base device of claim 8 further comprising adornments, wherein the adornments are removable and replaceable with other adornments.
22. The earring base device of claim 8, wherein the base and/or adornments attached to the base, when the earring base device is worn on the ear, covers portions of the lobule of the ear that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable.
23. A method of making the earring base device of claim 8 to fit an individual ear, said method comprising fitting the base to the ear, the fitting the base to the ear comprising:
- (a) measuring at least five variable dimensions of the ear to obtain at least five measurements, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and
- (b) fabricating and/or adjusting the base to match the at least five measurements.
24. The method of making the earring devices of claim 23, said method further comprising (c) attaching ornamentation to the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems.
25. A method of making the earring devices of claim 8 to fit individual ears, said method comprising fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base, the fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base comprising:
- (a) measuring at least five ear-variable-dimensions of a population of potential and/or targeted wearers to obtain at least five measurements for each such wearer, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height;
- (b) dividing the at least five measurements for each such wearer into groups that vary from one another by about 1 to about 3 millimeters for at least one of each of the five measurements; and
- (c) fabricating and/or adjusting bases that fit one or more of the groups of step (b).
26. The method of making the earring devices of claim 25 further comprising a step (d) adjusting the fabricated bases of step (c) to individual ears.
27. The method of making the earring devices of claim 26 further comprising (e) attaching ornamentation onto the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems, and wherein step (e) can be performed before or after step (d).
28. A method for predicting demand for individual fit profiles based on a prior anthropomorphic statistical data with new predictions being informed by measurement data from device orders, the method comprising establishing a probability distribution that predicts the likelihood of fit profiles that are used to size various dimension of devices manufactured that can be used to plan the design and production of devices in anticipation of customer demand.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 3, 2022
Publication Date: Feb 9, 2023
Inventors: Rosalie Bliss (Naples, FL), Richard Bliss (Naples, FL), Linda McGuire (Boca Raton, FL)
Application Number: 17/880,625
