GB2321385A

GB2321385A - Decorative ear accessory

Info

Publication number: GB2321385A
Application number: GB9800726A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yasuhiko Tonokawa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-01-23
Filing date: 1998-01-15
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-15
Also published as: CN1200256A; IT1299133B1; CN1154422C; FR2758444B1; ITRM980035A0; GB2321385B; ITRM980035A1; JPH10201507A; DE19801972A1; FR2758444A1; HK1014845A1; DE19801972C2; GB9800726D0

Abstract

The accessory has a hook portion 2 with a spherical end 8 which rests inside a recess 7 of the front of the ear, and an abutting portion 4 which rests against a rear portion of the ear and may also have a spherical end (13, Fig 3). A curved portion 3 links the portions 2 and 4 and may carry a detachable or integral ornament 10,11 or 12 (Figs 4,5). The portions 3,4 may be linked by a spring loaded hinge.

Description

EAR ACCESSORIES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

2321385 The present invention relates to ear accessories which are fitted to ears.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

As conventional ear accessories, screwback earrings and pierced earrings are used. Screwback earrings each have as findings a U-shaped wire which is applied to an earlobe such that j may receive the earlobe therein and a screw attached to one end of the wire. When such earring is f itted to an earlobe, the screw is turned in the tightening direction to nip the earlobe between the tip of the screw and the other end of the wire.

Pierced earrings are fitted to pierced ears. More specifically, a pin (friction post) is inserted to a pinhole pierced in an ear, and a friction nut is attached to the tip of the pin penetrating the earlobe.

However, screwback earrings are f itted to ears by nipping them with screws, wearers of earrings feel pain of nipping and cannot wear them for a long time. Besides, since screwback earrings are f itted to ears merely by clamping earlobes with screws, they can easily slip off the ears and are lost frequently.

- 2 Meanwhile, although pierced earring are f ree f rom the f ear of slipping off ears, the ears must be pierced, and they involve an inconvenience that they cannot be worn unless ears are pierced. In addition, if plated pins are used, they give malicious influence to human bodies and injure health, disadvantageously.

The present invention was accomplished in view of the problems inherent in the prior art as described above, and it is an objective of the invention to provide novel ear accessories which give no pain while they are worn, which do not slip of f ears during wearing, and which require no piercing of ears.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to attain the intended objective, a f irst aspect of the present invention relates to an ear accessory containing a hooking portion to be inserted to an ear f rom. the f ront side thereof and to be hooked against a recess of the ear; a dangling portion extending continuously from the hooking portion, which dangles along the front surface of an earlobe; and an abutting portion extending continuously upward from the dangling portion, which is abutted against and along the rear surface of the ear so as to clamp the ear with the aid of the hooking portion.

According to this structure, by hooking the hooking portion against the recess on the front surface of the ear and by abutting the abutting portion against and along the rear surface of the ear, the ear accessory is f itted to the ear with the ear being clamped between the hooking portion and the abutting portion. In such fitting state, since the abutting portion is abutted against and along the rear surface of the ear, the abutment is of reliable line contact which can prevent the opposing hooking portion from being unhooked from the recess. Thus, the ear accessory can be worn stably without slipping off the ear. Since the ear accessory of the present invention need not nip the ear tightly, they give no pain to a wearer. Further, ears need not be pierced as opposed to the case where pierced earrings are f itted.

Incidentally, the dangling portion dangles along the front surface of an earlobe to be an outstanding portion. The entire appearance of the ear accessory can be improved by applying a decorative design to the dangling portion.

A second aspect of the present invention is the ear accessory according to the f irst aspect, in which the abutting portion is curved to rise from the dangling portion so as to be able to exhibit spring action.

According to this structure, since the abutting portion and the dangling portion are formed continuously and integrally and are curved around the boundary between them, the overall structure of the ear accessory is simplified. Further, since the abutting portion has spring action, even if the size, thickness, etc. of ears vary depending on wearers, it absorbs such dif f erences and can be securely abutted against the ears.

A third aspect of the present invention is the ear accessory according to the first aspect, in which the dangling portion and the abutting portion are connected to each other pivotally via a linking part.

According to this structure, the dangling portion and the abutting portion are turned open to hook the hooking portion against an ear, and then they are turned to be closed. Thus, the abutting portion is abutted against the rear surface of the ear with the aid of the spring force of the linking part, and the ear accessory is f itted to the ear. When the abutting portion and the dangling portion are assuming the open state as described above, fitting of the ear accessory can be facilitated conveniently.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the ear accessory according to any of the f irst to third aspects, in which the tip of the hooking portion to be hooked against the recess of the ear is allowed to have a large surface area and a smooth surface.

Thus, the stress to be applied to the ear when the hooking portion is hooked against it can be moderated, and the hooking portion is hooked against the ear with soft touch without scratching the ear. Particularly, the tip of the hooking portion having an increased surface area enables secured hooking against the ear, and slipping of f of the ear accessory can more securely be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forthwith particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with the objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an ear accessory according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the ear accessory of the f irst embodiment showing a state where it is f itted to an ear; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a variation of the first embodiment; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an ear accessory according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a side view of the ear accessory according to the second embodiment; Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an ear accessory according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a side view of the ear accessory according to the third embodiment assuming a different form; Figures 8 (a) and 8 (b) are side views each showing a linking part in the third embodiment; Figure 9 is a perspective view showing an ear accessory according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 10 is a perspective view showing an ear accessory according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figures 1 and 2 show an ear accessory 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The ear accessory 1 consists of a hooking portion 2, a dangling portion 3 and an abutting portion 4 which are formed continuously to assume a substantially U shape.

The ear accessory 1 is made entirely of a noble metal such as gold and silver; a glossy metal such as nickel; stainless steel or aluminum plated with such noble metal or glossy metal; or other metals.

The hooking portion 2 is inserted to an ear 5 of a wearer from the front side thereof to be caught therein, as shown in Figure 2. This catching of the hooking portion 2 is carried out against a recess 7 of the ear 5, which is surrounded by cartilage and is present lower than an external auditory meatus 6. The dangling portion 3 is bent at the upper extremity thereof to extend theref rom as a hooking portion 2 over a predetermined length toward the abutting portion 4. This bent enables easy and secured insertion of the hooking portion 2 into the ear 5 and hooking against the recess 7 of the ear 5, and thus the ear accessory 1 can be f itted well to the ear 5.

A damping portion 8 is integrally formed at the tip of the hooking portion 2 to be hooked against the recess 7 of the ear 5. The diameter of the damping portion 8 is greater than that of the hooking portion 2, so that the surface area of the former is greater than that of the latter. Further, the damping portion 8 is formed to have reduced surface roughness, so that the damping portion 8 has a smooth surface. By providing such damping portion 8 at the tip of the hooking portion 2, the stress when the hooking portion 2 is hooked against the ear 5 can be moderated, and the damping portion 8 is brought into direct contact with the skin with soft contact force. Thus, one may feel no pain during wearing of the ear accessory 1, nor the ear 5 is scratched by friction with the accessory 1. Further, since the damping portion 8 has a large surface area, it provides a large contact area with the ear 5, enabling securer hooking and prevention of inadvertent slipping of f of the ear accessory 1.

The dangling portion 3 is extending continuously from the rear end of the hooking portion 2 to be dangled theref rom. When the ear accessory 1 is f itted to the ear, the dangling portion 3 extending continuously from the rear end of the hooking portion 2 dangles along the f ront surf ace of an earlobe 9 as an outstanding portion. In other words, the dangling portion 3 itself constitutes the major part of the ear accessory 1 which decorates the ear. In this embodiment, the dangling portion 3 is dangling in a thin linear form to decorate the ear with its simple but emphatic design.

The dangling portion 3 is preferably allowed to have a length such that its dangling lower end 3a may locate below the earlobe 9 so that it may not be brought into contact with the lower end of the earlobe 9, as shown in Figure 2. However, the length of the dangling portion 3 is not particularly limited. In Figure 2, the reference number 10 denotes an ornamental piece as a separate part of the ear accessory 1. The ear accessory 1 is inserted to an upper ring 11 of the ornamental piece 10 to suspend the piece 10 f rom the dangling portion 3, increasing ornamental ef f ect of the accessory 1 and improving appearance thereof. The ornamental piece 10 is used as necessary so that the wearer can enjoy the ear accessory 1 with or without such ornamental piece 10.

The dangling lower end 3a of the dangling portion 3 is curved into a U shape, and the abutting portion 4 is extending continuously f rom and integrally with the U-shaped lower end 3a. The abutting portion 4 is extending to rise continuously from the dangling lower end 3a of the dangling portion 3 so that the upper end portion thereof may be positioned near the hooking portion 2. The abutting portion 4 rising from the U-shaped dangling lower end 3a of the dangling portion 3 is thus positioned on the rear side of the ear 5 and is abutted with the ear 5 along the rear surface thereof. Accordingly, in the state where the hooking portion 2 is hooked against the recess 7 of the ear 5, the ear 5 is clamped between the abutting portion 4 and the hooking portion 2.

The ear accessory 1 having such constitution is f itted to an ear by hooking the hooking portion 2 against the recess 7 of the ear 5 and clamping the ear 5 between the hooking portion 2 and the abutting portion 4. Thus, the hooking portion 2 is prevented from moving in the direction of slipping of f the ear, the hooking portion 2 is not unhooked from the ear 5, ensuring wearing of the ear accessory without slipping off the ear. Therefore, the novel ear accessory 1 is fitted by a novel manner, since it does not nip the earlobe during wearing and can be worn without pain, and besides it requires no piercing of ears so as to prevent slipping of f of ear accessories, unlike pierced earrings.

In addition, since the abutting portion 4 is abutted against and along the rear surface of the ear 5, the abutting portion 4 is brought into line contact with the rear surface of the ear 5, providing great contact area with the ear 5. Thus, the abutting portion 4 provides a reliable abutting state to achieve securer prevention of unhooking of the hooking portion 2 at the front surface of the ear 5.

Further, since the dangling lower end 3a of the dangling portion 3 is curved into a U shape and the abutting portion 4 is extending continuously f rom that lower end 3a, spring action is imparted to the abutting portion 4. The spring action of the abutting portion 4 enables suitable fitting of the ear accessory 1 even if the size, thickness, etc. of the ear 5 may vary depending on wearers. Furthermore, even if the span between the hooking portion 2 and the abutting portion 4 is expanded when the ear accessory 1 is to be fitted to the ear 5, the ear accessory 1 resumes the original state after fitting, and it is not deformed by repeated uses.

Figure 3 shows a variation of the f irst embodiment, in which reference numbers 14 and 15 denote ornamental pieces having rings 14a and 15a at the upper ends, respectively. The ornamental pieces 14 and 15 can be attached interchangeably by inserting the ear accessory 1 through the ring 14a or 15a. As the ornamental pieces 14 and 15, for example, those of necklaces, brooches, bracelets, etc. may be employed. The ear accessory 1 can be enjoyed more tastefully in various ways by changing the ornamental pieces 14 and 15.

Further, in Figure 3, the abutting portion 4 has at the upper end a small ball-like damping portion 13. The damping portion 13, like the damping portion 8 of the hooking portion 2, is formed to have a smooth surface or reduced surface roughness. Thedamping portion 8 acts to moderate friction with the ear 5 when the abutting portion 4 is slipped along the rear surface of the ear 5 and also to abut the abutting portion 4 softly against the ear 5. Accordingly, the thus provided damping portion 13 enables application of the abutting portion 4 to the ear without giving pain to the wearer.

Figures 4 and 5 show an ear accessory according to a second embodiment of the invention. The same or corresponding elements as in the f irst embodiment are af f ixed with the same reference numbers respectively. In the ear accessory according to the second embodiment, an ornamental piece 12 is attached to the front face of the dangling portion 2. The ornamental piece 12 is f ixed to the dangling portion 3 at the upper and lower end portions 12a and 12b on the rear surface by means of soldering. This ornamental piece 12 is formed to have dimensions such that it can cover the entire length of the dangling portion 3 and that it may hide that portion 3 to provide an outstanding portion in place of the dangling portion 3. Thus, the ornamental piece 12 serves to impart ornamental ef f ect to the ear accessory 1 in place of the dangling portion 3. While the ornamental piece 12 is of a substantially hemispherical shape in the illustrated embodiment, the shape of the piece 12 can be changed suitably.

Figures 6 to 8 show an ear accessory according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 are connected by a linking piece 16. The linking piece 16 is connected at one end portion to the dangling portion 3 by caulking the latter or by soldering, while the abutting portion 4 is pivotally connected at the other end portion. The abutting portion 4 is connected by a pin 17, provided at the end portion of the abutting portion 4, which is inserted to a shaft hole 18 of the linking part 16, as shown in Figure 8.

Such linking part 16 connects the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 to be pivotal with respect to each other. Such pivotal structure permits the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 to assume dif f erent states: a closed state where they are approached to each other as shown in Figure 6 and an open state where they are spaced away from each other as shown in Figure 7. In the open state shown in Figure 7, an earlobe 9 can be inserted easily between the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4, and then, as shown in Figure 6, the abutting portion 4 is turned to approach the dangling portion 3. Thus, the ear 5 can be clamped between the abutting portion 4 and the hooking portion 2. Incidentally, the hooking portion 2 in this state is hooked against the recess 7 of the ear 5, although not shown in the drawings. The ear accessory 1 of the embodiment in which the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 are pivotally connected to each other by the linking part 16 facilitates fitting of it to an ear, conveniently.

In this embodiment, spring action is imparted to the linking part 16 so as to maintain the closed state and the open state to be assumed by the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4. Figure 8 shows the structure of the linking part 16 in which a leaf 12 - spring 19, which is connected at one end to the lower end of the dangling portion 3 and is free at the other end, is attached to the linking part 16 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Further, a resilient piece 20 is attached to the pin 17 of the abutting portion 4. The resilient piece 20 is abutted at the free end against the free end of the leaf spring 19, and pivoting of the abutting portion 4 is restricted by the spring force of the leaf spring 19 urging the resilient piece 20 in the open state where the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 are spaced away from each other to the farthest positions as shown in Figure 8 (a) and in the closed state where they are approached to each other to the closest positions as shown in Figure 8(b). Since such states can be maintained as described above, the state when the ear accessory 1 is fitted to an ear as shown in Figure 6 and the state when it is removed therefrom as shown in Figure 7 are stabilized.

While spring action is imparted to the linking part 16 by the leaf spring 19, the leaf spring 19 may be replaced with other structures. For example, the pin 17 of the abutting portion 4 may be designed to be slidable along a tapered portion and sliding of the pin 17 may be restricted at the front and rear end portions of the tapered portion respectively.

Figures 9 and 10 show ear accessories according to other embodiments. In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the width of the dangling portion 3 is increased, making the dangling portion 3 more outstanding. That is, in this embodiment, ornamental ef f ect of the ear accessory 1 is increased greatly by the thus formed dangling portion 3 to exhibit greater ornamental ef f ect against ears.

13 - The embodiment shown in Figure 10 has two dangling portions 3 and two hooking portions 2 extending continuously therefrom. An ornamental portion 21 is interposed between these two dangling portions 3. Thus, these portions 2, 3 and 21 impart ornamental effect as an integral body to the ear accessory 1. Inthiscase, since the dangling portions and the hooking portions 2 are curved continuously as a whole, there is no boundary between these portions, but such structure does not lead to reduction in f ittability of the ear accessory 1 Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the damping portion 8 present at the tip of the hooking portion 2 and the damping portion 13 present at the upper end of the abutting portion 4 may not be of a spherical shape but may be of other shapes such as hemisphere, and the dangling portion 3 and the abutting portion 4 formed continuously may not form a U shape but may form other shapes such as V shape.

Therefore, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An ear accessory comprising: a hooking portion to be inserted to an ear from a front side thereof and to be hooked against a recess of the ear; a dangling portion extending continuously from the hooking portion, which dangles along the front surface of an earlobe; and an abutting portion extending continuously upward from the dangling portion, which is abutted against and along a rear surface of the ear so as to clamp the ear with the aid of the hooking portion.

2. The ear accessory according to Claim 1, wherein the abutting portion is curved to rise from the dangling portion so as to have spring action.

3. The ear accessory according to Claim 1, wherein the dangling portion and the abutting portion are connected to each other pivotally via a linking member having spring action.

4. The ear accessory according to Claim 1 to 3, wherein a tip of the hooking portion to be hooked against the recess of the ear is allowed to have a large surface area and a smooth surface.

5.

The ear accessory according to Claim 1, further comprising a damping portion.

6. An ear accessory substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.