GB2333943A

GB2333943A - Personal article with interchangeable ornamentation

Info

Publication number: GB2333943A
Application number: GB9802300A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hussam Ata Al-Bayouk
Original assignee: AL FARABI TRADING CO Ltd
Current assignee: AL FARABI TRADING CO Ltd
Priority date: 1998-02-03
Filing date: 1998-02-03
Publication date: 1999-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 2018-02-03
Also published as: GB9802300D0; GB2333943B

Abstract

A personal article such as an item of jewellery (eg pendant 1), hair ornament, pen, watch or toothbrush is provided with an attachment point (eg slideway 4) for receiving an ornamental attachment 2 having a complementary attachment means 3 and which is selected from a set of of such attachments. The attachments in the set differ visually and may be cartoon characters, letters, words, symbols or geometric shapes.

Description

USEFUL ARTICLE SETS This invention relates to enhancing the appearance of everyday objects for use as ornaments or for other useful purposes.

Nowadays, many objects of a fundamentally utilitarian character are carried by individuals and used as desired.

They include articles of wear, writing implements, handbags, keyrings, toothbrushes and many others. While the fundamental purpose of most of these items is utilitarian, mere utility is not the only (or sometimes even the main) criterion taken into account by intending purchasers of such items. As is well established, even every day and humdrum articles sell better if they have been subject to a design process rendering them attractive to the eye.

In recent years, one particular approach to rendering items attractive is to ornament them with representations of well-known characters, either real or fictional.

Thus, representations of members of popular music groups, cartoon characters and sporting personalities have found their way on to a myriad of different articles in order to promote sales of the articles and to distinguish them from those made by others. A further area of exploitation is the decoration of useful articles with an ornamental representation of a trade mark or product, e.g. a soft drinks can or the distinctive get-up used on such products.

We have now found that the attractiveness of a wide variety of articles for personal use may be materially enhanced if the article is provided with a plurality of visually attractive accessories forming a set.

Thus, according generally to the present invention, there is provided a useful article, the article comprising at least one attachment means, a set of visually differentiable accessories, each such accessory including attachment means complementary to the attachment means of the article, and wherein the attachment means and complementary attachment means are designed to enable the article to be assembled together with a selected one or more of the items of the set.

The attachment means on the article may be, for example, integrally formed with the article, or may be a separate component attached to the article, e.g. by means of a suitable ring fastening, chain, tie or the like.

The invention may be put into practice in a wide variety of ways, but it is highly preferable that the attachment means are mutually engageable and disengageable resilient plastics members. Highly preferred is to form one attachment means as a slideway and the other with an elongate member capable of fitting in the slideway, either as a press fit or with stud or bead configuration on one or both of the slideway and elongate member dimensioned to enable resilient engagement with a complementary recess in the other when the article and accessory are assembled together and disengagement when it is desired to substitute one accessory for another.

In place of plastics, wood or metal may be used.

As examples of utilitarian articles which may be used when carrying out the present invention, mention should be made of personal accessories such as hair ornaments, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, earrings, watches and sunglasses, personal care devices such as hairbrushes, toothbrushes and combs, and numerous other sundry items such as key chains, fans, pens and other writing implements, rulers, pencil cases and small domestic containers, e.g. for articles such as jewel boxes and pill boxes, or for consumables, such as lunch boxes, sandwich tins and beverage containers.

Many such items are conventionally produced from resilient plastics material and it is not difficult to manufacture them, by appropriate configuration of the mould, with one or more inter-fitting configurations for engagement with one or more of the set of visually differentiable accessories.

The set of accessories consists of at least two accessories with the same inter-fitting configuration, but different visual appearance. The visual appearance may differ by way of a two-dimensional ornamentation or the set may be made of articles which differ threedimensionally from one another. In the first case, a standard shaped base may have a surface of appropriate shape such as round, square or rectangular, on or in which a suitable image is located. In the latter, the articles of the set may consist, for example, of a series of low relief figures representing cartoon characters, well-known sports personalities, or sets of relief markings such as alphabetic letters, words, or symbols, for example, zodiacal symbols or a set of standard geometrical shapes such as circle, crescent, star, heart, diamond, hexagon, oval and lens.

The invention is illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows in perspective a pair of mutually engageable members respectively on a pendant and a low relief figure for attachment thereto; Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a view of a hair clip base; Figures 3A and 3B show a bracelet respectively with attachment means and with an attached ornamental figure; Figures 4A and 4B show a finger ring respectively with attachment means and with an attached ornamental figure; Figures 5A and 5B show an earring respectively with attachment means and with an attached ornamental figure; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of a watch showing attachment means thereon; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of a pen showing attachment means thereon; and Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of a pen showing attachment means thereon.

Referring first to Figure 1, this shows a heart-shaped pendant 1 and a low relief moulded plastics figure 2 for attachment thereto. The rear face of the figure 2 has an integrally moulded T-section rib 3 which is sized to be a push fit in a matching T-section groove 4 in the heartshaped pendant 1. The pendant 1 may be attached to a chain or necklace by passing the same through a conventional ring 5 attached thereto. In a set of articles according to the invention, a single pendant is sold with, for example, a set of several alternative figures 2, each of which may be fitted into groove 4. In place of the heart-shaped pendant, other shaped pendants may be provided, either of regular geometric shape or of irregular shape.

Figure 2 shows a hair clip 10 with a groove-including attachment means 11 attached thereto or moulded integrally with the main body of the clip 10.

Conventional hair-engaging and gripping means may be associated with the main body in known fashion.

Figure 3A shows a bracelet 20 having attached thereto by a ring 21 an elongate flat plate 22 with a slot 23 running from one end. Remote from the open end of the slot are two opposed beads 24. These beads are designed to slip over a pair of beads located near the end of a Tsection rib on the back of a moulded figure 25, enabling figure 25 to be retained by the rib on its rear face (not shown in the drawings).

Figures 4A and 4B are analogous to Figures 3A and 3B respectively, showing a heart-motif finger ring 30 with a slot 31 into which one of a number of ornamental figures 32 may be fitted.

Figures 5A and 5B are also analogous to Figures 3A and 3B respectively, showing a diamond-shaped ear stud 40 to which a plate 41 with a slot 42, into which one of a number of ornamental figures 43 may be fitted, is attached via a ring 44.

In Figure 6, a watch 50 has a flip-up lid (to enable the face or digital display to be seen) incorporating an accessory-receiving groove 51. Figure 7 shows a pen 60 with an accessory-receiving groove 61 worked into a pocket clip 62 on its cap 63. Finally, Figure 8 shows a keyring 70 attached by a chain 71 to an accessoryreceiving star-shaped plate 72 carrying a t-section grooved member 73.

As can be seen from looking at the various ways in which the invention may be put into practice illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, the attachment means may be part of the main article, as in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 6 to 8, or attached thereto as in the items shown in Figures 3 and 5.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A useful article set, the set including a useful article, the article comprising at least one attachment means, and a set of visually differentiable accessories, each such accessory including attachment means complementary to the attachment means of the article, and wherein the attachment means and complementary attachment means are designed to enable the useful article to be assembled together with a selected one or more of the items of the set of accessories.
2. A useful article set according to Claim 1 wherein the attachment means on the article is integrally formed with the article.
3. A useful article set according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the attachment means are mutually engageable and disengageable resilient plastics, wooden or metal members.
4. A useful article set according to Claim 3 wherein one attachment means is a slideway and the other an elongate member capable of fitting in the slideway.
5. A useful article set according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the useful article is a hair ornament, bracelet, bangle, necklace, earrings, watch, sunglasses, hairbrush, toothbrush, comb, key chain, fan, pen, writing implement, ruler, pencil case or box.
6. A useful article set substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A useful article set substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED AS FOLLOWS 1. A useful article set, the set including a useful article, the article comprising at least one attachment means, and a set of visually differentiable accessories, each such accessory including attachment means complementary to the attachment means of the article, the attachment means and complementary attachment means being designed to enable the useful article to be assembled together with a selected one or more of the items of the set of accessories, wherein one attachment means is a slideway and the other is an elongate member capable of push-fitting in the slideway, the attachment means on each accessory being on its rear face.

2. A useful article set according to Claim 1, in which the slideway is a T-section groove and the elongate member is a T-section rib.

3. A useful article set according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the attachment means on the article is integrally formed with the article.

4. A useful article set according to any preceding Claim wherein the attachment means are mutually engageable and disengageable resilient plastics, wooden or metal members.

5. A useful article set according to any preceding Claim wherein the useful article is a hair ornament, bracelet, bangle, necklace, earrings, watch, sunglasses, hairbrush, toothbrush, comb, key chain, fan, pen, writing implement, ruler, pencil case or box.