US20060096316A1

US20060096316A1 - Ornamental articles for vehicles, motorcycles, boats, and the like

Info

Publication number: US20060096316A1
Application number: US10/986,521
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert Ledesma; Lisa Ledesma
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-11-10
Filing date: 2004-11-10
Publication date: 2006-05-11

Abstract

Decorative ornamental articles which can be pierced or attached to various locations on an automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, surfboard or the like, and thereby allowing an individual to uniquely express oneself while providing an attractive display is described. The articles come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and fittings to satisfy individual needs providing the appearance of a piercing to an automobile or the like.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention refers to decorative ornamental articles for attachment to various locations on an automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, surfboard or the like.
2. Prior Art
Automobiles, boats and the like are often decorated with articles, such as stickers or decals, for providing attraction and to enhance appearance. For example, on an automobile, such items are fastened or attached to various vehicular body parts such as the engine hood, mirror, window, bumper, and trunk lid. Colorful articles of various types and designs are selected according to individual preferences. However, stickers and decals are not easy to remove and are two-dimensional.
Additionally, there have been devices having messages or other indicia thereon used for the above purpose. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,524 to Hendrickson, a safety tail light in the form of a small round device having advertising or other lettering thereon is described, with the device being attached to an automobile by means of bolts. In U.S. Pat. No. D255,562 to Szperkowski, an article made up of a decorative top cap, a round disc, and a double-sided adhesive piece mounted to an automobile by means of screws or bolts is described. Moreover, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,087 to Crownover, a hoop-shaped device having a general circular configuration of a ring or hoop, with a ball member, such as a football or basketball molded in a center rim of the device and mounted or adhesively secured to an automobile is described. However, such a hoop-shaped device does not offer flexibility for accommodating varying widths or similar adjustments and the ball member is only of a solid type. Moreover, although articles of piercings have been traditionally used and placed on a person's body, such articles have not been adapted for said decorative ornamental articles and placed on cars, trucks, boats or the like.
Hence, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide decorative ornamental articles which can be attached to automobiles, boats or the like and which can either be bolted to metal objects or attached to glassy surfaces by a peel-and-stick type so that they can be removed or replaced easily.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

It is an object of the invention to provide a decorative ornamental article, which can be pierced or attached to various locations on an automobile, boat, and the like, thereby allowing an individual to uniquely express oneself while providing an attractive display.
It is another object of the invention to provide a half ring shaped article with a central ball and two smaller balls located on the ends of the half ring, which can be mounted onto a vehicular body by means of bolts or adhesives.
A further object of the invention is to provide a decorative ornamental article consisting of two elongated straight or curved units, which can be adhesively secured onto glassy or similar surfaces of a vehicular body, whereby the design of said article gives the allusion that the design is of a single unit and that it pierces through the vehicular body.
These and other objects will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description, which follows.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a decorative ornamental article for attachment to various parts of an automobile, boat, motorcycle and the like. The article comes in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and fittings to accommodate for individual preferences.
One embodiment is in the form of a semi-circle ring with open ends, which can be made of metal or plastic. A central ball-shaped member is attached to the middle of the ring and two smaller ball-shaped members are attached to each ends of the ring. Another embodiment is in the form of a semi-circle ring made of plastic, whereby the ball-shaped member in the central portion of said ring is of half-split type. The split ball feature offers the advantage of accommodating varying widths of the hoop-shaped article and facilitates in attaching said article onto various locations of a vehicular body.
In the case of a metal semi-hoop ring, the article is mounted by means of bolts. The metal ring consists of a housing unit, a mounting plate, and an end ball-shaped member on each open end. The housing unit is welded onto the mounting plate with end ball secured inside. Accordingly, said unit acts as a type of swivel with enough play to allow for placement of the article at various angles.
Whereas, in the case of plastic semi-circle ring, the fastening is by means of a peel-and-stick type and the articles are adhesively secured onto a surface of a vehicular body. Moreover, the end ball-shaped members are snapped into a snap-in receptor thereby forming a tight fit that also allows for swiveling.
Still another embodiment is in the shape of an elongated matchstick like having end members of various shapes. The stems of these articles can be either straight or curved. The important aspect of this design is that it gives the appearance of a single unit, which pierces through a vehicular body. These articles are made of plastic and can be adhesively secured onto glassy or similar surfaces of a vehicular body, and offer the advantage of easy removal or replacement.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a semi-hoop shaped ornamental article of the present invention with a ball in the central portion of said article, whereby the article is made of metal.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a semi-hoop shaped ornamental article of the present invention with a ball of solid type in the central portion, whereby the article is made of plastic.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a semi-hoop shaped ornamental article of another embodiment of the present invention with a ball of half-split type in the central portion of said article, whereby the article is made of plastic.
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an elongated matchstick shaped ornamental article representing still another embodiment of the present invention, whereby the ends are of circular shape and the stems are straight.
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an elongated matchstick shaped ornamental article shown in FIG. 4, whereby the stems are curved.
FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an elongated matchstick shaped ornamental article shown in FIG. 4, whereby the ends are of a flame shape and the stems are straight.
FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an elongated matchstick shaped ornamental article shown in FIG. 6, whereby the stems are curved.

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

11A Metal Semi-Hoop Ring
11B Plastic Semi-Hoop Ring
12A Central Ball
12B Central Split Ball
12C End Ball
13 Housing Unit
14 Snap-In Receptor
15 Mounting Plate
16 Double-Sided Adhesive Piece
17A Circular Member
17B Flame-Shaped Member

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as shown in FIGS. 1 through 7. In FIG. 1, there is provided a semi-hoop shaped metal ring 11A with open ends. The metal semi-hoop ring 11A includes a central ball 12A attached to its center portion that has a hole (not shown) drilled through it. A semi-circular loop is threaded through the central ball 12A and then said central solid ball is welded to the metal semi-hoop ring 11A by means of a tack or similar weld such that it is secure. A hole (not shown) is drilled through a housing unit 13 that is made of metal, such that it can be threaded to the open ends of the ring.
The semi-metal hoop ring 11A has end balls 12C that are welded on to bottom of the ends of the ring. At this stage, the housing unit 13 can move up and down the ring. Furthermore, the size of the end balls 12C fits comfortably in the housing unit 13. Said housing unit 13 is moved such that it encloses the end ball 12C. A mounting plate 15 made of metal is then welded to secure the housing unit 13 and said mounting plate 15, with the end ball 12C inside. The mounting plate 15 in FIG. 1 is shown only on one end of the ring, but this should not be misconstrued that the embodiment of the present invention consists of a mounting plate on only one end of the ring. Thus, the housing unit 13 now acts as a type of swivel with enough play to allow for placement at various angles. Finally, the semi-metal hoop ring 11A is fastened to the surface of a vehicular body or the like by bolts or similar means. The semi-metal hoop ring 11A can be made of steel or aluminum or any other metal having equivalent characteristics.
FIG. 2 shows a semi-hoop shaped plastic ring 11B with open ends. In comparison to the metal hoop ring 11A, the difference lies in the manner of attaching the end balls 12C as well as the fastening means. In this case, the end balls 12C are snapped into a snap-in receptor 14 thereby forming a tight fit. These articles are of a peel-and-stick type and a double-sided adhesive piece 16 is used for fastening purposes. One side of said adhesive piece 16 is attached to bottom side of the snap-in receptor 14 and other side thereof attached to a surface of an automobile 18 or other objects. The peel-and-stick type of fastening offers the advantage of easy removal or replacement of said articles and can be attached to glassy or similar surfaces of a vehicular body such as mirrors, windows, windshields, or the like.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the central ball member is of half-split type 12B and is made of plastic. The assembly and fastening means of such articles are similar to the plastic version of the above-discussed embodiment. The half-split feature offers the advantage of accommodating varying widths of the semi-hoop shaped article and facilitates in the attaching of said article onto various locations of a vehicular body.
In another alternate embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 through 7, there are provided elongated matchstick shaped decorative ornamental articles. In FIG. 4, the ends of said article have a circular shaped member 17A and the stems of said article have a linear or a straight line shape. Whereas, the stems have a curved shape, as shown in FIG. 5, as sometimes the shape of a vehicle will not allow the elongated articles to be perfectly aligned. Meanwhile, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ends of said article have a flame shaped member 17B. In both cases, said articles are made of plastic or similar material. The end members can be of any other shape and not restricted to the ones mentioned above. The design gives the allusion that the article is a single unit, which pierces through a vehicular body. The articles of this embodiment are also of a peel-and-stick type and fastened using the double-sided adhesive piece 16.
The ball members 12A, 12B, and 12C can be either large or small based on individual preferences. The central ball members 12A and 12B can be inscribed with desired letters and/or symbols. Additionally, the central ball members 12A and 12B can be made in the shape of a desired logo. Moreover, a plurality of balls 12 can be attached to the hoop ring 11 depending upon individual preferences.
The decorative ornamental article, as shown in FIG. 2, can be attached to the front bumper of a car. However, its use is not limited to cars alone and can be attached to any motorized or non-motorized vehicles such as cars, trucks, bicycles, or watercrafts, or to extreme sport accessories such as snowboards, surfboards, wake board, or water skis.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

The present invention provides a decorative ornamental article for attachment to various parts of an automobile and sport vehicles or the like. These articles provide an attractive display and come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and fittings to satisfy individual needs.
In the case of a semi-hoop shaped article, the housing unit in the metal hoop ring, with end balls inside, act as a type of swivel with enough play to allow for placement at various angles. Moreover, in the case of plastic semi-hoop ring, the central ball member can be of half-split type which helps in accommodating varying widths and facilitates in attaching said articles onto various locations of a vehicular body. In the case of an elongated matchstick shaped article, the design of such articles gives the appearance of a single unit that pierces through a vehicular body. The plastic version of said articles can be adhesively secured onto glassy or similar surfaces of a vehicular body or any other object, and hence can be removed or replaced easily. These articles can be of different designs and sizes.
Although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1. A decorative ornamental article comprising: a semi-hoop shaped member with open ends; a ball-shaped member attached to the central portion of the semi-hoop shaped member; a housing unit attached to each of the open ends of the semi-hoop shaped member; a second ball-shaped member of smaller size that is attached to each of the open ends, such that the housing unit encloses said second ball-shaped member; a mounting plate which is used to secure the housing unit and said plate with the second ball-shaped member inside, whereby said unit acts as a swivel to allow for placement at various angles; and a fastening means for mounting said articles.

2. A decorative ornamental article of claim 1, whereby the article is made of a metal.

3. A decorative ornamental article of claim 2, whereby the metal can be steel or aluminum.

4. A decorative ornamental article of claim 1 wherein said central ball-shaped member is inscribed with desired letters and/or symbols.

5. A decorative ornamental article of claim 1 wherein said article is fastened to an object by means of bolts.

6. A decorative ornamental article comprising: a semi-hoop shaped member with open ends; a ball-shaped member attached to the central portion of the hoop member; two smaller ball-shaped members, one on each end; two snap-in receptors, whereby the smaller ball-shaped members are snapped into the receptor thereby forming a tight fit; and a fixing means for securing receptors to an object.

7. A decorative ornamental article of claim 6, whereby the article is made of a plastic.

8. A decorative ornamental article of claim 7 wherein the central ball-shaped member is of half-split type, thereby allowing greater flexibility in adjusting said article to an appropriate width.

9. A decorative ornamental article of claim 6 wherein said central ball-shaped member is inscribed with desired letters and/or symbols.

10. A decorative ornamental article of claim 6 wherein the fixing means is of a peel-and-stick type, whereby a double-sided adhesive having one side thereof attached to said article and the other side thereof attached to glassy or similar surfaces of an automobile or the like is used.

11. A decorative ornamental article comprising a pair of elongated matchstick shaped members, said members having end members of various shapes on one end, and a fixing means attached to other end of the elongated matchstick shaped members for securing said articles, whereby the design of said members provides an allusion that the design is of a single unit and that the members pierce through an object.

12. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11, wherein the article is made of a plastic.

13. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11, wherein stems of said elongated members can be of linear or circular shape.

14. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11 wherein said fixing means is a double-sided adhesive, having one side thereof attached to one end of the matchstick shaped member and the other side thereof attached to glassy or similar surfaces of an object.

15. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11, wherein said end members can be of different sizes.

16. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11, wherein said end members are of circular or flame shape.

17. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11 wherein said articles are made of plastic and said fixing means is a double-sided adhesive, having one side thereof attached to one end of the matchstick shaped member and the other side thereof attached to glassy or similar surfaces of an object.

18. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11 wherein said articles are made of plastic and said end members can be of different sizes.

19. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11 wherein said fixing means is a double-sided adhesive having one side thereof attached to one end of the matchstick shaped member and the other side thereof attached to glassy or similar surfaces of an object, and wherein said end members can be of different sizes.

20. A decorative ornamental article of claim 11 wherein said articles are made of plastic, said fixing means is a double-sided adhesive having one side thereof attached to one end of the matchstick shaped member and the other side thereof attached to glassy or similar surfaces of an object, and wherein said end members can be of different sizes.