US20110219587A1

US20110219587A1 - Decorative assembly for attachment to fabrics

Info

Publication number: US20110219587A1
Application number: US12/723,296
Authority: US
Inventors: Amit Nizan; Jeannie O'Toole
Original assignee: SWEIGHTS LLC
Current assignee: SWEIGHTS LLC
Priority date: 2010-03-12
Filing date: 2010-03-12
Publication date: 2011-09-15

Abstract

A removable, decorative assembly for attachment to clothing, table cloths, curtains, picnic blankets and other fabrics, that can aid in reducing or eliminating adverse effects created by wind. The removable, decorative assembly includes a front member and a back member. The front member includes a metal member attached to a decorative embellishment and the back member includes a magnetic member attached to an encasement member.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a removable, magnetic fashion accessory, for attachment to clothing, table cloths, curtains, picnic blankets and other fabrics, that can aid in reducing or eliminating adverse effects created by wind.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Wind and other weather conditions often cause clothing and other fabrics, such as table cloths, picnic blankets and curtains, to name a few, to fly up and move in unforeseen and unpleasant ways. For example, due to a strong gust of wind, skirts often fly up, potentially exposing and/or embarrassing the wearer.
While some garments come with accessories permanently constructed to the garments, the design can not be altered, since the accessory is not removable. Thus, the wearer suffers from a lack of variety in decorating the garment.
Furthermore, while there are removable decorative accessories for clothing, the attachment of such accessories is often done with pins that can leave holes in the fabrics. Thus, such attachment mechanisms can cause permanent damage to clothing or in certain circumstances injure the wearer, particularly young children.
In light of the shortcomings and problems described above, it is desirable to provide a removable, magnetic decorative fashion accessory for attachment to garments and other fabrics that can help alleviate the problems caused by windy and other weather conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to a removable magnetically coupled fashion accessory for attachment to clothing, table cloths, curtains, picnic tables and the like. The accessory can help weigh down the garment or fabric and thus help prevent embarrassment or disarray during the occurrence of wind gusts or other air circulation situations. Whereas current fashion accessories are attached to clothing using pins, the removable, decorative fashion accessory of the present invention improves upon the existing fashion accessories by providing a magnetic fastening system for removably attaching the fashion accessory that does not harm the fabric or pose injury risk to the wearer.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a removable, magnetic decorative assembly for attachment to a garment is provided.
The removable, magnetic decorative assembly includes a front member having a metal member attached to a decorative embellishment, and a back member having a magnetic member encased within an encasement member. The magnetic member of the back member can magnetically engage the metallic member of the front member to removably maintain the decorative assembly in a desired position. Accordingly, it is an object to provide an assembly embodying a removable fashion accessory suitable for attachment and decoration of garments and other fabrics.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purpose of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fashion accessory attached to a skirt in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, front perspective view of the fashion accessory in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, rear perspective view of the fashion accessory in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates to a magnetic and removable fashion accessory for attachment to clothing, garments and other fabrics, such as table cloths, picnic blankets, curtains and the like.
Reference is made to FIGS. 1-3, wherein an exemplary embodiment of a fashion accessory constructed in accordance with the present invention is depicted. The decorative assembly 100 is shown as having a decorative embellishment 200 comprising an ornamental piece 260 attached to a metallic front member 210. The decorative embellishment 200 can be magnetically coupled to a magnetic back member 300, which can comprise a magnetic member 310 attached to an encasement member 360. In a preferred embodiment the decorative assembly 100 has sufficient weight to help alleviate problems caused by windy conditions.
As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the decorative embellishment 200 preferably includes a metallic member 210 coupled to an ornamental member or embellishment 260. The metallic member 210 is preferably in the shape of a washer and includes a hole 230 positioned in the center of the metallic member 210. Alternatively, the metallic member 210 may be in a round, square or any other shape and the hole 230 may be positioned off center or not included at all. The metallic member 210 is preferably made of stainless steel. Alternatively, the metallic member 210 may be made of any other metallic material, such as nickel, silver, steel, iron, or various metal alloys.
The ornamental member 260 is attached to the metallic member 210, and is preferably mounted to the sides of the hole 230 of the metallic member 210. Alternatively, the ornamental member 260 may be only attached to a side 225 of the metallic member 210. The ornamental member 260 is preferably fixed with glue to metallic member 210. Alternatively, the ornamental member 260 may be fixed with any other kind of adhesive, including epoxy, craft glue, or contact cement. The ornamental member 260 can be any decorative shape or design as a matter of choice, and in a preferred embodiment, is in the shape of a flower. The ornamental member 260 is preferably made from fabric. Alternatively, the ornamental member 260 may be made from one or more materials, including plastic, metals, silk, zippers, leather, or sequins.
As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the back member 300 preferably includes a magnetic member 310. In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic member 310 is encased in an encasement member 360. The magnetic member 310 is preferably made of a neodymium magnet. Alternatively, the magnetic member 310 may be made of any materials with magnetic properties.
The magnetic member 310 is preferably of sufficient size as to provide enough force to hold the decorative embellishment 200 to the back member 300. The magnetic member 310 preferably has a round shape to correspond to and engage the metallic member 210. Alternatively, the magnetic member 310 may be in the shape of a square, triangle, or any other design so long as it can magnetically engage the metallic member 210. The encasement member 360 preferably has a round shape and a round depression 365 to accept the magnetic member 310. In a preferred embodiment, round depression 365 does not extend through the back side of the encasement member 360, but rather depression 365 is a pocket that accepts magnetic member 310. The round shape of encasement member 360 allows the wearer to be more comfortable by avoiding sharp edges that may inconvenience the wearer upon contact. The round shape of encasement member 360 also helps avoid snagging the garment or other fabrics. Alternatively, the encasement member 360 may be in the shape of a square, triangle, or any other design. The encasement member 360 is preferably made from wood. Alternatively, the encasement member 360 may be made from clay, wax, metal or any other types of materials. The encasement member 360 is preferably painted or otherwise finished. The encasement member 360 may be painted silver, white, gold, black, or any other color or combination of colors.
The magnetic member 310 is preferably encased within the encasement member 360, resulting in a partial shielding of the magnetic member 310. This shielding effect assists in preventing the magnetic member 310 from attaching or sticking to surfaces outside of the fashion accessory 100. The size of the encasement member 360 provides the user with a feeling that the back piece is more complete. The size of the encasement member 360 can also provide additional weight to the fashion accessory 100, aiding the holding down of the garment. The magnetic member 310 preferably fits within the encasement member 360 such that the front side 315 of the magnetic member 300 is at the same level as the front side of the encasement member 360, giving an user the feel that magnetic member 310 and encasement member 360 are one unitary piece. The magnetic member 310 is preferably fitted tightly into encasement member 360 and will preferably always adhere to encasement member 360. Alternatively, the magnetic member 310 may be glued or otherwise fixed into encasement member 360.
In use, as depicted in FIG. 1, the fashion accessory of the present invention is preferably attached to a lower portion of skirt 400, in order to weigh down the skirt so it will not fly up during sudden gusts of wind. Alternatively, the fashion accessory 100 may be used to hold down other garments or fabrics, including dresses, shirts, table cloths, curtains, picnic tables and the like. For example, one or more fashion accessories 100 can be attached to the lower portion of a dress to weigh down the ends and prevent air circulation or wind from lifting up the lower portion of the dress. Alternatively, one or more fashion accessories 100 may be attached to the lower ends of a curtain or the corners of picnic blankets or table cloths to help prevent undesirable movement by the curtains, picnic blankets or table cloths. The fashion accessory 100 can be used at the bottom or the top of the garments to provide the user with the desired aesthetic result and are made by interchangeable depending on a desired look or effect.
To attach the fashion accessory 100, the decorative embellishment 200 is placed on the front, or outside, part of the skirt 400, with the ornamental member 260 facing away from the skirt. The back member 300 is then placed on the other side of skirt 400, behind the location of metallic member 210 and magnetically engages the front member to maintain the entire assembly in place.
The examples provided are merely exemplary, as a matter of application specific to design choice, and should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed out novel features of the present invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the disclosed invention may be made by those skilled in the art without depieceing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Claims

1. A removable, decorative assembly for attachment to a garment or the like comprising:

a front member including a metal member attached to a decorative embellishment; and

a back member including a magnetic member attached to an encasement member.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallic member is in the shape of a washer and has a hole.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallic member has a circular shape and is composed of a whole piece of metal.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decorative embellishment is in a geometric shape.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decorative embellishment is in the shape of a flower.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decorative embellishment is made from fabric and is in the shape of a flower.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decorative embellishment is made from plastic and is in the shape of a flower.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member is a neodymium magnet.

9. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic member has sufficient magnetic force as to keep the front and back members in magnetic contact through fabric.

10. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encasement member is made of wood.

11. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encasement member is made of wax.

12. A removable, magnetic decorative assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallic member of the front member is the same shape and size as the magnetic back member.

13. A removable, magnetic decorative assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallic member of the front member is in a different size as the magnetic back member.

14. A removable, fashion accessory for wearing with clothing, comprising:

a front member including a metal member attached to an ornamental member; and

a back member including a magnetic member encased within an encasement member, the back member magnetically attached to the front member through fabric.