US2554629A - Close fitting jewelry article - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 1951 M. c. MEYER CLOSE FITTING JEWELRY ARTICLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1949 May 29., 1951 M. c. MEYER CLOSE FITTING JEWELRY ARTICLE 2 Shgets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1949 INVEN'I'OR. MAX/MM m/v fire/3 Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a snug fitting type of necklace or bracelet. More particularly it relates to a choker or dog collar type of bead or pearl necklace.

An object of this invention is to provide a snug fitting necklace or bracelet which hugs the neck or the wrist of the person wearing the same without uncomfortably constricting the neck or Wrist. Another object of the invention is to provide a choker necklace having limited stretchability in which the elastic stretching means is concealed.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a choker type of necklace or bracelet which hugs the neck or the wrist and yet which has limited stretchability to take care of muscular changes or changes in blood pressure such as caused by sneezing, over-exertion or temperature changes. These objects and others ancillary thereto are obtained by including in a head or pearl necklace as part of the string or chain spring means adapted to pull the string or chain together. The spring means is relatively weak. That is, it is just strong enough to support or hold the weight of the beads on the necklace or bracelet tight but it isweak enough to be changed by a slight pressure from the neck or wrist which the necklace or bracelet surrounds. The stretchability of the springs is limited by a chain or string means so that the relatively weak spring is not distorted if accidentally stretched. The spring portion of the necklace is covered by pearlsor beads so that the spring is concealed when the latter is not extended.

The term bead is understood to include pearls and other ornamental materials which have a hole passing through the same for threading onto a chain or string. The beads may be spherical, ellipsoidal, cylindrical, disk-shaped, etc. and may be made of glass, gem stone, plastic, ceramic or paper. The beads may all be of the same size, the size may be graduated or nonordered variation in size may be produced.

The flexible member which is threaded through the beads may be a textile-type of thread or string, azchain or a wire. The spring or chain restraining member may be separate from the flexible member passing through it or it may be a continuation of the stringer chain which passes through the main group of beads. The spring may be a compression or extension type of coil spring. Where a compression type of spring is'employed the amount of movement is limited by the spacing between the coils.

, The novel features characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a two strand choker necklace partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a detail view of a spring containing portion of'the necklace of Figure 1 while the spring is in released or closed position.

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the spring containing portion similar to Figure 2 except that the spring is in extended or stretched position.

Figure 4 is a detail view similar to Figure 3 of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a detail view of another modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a detail view of a modified form of spring means. I

Figure '7 is a detail view of still another modi fication.

Figure Sis a detail view of another modification of the invention.

The two strand choker necklace of Figure 1 is made similar to any two strand head or pearl necklace except for the top portion thereof which is' shown broken away. The ordinary part of the necklace comprises the beads I8, [0 and the strings or connecting means l5, l5. As shown at the right hand side of Figure 2, the bead has regular size orifice 2!} therethrough. The regular beads It and strings I5, Hi however are not connected directly to the clasp 46, 4! but the string I5, I5 is knotted at l6, it to the links IT, IS which in turn are linked to the end link 29 of the chain which comprises links 38, 3|. The bead I! which is adapted to surround the knot l6 and links I! and i8 has an orifice 2| which is slightly larger than the orifice 26 of the regular bead l0.

The chain 30, 3| is surrounded by a helical spring 40 and the end link 29 is soldered to the end 4! of this spring. Whereas the links 32 and 33 at the other. end of the chain are soldered to the end 42 of the spring 49. The extended link of the chain 30, 3! is somewhat longer than the relaxed link of the helical spring 40 and the links 30, 3| between the end links 29, 32 and 33 are free of attachment to the spring 40 so that the spring can be stretched from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3.

The end link 33 of the chain 30, 3| is attachedv to the closed hook member 35 which has a button end 36. The neck of the hook 35 extends through the orifice 31 of the hooded hook member 38 so that the button 36 is rotatable in the the hooded portion 39 of the member 38. The hook member 38 is in turn attached to the opening 45 of the female clasp member 46. This female clasp member 46 has an opening 48 in which to receive and lock the male clasp member 41. The beads 12 which surround the spring member 48 have openings 22 which are large enough to accommodate the spring- 40 and the bead 13 has an opening 23 which is large enough to accommodate the spring 40 and the hook 35.

As a general rule the orifices in beads ll, 12 and 13 are approximately the same size but this is not necessarily the case.

The end construction of the string I is substantially the same as that of the string I5-and the opposite ends of the strings l5 and 15 may be provided with similar extensible means as shown in Figure 1 although if desired the second spring can be omitted.

By this construction it is possible to insert a very weak spring member into a choker or a bracelet which spring is responsive to body changes but is not strong enough to constrict the flow of blood or otherwise uncomfortably restrain the wearer.

According to the modified form of the device shown in Figure 4, the string I5 extends through the spring 38' as well as the remainder of the beads of the necklace. Several of the turns of the spring 30 at each end thereof are bent outwardly from the axis of the spring as shown at 51 and 52 and several of the penultimate turns are soldered together as shown at 50 and 52. The turns at 51 and 53 may also be soldered together.

Preferably these turns at 50 and 52 are soldered before the string 15' is inserted therein. The string 15 is secured to the spring 30 by being knotted or wrapped about the loops 51 and 53 as shown at 60 and GI respectively. The length of string between the knots 60 and BI is loose when the spring is relaxed but limits the length to which the spring 30' can be extended as shown in Figure 4. The bead adjacent the end 51, of the spring 30' is just an ordinary bead IL in this modification. The string 15' may be knotted between the beads as shown at 54. An additional knot 63 can be added between the soldered turns 52 and the bent loop 53 to keep the string from slipping. The knot 63 is prevented from moving relative to the spring 38' by the solder not shown, which extends inwardly from the united turns 52. The string 30 extends through the opening 31 of the hook element 38 and is secured thereto by the knot 62.

The modification shown in Figure 5 is similar in construction to that shown in Figure 4 except that in Figure 5 the end loops 53' of the spring 38" are bent back to their original position to clamp the knot 6| of the string l5 against the soldered turns 52. V

In the modification shown in Figure 6, the end 11 of the spring 38" crosses the axis of the spring and is secured against displacement by the solder 18 on the inside of the soldered turns 52. The string I5" is then knotted to this crossed end 11 at 64'. The opposite end of the spring may be secured to the string 15" in a similar way or it may be secured as shown in Figures 4 or 5. If desired the cross pieces1l may 4 be curved to form the conventional type of spring with hooked ends.

It is also possible to employ a compression type of spring as shown in Figure '1. The compression spring 12 is held in the casing 11 by the internal circular flange 16 at the open end thereof. The opposite end of the spring is free to move within the casing 11 but in normally relaxed condition, the spring tends to extend the full length of the said casing 1|. The end of the string 15 is attached to the hook 14 by the knot 15. The end portion of the string I5 is surrounded by one or more beads 11 which have openings 20 large enough to permit the hook 14 to pass therethrough.

The hook 14 is attached to a plug 11 fitting into the opening 1'8 of the casing 1| and the chain 13 (shown diagrammatically) is secured at one end to the plug 11 and at the other end to a disk member 19 adapted to bear against the end of spring 12. The end of the casing 1| contains a hook 88 by which it is attached to the hook 35 associated with the members 38 and as in Figures 1, 2 and 4. If desired the casing 11 can be slightly curved although as a practical matter the back of the neck where the spring portion of the necklace will ordinarily be situated does not have a large curvature.

According to the modification shown in Figure 8 the spring 40 is held against unlimited expansion by the chain 80. A plurality of links 81, 8| at the inside end of the chain 80 and a plurality of. links 82, 82 at the outside end thereof are made of a larger size than the intermediate links. These large links 81, 8|, 82, 82 are practically as large as the internal diameter of the spring 48 and because of their size are fastened to the soldered ends of the chain by the said solder, The end link 82 is fastened directly to the hook element 84 and the end link 81 is fastened directly to the string or other flexible member carrying the major part of the pearls or beads.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a snug fitting type of necklace or bracelet with a concealed spring contracting means which permits one to easily secure the necklace or bracelet to the body without causing strangulation and which holds the necklace or bracelet firmly about the neck or wrist after it is attached without dangerously constricting the area surrounded thereby. Although relatively weak, light, springs are employed to prevent any constriction due to the normal variation in circumference of the neck of the wearer, etc., these light and weak springs are protected from being strained and permanently distorted while the necklace is being attached, for example, so that the durability of the necklace is not diminished. At the same time the spring elements are generally concealed and invisible while the article is being worn.

I claim:

1. A multistrand choker type of bead necklace comprising a separable, two-part clasp adapted to be opened to place the necklace about the neck, a plurality of linear flexible members each containing a substantially continuous series of decorative beads thereon, a plurality of similarly constructed coil springs of relatively short length compared to the length of said linear flexible members, each of said springs containing an internal non-stretchable element, said non-stretchable element being secured at the ends of the spring but loosely disposed within 5 the relaxed spring whereby to permit only a limited stretching of the spring, one end of each of the linear flexible members being connected to one part of the clasp by means of its own individual one of said coil springs, and a plurality of beads adapted to surround and hide the said coil springs and continue the bead series from the end of the linear flexible members to the respective parts of the clasp, the said length of said coil springs being short enough to prevent any substantial curvature thereof when the necklace is placed on the neck with the clasp at the back of the neck, said linear flexible members being of smaller diameter than said springs I and the openings in the beads surrounding said springs being larger than the openings in the beads surrounding the linear flexible members to facilitate the concealment of the spring, the said plurality of similar coil springs cooperating to substantially equally distribute any load applied to the necklace as a whole.

2. A multistrand choker type of bead necklace comprising a separable, two-part clasp adapted to be opened to place the necklace about the neck, a plurality of linear flexible members each containing a substantially continuous series of decorative beads thereon, a plurality of similar coil springs corresponding to twice the number of said flexible members and of relatively short length compared to the length of said linear flexible members, each of said springs containing an internal non-stretchable element, said non-stretchable element being secured at the ends of the spring but loosely disposed within the relaxed.spring whereby to permit only a limited stretching of the spring, one end of each of the ,linear flexible members being connected to one part of the clasp by means of its own individual one of said coil springs, the other end or said linear flexible members being connected to the other part of said clasp by means of another of its own individual one of said coil springs, and a plurality of beads adapted to surroundand hide the said coil springs and continue the bead series from the end of the linear flexible members to the respective parts of the clasp; the said length of said coil springs being shortenough to prevent substantial curvature thereof when the necklace is placed on the neck withthe clasp at the back of the neck, said linear flexible members being of smaller diameterthan said springs and the openings in the beads surrounding said springs being larger than the openings in the beads surrounding the linear flexible members to facilitate the concealment of the spring, the said plurality of similar coil springs cooperating to substantially equally distribute any load applied to the necklace as a whole.

MAXIMILIAN C. MEYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'IENTS Number Name Date 403,591 Ingram May 21, 1889 407,566 Ballou July 23, 1889 1,412,731 Wormser Apr. 11, 1922 1,515,499 Lederer Nov. 11, 1924

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