US3533247A

US3533247A - Earring kit with plural changeable pendants

Info

Publication number: US3533247A
Application number: US756642A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dwaine C Douglas
Original assignee: DWAINE C DOUGLAS
Current assignee: DWAINE C DOUGLAS
Priority date: 1968-08-30
Filing date: 1968-08-30
Publication date: 1970-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1987-10-13

Description

Oct. 13, 1970 c, oug s 3,533,247

EARRING KIT WITH PLURAL CHANGEABLE PENDANTS Filed Aug. 30, 1968 INVENTOR. awn/A15 a nous/.05

ww w United States Patent 3,533,247 EARRING KIT WITH PLURAL CHANGEABLE PENDANTS Dwaine C. Douglas, Homestead, Fla. (4322 E. Jelferson, Grand Prairie, Tex. 75050) Filed Aug. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 756,642 Int. Cl. A44c 7/00 U.S. Cl. 63-14 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ornamental earring set which includes lightweight, differently colored, interchangeable bulbous ornaments carried on a chain. Each of the earrings includes a lightweight chain having a clip to connect to the car at one end and a carrier at the other end to releasably connect to any one of the selected ornaments. The means on the carrier for assembling the ornament to the chain are normally practically concealed from view and housed within a recess in the ornament body.

This invention relates to an earring provided with an interchangeable, relatively large lightweight ornament of foam material suspended by carrier means at the end of a lightweight flexible chain whereby the user may select any one of several differently colored ornaments.

It is desirable to have large ornamental earrings having differently colored ornaments which may be interchanged to match different colored costumes. Heretofore, difficulties have been encountered in the use of large sized earrings because of the weight of the earrings on the relatively delicate ear lobes and because the spring pressure required to hold the earrings in position necessitated the exertion of an undesirably large pinch force on the tender ear lobes which would, in a short time, result in discomfort rendering it impractical to wear such earrings over an extended period of time. This invention overcomes such difficulties by providing a relatively large earring with a replaceable, decorative, bulbous body member composed of lightweight material.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an earring adapted to utilize any one of a plurality of differently colored, one piece, lightweight foam material body members for achieving a relatively large ornamental earring of lightweight material.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved earring set composed of a plurality of pairs of ornament carriers and means for selectively connecting any one of a plurality of ornaments to the carrier to permit interchangeability of the ornaments for matching a particular dress.

A further object of this invention is to provide an earring composed of a thin, lightweight chain with a spring clip at one end to engage the ear lobe of a wearer and from which the chain depends or dangles, and an ornament carried at the other end of the chain to normally captivate a lightweight bulbous ornament body of foam material with a through passageway having opposite openings on the chain. The ornament carrier is provided on the lower end of the chain and includes a hook normally housed within the passageway and in hooked up relation with the end of the chain and which is adapted to be removed from the passageway by moving the ornament along the chain so that the carrier may be nnhooked from 3,533,247 Patented Oct. 13, 1970 the chain, the ornament removed, and another ornament with a similar recess but of a different color replaced upon the chain, whereby differently colored ornaments may be selected at the option of a wearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide a plurality of pairs of ornaments for a set of earrings as described hereinafter.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved carrier for a lightweight bulbous ornament for an earring which is adapted to be assembled or disassembled from the earring, which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended and which may be included in a set composed of a plurality of pairs of ornaments of different colors and a single carrier for the ornament.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an earring embodyin g the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the earring taken along the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the earring of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 44 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a container to hold a plurality of pairs of ornament bodies and the earring clip and carrier assembly for the ornament body.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4, it is seen that the earring includes an ornament 12 which is carried on a carrier means 14 composed of a hook portion which extends into a through recess 18 in the ornament having opposite openings 15! and 19' and a seat 20 to support the ornament at the lower end 21 of a lightweight chain 22 which is of a length at least twice that of the length of the recess 18 and to the upper end of which a clip 24 is connected.

The clip 24 includes a decorative outer portion 28 and an opposing member 26 with a pad 32 which confronts the surface 30 of the decorative portion to grasp the ear lobe of a wearer on hinged movement with respect to hinge means 34 which includes spring means to normally urge the clip into the position shown in FIG. 4. A hanging ring 35 is provided to which the upper end 36 of the lightweight, flexible chain 22 is connected.

In assembly, the lower end 21 of the chain is passed into the opening 19 of the ornament 12, through the recess 18 and out of the other end 19, and, then, the hooked end 38 of the hook 14 is connected to one of the lower links of the chain. Thereafter, the hook is drawn into the recess, which is sized to receive the same and may be enlarged if desired, until. the seat 20 which is slidable along the hook body 40 overlays and is circurnposed about the marginal edge of the opening 19 to provide a smooth, decorative inner surface. Additionally, the upper opening 19 is covered by a decorative cover plate 42 having a central aperture 44 which renders it slidable along the length of the chain so as not to interfere with the assembly of the ornament to the chain.

The ornament is of substantial three-dimensional mass and composed of lightweight foam material. The vertical axis of the ornament is preferably of a length greater than one-half inch and not more than two inches, and the ornament is symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis. Preferably, all horizontal planes are circular form so as not to deleteriously interfere with the symmetry of the ornament as it is carried on the lower end of the chain; however, it is recognized that scalloped effects can be created without interfering with the symmetry, which is, nevertheless, characterized by a main diameter in the event that symmetrically arranged decorations are provided in the surface of the ornament. Thus, the body of the ornament may be within a range of various sizes and configurations within the parameters of the required symmetry with respect to the vertical axis and a vertical dimension of a range of about not less than one-half inch and not more than two inches. The through recess is centered about the vertical axis as is apparent in FIG. 4 and is of a diameter such that the hook 40 is readily receivable therein and the seat 20 overlays the margin of the opening 19', and, if desired, the lower end of the recess may be enlarged to seat the entire hook of the carrier concealing it from view. Preferably, the seat is smooth and defines a socket or a generally spherical segment shape to nest about the marginal edge of the opening 19'. Also, the lower link of the chain may be enlarged relative to the intermediate links of the chain to facilitate a more ready threading of the hook end of the hook thereinto.

Referring to FIG. 5, it is seen that a container 50 is provided within which there are a plurality of sockets such as 52 and 54, each of which nests one of the ornaments of a plurality of pairs. Each of the pairs of ornaments is of a different color and may be selectively employed by the wearer to harmonize with the particular color of the attire being worn. In the preferred embodiment, the ornament is of spherical shape having the antipodal opposite

diametrical openings

19, 19 and is of a delicate color achieved by a light spray or a dip of a dye over the foam body, which may be of any suitable plastic material, preferably of polyurethane foam or similar material. The decorative cover plate 42 may be of an intricate design as indicated in FIG. 2 in the form of a flower or other pleasing shape. It is thus seen that there is provided a lightweight, yet relatively bulky looking, ornament for the earring which is adapted to swing gently without discomfort to a wearer and provide an attractive appearance which may be modified to suit the users color taste. Further, the carrier which provides for the interchangeability of the ornaments can be completely secreted and housed within the ornament body except during assembly and, thus, does not interfere with the smooth ornamental appearance of the design of the earring. Also, the length of the chain can be varied by connecting the carrier assembly to one of the several links of the chain within the recess. Thus, it will be appreciated that while the ornamental bodies are of relatively inexpensive foam material relative to that of the clip and carrier assembly, which are metal, this invention provides a means for interchanging the prominent decorative portion of the earring and, additionally, for adjustment of it along the length of the chain to raise and lower the ornament body thus providing an inexpensive range of various types of earrings at a low price basis. For decorative purposes, glitter may be applied in combination with a light adhesive to the surface of the ornament.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. An ornamental erring set comprising a plurality of pairs of bulbous ornament bodies, each of said bodies being composed of one-piece of material and each of the bodies of each of said pairs being of a similar exterior color and of similar shape,

each of said bodies comprising a three-dimensional mass of generally symmetrical shape with respect to a vertical axis and of an altitude of not less than one-half inch and not more than two inches and having a substantial cross-sectional area;

each of said bodies having a vertical through recess symmetrically arranged about said vertical line of symmetry and defining oppositely positioned upper and lower openings into the recess,

a carrier assembly to carry any one of said ornament bodies comprising,

a flexible lightweight chain having an upper end and a lower ring form end, said chain being of a major diameter less than that of the recess and freely movable longitudinally therethrough, said chain being of a length at least twice that of the length of said through recess; and

an ear clip connected to the upper end of said chain and including a decorative outer portion, an inner pad and means to connect said pad and portion for movement with respect to one another into and out of clamping engagement of an ear lobe and means to hold said pad and portion in clamping engagement with respect to one another,

a decorative cover plate of symmetrical form as seen in plan on said chain and having a central aperture to accommodate slidable movement of said cover plate along said chain, said cover plate being sized to mate with and seat over the upper marginal surface of said ornament body about the upper opening,

said carrier assembly further including an ornament carrier including a hook shaped member having a hooked end for engaging the lower ring from end of the chain, and a main body length with an enlarged lower terminal ornament body support end, said support end being sized and configured to close the lower opening of the recess and to overlay the marginal edge of said lower opening,

said hooked end and said length being sized for passage through said lower opening of the body ornament for releasable engagement with the lower ring form end of the chain and said hook shaped member being sized for receipt within said vertical recess to be normally housed within said ornament body with the enlarged lower terminal end at all times projecting through said lower opening to support and carry the ornament on the lower end of said chain,

whereby the length of said chain and the hook shaped member are adapted to be withdrawn from said recess to unhook the member from said chain for replacement of an ornament body on the carrier assembly with another body of a different color or shape from said set.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the enlarged lower terminal support end comprises a socket segment defining an ornamental body seat.

3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 wherein said segment has a central aperture and said seat is movable along the body length of said hook-shaped member and captivated thereon.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein a container is provided having a plurality of pairs of sockets to separately nest one of said ornament bodies in each.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said decorative cover plate is of inverted cup-shaped form defining a concave recess shaped to mate with the surface of the ornament body about said upper opening of the recess.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 5 wherein said plate merges and blends with the surface of the ornament body.

7. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said ornament body is of spherical form.

8. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said chain is composed of a plurality of links and said hook-shaped member is adapted to engage any one of the links at the lower end of the chain whereby the position of the ornament relative to an ear lobe may be raised or lowered.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,710,734 4/1929 Johnson 63-13 FOREIGN PATENTS 260,922 11/ 1926 :Great Britain. 803,032 10/1958 Great Britain.

F. BAR-RY SHAY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.. 6313, 29