WO2002005676A1

WO2002005676A1 - Jewellery fastener

Info

Publication number: WO2002005676A1
Application number: PCT/EP2001/008101
Authority: WO
Inventors: Renzo Colpo
Original assignee: Colpo & Zilio Spa
Priority date: 2000-07-17
Filing date: 2001-07-13
Publication date: 2002-01-24
Also published as: EP1317193A1; ITVI20000149A0; ITVI20000149A1; IT1315470B1

Abstract

A fastening (10) suitable to connect the ends (101, 102) of an ornamental object developed mainly longitudinally, including a male element (1) and a female element (2) that can be connected removably to one another and each having a body (11, 21) connected to each end of the ornamental object. Said male element 81) has a protuberance projecting from a base element (12) formed by a first pin (13) having at least a transversal projection (14a, 14b) near its free end, said at least one projection being suitable to get in a slit (23) obtained on a foil (22) present on a female element (2), the perimetric outline of said slit (23) being made elastic by means of openings (24, 25) substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said slit, at least one impression (26, 27) being present in a substantially orthogonal position as to said slit, said at least one impression (26, 27) being suitable to house each transversal projection (14a, 14b) when said at least one projection gets in said slit and rotates as fa as housing in said at least one impression.

Description

JEWELLERY FASTENER

The present invention concerns a fastening for jewellery or costume jewellery suitable to connect the ends of an ornamental object developed mainly longitudinally as a necklace or a bracelet.

As it is known fastenings for jewellery must look fine so that they ensure to be aesthetically pleasant; moreover they must ensure the greatest functionality consisting in the opening and closing simplicity so that the opening and closing moves can be made by anyone naturally and without any specific instruction about it.

Another feature that cannot be given up about the fastenings of the said type, concerns the guarantee of the impossibility that an opening move is realized unintentionally or accidentally and this of course in order to avoid the loss of the precious thing. In order to achieve these objects there are different types of mechanisms and sometimes the manufacture of these fastenings and of the mechanisms connecting the male-female device are rather complex or difficult to realize. Since these types of objects are small and a few samples are generally realized, it is evident that the use of labour has a great influence and therefore every possible cost reduction, both in the manufacture, and in the assembling of the fastening affects remarkably its assignment cost. The object of the present invention is therefore that of realizing a fastening in which the material cost and the assembling cost is the lowest. The achievement of this object is wanted without giving up the opening and closing simplicity of the device.

What is wanted is also making difficult or even impossible the accidental opening of the fastening, an event that would make the device absolutely impossible to be presented on the market. Another object that is aimed at is that, when the fastening clamping is carried out, this clamping must be perceptible by the person who is doing this action so as to be sure that the closing has occurred undoubtedly and safely. All the above said objects and others that will be better underlined later on are achieved by a fastening suitable to connect the ends of an ornamental object developed mainly longitudinally, including a male element and a female element that can be connected removably to one another and each having a body connected to each end of the ornamental object, according to the first claim said fastening being characterized in that said male element has a protuberance projecting from a base element and is formed by a first pin having at least a transversal projection near its free end, said at least one projection being suitable to get in a slit obtained on a foil present on a female element, the perimetric outline of said slit being made elastic by means of openings substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said slit, at least one impression being present in a substantially orthogonal position as to said slit, said at least one impression being suitable to house each transversal projection when said at least one projection gets in said slit and rotates as far as housing in said at least one impression.

Further characteristics and details of the invention will be better underlined during the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given approximately but not restrictively and shown in the enclosed drawings where: - fig. 1 shows the fastening of the invention when the male and female element are coupled;

- fig. 2 shows the male and female element of the fastening of the invention in an axonometric view;

- fig. 3 shows the foil belonging to the female element seen from the opposite side as to the connection one;

- fig. 4 shows a scrap view of the male element when it gets in the female element;

- fig. 5 is a section of fig. 4;

- fig. 6 shows the male element coupled to the female element during the stop position of the fastening;

- fig. 7 is a section of fig. 6.

Referring to the mentioned figures it can be observed that the fastening of the invention, marked with 10 as a whole, has a male element, marked with 1 , and a female element, marked with 2 as a whole. The male element has a substantially hemispheric body 11 that in its convex part is coupled with the end 101 of a necklace partially represented. Said body 11 is closed by a substantially circular foil 12 from which, in a central position and orthogonally, a pin 13 extends, on the free end of which there is a second pin 14 with a shorter diameter than the first and with two ends 14a and 14b. Such a pin 14 is inserted in a transversal hole 15 realized near the free end of the pin 13. As it will be seen later on this second transversal pin 14 is the element that carries out the closing of the female element 2.

The female element 2 too has a hemispheric body 21 that in the convex part is coupled to an end 102 of a necklace partially represented. On the opposite side the female element 2 has a foil 22 having a central slit 23 that, as it can be observed in fig. 2, has such a shape that it can house the first pin 13 and the transversal projections of the second pin 14. The foil 22 is made elastic by lightenings realized through openings 24 and 25 that are substantially symmetrical as to the longitudinal axis of the slit 23. In a median position as to the central hole 230 belonging to the slit 23, there are two transversal impressions, marked with 26 and 27, opposite and aligned, that are convex in the drawing of figure 2 and that therefore are concave on the opposite surface shown in fig. 3 marked with 22a. In fig. 3 it can be observed that just next to the edge of the slit 23 there are two thin plates marked with 28 and 29 that are placed substantially orthogonally as to the plane of the foil 22 and projecting as to the surface 22a that is the surface of the connection with the male element 1.

These thin plates 28 and 29 that are placed on the edge of the opening 23 and near the impressions 26 and 27, prevent the transversal projections 14a and 14b from rotating in the two directions so that when the male element 1 is coupled with the female element 2, the projections 14a and 14b can rotate just in one sense as it can be observed in the section of figure 5 and of figure 7. At the occurrence of the insertion of the first pin 13 and of the second pin 14 with its projections 14a and 14b inside the opening 23, the projections 14a and 14b appear as it can be observed in fig. 4 and even better in fig. 5. The rotation according to the indicator F of the male element 1 allows the housing of the two projections 14a and 14b in the impressions 26 and 27 that in the surface 22a of the foil 22 are concave. The elasticity of the thin plate 22, realized through the cuts 24 and 25, together with its concavity allows the elastic attraction of such thin plate 22 and therefore of the female element 2 toward the male element 1 so that a perfect closing is ensured. The thin plates 28 and 29, as it can be observed in figg. 6 and 7, work as a stop for the orthogonal rotation of the second pin 14 and therefore of its projections 14a and 14b. It is evident that the release of the two parts of the fastening can occur only by rotating in the opposite direction the male element as to the female element 2 and this occurs because of the stops formed by the thin plates 28 and 29. Since the simplest constructive shape of the foil 22 and of the two thin plates 28 and 29 is that of shearing, bending and roundness beginning from a sheet, while the construction of the male element consists in the transversal connection of two pins, it can be understood .how the construction of the male and female elements forming the fastening is made easier and simplified at the most.

Advantageously, during the realization, it could occur that the base 12 supporting the pin 13 of the male element can have the same construction as the foil 22 so that the first pin 13 is welded in the central hole 230 ensuring therefore a steady connection.

Claims

1) Fastening (10) suitable to connect the ends (101 , 102) of an ornamental object developed mainly longitudinally, including a male element (1) and a female element (2) that can be connected removably to one another and each having a body (11 , 21) connected to each end of the ornamental object, characterized in that said male element (1) has a protuberance projecting from a base element (12) formed by a first pin (13) having at least a transversal projection (14a, 14b) near its free end, said at least one projection being suitable to get in a slit (23) obtained on a foil (22) present on a female element (2), the perimetric outline of said slit (23) being made elastic by means of openings (24, 25) substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said slit, at least one impression (26, 27) being present in a substantially orthogonal position as to said slit, said at least one impression (26, 27) being suitable to house each transversal projection (14a, 14b) when said at least one projection gets in said slit and rotates as far as housing in said at least one impression.

2) Fastening according to claim 1 ) characterized in that the surface of the foil (22) is concave and such as it attracts said female element toward the male element during the locking move of said fastening. 3) Fastening according to claim 1 ) or 2) characterized in that on the edge of said slit (22) and near said at least one impression (26, 27), there is at least one thin plate (28, 29) developed substantially orthogonally as to the plane of said foil, working as a stop so that it does not allow the rotation in one direction of said at least one projection inside said slit. 4) Fastening according to claim 1 ) or 2) characterized in that said first pin (13) has two transversal projections (14a, 14b) formed by the end of a second pin (14) having a shorter diameter than said first pin (13) and being inserted in a hole (15) made near the free end of said first pin.

5) Fastening according to claim 1) or 2) characterized in that the base element (12) of the male element (1 ) connected to said at least first pin (13) has the same shape as the elastic foil (22) present on the female element.

6) Fastening according to claim 1 ) or 2) characterized in that the body (1 1 , 21 ) of each male element and of each female element connected to each end (101 , 102) of said ornamental object is substantially hemisphere-shaped. 7) Fastening according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said elastic foil (22) and said at least one thin plate (28, 29) are obtained through shearing and bending of a metallic sheet.