Patent Application
20110180573
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates generally to the field of jewelry tools and more specifically to a bracelet fastening device.
Bracelets are generally circular in shape and fit around a person's wrist. They have been worn by people around the world for thousands of years. Many bracelets are flexible, being made of chain link or other string like material such as leather or flexible polymer. Many bracelets include a clasp portion where a loop located on one end of the bracelet chain is engaged with a clasp located on the opposite end of the bracelet chain. Attaching such a bracelet requires a level of dexterity that some people may find difficult, especially the very young and the very old or those with physical infirmities such as arthritis.
To help a person attach the loop end of a bracelet to the clasp end it would be helpful to have a tool that allows the hand that the bracelet is being attached to, be able to hold the loop end of the bracelet while the person uses the other hand to manipulate the clasp end to attach to the loop end. Ralph LaMacchia in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,958 has proposed such a device. It includes a gripping portion constructed in a similar way to a standard alligator clip, which is fastened to an elongate handle. The user holds onto the handle and uses the alligator clip to hold the loop end of a bracelet while the user can hold the clasp end with her other hand and attach it to the loop end.
However, while the LaMacchia device may be useful, there are significant deficiencies in the design. First, the rigid nature of the elongate handle makes it difficult for the alligator clip to end up in dose proximity to to the user's wrist, making attachment more awkward. Second, the overall length of the handle is non-adjustable making it difficult to comfortably fit a variety of hand sizes. Third, the teeth of the alligator clip are hard and may harm a delicate bracelet. Fourth, the shape of the holding portion of the elongate handle is not an ideal shape for maintaining maximum control of the device. Finally, there is no provision for removing and replacing the alligator clip portion with a smaller or larger clip depending on the size of the bracelet clasp being fastened.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a bracelet fastening device that helps a person fasten the clasp of a bracelet with one hand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bracelet fastening device that can be adjusted in relation to a person's hand size.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bracelet fastening device that can be adjusted to have the fastening member of the device set in the ideal location.
A further object of the invention is to provide a bracelet fastening device that includes a way to attach different sized gripping members to the device.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bracelet fastening device whose gripping members includes rubber tips to protect the bracelet during the fastening process.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed bracelet fastening device comprising: a spring biased clasp gripping member, a bendable metal rod, a holding member, a sliding member, a spring post, and a resilient rod covering member, said clasp gripping member operating like a standard alligator clip and formed of a lower gripping portion pinned to a spring biased pivoting upper gripping portion, said upper gripping portion terminating at one end in a gripping jaw and at the opposite end in a thumb pressing portion, said lower gripping portion of said clasp gripping member terminating in a lower gripping jaw at one end and at in a rod receiving receptacle at the opposite end, said sliding member being square in cross section and elongate and including a relieved area that accepts said outwardly biased spring post, said sliding member also having a rod receiving receptacle at one end, said holding member having a ball shape at one end and tapering to a cylindrical portion at the opposite end, said cylindrical portion of said holding member having an inner wall that slidably engages said sliding member, said inside wall including a plurality of spring post retaining depressions arrayed in a linear orientation, said metal rod attaching at one end into said rod receiving portion of said lower gripping portion and at the opposite end to said rod receiving portion of said sliding member, said resilient rod covering member encasing said bendable rod, so that a user can slide said holding member over said sliding member to adjust the overall length of said bracelet fastening device and can also bend said rod portion and said resilient rod covering member to cause said clasp gripping member to be in close proximity to the clasp of a bracelet to be fastened around the user's wrist.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
The overall advantage of the device 100 is that the user can hold the loop 24 portion of the clasp with the device 100 while leaving the other hand 28 free to attach the secondary clasp member 30 of the bracelet 32 to the loop member 24 or any other standard primary clasp mechanism.
Continuing with the description of
In the above described and illustrated manner, the present invention 100 helps a user attach or remove a bracelet in a novel and useful manner.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
