A mutually magnetically or mechanically connectable earring back elements for post style earrings, earrings, and displays for earrings.
Earrings for pierced ears are often convenient and fashionable in that the mechanism for securing the earring to the ear is a simple post that projects through an aperture formed in the earlobe or other suitable body part and is secured by a backing element. The backing element creates a frictional or other mechanical (e.g., screw threading, ratchet, friction fit, clamped, etc.) fit with the post to secure the earring.
But for simple earrings or earrings that are small, it is often easy to lose one or both of the earrings. When the user is hurried or inattentive, he or she may haphazardly place the earrings on a flat or tilted surface or in a bag or purse. Most earrings don't balance on surfaces and can roll off. This can be devastating if they slip down a sink drain or fall behind a cabinet. Further, if one takes them off and puts them into a bag or purse, they can separate and be more difficult to locate. Of course, the exterior part of the earring is the aesthetic part and modifying it to solve this problem is not a particularly viable solution. In fact, the inventor conducted a survey of fifty (50) participants, both male and female, that revealed earrings make it into the top five list of the things people lose the most often.
Various solutions have been attempted, such as an earring connector, which is a short chain having grommets on either end through which the post of the earring is projected and the earring back connected so as to trap the two earrings together by the chain. But this is inconvenient and there is nothing retaining the chain, which simply becomes a third element that can be lost. What is needed is a way to reduce the chances of losing individual earrings without destroying the aesthetic nature of the earring itself. Further, classic earring backs are often easy to lose, usually have odd shapes and blend into most surfaces. They are typically metal which makes them slippery and they are individual, separate pieces.
The present inventor has discovered that when earrings are connected, they are less prone to be lost. To facilitate this, the present inventor has devised a cleaver mechanism that does not necessarily require dexterity or complex manual manipulation, can be done quickly and intuitively and done without affecting the aesthetic nature of the ornamental part of the earring, depending on implementation. These features and advantages are not required to be present in every embodiment, but depending on implementation one or more and even all of the advantages may be obtained.
The scope of the present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments to which the invention is not limited when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments are intended for illustration purposes only and are, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure.
The earrings 102 are known to persons having skill in the art as post earrings. Post earrings 102 are comprised of a decorative element 104, a post 106, and an earring back element 108, which, in the methods discussed herein, may also be referred to as a connectable earring back element 108. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that the connectable earring back elements 108 discussed herein may be used in any type of earring, and are not limited to post earrings or other earrings of similar configuration.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, silicone rubber, or other material that possibly has a higher frictional coefficient than metal or the like, may coat the connectable earring back element 108, particularly with respect to embodiments such as shown in
It should also be noted that the connectable earring back elements 108 can be colored in any color or colors or patterns of colors. They can be opaque. They can also be translucent, semitransparent, or transparent (whether clear or colored). This may assist in sorting of earrings by type, value, formality, coordination with other accessories or clothes, by appropriateness for a type of event, or any other criteria, or can be for aesthetics or coordination with the earrings 102. Indicia can be included for these or other purposes as well.
Each of the connectable earring back elements 108 of the earrings 102 may include a connecting means 110 for connecting one connectable earring back element 108 to another connectable earring back element 108. The connecting means 110 may be such that the connectable earring back elements 108 of each of the earrings 102 may be connected and, in some cases, may remain connected unless physically separated by an individual. As illustrated in
In some instances, the body of the connectable earring back element 108 may be made of a magnetic material, such that the entirety of the connectable earring back element 108 or a substantial amount of the connectable earring back element 108 (e.g., minus the retainer element and/or through hole) is made of the magnetic material. In such instances, the connectable earring back element 108 as a whole may be considered the connecting means 110, or a magnet can be added or embedded into the earring back element 108, where the connectable earring back elements 108 of the earrings 102 may be connected without any particular alignment, such as by close enough proximity to enable the magnetic forces to work. The magnetic poles can be aligned to facilitate the earrings connecting together in a particular pattern by the attraction of opposite poles oriented appropriately, preferably for display, to protect the esthetic elements of the earrings by preventing them from rubbing together, or for other reasons.
In other embodiments, the connecting means 110 may be comprised of or may otherwise include an entanglement connector 112, such as shown in
The body of the connectable earring back element 108 may have any of a plurality of three dimensional shapes. Any three dimensional shape that is able to house or otherwise utilize the connecting means 110 may be suitable for use of the body of a connectable earring back element 108. Most earrings have posts, and each body of the connectable earring back element 108 may be of a shape that is able to include a through hole for receipt of the post 106 of the earring 102. In some embodiments, the body of each connectable earring back element 108 may include at least one flat surface that is non-orthogonal to the axis of said through hole, and by extension the post 106 of the earring 102. In such embodiments, the flat surface may be used to prevent movement of the earring 102 when placed on a surface.
In some cases, the connecting means 110 may be situated in more than one possible position in a connectable earring back element 108, and may be illustrated. However, it is noted that the examples illustrated in
In the illustrated examples, each connectable earring back element 108 may include a connecting means 110, illustrated by the shaded area. In the illustrated examples, two connectable earring back elements 108 (e.g., for a pair of earrings 102) are connected by the connecting means 110, which may be, as discussed above, a magnet, entanglement connector, or other suitable means. For instance, in
In some embodiments, the connectable earring back element 108 of each earring 102 may be weighted. In such embodiments, the weight of the connectable earring back element 108 may be of at least an amount to prevent bouncing of the earring 102 when dropped on a flat surface or to otherwise ensure that the earring 102 does not move a significant distance, to prevent loss thereof. In some cases, the connectable earring back element 108 may also be painted or otherwise of a color to increase visibility of the connectable earring back element 108 and the earring 102 as a whole, to also prevent loss. In such instances, these properties, in addition to the ability to connect two connectable earring back elements 108 together may reduce the likelihood of losing one or both earrings 102 of a pair and may make increase the success of finding earrings 102 in instances of loss.
In some cases, the connectability of the connectable earring back element 108 of one or more earrings 102 may also be used in the display thereof.
The use of such a display panel 302 may further reduce the loss of earrings 102 while also increasing the efficiency of the display of earrings 102. For instance, traditional displays often require specific orientations of each earring 102 on the display and in specific locations, which may be a time consuming process. In embodiments where the body of the connectable earring back element 108 and the display panel 302 are magnetic materials, an individual could very quickly and easily affix an earring pair 102 thereto via the magnetic forces. For instance, an individual could quite literally toss their earrings 102 at a display panel 302, where the magnetic forces would ensure that the connectable earring back elements 108 connect to the display panel 302 when in physical proximity. In such an instance, a person's earrings 102 may be stored safely for retrieval in a single, fast, and easy to execute motion.
Accordingly, the earrings 102 and connectable earring back elements 108 discussed herein may result in easier storage of earrings 102, easier retrieval of earrings 102, less instances of loss of earrings 102, faster recovery of earrings 102, and easier maintaining of sets of pairs of earrings 102 than using traditional methods and systems.
Techniques consistent with the present disclosure provide, among other features, earrings, earring backings, earring sets, and earring display devices. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed system and method have been described above it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62550871 | Aug 2017 | US |