Patent Application
20070226957
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a holder for personal items, and more particularly, to an eyeglass holder that can be incorporated into an article of clothing, preferably at the time the article of clothing is manufactured.
2. Description of Related Art
Eyeglass holders have generally comprised a case or pouch for storing unworn eyeglasses, which the user normally carries in a pocket, purse or pouch. Some types of eyeglass holders have been in the form of a cord or decorative necklace with loops at the opposite ends of the cord for receiving a temple piece of the eyeglasses, which may be worn around the user's neck.
Other versions of eyeglass holders that are purchased separately and are temporarily attached by the user to an article of clothing are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,551,126; 5,491,878; 5,956,812; 5,033,612; 4,894,887; 5,351,098; 5,860,191; and 5,893,198. Eyeglass holders of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,126 require that the user attach a hanger to an article of clothing using a button that is sewn onto the front of a garment. Eyeglass holders of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,878 and 5,956,812 use a clip or a clamp for fastening a receiver and a holder to the desired article of clothing. Eyeglass holders of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,612 utilize a removable non-clip pin, which requires the user to perforate the garment at each wearing. Eyeglass holders of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,894,887, 5,351,098 and 5,860,191 use a non-spring tension-dependent folding type clip or a combination of a clothespin type holder and a spring clip. An eyeglass holder of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,198 uses a pivotal swivel holder that embodies an ornamental necklace, which is worn around the user's neck.
The prior art eyeglass holders may require the user to purchase a discrete holder or multiple discrete holders, which may alter the design of an article of clothing, damage the fabric and damage the temple piece of the eyeglass. Moreover, the,se designs may require the user to not only purchase the holder(s) separately from the article of clothing, but also to attach the holder to the garment, often at each wearing. Additionally, certain designs may limit to a certain thickness the garment to which the holder may be attached. Accordingly, there exists a need for a simple, ready-made and design-incorporated type of eyeglass or other personal item holder that can be securely affixed to an article of clothing, preferably at the time of its manufacture, to resist the unintentional separation of the holder from the article of clothing.
An embodiment of the invention relates to a holder for supporting a personal item comprising a base member having a first throughhole therethrough, a cord having a first end inserted through the first throughhole and a hanger comprising a loop and a support base connected to the loop. The support base may be affixed to a second end of the cord and the base member may be adapted to be inserted into or attached on an article of clothing. The loop may be adapted to support the personal item thereon. The term personal item may include, by way of examples, eyeglasses, sunglasses, a media player such as an iPOD or a mobile phone.
Preferably, the cord is rotatably mounted. Preferably, a closure device is affixed to the rotatably mounted cord to prevent the rotatably mounted cord from sliding out of the first throughhole. Preferably, the base member is rectangular in shape. In another embodiment, the base member is shaped to conform to a desired space in an article of clothing.
In one embodiment, the first throughhole may be located in any portion of the base member. Preferably, the support base has a second throughhole centered lengthwise and crosswise on the support base and the rotatably mounted cord preferably passes through the second throughhole in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support base. Preferably, the first and second throughholes have a diameter greater than the rotatably mounted cord.
In one embodiment, the support base comprises a resilient tubular ring or cylinder having a diameter greater than the loop. In one embodiment, the support base comprises transparent material or material of any color. Preferably, the loop is a covered fabric elastic loop approximately 0.5″ in diameter extending to approximately 1.5″ when fully extended. Preferably, the loop is made of formed resilient materials such as metal, fabric or plastic. In one embodiment, the loop comprises transparent material or material of any color. Preferably, the loop is formed to accommodate a temple piece of an eyeglass or a hook attached to another personal item. In one embodiment, the loop is shaped to resemble a manufacturer's logo or other ornamental shape.
In one embodiment, the rotatably mounted cord is looped through a needle to facilitate the perforation of a garment without damaging the fabric and to facilitate threading through the base member. Preferably, the rotatably mounted cord comprises metallic, plastic or fabric wire, cable, line or twine.
Preferably, the holder further comprises a resilient closure for securely affixing the base member to the hanger. Preferably, the base member comprises resilient fabric, plastic or metal material. Preferably, the support base comprises resilient fabric, plastic or metal material. In one embodiment, the support base is shaped to resemble a manufacturer's logo or other ornamental shape. In another embodiment, the base member comprises transparent material or material of any color.
Preferably, the closure device is rectangular and greater in size than the first throughhole in the base member. In one embodiment, the closure device is shaped to resemble substantially a clip such as that tie-pin and is greater in size than the first throughhole in the base member. In one embodiment, the closure device is a knot in the cord that is greater in size than the first throughhole in the base member.
Yet another embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing a holder comprising a hanger comprising a loop and a support base connected to the loop, the method comprising affixing a first end of a rotatably mounted cord to a base member; affixing a second end of the rotatably mounted cord to the support base; and affixing the base member into or on an article of clothing during manufacture of the article of clothing, wherein the loop is adapted to support a personal item thereon. Preferably, said providing a rotatably mounted cord having a first end further comprises affixing a closure device to the rotatably mounted cord. The method could further comprise affixing the rotatably mounted cord via a throughhole in said support base; passing said rotatably mounted cord through an article of clothing; and securing said base member to said article of clothing. Preferably, the rotatably mounted cord is looped with a needle through the article of clothing without damaging the article of clothing and facilitating threading through the base member. Preferably, said affixing said first end of said rotatably mounted cord to said base member comprises traversing the first end of said rotatably mounted cord through a through hole in the base member. Preferably, said affixing said first end of said rotatably mounted cord to said base member comprises attaching the first end of said rotatably mounted cord to the base member.
Additional advantages of this invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein only the preferred embodiment of this invention is shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention. The drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
For purposes of clarity and brevity, like elements and components will bear the same designations and numbering throughout the Figures.
An embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder that is inherently simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, and is convenient in operation for the wearer.
Another embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder that is incorporated into or attached on and securely affixed to an article of clothing, preferably at the time of the article's manufacture.
Another embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder that can be relatively unobtrusive, or, alternatively, in the form of a manufacturer's logo, depending on the desired design of the article of clothing.
Another embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder that can be readily and securely affixed to any part of an article of clothing, such as a pocket, placket band, sleeve, collar or belt loop without damaging the fabric or altering the design of the garment.
Another embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder with an elastic loop that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate a wide range of thicknesses of temple pieces of eyeglasses and can pivotally rotate to firmly secure the eyeglasses to resist an unintentional separation of the eyeglasses from the holder.
Another embodiment of this invention can be to provide a holder with an elastic or resilient loop that can accommodate a hook attached to another type of personal item and can pivotally rotate to firmly secure the item to resist an unintentional separation of the item from the holder.
The foregoing embodiments and other features and advantages are attained by a holder having a base member that is simple in construction and can be readily, unobtrusively and inexpensively inserted into or attached on an article of clothing, preferably at the time of the article's manufacture, to firmly secure the holder to the garment. The base member may be securely attached through a throughhole to a cord having one end threaded through the article of clothing and securely affixed to the base member and the other end securely affixed to the external part of the holder. The external part of the holder can include a hanger, itself comprised of a support base, and in one embodiment, a flexible elastic loop in the shape of a circle or oval. This flexible elastic loop can be made in various sizes, with one embodiment being approximately 0.5″ and extending up to approximately 1.5″ when the elastic is fully extended. Both the support base and the loop can also be customized to embody a manufacturer's logo. The hanger is designed so that the user can insert the temple piece of a pair of eyeglasses, or a hook attached to another type of personal item. The eyeglasses or other personal item can then assume a flat position relative to the person's body. This design can also provide for a pivotal rotation to resist the unintentional separation of the eyeglasses or other item from the holder, even as the user moves.
The holder also has hanger 14 comprising a support base 16, which connects to a loop 18. The support base 16 may include a resilient tubular ring or cylinder having a diameter greater than the loop 18 to affix to loop 18. Loop 18 may be formed to accommodate the temple piece of an eyeglass or a hook attached to another personal item. Loop 18 may be made of transparent material or material of any color. Suitable materials for loop 18 may be resilient materials such as metal, fabric or plastic. Loop 18 may be a covered fabric elastic loop, preferably around 0.5″ in diameter extending to around 1.5″ when fully extended. The support base 16 may be made of transparent material, or material of any color. Suitable materials for support base 16 may be resilient fabric, plastic or metal. The support base 16 and loop 18 may be shaped to resemble a manufacturer's logo or other ornamental shape.
Connected to the support base 16 through a second throughhole 20 is a cord 22 having one end that is securely affixed to the support base 16, and threaded through the first throughhole 12 in the base member 10 on the other end. The second throughhole 20 may be centered lengthwise and crosswise on the support base 16 to allow cord 22 to pass through the second throughhole 20 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support base 16. The cord 22 may be rotatably mounted to resist an unintentional separation of the item from the holder by pivotally rotating when the wearer moves.
The hanger 14 can be securely affixed to the base member 10, which has been inserted into an article of clothing, preferably at the time the article of clothing is manufactured, using a closure 24, which in one embodiment can be rectangular and greater in size than the first throughhole 12 in the base member 10. In another embodiment, closure 24 can be shaped into substantially a clip shape.
Using cord 22, the hanger 14 is threaded through the article of clothing. It can be threaded through the first throughhole 12 in base member 10 and the cord 22 can be permanently secured using the aforementioned closure 24 to the base member 10. The cord 22 may have a sharp end, or can be looped through a needle to facilitate the perforation of a garment without damaging the fabric and to facilitate the threading through the base member 10. In one embodiment, the first throughhole 12 in the base member 10 may have the same diameter as the second throughhole 20 in the support base, and both throughholes may be slightly larger than the diameter of cord 22. The remaining cord 22 may be cut and discarded. Cord 22 may be wire, cable, line or twine. Suitable materials for cord 22 may be metal, plastic or fabric. The base member 10 may then be sewn into a fold in the fabric of the article of clothing, rendering it practically invisible. The loop 18 and support base 16 may be incorporated directly into an article of clothing, preferably at the time the article of clothing is manufactured.
From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the holder described is extremely simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and convenient for the user. A myriad of personal items can be securely supported in a manner that will resist the unintentional separation of the item from the holder. The holder may be suitably supported on any part of an article of clothing without damaging the fabric and may be readily adapted to the manner of the design of the garment as dictated by the manufacturer of the article of clothing. The holder described can be worn either in a vertical or horizontal position and may be placed in different positions (e.g., on a pocket, placket band, sleeve, collar or belt loop) on any article of clothing (e.g., a shirt, pair of pants or jacket).
Although the present invention has been described with respect to a particular embodiment and illustrating an eyeglass holder as shown in
