Patent Application
20240315409
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The disclosure relates to jewelry and more particularly pertains to a new jewelry apparatus for displaying interchangeable indicia.
The prior art includes several jewelry apparatuses which include an interchangeable ornamental component. However, the prior art does not disclose an apparatus in which a panel with tabs is positionable in an aperture of a base member such that the tabs snap fit into the base member and indicia on the panel is displayed through the aperture.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a base with an aperture extending through a front side and a rear side of the base. The base has a first notch extending into the rear side adjacent to the aperture. An insert panel is removably couplable to the base such that the insert panel is positioned in the aperture of the base. The insert panel comprises a body and a first tab which are coupled to each other. The first tab is received into the first notch when the insert panel is coupled to the base, and the first notch is shaped such that the first tab snap fits to the base when the first tab is received into the first notch. An indicia is coupled to the front face of the insert panel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An insert panel 26 is removably couplable to the base 12 and is positioned in the aperture 14 of the base 12 when the insert panel 26 is coupled to the base 12. The insert panel 26 comprises a body 28, a first tab 30, and a second tab 32. The first tab 30 and the second tab 32 are each coupled to the body 28. The first tab 30 is received into the first notch 20 and the second tab 32 is received into the second notch 22 when the insert panel 26 is coupled to the base 12. A front face 34 of the insert panel 26 abuts the seat surface 24 of the base 12 when the insert panel 26 is coupled to the base 12. The first and second notches 20, 22 are shaped such that the first and second tabs 30, 32 snap fit to the base 12 when the first and second tabs 30, 32 are received into the first and second notches 20, 22 respectively. The second notch 22 has a different size to a size of the first notch 20 such that the insert panel 26 cannot be coupled to the base 12 with the first tab 30 is received into the second notch 22 and the second tab 32 is received into the first notch 20. The insert panel 26 has a peripheral edge 36 which is circular and coextensive with a perimeter 38 of the aperture 14 when the insert panel 26 is coupled to the base 12.
An indicia 40 is coupled to the front face 34 of the insert panel 26. The term “indicia” as used in the specification and the claims is used to refer to both a singular marking and a plurality of markings. The indicia 40 may include an ornamental design, an alphanumeric character, a graphical image, a symbol, or the like. The indicia 40 may also include a decorative material such as a gemstone, a bead, a precious metal, or the like. The indicia 40 may be integrally formed with the insert panel 26.
In a first embodiment 42 of the interchangeable jewelry apparatus 10, the base 12 has an exterior surface 44 which extends between the front side 16 and the rear side 18. The exterior surface 44 has a circular shape 46 and is rounded between the front side 16 and the rear side 18. The first embodiment 42 further comprises an attachment loop 48 which is coupled to the exterior surface 44 of the base 12 adjacent to the first notch 20 of the base 12.
A second embodiment 50 of the interchangeable jewelry apparatus 10 comprises the first embodiment 42 and further comprises a necklace 52 which is attached to the attachment loop 48. The necklace 52 has a pair of segments 54, each of which extends away from the attachment loop 48.
A third embodiment 56 of the interchangeable jewelry apparatus 10 comprises the first embodiment 42 and further comprises a hook 58 which is coupled to the attachment loop 48. The hook 58 has a size such that the hook 58 is configured for inserting through a piercing hole of an ear, and a catch 60 is removably coupled to the hook 58 The catch 60 is slidably positionable on the hook 58 into a selected position 62 such that the catch 60 is frictionally secured to the hook 58 such that the catch 60 secures through the piercing hole of the ear.
In a fourth embodiment 64 of the interchangeable jewelry apparatus 10, the base 12 has an exterior surface 44 that extends between the front side 16 and the rear side 18 and has a hexagonal shape 66. The fourth embodiment 64 further comprises an attachment loop 48 which is coupled to the exterior surface 44 of the base 12 adjacent to the first notch 20 of the base 12.
A fifth embodiment 68 of the interchangeable jewelry apparatus 10 comprises a safety pin 70 which is coupled to the rear side 18 of the base 12 and extends across the aperture 14.
In use, the insert panel 26 is coupled to the base 12 to display the indicia 40 through the aperture 14 of the base 12. Several insert panels 26 with unique indicia 40 may be interchangeably coupled to the base 12. Depending on the embodiment, the base 12 may be coupled to the necklace 52, the hook 58, the safety pin 70, or other like attachment means to display the indicia 40 on a body 28 or clothing of a user.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
