JEWEL PROVIDED WITH ONE OR MORE ACCESSORY ELEMENTS REVERSIBLY COUPLABLE THERETO

APPLICATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is applied in the jewels field, that is, of ornaments which can be worn by a person at one or more parts of his/her body. Among the most widely used jewels are, by way of example, ornamental bracelets, necklaces, earrings and ankle bracelets.

In general, the jewels can be divided in two categories: jewels qualified as “minimalist” and jewels qualified as “accessorized”. The minimalist jewels exclusively comprise elements which are directly attachable to a part of a person's body.

The accessorized jewels, instead, in addition to the above-mentioned connection elements, comprise accessory elements usually of aesthetic nature. An example of a minimalist jewel is represented by a bracelet exclusively consisting of a cylindrical body which is sufficiently large to be wearable at a wrist by inserting a hand therein. An example of an accessorized jewel is represented instead by a bracelet comprising, in addition to the above-mentioned cylindrical body, a plurality of charms (i.e., accessory elements) coupled thereto.

Of the two jewel categories mentioned above, the present invention relates to that comprising jewels of the accessorized type. In particular, the present invention relates to accessorized jewels of customizable type, that is, to accessorized jewels the accessory elements of which are attachable and unattachable from the jewel for an indefinite number of times, so as to be interchangeable by a user. For ease of presentation, in the following description, the term “jewel” will be exclusively referred to accessorized jewels of the above-mentioned type.

More precisely, the present invention relates to a jewel comprising at least a first element which is directly attachable to a part of a person's body, and at least a second accessory element which is reversibly couplable to said first element. Incidentally, the adverb “reversibly” means that the accessory element is couplable and uncouplable from said first element for an indefinite number of times.

REVIEW OF THE PRIOR ART

Customizable jewels generally comprise a plurality of pendants or charms which are reversibly couplable to an element (such as, for example, a bracelet or a necklace) which is directly attachable to a part of a person's body. For ease of description, referring to a bracelet which is customizable by a plurality of interchangeable pendants, the reversible connection between the pendants and the bracelet is generally made according to two modes.

The first mode consists in providing the bracelet with a plurality of small rings, and each pendant with a tiny hook which can be inserted into any one of the above-mentioned rings. The insertion of a hook into a ring creates a coupling between the bracelet and the pendant to which said hook is connected. In order to avoid an undesired detachment between the pendants and the bracelet, the hooks are usually provided with a closing tooth movable between a first position in which the hook is open (and is therefore insertable into a ring) and a second position in which the hook is closed. A spring is usually present in each pendant to keep the tooth in the second position. In order to couple a pendant to the bracelet it is therefore necessary to move the tooth of the hook, provided in the pendant, to the first position, insert the hook into a ring of the bracelet while keeping the tooth in the first position, and release the tooth so that the spring triggers it into the second position, so as to prevent the hook from be uncoupled from the ring. In order to uncouple a pendant from the bracelet (for example, in order to replace it with another pendant), it is necessary to move the tooth of the hook, provided in the pendant, to the first position, remove the hook from the ring where it is inserted while keeping the tooth in the first position, and release the tooth so that the spring triggers it into the second position.

The second mode of connecting the bracelet to a pendant consists in creating a threaded coupling therebetween. More precisely, the bracelets having this connection mode are provided with a plurality of blocks, each of which comprises at least one threaded hole. Each pendant is further provided with a threaded pin which can be coupled to any one of the above-mentioned holes. Screwing a pin in one of the above-mentioned holes creates a connection between the bracelet and the pendant to which said pin is connected. In order to disconnect a pendant from the bracelet it is sufficient to unscrew it from the block to which it is screwed.

Both connection modes described above have some drawbacks.

As regards the first mode, the very small size of the hooks of the pendants and of the rings of the bracelet makes the operation of inserting a hook into a ring highly difficult. In addition, although the closing teeth of the hooks prevent an undesired removal of the latter from the rings of the bracelet, the closing teeth cannot be easily gripped or moved from the second position to the first position. The presence of closing teeth thus complicates the operations of coupling and uncoupling a pendant from the bracelet.

On the other hand, as regards the second connection mode, the operations of screwing and unscrewing a pendant from the bracelet are certainly easier than inserting and removing a hook from a ring of the bracelet. On the contrary, however, the pendants are free from mechanisms which prevent an undesired disconnection thereof from the bracelet. Therefore, the risk of losing a pendant while the bracelet is worn is high.

While the two connection modes described above were described with reference to a bracelet which is customizable by means of a plurality of interchangeable pendants, they are substantially applied to all customizable accessorized jewels, to create a reversible coupling between an element which is directly attachable to a person's body part and an accessory element of the jewel. Therefore, the drawbacks highlighted above generally occur in all the customizable accessorized jewels.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks providing a customizable accessorized jewel the accessory elements of which, while being provided with means preventing them from being undesirably detached from the jewel, are more easily attachable and unattachable from the jewel as compared to the jewels which have the above-mentioned first connection mode.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a jewel comprising:

- at least a first element, referred to as a “main element”, which is attachable to a part of a person's body. Said first element may consist, by way of example, of a bracelet, necklace, earring or ankle bracelet;
- at least a second element, referred to as an “accessory element”, which is attachable to said first element through suitable reversible connection means. Said second element may consist, by way of example, of a pendant, charm or portion thereof,
  
  where, according to the invention, said reversible connection means comprise:
- a pin integrally connected to said second element at a first end;
- an elongated coupling connected transversely to said pin at a second end opposite to said first end, said coupling including at least two mutually opposite arms with respect to said pin;
- at least one block for fitting said coupling, connected to said first element, said block including:
  - a seat for accommodating said coupling;
  - an opening through which said coupling can be inserted into said seat, said seat being sufficiently wide to allow a rotation of said coupling about a longitudinal axis of said pin when said coupling is accommodated into said seat,
- said opening being elongated in shape so as not to be crossable by said coupling when the latter is arranged transversely to said opening;
- elastic means connected to said pin and interposed between said coupling and said second element, said elastic means being compressed between said block and said second element when said coupling is accommodated into said seat, so as to exert a force tending to cause said coupling to escape from said seat.

In the jewel of the invention, in order to connect the accessory element to the main element, it is simply necessary:

a) to insert the coupling into the seat of the block (through said opening);
b) to rotate the accessory element so that the coupling is arranged transversely to said opening.

By inserting the coupling into the block, the elastic means are compressed. After having arranged the coupling transversely to said opening, the elastic means, tending to be decompressed, keep the arms of the coupling in abutment against to the block portion which delimits said opening. The friction between the coupling and the block is such as to prevent an undesired rotation therebetween, so as to integrally connect the accessory element to the main element.

In order to remove the coupling from the block, and therefore disconnect the accessory element from the main element, it is necessary:

a) to rotate the accessory element (overcoming the friction between the coupling and the block) far enough so that the coupling is aligned to said opening (so as to be able to cross it);
b) to remove the coupling from the block.

In light of the above, in the jewel of the invention, the accessory element is advantageously attachable to the main element with the same ease which characterizes the threaded coupling mentioned above (second known connection mode). Furthermore, the elastic means prevent an involuntary disconnection between the two elements mentioned above, advantageously with the same safety offered by the closing teeth of the hook-and-ring connection systems (first known connection mode). In other words, the jewel of the invention combines the advantages of the two connection modes previously described, thus overcoming the respective flaws thereof.

The elastic means preferably comprise at least one elastomeric ring (known also as an “o-ring”) threaded onto said pin.

For the avoidance of doubt, the assertion that the jewel comprises a block integrally connected to the main element may equally mean that the main element comprises a portion, referred to as a “block”, where a seat for accommodating the coupling of the accessory element is obtained.

Other innovative features of the present invention are shown in the following description and recalled in the dependent claims.

According to an aspect of the invention, the above-mentioned connection means further comprise:

- means for stopping a rotation of the coupling about the longitudinal axis of the pin when said coupling accommodated into said seat is arranged transversely to said opening.

Advantageously, due to the presence of the stopping means, when a user of the jewel wants to connect an accessory element to the main element, once the coupling has been inserted into the seat of the block, said user should not give attention to place the coupling transversely to said opening. In fact, the abovementioned stopping means stop the rotation of the coupling in the position so that the latter is imprisoned in the block. Therefore, on the one hand, the stopping means make the operation of coupling an accessory element to the main element of the jewel even easier, and on the other hand further ensure the avoidance of involuntarily uncoupling the accessory element from the main element.

The stopping means preferably comprise at least one tooth associated to said portion of the block delimiting said seat. The tooth protrudes into said seat and is positioned so as to intercept one of the arms of the coupling during a rotation of the latter about the longitudinal axis of said pin.

The invention also relates to a jewel comprising:

- an element which is attachable to a part of a person's body;
- at least one block connected to said element and including:
  - a cavity delimited by at least one wall of said block;
  - an elongated opening obtained in said wall to allow access to said cavity;
  - at least one stopping tooth protruding from said wall into said cavity transversely to said opening.

The invention further relates to an accessory element which is attachable to a jewel by means of connection means comprising:

- a pin integrally connected to said accessory element at a first end;
- an elongated coupling connected transversely to said pin at a second end opposite to said first end, said coupling including at least two mutually opposite arms with respect to said pin;
- an elastomeric ring crossed by said pin, so as to be interposed between said coupling and said accessory element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front plan view of a jewel according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a front plan view of a first element of the jewel in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C show respective plan views of a second element of the jewel in FIG. 1 which is attachable to the element in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a front plan view of a component of the element in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show, in sequence, the operations needed to connect the element in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C to the element in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the present description, for ease of presentation, reference will be made to only one exemplary embodiment of the invention, where the jewel comprises a bracelet, as a main element, and a pendant including an alphabet letter, as an accessory element. However, the jewel of the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example. It may comprise any main element which is attachable to a part of a person's body, and any accessory element which is reversibly attachable to the main element, provided that said elements are provided with reversible connection means according to the above.

Below, in the present description, a figure may also be shown with reference to elements not explicitly indicated in that figure but in other figures. The scale and proportions of the various depicted elements do not necessarily correspond to the real ones.

FIG. 1 shows a jewel 1 of the invention comprising a bracelet 2 which is preferably circumference arc-shaped, and a pendant 3 connected to bracelet 2 at an end 4 thereof. More precisely, pendant 3 comprises an ornamental element 5 (better seen in FIG. 3A) shaped, by way of example, as the letter “A” and engaged in a block 6 integrally connected to the end 4 of bracelet 2. The latter was previously referred to as a “main element” of jewel 1, i.e., as an element which is attachable to a person's body part. The ornamental element 5 was previously referred to as an “accessory element” of jewel 1, i.e., as an element which is reversibly attachable to the main element 1. As it will be better described below in the present description, pendant 3 is reversibly engaged in block 6, i.e., it is unattachable from the latter. This makes the jewel 1 a customizable accessorized jewel.

FIG. 2 shows jewel 1 without pendant 3, i.e., the bracelet 2 along with the block 6. The latter is preferably cubic or rectangular parallelepiped-shaped and is integrally connected to bracelet 2 preferably orthogonally to the latter. Block 6 is hollow, so as to allow to at least partially accommodate pendant 3 therein.

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C show, in detail, pendant 3. The latter comprises a disc 10 of small size with respect to the ornamental element 5 and integrally connected to the latter at the vertex of the “A”. Disc 10 is preferably arranged orthogonally to the plane where element 5 lies. Pendant 3 also comprises a pin 11 integrally connected to disc 10 (and, by means of this, to element 5) at a first end 12. The pin 11 is preferably cylindrical and is connected to disc 10 preferably orthogonally to the latter and more preferably so that disc 10 and pin 11 are coaxial. The pin 11 has a height preferably greater than the thickness of disc 10 but clearly smaller than the height of element 5. The pin 11, at a second end 13 opposite to end 12, is integrally connected to a short bar 14 preferably arranged parallel to disc 10 and therefore orthogonally to pin 11. The bar 14 is connected to the end 13 of pin 11 preferably centrally, so as to impart a substantially T shape to the assembly consisting of pin 11 and bar 14. Therefore, the bar 14 comprises two arms 14A and 14B opposite to each other with respect to pin 11 and corresponding to the two top arms of the “T”, respectively. The arms 14A and 14B are preferably aligned to each other, are preferably arranged orthogonally to pin 11, and are preferably rounded at the ends thereof opposite to pin 11. The bar 14 has a length preferably smaller than the diameter of disc 10. As will be shown below in the present description, bar 14 acts as a coupling, having an elongated shape, by means of which pendant 3 can be engaged in block 6.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, it may be noted that pendant 3 also comprises a ring 15 threaded onto pin 11 so as to be interposed between disc 10 and coupling 14. More precisely, ring 15 has a through hole in which pin 11 crosses the ring 15. Said through hole has a diameter both smaller than the diameter of disc 10 and smaller than the length of bar 14, so that the ring 15 cannot be removed from pin 11 (and is thus connected to the latter). The ring 15 is preferably made of an elastically deformable material, more preferably of elastomeric material. Even more preferably, ring 15 is a ring generally referred to as an “o-ring”. The ring 15 has a thickness preferably smaller than the length of pin 11 so that a portion of the latter protrudes from ring 15.

FIG. 4 shows a side plan view of block 6, i.e., from the side at which the connection with pendant 3 occurs. Block 6 includes a cavity 16, preferably cubic or rectangular parallelepiped in shape, at which the coupling 14 can be accommodated. The cavity 16 is accessible through an opening 17 obtained at a wall 18 of block 6 facing the pendant 3 in FIG. 1. The opening 17 preferably has the same shape as the coupling 14 but is slightly larger in size, so that the latter may be inserted into cavity 16 though the opening 17. The cavity 16 has a volume greater than the overall dimensions of coupling 14. More precisely, cavity 16 is sufficiently wide to allow a rotation of coupling 14 about a longitudinal axis 19 of pin 11 (shown in FIG. 3B) when the coupling 14 is accommodated into said cavity 16. Since opening 17 has the same shape as coupling 14, it is elongated like the latter. As a result, when the coupling 14 is arranged transversally to opening 17, the latter cannot be crossed by coupling 14. Therefore, when the coupling 14 is accommodated into the cavity 16, if the coupling 14 is arranged transversally to the opening 17, the coupling 14 cannot be removed from block 6. In other words, when the coupling 14 is accommodated into the cavity 16 and is arranged transversally to the opening 17, pendant 3 is connected to block 6 and, through the latter, to bracelet 2.

Preferably, the cavity 16 has a height (measured in the direction of axis 19) greater than the thickness of the arms 14A and 14B (also measured in the direction of axis 19). Therefore, coupling 14 can be inserted into the cavity 16 so that the arms 14A and 14B are raised with respect to the wall portion 18 which delimits the opening 17. As it will be described hereafter, this is an advantage during the operations of connecting and disconnecting pendant 3 from block 6. The ring 15 of pendant 3 has a thickness greater than the distance between wall 18 and disc 10 when the coupling 14 is inserted into the cavity 16. As a result, ring 15 is compressed between wall 18 and disc 10 when the coupling 14 is accommodated into the block 6. Advantageously, when the coupling 14 is inserted into the cavity 16 and is arranged transversally to the opening 17, ring 15 exerts a force tending to cause the coupling 14 to escape from block 6. Therefore, the arms 14A and 14B of coupling 14 are in abutment against the wall portion 18 which delimits opening 17. This creates a friction such as to prevent a between coupling 14 and wall 18, so as to integrally connect pendant 3 to block 6.

The block 6 preferably includes a pair of teeth 20 and 21 which protrude into the cavity 16 from the wall portion 18 which delimits the opening 17. The teeth 20 and 21 are placed so as to intercept the arms 14A and 14B during a rotation of coupling 14, accommodated into the cavity 16, about axis 19. More precisely, the teeth 20 and 21 stop a rotation of coupling 14 when the latter, being accommodated into the cavity 16, is arranged transversally to the opening 17. Although two teeth 20 and 21 are shown in FIG. 4, the jewel of the invention could also comprise a single tooth positioned so as to intercept arm 14A or arm 14B when the coupling 14, rotating about axis 19 within the cavity 16, is arranged transversally to the opening 17.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show the operations needed to connect pendant 3 to bracelet 2. More precisely, in order to obtain said connection, the following steps are required:

a) orienting the pendant 3 so that coupling 14 is arranged parallel to the opening 17, and inserting coupling 14 into the cavity 16 of block 6 (as shown in FIG. 5A), compressing the ring 15 between wall 18 and disc 10. Coupling 14 is preferably inserted into the cavity 16 so that the arms 14A and 14B are raised with respect to the wall portion 8 which delimits the opening 17;
b) rotating pendant 3 about axis 19 (as shown in FIG. 5B) until coupling 14, in abutment against the teeth 20 and 21, is arranged transversally to the opening 17 (as shown in FIG. 5C).

The ring 15, tending to decompress, sends the arms 14A and 14B of coupling 14 in abutment against the wall portion 18 which delimits the opening 17. This creates a friction such as to prevent an undesired rotation between coupling 14 and wall 18, so as to integrally connect pendant 3 to block 6.

Advantageously, during step b), since the arms 14A and 14B are raised from the wall portion 18 which delimits the opening 17, there is no friction between coupling 14 and block 6 which opposes the rotation of pendant 3.

In contrast, in order to disconnect pendant 3 from bracelet 2, the following steps are needed:

a) pushing pendant 3 towards block 6 so as to further cause the coupling 14 to penetrate the cavity 16 (compressing ring 15 even more). Thereby, the arms 14A and 14B are raised from the wall portion 18 of block 6 which delimits the opening 17;
b) rotating the pendant 3 so that the coupling 14 is aligned to the opening 17, so as to be able to cross it;
c) removing coupling 14 from block 6.

In light of the above, pin 11, coupling 14, ring 15 and block 16 act as reversible connection means between the ornamental element 5 and the bracelet 2.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown above, block 6 is connected to bracelet 2 at an end thereof (indicated, in the figures, by reference numeral 4). However, block 6 may be in any position along bracelet 2. The latter may also comprise a plurality of blocks 6.

According to a variation of the jewel of the invention, the connection between coupling 14 and pin 11 comprises a hinge or small ring, so that the ornamental element 5, instead of being integrally connected to coupling 14, is oscillating with respect to the latter (and thus with respect to bracelet 2).

Similar to jewel 1, both pendant 3 (comprising the ornamental element 5, the pin 11, the coupling 14 and the ring 15) and the assembly consisting of bracelet 2 and block 6 (the latter including cavity 16, opening 17 and optionally one or both of the teeth 20 and 21) form the subject of the invention.

Based on the description provided for a preferred exemplary embodiment, it is obvious that some changes may be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

JEWEL PROVIDED WITH ONE OR MORE ACCESSORY ELEMENTS REVERSIBLY COUPLABLE THERETO

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