The present invention relates to lanyards and article holders and, more particularly, to lanyard assemblies utilized for carrying various articles.
A person often has several objects to carry and not enough storage capacity in his or her pockets to accommodate all such objects. Further, sometimes it is desirable for objects, e.g. telephones or personal digital assistants, to be readily accessible without the necessity of removing it from a pocket or bag. Also, it is desirable for objects (e.g. telephones or personal digital assistants) to be securely attached to a person to avoid such objects being lost.
Often lanyards are worn around one's neck or wrist to allow one to more efficiently carry an object and have immediate access thereto along with minimizing the possibility of losing such objects. Lanyards often attach to objects via clips or clasps. Sometimes objects are not configured to allow attachment to such clips, clasps, or other carrying means.
Thus, a need exists for facilitating the transportation of objects via lanyards even when such objects are not configured for attachment to such lanyards.
The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a lanyard assembly which includes a lanyard having an openable hook and an attachment member attachable to an article. The attachment member includes a longitudinal portion having an adhesive thereon for attaching the longitudinal portion to the article such that the longitudinal portion is aligned longitudinally relative to the article. A connecting portion has an opening configured to receive the hook and is disposed at an end of the longitudinal portion. The connecting portion extends longitudinally relative to the article and is configured to support the article. The cord is also attached to the hook of the lanyard and the lanyard is configured to be placed around a person's neck to support the article in response to the attachment member being attached to the article.
The present invention provides, in a second aspect, a telephone assembly which includes an attachment member fixedly attached to a telephone with the attachment member including a longitudinal portion and a connecting portion. The longitudinal portion has an adhesive thereon and the adhesive is attached to the telephone such that the longitudinal portion is aligned longitudinally relative to the telephone. The connecting portion is disposed on the longitudinal portion and extends longitudinally relative to the telephone and is configured to support the telephone. The connecting portion is attachable to a hook of a lanyard configured to be placed around a person's neck to support the telephone in response to the attachment member being attached to the lanyard by attachment of the connection portion to the hook.
The present invention provides, in a third aspect, an article holder which includes an attachment member attachable to an article, and the attachment member includes a disk portion. The disk portion has an adhesive thereon for attaching the disk portion to an end of the article. A cord is attached to the disk portion and the cord extends longitudinally relative to the article, extends away from the article and is configured to support the article in response to the disk portion being attached to the article. The cord is attachable to a hook of a lanyard configured to be placed around a person's neck to support the article in response to the attachment member being attached to the lanyard by attachment of the connecting portion to the hook.
The present invention provides, in a fourth aspect, a lanyard assembly which includes a lanyard having an openable hook and an attachment member attachable to an article with the attachment member including a disk portion. The disk portion has an adhesive thereon for attaching the disk portion to an end of the article and a cord is attached to the disk portion. The cord extends longitudinally relative to the article, extends away from the article and is configured to support the article. The cord is attached to the hook of the lanyard with the lanyard being configured to be placed around a person's neck to support the article.
The present invention provides, in a fifth aspect, a lanyard assembly which includes a lanyard having an openable hook. An attachment ring is attached to an article with the ring being configured to support the article. The ring is attachable to the hook of the lanyard with the lanyard being configured to be placed around a person's neck to support the article in response to the article being attached to the lanyard by attachment of the ring to the hook.
The present invention provides, in a sixth aspect, a lanyard having an openable hook and a container having a top and a bottom. The top has a loop attached to the hook and the bottom is releasably attachable to the top with the bottom being configured to hold an article.
The present invention provides, in a seventh aspect, a method for holding an article, which includes providing a user with a lanyard and an attachment member attachable to the lanyard. The attachment member includes an adhesive for attaching the attachment member to an article. The attachment member and the lanyard are configured to be attached to each other to allow the article to be carried by a user in response to the lanyard being worn by the user.
The present invention provides, in an eighth aspect, a method for holding an article, which includes providing a user with a lanyard having an openable hook and attaching the hook to a ring connected to a container for receiving an article.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a lanyard assembly is provided. In an exemplary embodiment depicted in
Attachment member 40 may be attached to a telephone 50 to allow telephone 50 to be carried by a user 60. As depicted in
Attachment member 40 may also include a longitudinal body portion 80 aligned longitudinally relative to telephone 50 in response to attachment member 40 being attached to telephone 50. A cord receiving portion 90 may be disposed on longitudinal portion 80. For example, cord receiving portion 90 may be integral to longitudinal portion 80 or they may be attached to one another. Further, cord receiving portion 90 may be located at one end of longitudinal portion 80. A connecting portion, e.g., a cord 100, may be attached to cord receiving portion 90. For example, cord 100 may be connected to an end of cord receiving portion 90 such that cord 100 extends longitudinally relative to longitudinal portion 80. Also, cord 100 may extend longitudinally relative to telephone 50 in response to attachment member 40 being attached to telephone 50. Cord receiving portion 90 may include a cavity (not shown) to receive one or more ends of cord 100 and to hold cord 100 therein. In another example not depicted, attachment member 40 could be integral to telephone 50.
Attachment member 40 may be attached to a backside of telephone 50 near a bottom end 51 of telephone 50 or closer to bottom end 51 than a top end 52 thereof. Such positioning of attachment member 40 facilitates use of telephone 50. In particular, by attaching attachment member 40 near bottom end 51, the user may hold telephone 50 to the user's ear without assembly 10 interfering with the user's use of telephone 50. For example, lanyard assembly 10 hangs below the telephone and does not interfere with the user's hand or otherwise get in the user's way when attachment member 40 is attached to telephone 50 at a location closer to bottom end 51 than top end 52.
Cord 100 may be configured (e.g., shaped, dimensioned, and being of sufficient strength) to allow connection thereof to hook 30 and to allow cord 100 to support telephone 50 or other articles which a person may want to suspend from lanyard 15. Cord 100 may be flexible to facilitate manipulation of an article attached thereto (e.g., via attachment member 40) relative to hook 30. For example, if attachment member 40 is attached to telephone 50 and it is desired for the person to use (e.g., raise and talk into) telephone 50 while lanyard 15 is around his or her neck, the flexible nature of cord 50 allows telephone 50 to be rotated or moved in a variety of ways relative to hook 30 which may not be possible if cord 100 was rigid. Cord 100 may be formed of nylon, for example. Alternatively, cord 100 could be formed rigidly or semi-rigidly. Also, hook 30 may include an openable clasp 32 to allow attachment of cord 100 to hook 30, as depicted in
Lanyard 15 may also include a lanyard-restraining member 25 to prevent movement of hook 30 along lanyard 15. Lanyard-restraining member 25 may include an aperture for receiving lanyard 15 therein to allow restraining-member 25 to be moved along lanyard 15 and to restrain hook 30 at a particular location along lanyard 15. As depicted in
In another embodiment, lanyard assembly 10 may be attached to a disk attachment member 200 as depicted in
Cord 240 may be flexible to facilitate manipulation of an article attached thereto relative to hook 30. For example, if disk attachment member 200 is attached to lipstick holder 230, a top 232 of lipstick holder 230 may be separated from a bottom 234. In particular, lipstick holder 230 may be moved such that it is horizontal (i.e., rotated 90 degrees relative to its depiction in
In a further embodiment, lanyard assembly 10 may be attached to a second lipstick holder 300 having an attachment member 310 attached thereto, as depicted in
Bottom portion 330 may be separated from top portion 320 to allow a user to access a lipstick held in bottom portion 330. In another example, bottom portion 330 may hold items other than lipstick for use by the user. In a further example, top portion 320 may hold lipstick or other items desired by the user.
In yet a further embodiment, lanyard assembly 10 may be attached to a pen 400 having an attachment member or connector 410 attached thereto, as depicted in
Lanyard 15 (e.g., necklace 20) is depicted in the figures as a simple cord, and such cord may be flexible and/or resilient for example. Alternatively, lanyard 15 may include an ornamental jewelry chain, such as jewelry chain necklaces 16 and 17 shown in
In another embodiment depicted in
In a further embodiment,
In yet a further embodiment,
In another un-illustrated embodiment, sleeve 700 could be connected to a lanyard assembly (not shown) which has one or more headphone wires threaded through one or more cavities thereof, similar to headphone wire 560 in lanyard assembly 500 depicted in
In a further embodiment depicted in
Sleeve 700 and wallet 800 may be formed of a textile, plastic, or other material configured to attach to hook 30 and hold an object such as electronic device 710 or credit card 810. Sleeve 700 and/or wallet 800 may be rigid, flexible, or semi-rigid.
Also, in an embodiment not depicted, lanyard 15 or lanyard 515 could include a ring or loop, instead of hook 30 or hook 530. Such ring or loop (not shown) may be attached to a hook (not shown) previously attached to articles (e.g., attachment members, pens, lipstick holders, electronic devices, wallets) desired to be attached to lanyard 15. In this manner, a hook attached to such articles may be opened to attach such articles to a lanyard instead of hooks attached to such lanyards being opened for attachment to the articles.
Although preferred embodiments have been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions and the like can he made without departing from the spirit of the invention and these are therefore considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.