Looping jewelry attachment to the ear

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6568212
  • Patent Number
    6,568,212
  • Date Filed
    Monday, October 15, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 27, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Miller; William L.
    • Chop; Andrea
    Agents
    • Haefliger; William W.
Abstract
Ear jewelry, comprising in combination, a first decorative wire extending in a looping direction to conform generally to the looping periphery of a human ear, decorative ornamentation structure carried by and spaced along the wire, and support structure connected to the wire at at least one of two looping spaced locations along the wire, the support structure including at least one attachment connectible to the ear.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates generally to decorative jewelry attachable to the human ear; and more particularly concerns improvements in looping jewelry that conforms generally to the looping peripheral configuration of the ear.




There is need for improvements in removably attaching such looping jewelry to the ear in such a way as to provide support for a looping wire, or wires, associated with such jewelry. Also, there is need for multiple such attachments, that are removable, and at least one of which extends to the rear side of the ear, to provide security of attachment.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is a major object of the invention to provide improvements in such looping wire jewelry, which meet the above needs. Basically, improved device of the invention comprises:




a) first decorative wire extending in a looping direction to conform generally to the looping periphery of a human ear,




b) decorative ornamentation structure carried by and spaced along the wire,




c) and support structure connected to the wire at at least one of two looping spaced locations along the wire,




d) said support structure including at least one attachment connectible to the ear.




Such decorative'structure may include jewels.




It is another object to provide such support structure to include a looping second wire operatively connected to the first wire at said spaced locations. The looping second wire may advantageously have




i) fixed connection to the first wire at one of said locations, and




ii) removable connection to the first wire at the other of said locations.




A further object of the invention is to provide the support structure to include a second attachment connectible to the ear. That attachment may typically include a holder that holds to the ear; and each of the first and second attachments may include holders removably holding to the ear at such spaced locations.




Yet another object is to provide the first wire to extend between ⅓ and ⅔ of a completed loop. Also, the first wire may extend generally circularly.




An additional object is to provide a second wire which is substantially shorter than the first wire so as to extend at the inner side of the ear facing the skull for holding the first wire to the ear, at the outer side thereof.




A further object is to provide the support structure to include jewels spaced along the first wire.




An auxiliary decorative looping wire may be connected to the first wire to extend below the first wire.




That auxiliary wire may have generally the same looping size as the first wire, to enhance decorative effect.











These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which:




DRAWING DESCRIPTIONG





FIG. 1

is a side view of ear jewelry incorporating the invention;





FIG. 2

is a rear view of the

FIG. 1

jewelry;





FIG. 3

is a side elevation showing another form of the invention;





FIG. 4

is a rear view showing retention to the upper portion of the ear;





FIG. 5

is a side view of a further modification;





FIG. 6

is a side view of a further form of the invention;





FIG. 7

is a side view of yet another form of the invention;





FIG. 8

is a view like

FIG. 1

showing a further modification;





FIG. 9

is a view like

FIG. 8

showing another modification;





FIG. 10

is a view like

FIG. 1

showing an additional modification;





FIG. 11

is a view like

FIG. 2

showing a yet further modification;





FIGS. 12-16

are side elevational views, showing varied ornamentations integrated into support members that extend in crescent configuration; and





FIG. 17

is a side elevational view of yet another decorative support member.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




In

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a first decorative wire


10


extends in a circularly looping direction to conform generally to the looping periphery of ear


11


. Decorative or ornamentation structure is carried by and spaced along the wire; see for example jewels


12


attached to the wire at spaced locations.




Support structure is connected to the wire at at least one of two looping spaced locations, along the wire. As shown, the support structure includes a crescent shaped looping second wire


13


operatively connected to wire


10


upper location


14


, the wire


13


then curving over the ear and downwardly behind the ear to terminate at an enlarged (bead-like) lower support


15


, spaced from


10


and adapted to fit behind the ear, i.e. near the skull


16


. See FIG.


2


. This removably but firmly retains the decorative wire


10


to the outer side of the ear, with comfort.





FIG. 6

is similar, in that circularly extending wire


10


is anchored by a second crescent shaped and supporting looping wire


20


that attaches to the ear like second wire


13


; however, wire


20


is amchored to wire


10


at upper location


21


, and also at lower location


22


. Wire


20


can be deformed as by bending at


21


and


22


, to extend closer to or further from wire


10


, for adjustment to and retention to the ear, at the rear side of the ear, as in FIG.


2


. Connection at


22


may include a socket


22




a


and removable pin


22




b.







FIG. 7

shows a crescent (ear) shaped decorative first wire


30


, and two supports


31


and


32


attached to the wire


30


near its upper and lower ends. Support


31


may take the form of a clasp, to grasp the upper fold


31




a


of the ear, and support


32


may take the form of a pin


32




a


to project through a pierced hole in the ear lobe, and retained by a holder


32




b


. Holder


32




b


may support a lower looping decorative wire


70


.





FIG. 5

is like

FIGS. 1 and 2

, but the decorative wire


40


is crescent shaped instead of circular. See also second wire


13


and supports


14


and


15


, as in FIG.


1


.





FIGS. 3 and 4

also show a crescent decorative wire


40


; however, an upper support or supports take the form of bendable short wire or wires


41


. They are adjustably bent downwardly as in

FIG. 3

over the upper fold


42


of the ear, to comfortably retain the wire


40


in selected position. Support wires


41


may terminate at smooth enlargements


41




a


, that may comfortably engage the inner side of the ear. A lower support


43


retains wire


40


to the ear lobe, and may take the form of a clasp or pin.




In

FIGS. 3

,


4


,


5


,


6


and


7


, the front decorative wire extends between ⅓ and ⅔ of a completed loop.




In

FIG. 8

, the support wire


50


for jewelry has an extent


50




a


free of such jewelry. Extent


50




a


extends into, and is adjustably slidable in a support


51


. The later may take the form of a clasp for an ear ring


52


.

FIG. 9

in another view of the

FIG. 8

structure, after adjustable sliding of the wire in support


51


.




In

FIG. 10

the crescent-shaped wire


60


is attachable via upper and lower retainers


61


and


62


to the ear


63


of the wearer. Jewels may be carried by the wire.




In

FIG. 11

crescent-shaped wire or member


70


carries jewels at the front of the ear


69


. A second wire or member


71


extends at the rear side of the ear, and is attached at


72


to wire or member


71


. Attachment


72


may clip to the ear, as at a pierced location, and wire


71


may slip in the attachment, for adjustment.




In

FIG. 12

, the crescent-shaped member


80


clips to the ear at


81


, and extends within the ear lobe zone


83


, and carries jewels


82


.




In

FIG. 13

the crescent-shaped member


90


has decorative parallel jewel-like parts


91


in succession. Member


90


may clip to the ear in any of the ways referred to above as at


92


. The

FIG. 14

, like

FIG. 13

, the plate-like parts


91




a


overlap one another, in series succession and are attached to wire


93


. In

FIG. 15

, the parts


91




b


and


91




c


have alternately different configurations, such as circles and crosses. In

FIG. 16

, the successive parts


91




c


along wire


96


are each in the form of two jewel-like balls inter-connected by subwires


96




a.







FIG. 17

shows a triangular decorative member


110


at the side of the ear and connected to the ear


109


as at


111


and


112


. Note dangling ornaments


113


.




Each of the forms shown may carry dangling jewels, as at


113


in FIG.


17


.



Claims
  • 1. Ear jewelry, comprising in combination:a) a first decorative wire extending in a substantially circular looping upright direction adapting it to conform generally to the looping periphery of a human ear, b) decorative ornamentation structure carried by and spaced along the wire, c) and support structure connected to the wire at at least one of two looping spaced locations along the wire, d) said support structure including a second wire operatively connected to the first wire at an upper location relative to the first wire, the second wire then looping downwardly with substantially the same curvature as the curvature of the first wire and toward a lower terminal location relative to the first wire, and spaced from but near to the first wire, so that a main looping extent of the second wire is adapted to fit behind the wearer's ear to position the two wires on the ear, e) there being an enlarged support on the second wire proximate said terminal location and sized and adapted to fit between the ear and the side of the wearer's skull to firmly position the second and first wires on the ear.
  • 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said looping second wire has at least one of the following:i) fixed connection to the first wire at one of said locations, and ii) removable connection to the first wire at the other of said locations.
  • 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said support structure includes a second attachment connectible to the ear.
  • 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said second attachment includes a holder that is adapted to removably hold to the ear at said spaced locations.
  • 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first wire extends between ⅓ and ⅔ of a completed loop.
  • 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said second wire is substantially shorter then the first wire so as to extend at the inner side of the ear facing the skull for holding the first wire to the ear, at the outer side thereof.
  • 7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said decorative structure includes jewels spaced along the first wire.
  • 8. The combination of claim 1 including an attachment adapted for connection to the ear, said first wire having adjustable sliding connection to the attachment.
  • 9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the attachment has a bore, and the first wire is slidable in said bore.
  • 10. The ear jewelry of claim 1 wherein said decorative ornamentation structure includes at least one of the following:i) overlapping small plates spaced along the wire ii) elongated narrow sub-bodies staggered in succession along the first wire iii) jewels configured in succession to fit within the lobe of the ear iv) small generally circular bodies and cross-shaped bodies in succession along the first wire v) a triangular part having general size corresponding to the size of the ear to fit adjacent the ear vi) pairs of small bodies interconnected by sub-wires.
  • 11. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first wire is the form of a member that has one of the following:i) a spiral form ii) a series succession of discrete ornaments associated with said decorative ornamentation structure iii) a series succession of overlapping ornaments associated with said decorative ornamentation structure iv) a series succession of discrete ornaments including interconnected pairs of balls, associated with said ornamentation structure v) rods forming a triangle.
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