Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6568212
-
Patent Number
6,568,212
-
Date Filed
Monday, October 15, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 27, 200321 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Miller; William L.
- Chop; Andrea
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 063 12
- 063 13
- 063 141
- 063 142
- 063 148
- D11 40
- D11 42
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International Classifications
-
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.
US Referenced Citations (32)