Patent Application
20190029374
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The present invention relates to a modular bracelet system. More particularly, the invention allows different modules or segments to be attached to each other utilizing a free spinning threaded ball attached to an adjustable chain to connect to a variety of modules and adornments.
Bracelets are today and have always been very popular jewelry items. Many different materials and designs have been used to create many different types of bracelets. Some include ornamentation such as precious or semiprecious stones, lockets or the like. Other bracelets are adapted to support bangles or other objects. Bracelet styles also change over time.
More recently, there have been design elements incorporated into bracelets that allow a person to personalize the bracelet. The owner of bracelets may interchange various bangles or other design elements. Stone settings have also been adapted to allow a bracelet owner to interchange various stones on the same bracelet. However, the bracelet itself is generally not modifiable without the assistance of a jeweler or skilled artisan.
The above-described deficiencies of today's systems are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting embodiments may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a bracelet design allowing an owner to personalize and modify the components that make up a bracelet.
Disclosed is a method for combining more than one jewelry design into a bracelet having interchangeable, modular components.
In one embodiment, a modular bracelet system having two or more partial strands, or modules, removably engaged to each other wherein each of the partial strands includes a first attachment mechanism on a first end and a second attachment mechanism on a second end.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a modular bracelet allowing an owner to personalize its design characteristics.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention 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 features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The disclosed subject matter is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the subject disclosure. It may be evident, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the various embodiments herein.
In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in the subject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. The term “bracelet module” is used herein generally to refer to partial segments of a standard wrist bracelet. Two or more modules are combinable to form a continuous loop, circular bracelet. The term “bracelet segment” is generally interchangeable with the term “bracelet module.” The term “fastener” is generally interchangeable with the term “connector” unless a distinction is made regarding an embodiment of the invention.
The second bracelet module 14 is a double wheat chain that extends between two ends 15. The double wheat chain bracelet module 14 is has a first strand 16 and a second strand 18, both of which are flexible and connected to each other by a sliding buckle 20. The first strand 16 extends from one of the ends 15 of the second bracelet module 14, through the sliding buckle 20 and to a terminating end 22. Similarly, the second strand 18 extends from the other end 15 of the double wheat chain bracelet module 14, through the sliding buckle 20 to a terminating end 23.
In this embodiment, the second bracelet module 14 has an internally threaded rotatable screwball 24 on each of its ends 15. The strands 16 and 18 that make up the second bracelet module 14 each include a permanently affixed ball finial 26 on their respective terminating ends 22 and 23. Both strands 16 and 18 are flexible. The length between the two ends 15 is adjusted by sliding the two strands relative to each other through the sliding buckle 20. The sliding buckle 20 has internal sleeves, which in this embodiment are made from silicon. The sliding buckle 20 provides sufficient frictional resistance to the sliding of the strands 16 and 18 to prevent the strands 16 and 18 from sliding freely, but also allows adjustment of the overall length of the double wheat bracelet module 14 by pulling on one or both strands 16 and 18. The ball finials 26 are attached to the ends 22 and 23 by a chain-link. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wide variety of finial designs may optionally be used at the terminating ends 22 and 23. Finials used on a double strand bracelet module may preferably be large enough to prevent the sliding buckle 20 from sliding off one of the chains. Similarly, the screwball fasteners 24 may also be preferably sized to prevent the strands 16 and 18 from sliding out of the adjustable buckle 20.
The screwballs 24 have interior threading and rotate freely about the ends 15 of the second bracelet module 14. This prevents the bracelet module 14 from becoming twisted when it is attached to the bracelet module 12. The internal threading of the screwball 24 is complementary to the threaded bolts 34 on the ends 11 of the first bracelet module 12. Thus, the screwball 24 may be removably affixed to the ends 11 of the first bracelet module 12 by engaging the threaded bolts.
The female side of the screwball fastener 64 includes a spindle 78 having a flange 84 on a first end and a sleeve 86 on a second end. The sleeve 86 may have a smooth internal bore that is connected to the end of a bracelet module by soldering, adhesives friction fit, crimping or other mechanisms known in the art. The sleeve 86 may also optionally be threaded and attached to a threaded post on a bracelet module. A flange 84 is located at a second end of the spindle 78 and is connected to the sleeve 86 by a neck 85 Like the adapter 65, the spindle 78 is affixed to an end of a bracelet module in a manner that immobilizes it. The screwball 76 has an internal threaded bore complementary to the threading on the cuff 82 the adapter 65. One end of the bore in the screwball 76 has an inwardly extending lip that prevents the screwball 76 from moving past the flange 84. The screwball 76 rotates freely about the spindle 78. To attached to bracelet modules to one another, the cuff 82 is aligned with the screwball 76 which is rotated to threadably engage the threading on cuff 82. The screwball 76 and the cuff 82 form a friction fit when fully engaged. The spindle 78 remains freely rotatable relative to the screwball 76 so long as the threaded cuff 82 does not a bot the flange 84. In some embodiments, the flange 82 has a length sufficient to ensure that it will impinge upon an form a friction fit with the flange 84, thus preventing rotation of the spindle 78.
The fastener 125 includes a screwball 127 featuring a cuff 124 extending outward. The cuff 124 accommodates a longer internally threaded bore through the cuffs 124 and the screwball 127. The fastener 125 rotates freely around the first strand 122. Similarly, the fastener 136 includes a screwball 135 having a cuff 137. An internally threaded bore extends through both the cuff 137 and a screwball 135 and are freely rotatable about the second strand 134. Optionally, the female part of a fastener may be comprised only of a cylindrical cuff rather than a spherical screwball. The operation is the same, only the geometric configuration of the outside of the fastener is changed.
The first module 212 is flexible and has several beads 218 held together on a string that may or may not be elastic and extends between a first end 230 and a second end 232. The female fastener 222 is located on the first end 230 and the male fastener 224 is located on the second end 232. Optionally, one of the fasteners 222 and/or 224 of the first module 212 may be removable to allow the beads 218 to be removed and replaced with other beads in order to provide a different pattern with beads of varying size, shape and color.
The second module 214 of this embodiment is rigid. It has a curved rod 215 extending from a first end 234 to a second end 236. The female fastener 222 is located on the first end 234 and the male fastener is located on the second end 236. Optionally, one of the fasteners 222 and/or 224 of the second module 214 may be removable in order to allow rings having charms or bangles to be placed over the second module 214. Optionally, a flexible or rigid sleeve may be placed over the second module 214.
The third module 216 has a flexible woven material extending from a first end 238 to a second end 240. The female fastener 222 is located on the first end 38 and the male fastener 24 is located at the second end 240. The third module 16 includes an ornament 220 that may be a precious or semi precious stone, a frame for holding an image or photograph, or a locket. Optionally, the ornament 220 may be removable so that different ornaments 220 may be interchanged. In this embodiment, the fasteners are comprised of female 222 and mail 224 components. As a results, the modules 212, 214 and 216 must be connected in a particular order. Optionally, symmetric fasteners may be used to allow the modules 212, 214 and 216 to be connected in alternative orientations.
The second module 254 is a flexible cord 268 extending from a first end 272 a second end 274. The first end 272 has a lobster clasp fastener 262 and the second end 274 has a loop fastener 264. Thus, the fasteners of modules 252 and 254 are similar or the same. The module 254 also includes three bangles 276, 278 and 280. Each of the bangles is affixed to the second module by means of a ring 282. The ring 282 is sized to fit over the loop 264 but is too small to fit over the lobster clasp 262. When the second end 274 is detached, additional bangles may be added or removed from the flexible cord 268. Because the rings 282 are too small to pass over the lobster clasps 262, the bangles remain on the second module 254 once it is attached to the first module 252. Optionally, additional modules may be added to the modular bracelet 250. Optionally, the ring 282 and the lobster clasps 262 may be sized to allow the ring 282 pass over fasteners 262 so that the bangles may move about the entire length of the bracelet 250.
The embodiments shown have three and two modules, respectively. However, additional modules may be used within the scope of the principles of the invention. Other designs for the various modules may also be used. By combining different sets of modules, a person may create several different bracelets. This allows an operator to provide numerous bracelet designs using only a few interchangeable modules. Design options may be further expanded by utilizing interchangeable ornaments on one or more modules.
Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/537,964 filed on Jul. 28, 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62537964 | Jul 2017 | US |
