Patent Grant
10943514
The present invention relates generally to a display assembly configured to be attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, and further, the display assembly includes a display unit which is quickly and easily attachable to and detachable from a docking assembly, which remains removably secured to the article of clothing.
Permanent identification badges for employees and personnel are required to be displayed on a person or a person's clothing in a wide variety of work environments. Some permanent identification badges are for security purposes, while others are merely for name identification purposes. In many cases, these badges are attached to a person's clothing, or onto the person themselves, utilizing a device that either attaches mechanically to the person's clothing, or hangs or is otherwise secured to a portion of the person's body. A number of devices have been developed in attempts to properly display on identification badge on a person or a person's clothing, but none are fully satisfactory, for the reasons stated in more detail below.
Perhaps the most common identification badge display devices are mechanical attachment devices which include such things as alligator clips, cantilever clamps and/or safety pins. While these devices are effective for securing an identification badge onto a person's clothing, repeated use generally results in premature wear or destruction of the garment to which they are attached. In addition, these mechanical attachment devices are often difficult to attach to clothing in a manner that prominently displays the identification badge relative to the person wearing the badge. Specifically, such devices tend to sag or pull on the clothing, causing undesirable deformation of the garment being worn. Further, such devices can ultimately destroy the garment being worn as they can tear or fray the fabric if the badge catches or snags on a stationary object. In addition, many of these devices have a tendency to allow the identification badge to flip over displaying the back of the badge instead of the front of the badge, which includes the required identification information. Also, none of these known mechanical attachment devices allow for the quick removal and reattachment of an identification badge when required to present it to a security officer or electronic badge reader. More in particular, most, if not all, of these mechanical attachment devices require the use of both hands to attach, remove or reattach, and properly position on the person's clothing. This creates a problem when a person wearing the badge is holding something in one of both of his or her hands.
Other devices include neck lanyards and armband type devices which are generally designed to utilize a person's neck or arm to provide an attachment point for the identification badge, however, they have a number of drawbacks as well. Neither the neck lanyard nor the armband type devices display the identification badge at the appropriate position in the upper right or left chest area, as is required for most identification badges. Further, the neck lanyard does not reliably display the front of the identification badge because it is free to rotate and display the back side of the badge at random. Perhaps the biggest drawback of the neck lanyard is the tendency for it to rotate away from the body when the person is leaning over, which allows it to drag over surfaces and frequently snag on objects. More importantly, if a neck lanyard does not have a breakaway feature they can be dangerous, as the person wearing the neck lanyard can be choked or strangled if the neck lanyard is caught in moving machinery or on a stationary object which the person is moving past. While a neck lanyard does permit ease of presentation of the badge to a security officer or electronic badge reader, the arm band device does not. Specifically, a person must either remove the identification badge from the armband, or remove the armband altogether, either of which typically requires the use of both hands. As before, this is a problem when a person wearing the badge is holding something in one of both of his or her hands.
Also known are devices which utilize a two piece magnetic system. More in particular, one of the magnetic pieces is attached permanently to an identification badge itself, while another backing magnetic piece is placed on the inside of a portion of the person's clothing, such as a shirt or blouse. Although these devices do not generally damage the clothing, they still do not allow for the quick removal of the identification badge for presentation to a security officer or electronic badge reader. Specifically, when the magnetic piece to which the badge is permanently attached is detached from the other backing magnetic piece of the magnetic system, unless held in place by one hand of the user, the backing magnetic piece that is placed on the inside of the garment next to the skin will fall to the waist line or possibly even to the ground when the magnetic piece to which the badge is attached is removed for presentation. When this happens, reattaching the badge generally requires the loosening of articles of clothing to retrieve and reposition the backing magnetic piece backing such that the identification badge may be reattached. Once again, this is a problem when a person wearing the badge is holding something in one of both of his or her hands.
Self-sticking identification badges having an adhesive material on one side are most often associated with temporary or one-time use identification badges. These badges are generally issued in areas or venues such as conventions, hospitals and hospitality events. The adhesive used is generally clothing safe, however, adequate adhesion is typically difficult to achieve, even after a short period of use, and depending on the type or texture of the fabric worn, it may never properly adhere to the clothing. These adhesive secured badges have a tendency to roll up around the edges and eventually are inadvertently or intentionally removed, such as by becoming stuck to another portion of the wearer's clothing, such as an arm or sleeve, or simply falling off altogether.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a device which resolves one or more of the foregoing problems when an item, such as an identification badge, must be displayed on or about a user's clothing.
The present invention is directed to a display assembly configured to be attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, wherein the display assembly includes a display unit which is quickly and easily attachable to and detachable from a docking assembly, which remains removably secured to the article of clothing.
In a first implementation of the invention, a display assembly supports at least one display item in a visually prominent orientation and is removably attachable to an article of clothing worn by a user in a nondestructive manner, the article of clothing having an inner surface and an outer surface, the display assembly comprising a docking assembly comprising a base unit having at least one dock interconnect and at least one display interconnect; the docking assembly further comprising a docking unit having at least one base interconnect; the docking assembly removably attached to the article of clothing in the nondestructive manner via an operative alignment of the at least one dock interconnect and the at least one base interconnect; a display unit comprising a display holder having a display chamber dimensioned to support the at least one display item in the visually prominent orientation, and the display unit also including at least one docking interconnect, wherein the display unit is attachable to and detachable from the docking assembly with a single hand of the user via an operative engagement of the at least one docking interconnect with the at least one display interconnect of the docking assembly.
In a second aspect, one or more of the dock interconnects and/or the base interconnects can include a magnetic material of construction.
In another aspect, one or more of the display interconnects and/or the docking interconnects may include a magnetic material of construction.
In one further aspect, a display unit of a display assembly may have a display alignment member disposed around at least a portion of a docking interconnect, wherein the display alignment member comprises a geometric configuration.
In yet one other aspect, a docking aperture of a docking assembly can include a display alignment guide channel having a complementary geometric configuration dimensioned to receive a display alignment member therein in one or more aligned configurations.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.
The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”. “vertical”. “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed toward a display assembly configured to be attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, wherein the display assembly includes a display unit which is quickly and easily attachable to and detachable from a docking assembly, which remains removably secured to the article of clothing, using a single hand.
Referring initially to
Looking next to
Turning to the illustrative embodiments of
As noted above, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, a docking unit 130 includes at least one base interconnect 136 which is operative with at least one dock interconnect 126 of the base unit 120, such that the base unit 120 and the docking unit 130 of the docking assembly 110 may be removably attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner. In at least one further embodiment, a docking unit 130 comprises a plurality of base interconnects 136 which are operative with corresponding ones of a plurality of dock interconnects 126 of the base unit 120, once again, such that the base unit 120 and the docking unit 130 of the docking assembly 110 may be removably attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner.
Further, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, at least one dock interconnect 126 comprises a magnetic material of construction. In such an embodiment, at least one corresponding base interconnect 136 may comprise a metallic material of construction. As will be appreciated, the magnetic material of the at least one dock interconnect 126 will be magnetically attracted towards the metallic material of construction of a corresponding base interconnect 136 when the dock interconnect 126 and the base interconnect 136 are disposed in operative alignments with one another. In one further embodiment, at least one dock interconnect 126 and at least one base interconnect 136 each comprise a magnetic material of construction. In yet another embodiment, at least one dock interconnect 126 and/or at least one base interconnect 136 comprise a magnet. As will be further appreciated, the at least one dock interconnect 126 and the at least one base interconnect 136 will be magnetically attracted toward one another when disposed in an operative alignment with one another. An operative alignment as used herein between one or more dock interconnects 126 and one or more base interconnects 136 is at least partially defined by an interconnecting magnetic force between the dock interconnect(s) 126 and the base interconnect(s) 136 sufficient to releasably secure the docking assembly 110 to the article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, such as is illustrated in
With reference once again to the illustrative embodiments of
Similarly, and with reference to the illustrative embodiments of
It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of dock interconnects 126 may present a common magnetic polarity, whether positive or negative, outwardly from an active base surface 124 of the base unit 120, while a plurality of base interconnects 136 may present a common but opposite magnetic polarity, once again, whether positive or negative, outwardly from an active docking surface 124 of the docking unit 130. As such, when the dock interconnects 126 on the base unit 120 are positioned in proximity to the base interconnects 136 on the docking unit 130, such as is shown best in
While as described herein as comprising magnetic materials and/or magnets themselves, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art the dock interconnect(s) 126 and base interconnect(s) 136 in accordance with the present invention may be operative utilizing other nondestructive attractive forces such as, by way of example only, electrical forces, electromagnetic forces, gravitational forces, molecular forces, etc.
Turning next to the illustrative embodiments of
As such, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention a display holder 142 comprises an at least partially transparent or translucent material of construction. More in particular, at least an outwardly facing surface of a display holder 142 comprises at least partially transparent or translucent material of construction such that a display item “DI” supported therein is visible there through. In one further embodiment, a display holder 142 is constructed of a rigid or semi-rigid non-magnetic material of construction such as, by way of example only, plastic, fiberglass, ceramic, rubber, engineered composite materials, etc., just to name a few.
A display holder 142 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention further comprises an access slot 146 disposed in communication with at least a portion of a display chamber 144. As shown best in the illustrative embodiment of
It is to be appreciated that in at least one embodiment, a display chamber 144 may comprise a substantially or completely sealed configuration having at least one display item “DI” supported therein such that it may be displayed in a visually prominent orientation.
As previously stated, in at least one embodiment a base unit 120 further comprises a display interconnect 128. As also previously noted, a docking unit 130 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises a docking aperture 138. As shown in the illustrative embodiments of
Turning next to the illustrative embodiment of
More in particular, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, at least one display interconnect 128 comprises a magnetic material of construction, and a corresponding docking interconnect 150 comprises a metallic material of construction. As will be appreciated, the magnetic material of the at least one display interconnect 128 will be magnetically attracted towards the metallic material of construction of a corresponding docking interconnect 150 when the display interconnect 128 and the docking interconnect 150 are disposed in an operative alignment with one another, such as is partially demonstrated in
As such, in at least one embodiment, an operative engagement of at least one docking interconnect 150 with at least one display interconnect 128 disposed on a base unit 120 of a docking assembly 110 occurs when the docking interconnect 150 of the display unit 140 is positioned proximate the docking aperture 138 of a docking unit 130, while the docking unit 130 is disposed in an operative alignment with a base unit 120 comprising a display interconnect 128. In one further embodiment, as used herein, an operative engagement of at least one docking interconnect 150 and at least one display interconnect 128 is at least partially defined by a docking magnetic force between the docking interconnect 150 and the display interconnect 128 sufficient to releasably attach the display unit 140 to the docking assembly 110, with a single hand, thereby disposing at least one display item “DI” in a visually prominent orientation.
With continued reference to
It will also be appreciated that in at least one further embodiment, a display alignment member 152 and a display alignment guide 154 may comprise complementary geometric configurations such that only one aligned configuration exists such as, by way of example only, complementary trapezoidal configurations. In still one further embodiment, a display alignment member 152 and a display alignment guide 154 may comprise complementary geometric configurations such that only a very limited number of aligned configurations exist, such as, by way of example only, complimentary rectangular, equilateral triangular, square, or hexagonal configurations.
As will be further appreciated, in an embodiment wherein the docking aperture 138 and the docking interconnect 150 each comprise a simple circular configuration, display holder 142 may be rotated a full 360 degrees in either direction, thereby disposing the display holder into any of a plurality of aligned configurations, as may be desired.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it is understood that any of the features presented in the embodiments may be integrated into any of the other embodiments unless explicitly stated otherwise. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/857,738 filed on Jun. 5, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4236331 | Mattson | Dec 1980 | A |
| 5067265 | Harms | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5283966 | Rader | Feb 1994 | A |
| 5369899 | Reeves | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5504976 | Reeves | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5740557 | Reid et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
| 6006455 | Miller | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6085393 | Tsui et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6175963 | Loeffelholz | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6260749 | Horovitz | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6282760 | Mars | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6339866 | French | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6446372 | Reeves | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| 6671986 | Reeves | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6684544 | Buettell | Feb 2004 | B1 |
| 7243377 | Ashy | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 8065825 | Peterson et al. | Nov 2011 | B2 |
| 8314672 | Fullerton et al. | Nov 2012 | B2 |
| 8453265 | Forte et al. | Jun 2013 | B2 |
| 8793846 | d'Auriac | Aug 2014 | B2 |
| 9105380 | Roberts et al. | Aug 2015 | B2 |
| 9339090 | Renegar | May 2016 | B1 |
| 9392848 | LeBlanc | Jul 2016 | B2 |
| 10165811 | O'Leary | Jan 2019 | B2 |
| 10575423 | DiMeglio | Feb 2020 | B2 |
| 20040237262 | Arnone | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20070186390 | Johnston | Aug 2007 | A1 |
| 20090044430 | Philpott | Feb 2009 | A1 |
| 20110047838 | Peterson | Mar 2011 | A1 |
| 20140044910 | Shi | Feb 2014 | A1 |
| 20140259298 | Esagoff | Sep 2014 | A1 |
| 20150223588 | DeNittis et al. | Aug 2015 | A1 |
| 20160120271 | Renegar | May 2016 | A1 |
| 20190096289 | Harkness | Mar 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62857738 | Jun 2019 | US |
