Patent Application
20240415220
The disclosure relates to novelty accessory display apparatus and more particularly pertains to a new novelty accessory display apparatus for simulating ears on a body worn article.
The prior art describes myriad devices which display accessories on a body worn article which simulate ears, antlers, horns, or the like. However, the prior art does not disclose such a device in which the accessories simulate ears and have a base surface which abuts an exterior surface of the body worn article. Such a device better simulates ears protruding out of the body worn article while obscuring the connector which attaches the accessories to the body worn article.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a body worn article and a pair of accessories being releasably coupled to the body worn article. Each accessory of the pair of accessories has a base surface abutting an exterior surface of the body worn article and a peripheral edge extending between opposite ends of the base surface. Each accessory of the pair of accessories has a front surface and a rear surface, each of which is bound by the base surface and the peripheral edge. Each accessory of the pair of accessories has a shape configured to simulate an ear, and the front surfaces of each accessory of the pair of accessories are aligned with each other and face a same direction. Each connector of a pair of connectors is coupled to the body worn article and an associated one of the pair of accessories to releasably couple the associated accessory to the body worn article.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure 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 additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each accessory 14 of the pair of accessories 14 has a shape configured to simulate an ear. Each indicia 30 of a pair of indicia 30 is coupled to the front surface 22 of an associated one of the pair of accessories 14 to indicate and simulate a front side of the ear. The shape is configured to simulate a bunny ear. The shape of each accessory 14 also may be shaped to simulate another animal ear such as, for example, a mouse ear, a bat ear, an elephant ear, or the like.
Each one of a pair of connectors 32 is coupled to the body worn article 12 and an associated one of the pair of accessories 14. Each connector 32 releasably couples the associated accessory 14 to the body worn article 12. Each connector 32 of the pair of connectors 32 comprises a first mating member 34 coupled to the body worn article 12 and a second mating member 46 coupled to the associated accessory 14. The first mating member 34 may be embedded in or integrally formed with the body worn article 12. The first mating member 34 comprises a panel 36 having a slot 38 extending therethrough which is elongated between a pair of ends 40 thereof. Each end 40 of the pair of ends 40 of the slot 38 is rounded. The second mating member 46 is receivable through the slot 38 and rotatable under the slot 38 to engage an interior surface 42 of the panel 36 with a snap connection.
The second mating member 46 comprises an extension member 48, a cross member 50, and a pair of protrusions 52. The extension member 48 is coupled to and extends away from the base surface 16 of the associated accessory 14. The cross member 50 is coupled to the extension member 48 and spaced from the base surface 16. The cross member 50 is also complementary in shape to the slot 38. The pair of protrusions 52 is coupled to the cross member 50 and extend toward the base surface 16. The first mating member 34 has a pair of recesses 44 extending into the interior surface 42 which are arranged along a line extending transversely to the slot 38. Each recess 44 of the pair of recesses 44 engages an associated one of the pair of protrusions 52 of the second mating member 46 with the snap connection. The connectors 32 also may comprise magnetic fasteners, hook-and-loop fasteners, snap buttons, zippers, or the like.
In a first embodiment, the body worn article 12 comprises a headband 54 having an inverted U-shape. The pair of accessories 14 is positioned on a top side 56 of the headband 54, and the accessories 14 are spaced from each other across a center 58 of the top side 56.
In a second embodiment, the body worn article 12 comprises a baseball cap 60 having a crown 62 and a visor 64. The visor 64 is coupled to and extends away from a front side 66 of the crown 62. The pair of accessories 14 is positioned on an upper side 68 of the crown 62, and the accessories 14 are spaced from each other across a center 70 of the upper side 68. The front surfaces 22 of the pair of accessories 14 face forwardly from the baseball cap 60.
In a third embodiment, the body worn article 12 comprises a beanie 72 having a dome portion 74 and a brim 76 coupled to a lower edge 78 of the dome portion 74. The pair of accessories 14 is positioned on an upper surface 80 of the dome portion 74, and the accessories 14 are positioned opposite each other across a center 82 of the upper surface 80.
In a fourth embodiment, the body worn article 12 comprises a backpack 84 with a body 86 and a pair of shoulder straps 98. The body 86 has a front side 88, a rear side 90, a top side 92, a bottom side 94, and a pair of lateral sides 96. The pair of shoulder straps 98 is coupled to the rear side 90, and the shoulder straps 98 are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the body 86. The pair of accessories 14 is positioned on the front side 88, and the accessories 14 are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the body 86. The front surfaces 22 of the pair of accessories 14 face upwardly with respect to the body 86.
In use, the accessories 14 are alternately connected and disconnected to the body worn article 12 as desired to selectively display the accessories 14. In embodiments with interchangeable sets of accessories 14, different accessories 14 may be displayed as desired.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
