ORNAMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an ornament tool, and particularly to an ornament tool attachable to a human head.

BACKGROUND ART

Ear accessories such as earrings and pierced earrings are ornament tools attached to an external ear, particularly an earlobe to fulfill their ornament function. Typically, a pierced earring is attached to an earlobe through a piercing in the earlobe, whereas an earring is attached to an earlobe by holding the earlobe from both sides with a fixing portion of the earring.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem

Solutions to Problem

The present inventors have developed an ornament tool as a result of earnest research. According to one aspect, an ornament tool of the present disclosure includes: an ornament body that includes an ornament member and a hanging member; and a hair clamping body that includes one or more ornament body mounting portions to which the hanging member is mountable. According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a hair clamping body including a plurality of ornament body mounting portions.

Hence, the present disclosure provides the following.

(Item 1)

An ornament tool including:

- (1) an ornament body that includes an ornament member and a hanging member; and
- (2) a hair clamping body that includes one or more ornament body mounting portions to which the hanging member is mountable,
- in which the hair clamping body is configured to be attachable to a head.

(Item 2)

The ornament tool as recited in the foregoing item, in which

- the hair clamping body includes a plurality of the ornament body mounting portions, and
- the ornament body is mounted to a selected one of the plurality of the ornament body mounting portions.

(Item 3)

The ornament tool as recited in any of the foregoing items, in which

- the hanging member has a length that is equal to or more than about 3 cm.

(Item 4)

The ornament tool as recited in any of the foregoing items, in which

- the hair clamping body includes two hair holding members,
- the hair clamping body has a first end where the two hair holding members are joined together and a second end where the two hair holding members are open, and
- the one or more ornament body mounting portions are located closer to the first end than to the second end of the hair clamping body.

(Item 5)

The ornament tool as recited in any of the foregoing items, in which

- the hair clamping body is a hair clip.

(Item 6)

A hair clamping body for use in the ornament tool as recited in any of the foregoing items,

- the hair clamping body including a plurality of ornament body mounting portions configured such that the hanging member of the ornament tool is mountable,
- the hair clamping body being configured to be attachable to a head.

In the present disclosure, it is intended that the foregoing one or more features may be provided by other combinations in addition to the specified combinations. A person skilled in the art will recognize further embodiments and advantages of the present disclosure by reading and understanding the following specific description.

Advantageous Effect of Invention

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain an ornament tool having an ornament property similar to that of an ear accessory although a burden to be laid on a user is reduced. Such an ornament tool may be suitable especially for children.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an ornament tool according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a hair clamping body of the ornament tool illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d) illustrate other configurations of an ornament body mounting portion of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) each illustrate a state in which the ornament tool according to the present disclosure is attached as a pseudo ear accessory to a wearer.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) illustrate various use modes of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the best mode. It should be understood that a singular expression in the present specification also involves the plural concept unless otherwise specified. Therefore, it should be understood that the article of a singular noun (e.g., “a”, “an”, “the”, etc. in English) also involves the plural concept unless otherwise specified. In addition, it should be understood that terms in the present specification are used in the meanings to be used generally in the art unless otherwise specified. Accordingly, all the technical and scientific terms used in the present specification have the same meanings as those to be typically understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined. If there is an inconsistency, the present specification (including the definitions) is prioritized.

In the present specification, the term “about” refers to a range of ±10% with respect to a designated value unless otherwise particularly defined.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. It is understood that the following embodiments are presented for a better understanding of the present disclosure; therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the following description. Accordingly, it is clear that a person skilled in the art is able to appropriately make modifications within the scope of the present disclosure in view of the description in the present specification. In addition, it is understood that the following embodiments of the present disclosure can be used alone or in combination.

Children sometimes think about wanting to wear an ear accessory such as a pierced earring because of, for example, longing for adults. However, the present inventor has found a problem of existing ear accessories attachable to an earlobe as described above that these ear accessories each lay a burden on users and therefore are unsuitable especially for children. The present inventor has conducted various studies in order to solve this problem and, as a result, has devised a novel ornament tool capable of solving the problem. According to the present invention to be described below, unlike the conventional art, an ear accessory attachable to an earlobe or an ear is placed near an ear with a hair clamping body, thereby producing its ornament effect. It is generally difficult for children to wear existing ear accessories. However, children usually use hair clamping bodies, such as a hairpin to be attached to hair by holding the hair from both sides and a hair elastic to be attached to hair by tying the hair, and understand how to use the hair clamping bodies. Hence, the present inventor has paid attention to this respect and has devised an ornament tool by which an ornament body can be safely fixed to a user with a hair clamping body attachable to his/her head. According to this ornament tool, the ornament body can be placed around an ear by hanging the ornament body from a head. This ornament tool eliminates a necessity to pierce an earlobe and also eliminates a necessity to press the earlobe; therefore, even a child is able to easily wear this ornament tool. In addition, this ornament tool enables reduction in possibility of direct contact with the skin of a wearer. Therefore, this ornament tool has an advantage that it is wearable even for target persons (all ages including children) who preferably avoid direct contact of their skins with metal, for example, persons who are allergic to metal. In wearing or removing a face mask, further, ear accessories such as pierced earrings and earrings attachable to an ear interfere with the face mask, making a wearer annoying. On the other hand, this ornament tool is not attached to an ear and therefore has an advantage that it does not interfere with a face mask. In addition to a face mask, also in a case of an earphone or the like puttable on an ear, this ornament tool has an advantage that it does not interfere with the earphone or the like in putting on or taking off the earphone or the like.

According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides an ornament tool. This ornament tool includes an ornament body and a hair clamping body. The hair clamping body may be a given body that is attachable to a human head while keeping hold of the ornament body. For example, the hair clamping body may be attached to the entire head (e.g., along the cranial surface) or may be attached to part of the hair. In a case where the hair clamping body is configured to be attachable to the entire head, there is a possibility that the configuration of the hair clamping body limits a person who is able to wear this ornament tool and/or there may be a possibility that the ornament body is lower in external visibility than the hair clamping body in this ornament tool and this ornament tool is less likely to produce a desired ornament effect. In view of this, in order that the wearer can choose a variety of modes (e.g., an attaching position, an attaching direction, etc.) in attaching the hair clamping body to the head, in consideration of, for example, the length of the hair, the volume of the hair, the hairstyle in attaching the hair clamping body, the comfort in attaching the hair clamping body, and the ornament effect of the hair clamping body (in a case where the hair clamping body also produces an ornament effect), preferably, the hair clamping body is attached to part of the hair of the head of the wearer. For example, the hair clamping body is attachable to the hair by holding the hair from both sides with the hair clamping body, tying the hair with the hair clamping body, inserting the hair into the hair clamping body, or gluing the hair to the hair clamping body. Preferably, the hair clamping body may be configured to be attachable to the hair by holding the hair from both sides or tying the hair such that the hair clamping body is detachable with ease and is attachable to the hair with reliability. Most preferably, the hair clamping body may be configured to be attachable to the hair by holding the hair from both sides in order not to significantly affect the entire hairstyle and to make the hair clamping body hard to visually recognize externally. However, in a case where the hair clamping body itself has an ornament property, it is not necessary to make the hair clamping body hard to visually recognize externally.

The hair clamping body may be a given body attachable to a human head as described above. Examples of the hair clamping body may include a hair holding body such as a hair clip (e.g., a snap clip, a hair clamp, a claw clip, a barrette) or a hairpin (e.g., a bobby pin, a straight bobby pin, a willow-shaped hairpin), a hair tying body such as a hair elastic (e.g., a hair tie, a braid hair tie, a spiral hair tie, a hair cuff, a scrunchie), a hair gluing body such as a seal, a body to be inserted into a bundle of hair, such as a hair comb (e.g., a twin comb, a comb, an ornamental comb) or an ornamental hairpin, and the like. As described above, the hair clamping body is preferably a hair holding body, and particularly preferably a hair clip having a sufficient area for arrangement of a plurality of ornament body mounting portions to be described later. Further, in order to reduce the weight of the hair clamping body that may press the root of the hair to which the hair clamping body has been attached, preferably, the hair clamping body is relatively light in weight. Therefore, the hair clamping body may be a snap clip that can be formed of a relatively small number of parts.

In one embodiment, the hair clamping body may include two hair holding members, and the hair clamping body may have a first end where the two hair holding members are joined together and a second end where the two hair holding members are open. In this case, the two hair holding members may be movable with respect to each other starting from the first end, and may be brought into contact with and separated from each other at the second end. According to this configuration, in attaching the hair clamping body to the hair, the wearer separates the two hair holding members from each other at the second end, and places the hair between the two hair holding members. The wearer then brings the two hair holding members into contact with each other at the second end, thereby holding the hair between the two hair holding members. The hair clamping body is thus fixed to the hair of the wearer.

In one embodiment, the hair clamping body may include one or more ornament body mounting portions to which the ornament body is mountable. The ornament body mounting portion may be configured to keep hold of the ornament body and to restrict the movement of the ornament body relative to the hair clamping body. In one embodiment, a hanging member (to be described later) of the ornament body may be mounted to the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body, and the ornament body may be hung from the ornament body mounting portion. The ornament body mounting portion may have a given structure to which the ornament body is mounted and that may restrict the movement of the ornament body relative to the hair clamping body. Examples of the ornament body mounting portion may include a hole, a recess, a cutout, a protrusion, a magnet, a rail, and the like.

Preferably, the hair clamping body may include a plurality of ornament body mounting portions. In this case, one ornament body may be mounted to one or at least two of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions. Alternatively, a plurality of ornament bodies may be respectively mounted to the plurality of ornament body mounting portions. In a case where one ornament body is mounted to a selected one of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions, the weight of the ornament body is reduced, so that a burden to be laid on the head of the wearer (e.g., pressure applied to the root of the hair) can be reduced. In a case where one ornament body is mounted to at least two of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions, the hanging member may be mounted to the hair clamping body more reliably and, moreover, the shape of the hanging member, when being mounted to the ornament body mounting portions, may present additional aesthetic appearance. In a case where a plurality of ornament bodies are respectively mounted to the plurality of ornament body mounting portions, a given combination of the plurality of ornament bodies is capable of producing an additional ornament effect. Since the hair clamping body includes the plurality of ornament body mounting portions, the wearer is able to finely adjust how the ornament body looks when the wearer is viewed from the front, without changing the position of the attached hair clamping body. The ornament tool according to the present disclosure is thus capable of producing an ornament effect closer to that of an existing ear accessory.

The one or more ornament body mounting portions may be arranged at a given position in the hair clamping body. The ornament body mounting portions may be arranged throughout the hair clamping body or may be arranged in a partial region of the hair clamping body. In the case where the hair clamping body includes the two hair holding members as described above, preferably, the one or more ornament body mounting portions are located closer to the first end than to the second end of the hair clamping body. According to this configuration, the hair clamping body attached to the hair may become further stabilized with regard to the weight of the ornament body. In attaching the hair clamping body near the ear, typically, the wearer may attach the second end of the hair clamping body from the front to rear of the head with the hair placed between the two hair holding members. Therefore, the ornament body can be placed closer to the vicinity of the ear since the one or more ornament body mounting portions are located closer to the first end than to the second end of the hair clamping body. According to this configuration, the ornament tool may present an ornament property similar to that of an existing ear accessory.

The ornament tool of the present disclosure may also include a plurality of hair clamping bodies in order to disperse pressure applied to the head and in order to prevent the hair clamping body from being detached from the head of the wearer due to the weight of the ornament body mounted to the hair clamping body. A given arrangement may be employed for the plurality of hair clamping bodies. For example, the plurality of hair clamping bodies may be arranged in parallel with each other. Alternatively, the plurality of hair clamping bodies may be arranged so as not to be in parallel with each other. Preferably, the plurality of hair clamping bodies may be configured such that their insertion direction axes do not extend in parallel with each other. The hair clamping bodies thus may be fixed to the head more reliably. The plurality of hair clamping bodies may also be configured to have a changeable angle formed by two of the insertion direction axes in order to make the positions, directions, and the like of the respective hair clamping bodies changeable in accordance with the positions, directions, and the like of the hair clamping bodies attached to the head.

The ornament body may be a given body that makes a viewer feel aesthetic. In one embodiment, the ornament body may include an ornament member and a hanging member. The ornament member may be a given member that makes a viewer feel aesthetic. Examples of the ornament member may include jewelry, metal, wood, resin, and the like. The ornament member may be made of a relatively lightweight material such as resin in order to reduce the weight of the ornament member that may lay a burden on the head.

The hanging member may be a given member that causes the ornament member to hang from the hair clamping body and keeps hold of the ornament member. Examples of the hanging member may include a thread, a chain, a wire, and the like. The hanging member may be removably mounted to the ornament body mounting portion. Alternatively, the hair clamping body and the ornament body may be integrated with each other such that the hanging member cannot be removed from the ornament body mounting portion. Preferably, one of or both the ornament body mounting portion and the hanging member have a removable mechanism in order to allow the hanging member 140 to be selectively mounted to and removed from one of or at least two of the one or more ornament body mounting portions. In one embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a hole and the hanging member includes a hook portion that serves as the removable mechanism and can be inserted through the hole such that the wearer is able to easily mount and remove the hanging member to and from the ornament body mounting portion with one hand. In another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a hook disposed on one surface of the hair clamping body and the hanging member includes a ring portion that can be caught on the hook. According to this configuration, the wearer does not feel uncomfortable owing to the hanging member passing the back side of the hair clamping body (the surface of the hair clamping body brought into contact with the scalp side) in attaching the hair clamping body to the head. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body and the hanging member may include magnets that attract each other. According to this configuration, when the wearer brings the magnet of the hanging member close to the magnet of the ornament body mounting portion, the magnets attract each other by magnetic force to complete mounting of the hanging member. Therefore, the wearer is able to mount the hanging member to the ornament body mounting portion more easily. In another embodiment, preferably, the hanging member has a loop shape and the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is an openable and closable member having an ornament property and capable of keeping hold of the hanging member by holding the loop shape of the hanging member from both sides. According to this embodiment, the hair clamping body is also capable of producing an ornament effect by the ornament property of the openable and closable member. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a button having an ornament property and the hanging member includes a fastening portion that can be fastened to the button. In this case, the hanging member can be mounted to the ornament body mounting portion by daily operation of fastening a button. Therefore, even a child is able to easily mount the hanging member. In addition, the hair clamping body is also capable of producing an ornament effect by the ornament property of the button. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion is formed as a cutout portion on the hair holding member, the hanging member is a thread or a wire whose two ends can be coupled together or are openable, the two ends of the hanging member are opened, the hanging member is passed through the cutout portion, the two ends of the hanging member are coupled together to form a loop shape, and the hanging member is thus mounted to the hair clamping body. According to this configuration, the weight of the hair clamping body can be reduced.

The hanging member of the ornament body may have a given length. For example, the length of the hanging member may be determined depending on a position of the hair clamping body attached to the wearer and/or a desired position of the ornament member relative to the wearer. Preferably, the hanging member has a length that is equal to or more than about 3 cm such that the ornament tool is capable of presenting an ornament property similar to that of an ear accessory in such a manner that the ornament member appears below the lower end of the ear of the wearer when the hair clamping body is attached behind or above the ear. More preferably, the hanging member may have a length from about 3 to 10 cm such that the ornament member may appear about 0.5 to about 3.5 cm below the lower end of the ear of the wearer when the hair clamping body is attached behind or above the ear. According to this configuration, the ornament tool may present an ornament property similar to that of an existing ear accessory.

According to another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a hair clamping body. The hair clamping body is similar to the hair clamping body of the foregoing ornament tool, and may be configured such that a given ornament body is mountable.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the present disclosure, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings; however, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of an ornament tool according to the present disclosure. An ornament tool 100 according to the present embodiment includes a hair clamping body 110 and an ornament body 130. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the hair clamping body 110 is a snap clip-type hair clamp that includes a first hair holding member 112a and a second hair holding member 112b, and further includes five ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115d arranged on the first hair holding member 112a. However, the hair clamping body 110 may be a given hair holding body such as one described above, and may include any number of hair holding members and any number of ornament body mounting portions. The ornament body 130 includes a hanging member 140 and an ornament member 150.

The hair clamping body 110 is configured to hold a bundle of hair between the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b. Each of the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b may be an elastic thin piece. Examples of a material for the thin piece may include metal (e.g., light metal, spring steel, soft iron), resin (e.g., elastomer, polypropylene, FRP), and a natural material. The hair clamping body 110 has a first end 113 where the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b are joined together and a second end 114 where the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b are open. The hair clamping body 110 is opened and/or closed in such a manner that the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b are separated from and/or brought into contact with each other at the second end 114. Each of the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b may have two stationary states in which each of the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b is warped at its entire length. The first hair holding member 112a may have a first stationary state 121a and a second stationary state 122a. The second hair holding member 112b may have a first stationary state 121b and a second stationary state 122b. In addition, the hair clamping body 110 may be configured such that the first hair holding member 112a in the first stationary state 121a is equal in radius of curvature to the second hair holding member 112b in the first stationary state 121b, and the first hair holding member 112a in the second stationary state 122a is equal in radius of curvature to the second hair holding member 112b in the second stationary state 122b.

Each of the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b may become deformed between the corresponding two stationary states starting from the first end 113. FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the hair clamping body 110. In FIG. 2, the first hair holding member 112a is in the first stationary state 121a in which the first hair holding member 112a is warped upward while the second hair holding member 112b is in the second stationary state 122b in which the second hair holding member 112b is warped downward, so that the two hair holding members are separated from each other. The hair clamping body 110 is thus opened at the second end 114. In attaching the hair clamping body 110 to the hair of the wearer, the hair clamping body 110 is opened at the second end 114, and is moved on the head in an insertion direction 101, so that the hair is placed in a space 116 between the first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b. In the state in which the hair is placed in the space 116, the first hair holding member 112a is pushed downward in a deformation direction 102 to be brought into the second stationary state 122a or the second hair holding member 112b is pushed upward in a deformation direction 102′ to be brought into the first stationary state 121b, so that the space 116 is decreased. The first hair holding member 112a and the second hair holding member 112b are then brought into contact with each other with the hair held therebetween. The hair clamping body 110 thus holds the hair from both sides.

The holding mechanism of the hair clamping body 110 is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the hair clamping body 110 may include two elastic hair holding members, and the two hair holding members may have a single stationary state in which the two hair holding members are in contact with each other. In another embodiment, the hair clamping body 110 may include two hard hair holding members, and the two hair holding members may be hinge-mounted to each other at one end of the hair clamping body 110 and may be configured to be openable and closable at the other end of the hair clamping body 110.

The hanging member 140 of the ornament body 130 is mounted to at least one of the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e of the hair clamping body 110. In FIG. 1, the hanging member 140 is mounted to the ornament body mounting portion 115c. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e is configured to restrict the movement of the hanging member 140 (and accordingly the ornament body 130), particularly the movement of the hanging member 140 in the insertion directions 101-101′. In the example of FIG. 1, each of the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e is a circular hole provided on the first hair holding member 112a. For example, the hole may have a diameter that is twice a diameter of a section of the hanging member 140. As a result, the movement of the hanging member 140 in the insertion direction 101 may be restricted to a distance that is equal to or less than twice the diameter of the hanging member. The hole may have an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, or the like in addition to the circular shape. It should be noted that the ornament body mounting portion is not necessarily a hole and may be, for example, a protrusion, a hook, a recess, a cutout, a magnet, or the like. In one embodiment, the ornament body mounting portion may be a hole, a recess, or a cutout capable of reducing the weight of the hair clamping body in order to reduce a burden to be laid on the root of the hair.

In FIG. 1, the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e are arranged on the surface of the first hair holding member 112a; however, the arrangement of the ornament body mounting portions is not limited thereto. Some of or all the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e may be arranged on the surface of the second hair holding member 112b. The ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e illustrated in FIG. 1 are located closer to the first end 113 than to the second end 114, so that the weight of the ornament body 130 acts on the first end 113. Some of or all the ornament body mounting portions may be located closer to the second end 114 than to the first end 113. However, if the weight of the ornament body 130 acts on the second end 114, there is a possibility that the hair clamping body 110 is opened at the second end 114 due to the weight of the ornament body 130 and is unintentionally detached from the hair of the wearer. For this reason, preferably, the ornament body mounting portions are arranged on the hair clamping body 110 at a position near the first end 113 (i.e., a position at which a distance between the ornament body mounting portions and the first end 113 is shorter than a distance between the ornament body mounting portions and the second end 114).

The ornament body mounting portions may be configured and arranged in various manners. FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d) each illustrate another configuration and arrangement of the ornament body mounting portions of the ornament tool of the present disclosure. A hair clamping body 310 illustrated in FIG. 3(a) includes three ornament body mounting portions 315a, 315b, and 315c. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315a, 315b, and 315c is a circular hook that protrudes from a surface of the hair clamping body 310. The wearer mounts an ornament body to the hair clamping body 310 by putting a hanging member on the circular hook through a break of the circular hook. The ornament body mounting portion 315a is located closer to a first end 313 of the hair clamping body 310 than to a second end 314 of the hair clamping body 310. The ornament body mounting portion 315b is located substantially equidistantly between the first end 313 and the second end 314 of the hair clamping body 310. The ornament body mounting portion 315c is located near the first end 313 of the hair clamping body 310. The hanging member may be mounted to any of the three ornament body mounting portions to be selected in accordance with a position where the wearer wants to put the ornament member.

A hair clamping body 310′ illustrated in FIG. 3(b) includes seven ornament body mounting portions 315′a to 315′g. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315′a to 315′g is a magnet embedded in a surface of the hair clamping body 310′. On the other hand, a hanging member 340′ to be mounted to the hair clamping body 310′ includes a hanging member distal end 344′ in which a magnet is embedded. For example, an N-pole magnet is used for each of the ornament body mounting portions 315′a to 315′g while an S-pole magnet is used for the hanging member distal end 344′ Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315′a to 315′g and the hanging member distal end 344′ are magnetically coupled together, so that the hanging member 340′ is mounted to the hair clamping body 310′. The ornament body mounting portions 315′a to 315′d are arranged at equal intervals on one side of the surface of the hair clamping body 310′, and the ornament body mounting portions 315′e to 315′g are arranged at equal intervals on the other side of the surface of the hair clamping body 310′.

FIG. 3(c) is an enlarged view of ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b of a hair clamping body 310″ and their surroundings. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b includes members that are coupled together in an openable and closable manner. FIG. 3(c) illustrates the ornament body mounting portion 315″a in a closed state and the ornament body mounting portion 315″b in an open state. An openable and closable mechanism of each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b may be a given mechanism capable of shifting from a closed state to an open state and capable of maintaining the closed state. For example, each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b may include a locking member disposed on a surface of the hair clamping body, and a turning member mounted to the locking member so as to be turnable on the locking member. In this case, when the turning member is pushed against the locking member with the turning member mated with the locking member, a locking mechanism of the locking member locks the turn of the turning member, so that each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b is brought into the “closed” state. In this “closed” state, when the turning member is pushed against the locking member, the turning member is disengaged from the locking mechanism of the locking member, so that each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b may be shifted to the “open” state by the resilient force of a spring or the like coupled between the two members. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b is configured to keep hold of a hanging member 340″ by allowing the hanging member 340″ to pass through a clearance between the members in the open state and then shifting to the closed state. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b may present an ornament property. For example, each of the ornament body mounting portions 315″a and 315″b may include an openable and closable member having a surface with an ornamental design (e.g., a flower, a star, a heart, etc.) as illustrated in FIG. 3(c) or each openable and closable member may have an ornamental shape.

FIG. 3(d) is an enlarged view of ornament body mounting portions 315′″a and 315′″b of a hair clamping body 310′″ and their surroundings. Each of the ornament body mounting portions 315′″a and 315″b is a button (a snap button) disposed on the hair clamping body 310′″. A hanging member 340′″ corresponding to the ornament body mounting portions 315′″a and 315′″b includes a fastening portion 344′″ at its end. The fastening portion 344′″ has a fastening hole 345′″. With regard to an ornament body 315″a, as illustrated in FIG. 3(d), the fastening portion 344′″ is fastened to the ornament body mounting portion through the fastening hole 345′″, so that the hanging member 340′″ is mounted to the ornament body mounting portion. Fastening a button is familiar operation which a child daily performs in, for example, wearing clothes. Therefore, even a child is able to easily mount the hanging member 340′″ to the hair clamping body 310′″. As illustrated in FIG. 3(d), moreover, each of the ornament body mounting portions 315′″a and 315′″b may have an ornamental shape such as a star shape or a heart shape. Therefore, each ornament body mounting portion itself may produce an ornament effect.

The hanging member 140 of the ornament body 130 is configured as follows. That is, the hanging member 140 is mounted to the ornament member 150 and at least one of the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e of the hair clamping body 110. In addition, the hanging member 140 hangs the ornament member 150 from the hair clamping body 110, and keeps hold of the ornament member 150. The hanging member 140 may be formed of a given material. Examples of the hanging member 140 may include a chain, a thread, a thin metal line, a wire, a hook, a carabiner, and the like. The hanging member 140 may have a given length that allows the ornament member 150 to be placed at a desired position. Preferably, the hanging member 140 has a length that is equal to or more than about 3 cm such that the ornament member 150 is located below the lower end of the ear when the wearer attaches the ornament tool 100 to the hair at the position where the hair clamping body 110 is located near the back of the ear. In one embodiment, the hanging member 140 may include a mechanism for changing the length. This mechanism allows the position of the ornament member 150 to be changeable without changing the position of the hair clamping body 110 attached to the wearer.

Also preferably, in the ornament tool 100 of the present embodiment, one of or both the plurality of ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e and the hanging member 140 have a removable mechanism in order to allow the hanging member 140 to be selectively mounted to and removed from one of or at least two of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e. In one embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a hole and the hanging member includes a hook that serves as the removable mechanism and can be inserted through the hole such that the wearer is able to easily mount and remove the hanging member to and from the ornament body mounting portion with one hand and the weight of the hair clamping body can be reduced. In the example of FIG. 1, the hanging member 140 includes at its end a hook portion 142 serving as the removable mechanism. The hanging member 140 is mounted to the hair clamping body 110 in such a manner that the hook portion 142 allows one end of the hanging member 140 to be inserted through any of the ornament body mounting portions 115a to 115e. In another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a hook disposed on one surface of the hair clamping body and the hanging member includes a ring portion that can be caught on the hook, as illustrated in FIG. 3(a). According to this configuration, the wearer does not feel uncomfortable owing to the hanging member passing the back side of the hair clamping body (the surface of the hair clamping body brought into contact with the scalp side) in attaching the hair clamping body to the hair. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body and the hanging member of the ornament body include magnets that attract each other, as illustrated in FIG. 3(b). According to this configuration, when the wearer brings the magnet of the hanging member close to the magnet of the ornament body mounting portion, the magnets attract each other by magnetic force to complete mounting of the hanging member. Therefore, the wearer is able to mount the hanging member to the ornament body mounting portion more easily. In another embodiment, preferably, the hanging member has a loop shape and the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is an openable and closable member having an ornament property and capable of keeping hold of the hanging member by holding the loop shape of the hanging member from both sides, as illustrated in FIG. 3(c). According to this embodiment, the hair clamping body is also capable of producing an ornament effect by the ornament property of the openable and closable member. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion of the hair clamping body is a button having an ornament property and the hanging member includes a fastening portion that can be fastened to the button, as illustrated in FIG. 3(d). In this case, the hanging member can be mounted to the ornament body mounting portion by daily operation of fastening a button. Therefore, even a child is able to easily mount the hanging member. In addition, the hair clamping body is also capable of producing an ornament effect by the ornament property of the button. In still another embodiment, preferably, the ornament body mounting portion is formed as a cutout portion on the hair holding member, the hanging member is a thread or a wire whose two ends can be coupled together or are openable, the two ends of the hanging member are opened, the hanging member is passed through the cutout portion, the two ends of the hanging member are coupled together to form a loop shape, and the hanging member is thus mounted to the hair clamping body. According to this configuration, the weight of the hair clamping body can be reduced.

The ornament member 150 may be a given member that makes a viewer feel aesthetic. In FIG. 1, the ornament member 150 is a resin broach that imitates a gem. The ornament member 150 includes a given mechanism mountable to the hanging member 140. The ornament member 150 is mounted to the hanging member 140 with this mechanism, so that the ornament member 150 can be hung from the hair clamping body 110. The mounting mechanism of the ornament member 150 may be similar to, for example, the foregoing ornament member mounting portion.

Of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions, which ornament body mounting portion the hanging member is mounted to may depend on a desired position of the ornament member and a position of the hair clamping body attached to the wearer. FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) each illustrate a state in which an ornament tool 400 is attached to the hair of the wearer. The ornament tool 400 is similar to the ornament tool 100 except that the ornament tool 400 includes three ornament body mounting portions 415a to 415c. In this example, desirably, an ornament member 450 is visually recognized as if it is an existing ear accessory when the wearer is viewed from the front. Therefore, desirably, a hair clamping body 410 is not visually recognized when the wearer is viewed from the front, a hanging member passes behind the ear 480, and the ornament member 450 is located vertically below the lower end of the ear 480. In order that the hair clamping body 410 is not visually recognized, first, the hair clamping body 410 is mounted behind the ear 480 in the example of FIG. 4(a), whereas the hair clamping body 410 is mounted above the ear 480 and is concealed by the hair in the example of FIG. 4(b). Next, in order that the hanging member passes behind the ear 480 and passes closer to the ear 480, a hanging member 440a is mounted to the ornament body mounting portion 415a in the example of FIG. 4(a), whereas a hanging member 440b is mounted to the ornament body mounting portion 415c in the example of FIG. 4(b). As described above, providing the plurality of ornament body mounting portions enables a fine adjustment to the arrangement of the hanging member and ornament member, and thereby enables a fine adjustment to how the ornament body looks when the wearer is viewed from the front, without changing the position of the attached hair clamping body. The hanging members 440a and 440b each have a length selected or adjusted such that the ornament member 450 is located vertically below the lower end of the ear 480 of the wearer.

In the ornament tool according to the present disclosure, the hanging member may be mounted to at least two of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions. In the example of FIG. 4(c), a hanging member 440c is mounted to the two ornament body mounting portions 415a and 415c. In this case, the hanging member 440c can be mounted to the hair clamping body 410 with reliability. For example, even in a case where the hanging member 440c is removed from one of the two ornament body mounting portions, the hanging member 440c is still mounted to the other ornament body mounting portion, which may prevent the ornament body from being completely removed from the hair clamping body. In the case where the hanging member is mounted to one of the ornament body mounting portions (e.g., FIG. 4(a), FIG. 4(b)), the hanging member may form a linear shape. On the other hand, in the case where the hanging member is mounted to two of the ornament body mounting portions as illustrated in FIG. 4(c), the hanging member may form a substantially triangular shape. According to this configuration, the ornament tool 400 is capable of newly presenting an aesthetic feeling based on the shape formed by the hanging member. For example, in the example of FIG. 4(c), the hanging member 440c is located on the hair of the wearer, so that the ornament tool 400 may present an ornament property as a hair accessory. The shape formed by the hanging member mounted to the plurality of ornament body mounting portions is not limited to the substantially triangular shape, but may be another given shape such as a substantially circular shape, a substantially quadrangular shape, a substantially heart shape, or a substantially star shape. Such a shape may depend on the configuration of the hanging member and the arrangement of the ornament body mounting portions on the hair clamping body. In addition, as compared with the case where the hanging member 440c is mounted to only the ornament body mounting portion 415a, in the case where the hanging member 440c is mounted to the two ornament body mounting portions 415a and 415c, a vertical distance from the hair clamping body 410 to the ornament member 450 becomes shorter while a horizontal distance from the ear 480 to the ornament member 450 becomes longer. As described above, even the same hanging member enables an adjustment to the position (e.g., a vertical position, a horizontal position) of the ornament member by changing the number of ornament body mounting portions to which the hanging member is mounted.

The ornament tool according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of ornament bodies. A hair clamping body 510 illustrated in FIG. 5(a) includes three ornament body mounting portions, and a hanging member 540a and a hanging member 540b are respectively mounted to two of the three ornament body mounting portions. The hanging members 540a and 540b are different in length from each other. Therefore, when the wearer wears the ornament tool, ornament members 550a and 550b are located away from each other in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the plurality of ornament members can be visually recognized when the wearer is viewed from the front. As a result, the ornament tool is capable of producing an ornament effect different from that produced in a case where one ornament body is mounted. The ornament member 550a may be equal to or different from the ornament member 550b. The size, color, shape, and material of each of the ornament members 550a and 550b are selectable in accordance with a desired ornament effect.

Further, the ornament tool according to the present disclosure may present another ornament property also by changing the position of the attached hair clamping body and the length of the hanging member. FIG. 5(b) illustrates a case where the ornament tool according to the present disclosure is used as a hair accessory. A hair clamping body 510′ is located farther from the ear than the hair clamping body 410 illustrated in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) is. A hanging member 540′ is sufficiently longer in length than the hanging members 440a and 440b, so that the position of an ornament member 550′ is much lower than the ear in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, the ornament member 550′ is located in the surrounding hair, so that the ornament tool is capable of presenting an ornament property as a hair accessory.

Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an ornament tool 600. The ornament tool 600 includes a first hair clamping body 610, a second hair clamping body 610′, and an ornament body 630. The first hair clamping body 610 includes a pair of hair holding members 612a and 612b. The second hair clamping body 610′ includes a pair of hair holding members 612′a and 612′b. The ornament tool 600 that includes the two hair clamping bodies is therefore attached to the wearer at the two locations. As a result, the ornament tool 600 may be more advantageous than the ornament tool 100 in a respect that the ornament tool 600 is capable of dispersing a burden to be laid on the root of the hair due to the weight of the ornament body and a respect that the ornament tool 600 can be attached to the hair more firmly.

The first hair clamping body 610 and the second hair clamping body 610′ may be configured to bear the weight of the ornament body 630 in cooperation with each other. For example, the first hair clamping body 610 and the second hair clamping body 610′ may be two separate hair clamping bodies that are integrated by coupling or formed integrally in a manufacturing process. In the ornament tool 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, two hair clamping bodies, each similar to the hair clamping body 110 illustrated in FIG. 1, are coupled together using a coupling member 626. In addition, the ornament tool 600 may employ any arrangement of the two hair clamping bodies. For example, two hair holding portions may be arranged side by side in parallel. Alternatively, two hair clamping bodies may be arranged so as to form an angle other than 0 degrees. Preferably, in order to avoid a situation in which the hair clamping body slides in one direction due to the weight of the ornament body 630 and is detached from the hair of the wearer, two hair clamping bodies are arranged to form an angle other than 0 degrees. In the example of FIG. 6, an insertion direction 601 of the first hair clamping body 610 and an insertion direction 601′ of the second hair clamping body 610′ are defined to form an angle α. The angle α may be a given angle other than 0 degrees. For example, the angle α may be 30 degrees, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees. In addition, the ornament tool 600 may include a mechanism that causes the two hair clamping bodies to pivot with respect to each other, and thus may change an angle formed by the insertion directions of the two hair clamping bodies. In the ornament tool 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, the two hair clamping bodies are hinge-mounted with the coupling member 626 so as to be pivotable about the coupling member 626. According to this configuration, the shape of the hair clamping body 600 is changeable in accordance with the hairstyle of the wearer, the flow of the hair, and the position of the attached hair clamping body 600.

The hair clamping body of the ornament tool 600 includes one or more ornament body mounting portions. FIG. 6 illustrates the ornament tool 600 in which both the first hair clamping body 610 and second hair clamping body 610′ include an ornament body mounting portion. Alternatively, one of the first hair clamping body 610 and the second hair clamping body 610′ may include an ornament body mounting portion. In addition, a space 628 defined at an overlapping portion between the two hair clamping bodies may be used as an ornament body mounting portion. Preferably, the hair clamping body includes a plurality of ornament body mounting portions, and a hanging member 640 is mounted to a selected one of the plurality of ornament body mounting portions. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the hair clamping body 610 of the ornament tool 600 includes 10 ornament body mounting portions, and the hanging member 640 is mounted to an ornament body mounting portion 615d selected from the 10 ornament body mounting portions. As described above, the hanging member 640 may be mounted to another ornament body mounting portion in accordance with a desired position of an ornament member 650.

The ornament body 630 includes the ornament member 650 and the hanging member 640 by which the ornament member 650 is mounted to the hair clamping body 610. The hanging member 640 illustrated in FIG. 6 is a loop-shaped thread. The hanging member 640 includes a mechanism for opening the loop shape. This mechanism is operated to open the loop shape, so that the hanging member 640 is mounted to the ornament body mounting portion. The ornament body 630 is similar to the foregoing ornament body 130; therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the ornament tool according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates an ornament tool 700. The ornament tool 700 includes a hair clamping body 710 and an ornament body 730.

The hair clamping body 710 is formed of a ring-shaped elastic material (e.g., rubber, elastomer, etc.). The hair clamping body 710 may have one stationary state and may be configured to extend circumferentially from the stationary state. In attaching the hair clamping body 710, the wearer circumferentially pulls the hair clamping body 710 in the stationary state in order to pass a bundle of the hair, which has a sectional area larger than an area surrounded by the hair clamping body, through the hair clamping body 710. The hair clamping body 710, through which the bundle of the hair has passed, returns circumferentially to the stationary state, thereby tying the bundle of the hair. The hair clamping body 710 can thus be fixed to the hair.

The hair clamping body 710 includes three ornament body mounting portions 715a to 715c, and a hanging member 740 of the ornament body 730 may be mounted to a selected one of the ornament body mounting portions. The ornament body mounting portion is similar in configuration to the foregoing ornament body mounting portion; therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The ornament body 730 includes the hanging member 740 and an ornament member 750. The ornament body 730 is similar in configuration to the foregoing ornament body; therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The hair clamping body 710 of the ornament tool 700, which is different from the hair clamping body 110 and the hair clamping body 610, is fixed to the hair by tying the hair. Therefore, a combination of the ornament tool with a hairstyle formed by tying hair (e.g., ponytail, pigtails, etc.) may produce an additional ornament effect. In addition, the hair clamping body 710 may be lighter in weight than the hair clamping body 110 and the hair clamping body 610, and is therefore capable of further reducing a burden to be laid on the root of the hair to which the hair clamping body is attached.

As described above, although the present invention has been exemplified using the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to these embodiments. It is understood that the scope of the present invention should be interpreted only by the claims. It is understood from the specific description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure that a person skilled in the art is able to implement the equivalent range on the basis of the description of the present disclosure and the common general technical knowledge. It is understood that the details of documents cited in the present specification should be incorporated by reference for the present specification as well as being specifically described in the present specification.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure is useful as providing a novel ornament tool having an ornament property similar to that of an ear accessory although a burden to be laid on a user is reduced.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

- ornament tool
- 101 insertion direction
- 102 deformation direction
- 110 hair clamping body
- 112
  a first hair holding member
- 112
  b second hair holding member
- 113 first end
- 114 second end
- 115
  a to 115e ornament body mounting portion
- 116 space
- 130 ornament body
- 140 hanging member
- 142 removable mechanism
- 150 ornament member

Information

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Date Filed

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Inventors

CPC

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Abstract

Description

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Priority Claims (1)

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