Embodiments of the presently-disclosed invention relate generally to prayer devices, such as a rosary, that may be releasably clipped onto an article and carried about such that a user may be able to recite one or more prayers throughout the course of the day regardless of location.
Prayer devices including beads have been used in many traditions to keep count of the repetitions of prayers, recitations, chants, and devotions. Such prayer devices have been used broadly by a multitude of historical religions in every age. For instance, the Roman Catholic Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer that begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. The Mysteries of the Roman Catholic Rosary center on the events of Christ's life. In this regard, there are four sets of Mysteries: (1) Joyful; (2) Sorrowful; (3) Glorious; and (4) Luminous. The repetition in the Roman Catholic Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words is intended to facilitate individuals to enter into the silence of their hearts, where Christ's spirit dwells.
More specifically, the five Joyful Mysteries are: The Annunciation; The Visitation; The Nativity; The Presentation in the Temple; and The Finding in the Temple. The five Sorrowful Mysteries are: The Agony in the Garden; The Scourging at the Pillar; The Crowning with Thorns; The Carrying of the Cross; and The Crucifixion and Death. The five Glorious Mysteries are: The Resurrection; The Ascension; The Descent of the Holy Spirit; The Assumption; and The Coronation of Mary. The five Luminous Mysteries are: The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan; The Wedding Feast at Cana; Jesus' Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God; The Transfiguration; and The Institution of the Eucharist.
When praying the Roman Catholic Rosary, one initially makes the Sign of the Cross followed by holding the Crucifix while saying the Apostles' Creed. On the first bead, the individual says an Our Father and recites one Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.
The individual will then say the Glory Be. For each of the five decades, the individual announces the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father. While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, the individual next says ten Hail Marys while meditating on the particular Mystery. After saying ten Then say Hail Marys the individual will say the Glory Be. After saying the five decades, an individual will say the Hail, Holy Queen.
The Apostles' Creed prayer is: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Our Father prayer is: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen
The Hail Mary prayer is: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Glory Be (The Doxology) prayer is: Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Hail Holy Queen (The Salve Regina) prayer is: Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
In this regard, prayer beads are a particularly important part of many individual's daily routines. However, traditional prayer devices are generally not configured to provide ease of use throughout the course of a given time period while a user may be traveling and/or changing accessories (e.g., purses, bags, etc.).
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for prayer devices, such as a rosary, that may be releasably clipped onto a variety of articles and carried about such that a user may be able to recite one or more prayers throughout the course of a given time period regardless of location and/or changing of accessories (e.g., purses, bags, etc.) during the given time period.
One or more embodiments of the invention may address one or more of the aforementioned problems. Certain embodiments according to the invention provide prayer devices that may be clipped onto an article, such a personal article, and carried about by a user. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the prayer device may be releasably clipped onto a personal article (e.g., a purse) and easily transported along with the user throughout the day. In this regard, the prayer device may be detached from the personal article at any desired time for facilitating the recitation of one or more prayers. Moreover, the attachability/detachability of the prayer devices enable a user to conveniently attach the prayer device to different articles throughout a period of time (e.g., a morning, afternoon, day, weekend, etc.). For example, an individual may utilize several different purses or bags (e.g., backpack, gym bag, etc.) throughout a given time period (e.g., a morning, afternoon, day, weekend, etc.) and the prayer device may be easily switched from one item to the next via, for example, the attaching/detaching feature (as discussed herein) of the prayer device. The prayer devices, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, facilitate easy and/or convenient tracking, locating, and/or transferring of the prayer device throughout a time period, such as a time period in which more than one personal article (e.g., purse, bag, etc.) is used or carried by an individual wishing to retain custody of a prayer device throughout this time period. In this regard, the prayer device may actually facilitate an increased frequency of reciting one or more prayers. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, for instance, the prayer devices comprise a multi-point connector comprising a first-connecting-structure and a second-connecting-structure. The prayer devices may also comprise a hoop-component including a first end and a second end, in which the first-connecting-structure may be configured to releasably or permanently engage the first end of the hoop-component and the second-connecting-structure may be configured to releasably engage the second end of the hoop-component. The prayer devices may also include at least one bead directly or indirectly mounted, such as slidably mounted, on the hoop-component.
The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and wherein:
The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The presently-disclosed invention relates generally to prayer devices that may be readily and removably clipped onto a variety of inanimate objects (e.g., personal articles including bags, appliances, automobiles, clothes, etc.) and easily transported along with the user throughout a given time period (e.g., a portion of a day, a weekend, a week, etc.). In this regard, the prayer device may be detached from the inanimate object at any time desired for facilitating the recitation of one or more prayers. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, for instance, the prayer devices may comprise a multi-point connector comprising a first-connecting-structure and a second-connecting-structure. The prayer devices may also comprise a hoop-component (e.g., integral with the multi-point connector or a separate and distinctly different material or component from the multi-point connector) comprising a first end and a second end, in which the first-connecting-structure may be configured to releasably or permanently engage the first end of the hoop-component and the second-connecting-structure may configured to releasably engage the second end of the hoop-component. In this regard, the second end of the hoop-component may be engaged and/or disengaged with the second-connecting-structure to provide the hoop-component of the prayer device in an open-state (e.g., when the second end of the hoop-component is disengaged with the second-connecting-structure) or in a closed-state (e.g., when the second end of the hoop-component is engaged with the second-connecting-structure). In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, for example, this feature provides at least one aspect of “clipping” or “clippable” functionality to the prayer devices. The prayer devices may also comprise at least one bead (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, etc.) directly or indirectly mounted, such as slidably mounted, on the hoop-component. For example the bead or beads may each comprise a conduit or though-channel extending through at least a portion (e.g., completely through one dimension of the bead) of the bead in question. In this regard, the conduit or though-channel may be configured such that the hoop-component may be passed through the conduit or through-channel to support the bead or beads on the hoop-component.
As shown in
In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the first-connecting-structure 12 may comprise a first-female attachment structure being configured to receive the first end 52 of the hoop-component. The first-connecting-structure 12, for example, may be configured to permanently engage the first end 52 of the hoop-component, particularly in comparison to the first-connecting-structure 22. For example, the first-connecting-structure 12 may be configured to permanently engage the first end 52 of the hoop-component via (i) one or more crimps 14 forming an inwardly deformed portion of the first-connecting structure configured to mechanically engage and compress the first end of the hoop-component defining a corresponding deformed portion of the first end of the hoop-component; (ii) adhesive disposed between the first-connecting-structure and the first end of the hoop-component; (iii) a soldered portion between the first-connecting-structure and the first end of the hoop-component; or (iv) any combination thereof. In this regard,
In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the first-connecting-structure 12, the second-connecting-structure 22, or both may comprise a conduit or trough configured to receive the corresponding end of the hoop-component.
Although the figures have illustrated embodiments that include a multi-point connector including a first-connecting-structure and a second-connecting-structure that comprise female-attachment structures, certain embodiments of the invention may comprise a multi-point connector in which (i) the first-connecting-structure comprises a first-male attachment structure being configured to be received within a first corresponding female portion of the hoop-component or a first-coupling component configured to receive the first-male attachment structure and the first end of the hoop-component and/or (ii) the second-connecting-structure comprises a second-male attachment structure being configured to be received within a second corresponding female portion of the hoop-component or a second-coupling component configured to receive the second-male attachment structure and the second end of the hoop-component.
As shown in
In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the hoop-component may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid wire. For example, the hoop-component in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention may not be freely flexible in a manner similar to that of a string. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, for instance, the hoop-component may maintain a substantially identical or unchanged configuration upon rotation in any direction. To the contrary, a sting would change shape/orientation when rotated about one or more dimensions. The hoop-component, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, may comprises a metallic material, such as a pliable metallic material. In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, the hoop-component may comprise one or more polymers.
In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention and as illustrated in
These and other modifications and variations to the invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and it is not intended to limit the invention as further described in such appended claims. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the exemplary description of the versions contained herein.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/642,266, filed on Mar. 13, 2018, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20040144131 | Enevoldsen | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20130305782 | Butler | Nov 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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WO 2017098761 | Jun 2017 | WO |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190281933 A1 | Sep 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62642266 | Mar 2018 | US |