Patent Application
20110145971
Portions of this patent application include materials that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document itself, or of the patent application, as it appears in the files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever in such included copyrighted materials.
The present invention provides manufactures and methods related to visual displays, especially, visual displays attached to clothing or fashion accessories, such as shoes, belts, hats, and the like. More particularly, the present invention provides fastening systems for attaching such visual displays to clothing and fashion accessories.
The attachment of ornamentation to clothing and “accessories”, i.e., belts, shoes, hats, straps, bags, etc., to enhance the attractiveness of, or express an aesthetic or other statement by, the wearer has been practiced for millenia. In some cases, the ornamentation functions simply as a display; in other cases, the ornamentation also provide a securing or fastening function to bring two or more elements of clothing or accessories (or both) into fastened contact.
Generally, such ornamentation is either rotationally static, i.e., the ornamentation is intended to appear in a fixed rotational position once it's affixed to an article of clothing or an accessory, or it rotates freely about an axis that is usually perpendicular to the plane defined by the face of the ornament. Examples of the former include many buttons such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,415 to Fukuroi and U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,6465 to Janes. Examples of the latter include U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,573 to Silver, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,671 to Wells. Unfortunately, none of these approaches allows the wearer to select a particular rotation about a central axis, thus limiting the options for display. The present invention meets these and other needs.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides rotationally adjustable display device. In some embodiments, the device provided by the invention comprises a base plate that includes an interior face, an exterior face, and a channel extending through the interior and exterior faces. The device further comprises a locking disk that includes a flange, which flange includes an interior face, an exterior face, and a securing post extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom. The securing post is dimensioned to pass through the channel of the base plate. The device further includes a display element having an outer face and an inner face. A rotation selection post extending substantially perpendicularly from the inner face and has an outer surface including a series of facing surfaces and an inner channel dimensioned to accept and engage the securing post. The device further comprises a rotation selection plate including an interior face, an exterior face, and a aperture extending therethrough. The aperture of the rotation selection plate is dimensioned to receive the securing post and the rotation selection post and is further dimensioned such that the edges of the aperture engage the outer surfaces of the rotation selection post such that the display element is substantially rotationally secured when the rotation selection post is substantially engaged with the aperture and the edges of the aperture. Thus, the locking disk, the rotation plate, the display element, and the base plate are substantially immobilized when the securing post is engaged with the inner channel of the rotation selection post.
In some embodiments, the device further comprises at least one additional rotation selection plate.
In still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially hexagonal. In yet other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially pentagonal. In still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially square. In yet still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially trigonal.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an article of clothing, comprising the above-described display device. In more specific embodiments, the article of clothing is a piece of outerwear. In other more specific embodiments, the article of clothing is a belt or strap; and, in still more specific embodiments, footwear.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a display device comprising a display element having an outer face, an inner face, and an rotation selection post extending substantially perpendicularly from the inner face. The rotation selection post includes an outer surface including a series of facing surfaces. The device also comprises a rotation selection plate including an interior face, an exterior face, and a aperture extending therethrough, the aperture dimensioned to receive the rotation selection post and further dimensioned such that the edges of the aperture engage the outer surfaces of the rotation selection post such that the display element is substantially rotationally secured when the rotation selection post is substantially engaged with the aperture and the edges of the aperture, such that the display element is substantially immobilized when engaged with the rotation plate.
In some embodiments, the above-described display device further comprises at least one spacer.
In still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially hexagonal. In yet other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially pentagonal. In still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially square. In yet still other embodiments, the outer surface of the selection post is substantially trigonal.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an article of clothing, comprising the above-described display device. In more specific embodiments, the article of clothing is a piece of outerwear. In other more specific embodiments, the article of clothing is a belt or strap; and, in still more specific embodiments, footwear.
These and still more aspects and advantages will be apparent when the following Detailed Description is read in conjunction with the Drawings and Claims.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Returning to
In one embodiment, securing post 46 is dimensioned to traverse a channel or opening 66 defining an aperture 64 having an aperture surface 68, extending through base plate 62, all of which comprise a base 60, having an exterior surface 63, which exterior surface abuts interior surface 25 of support 22. In some embodiments, the aperture surface 68 is configured to engage with securing post 46 so that the latter can traverse aperture 64 when and advanced and rotated in a screwing motion. Securing post 46 also traverses an aperture 26 in support 22. Aperture 26 and its interior surface 28 are substantially identical to aperture 56 and surface 58 as described below. Base plate 62 can include one or more devices for preventing or limiting the rotation of base plate 62 relative to support 22, such as cleats or hooks, or base plate 62 can be integrated with support 22. Still more configurations for preventing or limiting such rotation will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. Base plate 62 is typically dimensioned to be covered by support 22, but it can be of similar or even larger dimensions if desired, and is made from materials that provide a desired degree of strength for supporting the elements of the invention and their interactions as described herein. The choice of suitable materials and the fabrication of base 60 will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
One embodiment of the invention includes an orientation selection element 50 that includes an orientation selection plate 52 having an exterior surface 58 and an interior surface 55 (see
In one embodiment, orientation selection post 34 is dimensioned such that the diameter of inner channel 37 is substantially identical to channel 66, thus requiring surface 38 to abut exterior face 63 as illustrated by the dashed lines in
Both
In some embodiments the spacer(s) are held to orientation plate 52 and each other (if more than one spacer is used) by the compression created when the securing post is engaged with the orientation selection post as described above. In other embodiments the spacer(s) are secured to the orientation plate by direct mechanism, such as, but not limited to, screws, pins, clips, magnetization and the like. Still more methods for securing the spacer(s) with the orientation selection plate will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. In still other embodiments, orientation selection plate is dimensioned to provide the effect produced by a combination of the orientation plate and one or more spacers. In still other embodiments including one or more spacers as just described, the general configuration of display element 30, and more particularly outer face 32 is convex to a degree that the circumferential edge of outer face 32 substantially obscures orientation selection plate 52 and any spacers from the view of an observer. In other embodiments, outer face 32 includes a lip, which in some more particular embodiments is convex, to obstruct the sight of the spacers and orientation selection plate. Still more methods for providing a desired view will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
Still other embodiments include any of the above-described configurations and a retaining clip or other mechanism for preventing the separation of the locking disk 40 from base plate 62 if display device 30 is disengaged (e.g., unscrewed) from the assembled elements. The configuration of such a retaining clip or similar mechanism, or alternate mechanisms to achieve the same result, will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a container comprising one or more of the above-described embodiments of the display device of the invention. As used herein, “container” means any device or object for holding other objects, including stationary and portable devices or objects for holding other objects. In more specific embodiments the container of the invention includes “luggage”, i.e., devices to hold objects that are portable by individuals. Non-limiting illustrative examples of such devices include, but are not limited to: suitcases, instrument cases, purses, shoulder bags, backpacks, brief cases, lunch boxes and the like. Such containers provided by the invention will include one or more surfaces, for example exterior surfaces, that comprise support 22 to which one or more display devices as described herein are attached. The materials and construction of such carriers is within the scope of those having ordinary skill in the art using the disclosure provided herein.
The above description of the embodiments, alternative embodiments, and specific examples, are given by way of illustration and should not be viewed as limiting. Further, many changes and modifications within the scope of the present embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes such changes and modifications. Non-polygonal cross-sectional shapes for aperture 56 and orientation selection post 34 can be used as well. The display device can include illumination using batteries or another type of voltage supply. Multiple display devices can be used in combination to provide a desired combined visual or sensor effect. In addition, other methods and materials for engaging the display device and locking disk can be used, including for purpose of example and not limitation, magnets, snaps, and luer-type locks. All of the alternate embodiments can be fashioned by those having ordinary skill in the art.
