1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for removably securing a component to a base. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for removably securing artwork or other display components to a base secured to an item of clothing or an accessory such as a handbag, a shoe, a piece of jewelry, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Fashion-conscious consumers are constantly seeking ways to stand out in a crowd and are eager to display the latest fashions in a way that fits the personality and tastes of the individual consumer. Traditional accessories such as purses and handbags, shoes, belts, necklaces, bracelets, and ear rings allow consumers to personalize and customize their look by mixing and matching each of the consumer's chosen accessories with other accessories and items of clothing.
However, conventional accessories and clothing items have generally allowed only a very limited degree of customization of the accessory or clothing item itself. For example, if a consumer is no longer enamored with a specific handbag, there is little that the consumer can do to change the look of the handbag, and the only option may be to purchase a new handbag. In addition, consumers increasingly desire to differentiate themselves from the crowd by displaying fashion accessories that are unique or that have special meaning to the individual consumer. At the same time, practicality requires that the accessories be durable and able to withstand the rigors of daily use without breaking, wearing down prematurely, or falling off.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system that allows customization of accessories or other items by securely yet removably attaching a display component to a base that can be affixed to an accessory or item of clothing. There is also a need for a system that would allow the consumer to quickly change the look of an accessory or clothing item and would allow the consumer to securely display unique and personalized artwork without worrying that the display item would fall off or easily be dislodged from its base. The present invention meets these needs.
The subject invention is directed to a system for securely but removably securing a display component to a base. Various aspects of the invention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following description taken in conjunction with the several drawings described below.
In one exemplary embodiment, the system comprises a base, a component configured to be removably attached to the base, and a plurality of attachment means, with each attachment means having a first attachment mechanism fixedly secured to the base, and a second attachment mechanisms fixedly secured to the component. Each of the first attachment mechanisms is configured to correspond to, and engage with, one of the second attachment mechanisms to securely fasten the component to the base. The plurality of first attachment mechanisms and the plurality of second attachment mechanisms are configured such that a gap is formed between the component and the base, and a void is formed between the plurality of attachment means when the attachment mechanisms are engaged, to create a leverage point directly above the void that allows the attachment mechanisms to at least partially disengage and the component to be removed from the base when a force is applied to the leverage point.
In another exemplary embodiment, the system comprises a base with a planar surface and a raised lip portion surrounding the periphery of the planar surface, a component configured to nest securely within the base and to be surrounded by the raised lip portion, a first set of permanent magnets fixedly secured to the base, and a second set of permanent magnets fixedly secured to the component. Each of the magnets in the second set is configured to correspond to one of the magnets in the first set. An upper face of each of the permanent magnets is positioned a first predetermined distance from the planar surface of the base, and a lower face of each of the magnets in the second set is positioned a second predetermined distance from the component and configured to attract the upper face of the corresponding magnet in the first set to removably secure the component to the base. The first set of magnets and the second set of magnets are configured such that a gap is formed between the component and the planar surface of the base to create a leverage point directly above the gap that allows the magnets to at least partially disengage and the component to be removed from the base when a downward force is applied to the leverage point.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, the system includes a base having a planar surface and a raised lip portion surrounding the periphery of the planar surface, a component configured to nest securely within the base surrounded by the raised lip portion, a first set of permanent magnets fixedly secured to the base in a raised position, and a second set of permanent magnets fixedly secured to the removable component in a raised position in a configuration corresponding to the first set of permanent magnets. An upper face of each of the permanent magnets in the first set of magnets has a first polarity and is positioned below the raised lip portion of the base, and a lower face of each of the magnets in the second set has a second polarity which is opposite the first polarity such that the lower face of each magnet in the first set is configured to attract the upper face of the corresponding magnet in the first set of magnets to removably secure the component to the base. The configuration of the first and the second sets of magnets creates a gap such that depressing the component in the area corresponding to the gap creates a fulcrum allowing the corresponding magnets to at least partially disengage and the component, allowing the component to be removed from the base.
So that those skilled in the art to which the subject invention pertains will readily understand how to implement the devices and systems for removably securing a component to a base without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments of the methods and systems will be described in detail below with reference to the following figures:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The devices and systems described in this disclosure may be used for removably securing a component to a base. The base may be secured to an item of clothing, or to an accessory, such as a handbag, a shoe, a piece of jewelry, or other similar item. The component may form part of a display or decorative element on the accessory or item of clothing, thus allowing a wearer of the item to remove the component and replace it with another component to quickly change the appearance of the accessory or item of clothing based on a user's preference. For example, the base may comprise a cuff that includes interchangeable decorative components. In another exemplary embodiment, the base may comprises a belt buckle with interchangeable decorative components.
For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a system 100 for removably securing a component to a base is shown in
As illustrated in
As shown in
In one exemplary embodiment, display component 104 consists of a unique form of artwork. The artwork may be formed on a plastic material that is finished with layers of lacquer and resin, using a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,152, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In particular, the artwork is constructed in a media that consists of a shaped plastic material. For example, the plastic material may be a material marketed under the trade name Sintra®, which is available from Alusuisse Composites Inc., of Benton, Ky. Sintra® is available in many solid colors, and in thickness stocks of ⅛ of an inch or ¼ of an inch. The artwork used for display component 104 may be hand painted with latex or acrylic paint, and then transformed into a digital image for later use by employing a computer system and associated digital scanner. The digital images generated by the computer system are printed on a high resolution color graphic printer. The printed images are then hand cut and glued to the shaped plastic components with a spray mount adhesive. Digital images bordered by a black line may be spray mounted to black Sintra® material and any perimeter outlining may be carried out using an alcohol base marker. If necessary, the shaped plastic components can be hand painted with latex paint to obtain preferred colors.
Some of the solid color components of the artwork may have complex black line designs, which are hand drawn, digitized, and digitally touched-up using a graphical interface program at high magnification, and subsequently printed on clear acetate sheets. These sheet are then used to make a silk-screen. This is done for some color images and black line images. Some structural components are silk-screened directly, without prior painting, if the stock color of the plastic is acceptable. The decision to use a digital image in the artwork, or a silk-screen image, depends on many factors. In one exemplary embodiment, display components 104 constructed for use with system 100 use a combination of both processes.
Once the imaging process has been completed, display component 104, whether silk-screened, hand painted, hand bordered, or digitally imaged, is coated with lacquer. The lacquer, which may be applied by spray coating, does not adversely react with the imaging paper or the alcohol base marker used to generate the images and artwork for display components 104. It has been found that if the pieces are not sprayed with lacquer, a resin coating used in the assembly process, described below, will tend to have an adverse affect on the images, and the marker will tend to bleed into the clear resin. By coating each structural component with lacquer, each component is sealed so that the resin bonds only with the lacquer coating, not with the underlying image.
The lacquer coating may be applied in at least three layers and all areas to be covered in resin are completely coated. Each layer of lacquer is applied thinly to prevent the images on display component 104 from bleeding, and each layer is allowed to dry for at least 30 minutes before the next layer is applied. Once the desired number of layers has been applied, the display components are left to dry for at least eight hours in a temperature controlled environment, at a temperature of least 70° F. Once dried, the display components are each dusted, touched-up, and checked for spots that were not coated with the lacquer. If necessary, an additional layer of lacquer may be applied to the components.
Display components 104 are then moved to a clean room for the application of the resin material. Preferably, a two-part resin composite is utilized, such as, for example, EnviroTex Lite® high-gloss resin, which is available from Environmental Technology, Inc., of Fields Landing, Calif. The resin bonds with the lacquer coating and serves two distinct functions. First, the resin serves to bond any individual structural components of display component 104 to one another to form a one-piece integral structure, with the components permanently joined together. Second, the resin creates a permanent, durable coating that can be exposed to a normal household environment, and can be cleaned and maintained, without the need of a frame and glass. After the resin is applied, display component 104 is de-gassed and cured in a warm, dust-free room.
In one exemplary embodiment, the unique artwork created by the processes described above is displayed on convex upper surface 118 of display component 104. After display component 104 has been treated with the lacquer and resin, convex upper surface 118 is smooth with rounded edges, thus preventing display component 104 from being easily disengaged when seated within lip 112 of base 102 using attachment mechanisms 106.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
In one exemplary embodiment, attachment mechanisms 106 are permanent disc magnets. Such magnets are available, for example, from K&J Magnetics, Inc., of Jamison, Pa. Attachment mechanisms 106 may comprise N52 Neodymium disc magnets. Neodymium magnets are members of the rare earth magnet family and are exceptionally strong. Neodymium magnets may include the elements neodymium, iron, and boron. To strengthen the magnet and protect it from corrosion, the magnet may be coated with nickel, copper, zinc, tin, epoxy, silver, gold, or some combination of these materials in one or more layers. In one exemplary embodiment, three coatings are applied to each magnet. The neodymium magnets used as attachment mechanisms 106 have a high resistance to demagnetization, and will not lose their magnetization when dropped or when they are exposed to other magnets. This property makes them ideal for use in system 100, because accidentally dropping handbag 108 or other item to which base 102 and display component 104 are attached will not result in dislodging display component 104 from base 102 or in damage to the magnets or to system 100.
As shown in
Advantageously, system 100 also allows a user to easily remove and interchange different display components 104 by creating a leverage point on the display component. In one exemplary embodiment, as shown in
The area on convex upper surface 118 of display component 104 directly above void 132 creates a leverage point 136. When display component 104 is attached to base 102 by the magnet pairs, a user may apply a downward force to leverage point 136 on convex upper surface 118 of display component 104 in such a way that one or more of first magnets 122 and second magnets 124 at least partially disengage from one another, as shown in
The magnet pairs may be arranged on planar surface 110 of base 102 in any manner that allows formation of void 132 and leverage point 136. As shown in
Although the exemplary embodiment described above uses an oval-shaped base, an oval-shaped display component, and an arrangement of four magnet pairs, this disclosure contemplates using any suitable shape or size for both base 102 and display component 104, and any suitable arrangement of attachment means 106 that will create the desired void 132 and leverage point 136. For example, a void 132 and corresponding leverage point may be created using only two pairs of magnets, as shown in
Use of system 100 is not limited to removably securing decorative artwork to an item of clothing or an accessory. System 100 may be used for any application that requires a component be securely and removably attached to a base item. For example, system 100 may be used to secure nametags, nameplates, badges, or other items to a wall or to another object.
While the devices and systems described in this disclosure may be used for removably securing a component to a base have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications may be made to the disclosed system and structures without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims and their equivalents.