Pendent having compact and decorative scent receptacle

A pendent defines a generally heart-shaped housing having an interior cavity formed therein and an internal heart-shaped aperture at its center. A planar support base is formed at the lower portion of the heart-shaped housing while an upwardly extending cylindrical neck portion is formed in the upper portion of the heart-shaped housing. A cap includes a cylindrical stopper receivable within the housing neck to provide closure of the interior cavity thereof. The heart-shaped housing interior cavity is divided by an interior wall into a closed sealed cavity portion which receives and supports a liquid and glitter particle combination. The remaining portion of the housing interior cavity is accessible through the neck portion to provide a refillable reservoir for liquids such as cologne, perfume or the like. A heart-shaped compact having mating half portions is receivable within the heart-shaped interior aperture of the housing and is securable to the pendent by a tight fit therebetween. A ring includes a generally U-shaped resilient clasp receivable upon the neck portion of the pendent and bearing an ornamental article to further enhance the appearance of the pendent.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to children's jewelry articles and 
particularly to those used to contain a scented liquid. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In many play situations young girls often play with scented liquid or 
"perfume" together with a variety of jewelry articles and makeup. To 
provide such playsets, practitioners in the art often provide various 
combinations of jewelry articles and scent containers for children's use. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,375 issued to Mangan sets forth an 
ORNAMENTAL ARTICLE comprising a transparent housing shaped into a 
decorative configuration such as a heart and having a liquid supported 
within an interior cavity. The cavity is maintained at a subatmospheric 
pressure such that ambient temperatures cause the liquid to boil and 
agitate particles or larger objects within the liquid. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,383 issued to Eberhart sets forth a LIQUID FILLED 
SEALED GLASS ORNAMENT AND METHOD for production of decorative objects by 
providing a viscous liquid and particulate material within a hollow glass 
envelope. A cap is bonded to the glass envelope to provide a means of 
attachment to a suspending chain or the like to permit wearing of the 
ornament. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,525 issued to Sellers sets forth PERFUME DISPENSING 
JEWELRY WITH FRANGIBLE PORTION in which a hollow jewelry article is 
provided with an interior cavity supporting a scented liquid and a 
pierceable aperture which permits the scented liquid to disperse outwardly 
from the jewelry article. 
Still other prior art devices set forth compacts or lockets having interior 
compartments accessible to the user. For example, Design Patent 204,438 
sets forth a heart-shaped compact having a hingeable portion or cover and 
an interior cavity. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,450,620 issued to Speicher sets forth a LOCKET for 
receiving and supporting a jewel item or the like. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,904 issued to Lehmann, et al. sets forth a TOY JEWELRY 
ITEM WITH TS MOVABLE TO A HIDDEN POSITION in which a plurality of 
attachable parts are securable at different positions to a box-shaped 
pendent through edge attachment. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,952 issued to Hight, et al. sets forth a PENDENT 
CONTAINER FOR TABLETS AND CAPSULES in which a hollow elongated pendent is 
formed of interlocking half portions having a cavity therein for 
supporting medicine or tablets or the like. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,200 issued to Carter sets forth a COMBINATION RING 
PENDENT in which a pendent is formed of a pair of articles having a second 
configuration which forms a ring. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,631 issued to Esser III sets forth JEWELRY AND THE LIKE 
ADAPTED TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF OBJECTS OR SHAPES in which a pair of 
elongated jewelry items are securable in a plurality of orientations to 
form different shaped items for differently shaped jewelry articles. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,882 issued to Johnson, et al. sets forth JEWELRY WITH 
INTERCHANGEABLE ELEMENTS having a pendent support and a plurality of 
bead-like devices receivable upon the pendent support in different 
arrangements. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,699 issued to Yoshida sets forth TOY ACCESSORIES having 
a base member defining plural engaging parts. A plurality of ornamental 
parts are provided for interlocking with the base member by the plural 
engaging parts. 
Still other prior art devices set forth various cases and vanity materials 
for combination of elements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,757 issued 
to Kelley sets forth a TOY PERFUME MAKER having a liquid container, a 
mixing device and additional apparatus for making scented material. 
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,538,786 issued to Feldmann sets forth a VANITY 
BOX having hinge coupled members while U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,814 issued to 
Aiello sets forth a WRIST COMT which sets forth a small hinged coupled 
box having a wrist supporting band. U.S. Pat. No. 1,983,382 issued to 
Marsh sets forth a VANITY CASE having a suspending chain while U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,491,166 issued to DiStiso sets forth a PIN-UP VANITY CASE HOLDER 
having a pin supporting base for receiving a locket or the like. U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,081,972 issued to Kotlar sets forth a PENDENT, EARRING OR PIECE OF 
JEWELRY having an external cage defining a plurality of openings therein 
and an interior cavity receiving a plurality of ornamental articles. 
While the foregoing described prior art devices have provided some 
amusement and entertainment for young children, there remains nevertheless 
a continuing need in the art for evermore interesting and exciting play 
articles and playsets incorporating jewelry and perfume themes for young 
children. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an 
improved jewelry and play article. It is a more particular object of the 
present invention to provide an improved jewelry and play article which is 
configured as a pendent and which supports a plurality of associated play 
articles. 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pendent 
comprises: a housing defining a first interior cavity in communication 
with the neck for receiving a liquid such as perfume or the like and a 
second sealed interior cavity, a neck portion and an internal aperture; a 
compact receivable within the internal aperture; a cap receivable within 
the neck portion of the housing; and a quantity of liquid having a 
plurality of decorative particles therein received within the second 
interior cavity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 sets forth a partially sectioned front view of a pendent constructed 
in accordance with the present invention and generally referenced by 
numeral 10. Pendent 10 includes a heart-shaped housing 11 having a 
generally planar support base 12 at the lower portion thereof. Housing 11 
further defines an upwardly extending neck portion 13 defining an interior 
generally cylindrically shaped stopper housing 26. Housing 26 defines a 
closed end cylindrical member having a fill aperture 32 (better seen in 
FIG. 2A) at the lower portion thereof. As is also better seen in FIG. 2, 
housing 11 further defines a center wall 25 extending continuously through 
housing 11 and dividing housing 11 vertically into a frontal cavity 30 and 
a rear cavity 31. Frontal cavity 30 and rear cavity 31 are generally 
coextensive with heart-shaped housing 11. Aperture 32 provides 
communication between neck aperture 15 formed in stopper housing 26 and 
rear cavity 31. Conversely, frontal cavity 30 is sealed and is not 
provided with communication to neck aperture 15 of stopper housing 26. 
Returning to FIG. 1, housing 11 further defines a heart-shaped interior 
aperture 14 which receives and supports a heart-shaped compact 50. The 
structure of compact 50 is better seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. However, suffice 
it to note here that compact 50 is received within interior aperture 14 in 
a tight interference fit which permits compact 50 to be secured to housing 
11 in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
Pendent 10 further includes a cap 20 having a ball-shaped portion 21 
defining an aperture 22 extending therethrough. A ribbon 16 preferably 
sized to permit the wearing of pendent 10 around the user's neck and 
defining a closed loop support member is passed through aperture 22. Cap 
20 further defines a cylindrical stopper 23 received within stopper 
housing 26 in a sealing fit with neck aperture 15. A small lipstick 24 is 
supported at the lower end of stopper 23 and secured thereto by 
conventional attachment means. 
In the preferred form of the embodiment of the present invention set forth 
in FIG. 1, frontal cavity 30 receives and supports a quantity of confined 
liquid 40 which in turn supports a plurality of glitter particles 41. It 
its preferred form, housing 11 is fabricated of a transparent clear or 
colored transparent molded plastic material which permits the glitter 
particles within frontal cavity 30 to be seen and provide an interesting 
visual effect for pendent 10. In addition, a quantity of scent materials 
such as perfume or the like is received within rear cavity 31 through fill 
aperture 32 permitting pendent 10 to provide a convenient repository for 
scent material such as perfume or the like. In addition to being wearable 
around the user's neck or wrist or other attachment such as to clothing 
articles using ribbon 16, pendent 10 may be supported upon base 12 upon a 
support surface such as a dressing table or the like to provide a 
convenient perfume bottle article for a typical child user. 
Compact 50 is preferably formed of a molded plastic material or the like 
and may bear appropriate decorative exterior features or colors in 
accordance with the user's preference or taste. In addition and as is 
better seen in FIG. 6, a ring generally referenced by numeral 90 may be 
receivable upon neck 13 in a snap-fit attachment to provide additional 
ornamentation for pendent 10. 
FIG. 2 sets forth a partially sectioned side view of pendent 10 showing the 
relative positions of frontal cavity 30, wall 25 and rear cavity 31. Thus, 
as described above, pendent 10 includes a heart-shaped housing 11 defining 
a wall 25 therein separating housing 11 into frontal cavity 30 and rear 
cavity 31. A base 12 is secured to the bottom portion of housing 11 and 
provides a rest or support for pendent 10. Housing 11 also defines an 
upwardly extending neck 13 formed of a stopper housing 26 having a closed 
end neck aperture 15 and a fill aperture 32 formed therein. A cap 20 
includes a ball portion 21 having a cylindrical stopper 23 extending into 
and sealingly fitted within neck aperture 15. Stopper 23 supports lipstick 
24 in accordance with a conventional attachment. As is also described 
above, a quantity of liquid 40 having a plurality of glitter particles 41 
is sealingly captivated within frontal cavity 30 to provide a decorative 
front effect for clear or transparent colored housing 11. Rear cavity 31 
is preferably filled with a scented material 33 such as a liquid cologne 
or perfume or the like which is introduced into rear cavity 31 through 
fill aperture 32 when cap 20 is removed therefrom. As is also seen in FIG. 
2, heart-shaped compact 50 is fitted within interior aperture 14 of 
housing 11 to secure compact 50 to pendent 10. 
FIG. 2A sets forth a section view of the upper portion of pendent 10. As 
seen therein, pendent 10 includes a neck 13 having a stopper housing 26 
defining a fill aperture 32 and receiving a stopper 23. A wall 25 divides 
housing 11 and forms a sealed frontal cavity 30 and a rear cavity 31 in 
communication with stopper housing 26 through fill aperture 32. A scented 
liquid may be introduced into rear cavity 31 through neck 13 and fill 
aperture 32 when stopper 23 is-removed. Frontal cavity 30 receives a 
sealed liquid 40 within which a plurality of glitter particles 41 are 
suspended. Frontal cavity 30 provides a decorative front for pendent 10 
while rear cavity 31 provides a container for a scented liquid such as 
perfume or the like. 
FIG. 3 sets forth a side view of compact 50 in its closed position removed 
from housing 11 of pendent 10. Compact 50 is preferably heart-shaped and 
formed of a pair of nesting half portions 51 and 52 which are joined at a 
junction 53. In its preferred form, compact 50 is fabricated of a molded 
plastic material or the like and simply snaps together due to the fit 
between half portions 51 and 52. 
FIG. 4 sets forth a perspective assembly view of compact 50 in the open 
position. Half portions 51 and 52 are separable to expose an interior 
cavity 56 within compact 50. In the embodiment of compact 50 shown in 
FIGS. 3 and 4, half portion 51 defines an edge 54 which is receivable 
within recess 55 formed in half portion 52 in a snap-fit type union to 
form junction 53. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, 
however, that half portions 51 and 52 may be coupled using a conventional 
hinge (not shown) in accordance with conventional fabrication techniques 
if desired. A resilient liner 57 formed of a material such as foam plastic 
material or the like is supported within interior cavity 56. 
FIG. 5 sets forth an alternate embodiment of the present invention pendent 
generally referenced by numeral 70. Pendent 70 is similar in physical 
appearance to pendent 10 and thus defines a heart-shaped housing 71 having 
an interior aperture 83 formed therein. Housing 71 also defines a base 72 
similar to base 12 of pendent 10 and an upwardly extending neck portion 
73. A cap 74 having a ribbon 75 secured thereto is generally identical to 
cap 20 of pendent 10 and is received within a cylindrical fill aperture 
within neck 73 (not shown). The significant difference between pendent 70 
and pendent 10 is the distribution of scented liquid and glitter 
supporting liquid within housing 71. Unlike housing 11 of pendent 10, 
housing 71 of pendent is divided into a lower cavity 77 and an upper 
cavity 76 by a pair of horizontal wall portions 78 and 79. Thus, a 
quantity of scented liquid 80 such as cologne, perfume or the like is 
receivable within interior cavity 76 through neck 13 when cap 74 is 
removed. A quantity of liquid 81 is sealingly captivated within lower 
cavity 77 and supports a plurality of glitter particles 83 to provide a 
visual effect within the lower half of housing 71. As described above for 
pendent 10, pendent 70 may be worn about the user's neck or wrist or 
secured to the clothing article using ribbon 75. Also, base 72 supports 
pendent 70 upon a horizontal surface such as a dressing table or the like. 
FIG. 6 sets forth a partial perspective view of pendent 10 showing a ring 
90 securable thereto. As described above, pendent 10 defines a neck 
portion 13 supporting cap 20. Ring 90 defines a generally U-shaped clasp 
91 preferably formed of a resilient molded plastic material or the like 
which receives and supports an ornamental article 92. Ring 90 may be worn 
upon the user's finger in accordance with a conventional ring-type article 
and may alternatively be secured to neck 13 of pendent 10 due to the 
resilience of U-shaped clasp 91 snapping upon neck 13. It should be 
understood by those skilled in the art that while ring 90 is shown 
receivable upon pendent 10 in FIG. 6, it is equally well securable to the 
alternate embodiment of the pendent 10 shown as pendent 70 in FIG. 5. 
What has been shown is a novel and interesting pendent article for use by 
young girls which provides a plurality of interrelated feature elements in 
a compact pendent which may be worn about the user's neck, wrist or 
clothing article. The pendent shown utilizes a heart-shaped housing within 
which a heart-shaped compact is secured to provide a "secret compartment" 
which may be used to receive any number of articles such as charms, makeup 
articles or the like. The heart-shaped housing provides a cavity filled 
with glitter bearing liquid to provide an interesting visual effect. The 
pendent may be rested upon a planar base at its lower end and facilitates 
the storage of a quantity of scented liquid such as perfume or the like 
within a second interior cavity. The article is readily formable of simple 
molded plastic parts and may be manufactured without excessive costs or 
complexity. 
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and 
described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and 
modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its 
broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all 
such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of 
the invention.