PERSONAL DECORATION RETAINER

Abstract: A retainer, for supporting a decorative article such as an ear-ring, a brooch or a lapel badge on the person, has a pin member (2) and a fastening device (l) separably connectable thereto. The fastening device includes an elongate tubular housing (3) with apertures (6) through which the pin member can pass with clearance. A hairpin-shaped (5) spring clip is disposed within said housing and abuts opposed side walls of the housing and grips the pin member passing through the apertures thereby frictionally holding the pin member releasably in the housing.

Description: This invention relates to a retainer for supporting a decorative article on the person, and particularly for application to a pierced ear-lobe as in an ear-ring, or for engagement through an article of clothing as in a brooch or a lapel badge or the like. It is well known to support a decorative article, especially a piece of jewellery, on the person by means of a retainer comprising a pin member carrying said article and a fastening device separably connectable to the pin member. In the case of ear-rings, for pierced ear lobes, one common form of retainer has a threaded pin member and the fastening device is provided with a co-operatingly threaded bore permitting said device to be screwed onto the pin to retain the ear-ring in place. Another common form of ear-ring retainer has a pin member which is not threaded and the fastening device is in the form of a so-called "butterfly", being a plate with a hole for slidably receiving the pin member and having resiliently deformable means to frictionally engage a portion of the pin extending through said hole. Usually, the said resiliently deformable means is provided by curling opposite end portions of the plate rearwardly, to provide opposed wings between which the pin member is gripped. There have been many previous proposals to improve fastening devices by incorporating a spring clip to frictionally grip the pin member, (see US-A-396788; US-A-l,235,622; US-A-l,358,465; FR-A-638558; FR-A-74l,l57; and DE-A-3002522). As explained below, all of the previous proposals incorporate a spring clip located within a shallow closed dish-shaped housing formed of at least two parts which must be secured together after insertion of the spring clip. At least one aperture is provided in the housing through which aperture the pin member is inserted to engage the opening clip. US-A-396788 (published l889) discloses an earring fastener in which the pin member is retained in a central orifice of a spring plate. The plate is an annular disc having inwardly-projecting rearwardly flexible arms and is secured between the circumferential edges of dished circular plates forming a biconvex housing. The front plate has a central opening bore defined by an abutment extending into the housing to abut the spring plate. The abutment is funnel-shaped to guide the pin member into the bore. A pull piece is slidably received in an opening in the rear plate and has claws which engage the spring plate. A central bore extends through the pull piece and is aligned with the front bore. The grip of the spring plate on the pin member is released by pulling the pull piece. US-A-l,235,622 (published l9l9) discloses a hat pin protector in which the pin member is retained in a slot defined between opposed spring tongues of a plate secured between the circumferential edges of dished front and rear circular plates forming a biconvex housing. The front plate has a central orifice from which a tubular extension projects into the housing. This extension telescopically receives a funnel-shaped tongue releasing plunger through which the pin member is inserted into the housing. US-A-l,358,465 (published l920) discloses a necktie fastener in which the pin member is retained between substantially parallel limbs of a spring clip located in a recess in the rear of the flat-circular cover plate. The free ends of the spring clip abut the wall defining the recess to provide the resilience required to grip the pin member. The cover plate closes a housing having a pin-receiving socket and has an aperture for insertion of the pin into the housing. FR-A-638558 (published l928) discloses an earring in which the pin member is retained between substantially parallel limbs of a serpentine spring clip within a fastener. The spring clip is located within a shallow hexagonal flat-bottom dish and the free ends of the spring clip abut opposed walls of the dish to impart the required resilience to the spring clip. A lid closes the dish, thereby enclosing the spring clip. Aligned apertures are provided centrally in the base of the dish and in the lid to allow the pin to pass through the housing. FR-A-74ll57 (published l933) discloses an earring in which the pin member is retained between substantially parallel limbs of a spring clip. The limbs extend through slots in a sleeve and engage grooves formed in the pin member. The sleeve is arranged centrally in a shallow biconvex housing formed of dished front and rear plates. The front plate has an opening co-operating with the sleeve but the rear plate is closed, thereby preventing the pin from passing through the housing. The spring has an outer annular portion which abuts the circumferential wall of the housing. DE-A-3,002,522 (published l98l) discloses a jewellery retainer in which the pin member is retained in a hairpin-like gripping portion of a spring clip. The spring clip is located in a dished front plate and has an annular portion abutting the circumferential wall of the front plate. A locating plate overlays the spring clip and the housing is closed by a dished rear plate which receives the front plate and retains the locating plate and spring therein. The prior art spring clip-container fastening devices are improvements over the conventional screw or butterfly fastening device but are of relatively complex construction and hence significantly more expensive to manufacture. Several component parts must be manufactured to relatively close tolerances to ensure alignment of the apertures and correct location of the spring clip relative to the apertures. Moreover, they are relatively bulky and heavy compared with the conventional fastening device. As a result of these disadvantages, none of these prior art fastening devices have been widely used and, as mentioned previously, the relatively simple conventional devices are still most commonly used. A primary object of the invention is to provide a retainer comprising a pin member separably held in a fastening device by friction resulting from deformation of a spring clip, in which the fastening device is of less complex construction, of smaller dimensions and less weight than the prior art spring clip fastening devices. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a retainer, for supporting on the person a decorative article such as an ear-ring, brooch, lapel badge or the like, which retainer comprises a pin member and a fastening device separably connectable thereto, the fastening device including a housing having aligned apertures through which said pin member can pass with clearance, and a spring clip located in said housing to grip the pin member passing through said apertures thereby frictionally holding the pin member releasably in the housing, characterised in that said housing is tubular and said spring clip is a hairpin-shaped spring, (ie. elongate and generally U-shaped having its legs bowed towards each other to provide a gripping portion), and the legs thereof abut opposite side walls of the housing. The tubular housing can be formed with or without a longitudinal seam or break and preferably of flattened cross-section. The invention also provides a fastening device for separable connection to a pin member of an ear-ring, said device comprising a pin member and a fastening device separably connectable thereto, the fastening device including a housing having aligned apertures through which said pin member can pass with clearance, and a spring clip located in said housing to grip the pin member passing through said apertures thereby frictionally holding the pin member releasably in said housing characterised in that said housing is a tubular elongate housing and said spring clip is an elongate generally U-shaped spring having its legs abutting opposed side walls of said housing and bowed towards each other to provide a pin-member gripping portion. Preferably, the spring comprises a bridge portion connecting the two legs, the bridge portion and the free end of each leg portion, in the rest condition, all abutting the opposed side walls. In a convenient form of construction, and for example to ensure that the spring clip is maintained within the housing, the housing includes end flaps, on the respective ends of one at least of the major walls, bent up so as to overlie the ends of the housing. Alternatively, the ends of the tubular housing can be crimped, or otherwise pressed, together to close the housing. Guide means may be provided on the housing and disposed about an aperture so as to be contacted by the pin member, during insertion of the pin member into the housing, and thereby guide said pin member into the aperture. The guide means may be, for example, a cup secured externally on the housing and having its wall inclined towards an opening in the guide cup aligned of the aperture. Alternatively, the guide can be an axially extending groove formed in the housing with the aperture. Further according to the invention there is provided an article of personal decoration, especially jewellery, incorporating a retainer of the kind described hereinabove. An embodiment of a retainer for a personal decoration, in accordance with the invention, is shown in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure l is a transverse section of a fastening device of the retainer, taken on the line I-I of Figure 2; Figure 2 is a transverse section of the fastening device of the retainer, taken on the line II-II of Figure l, and including an elevation of part of a pin member of the retainer; Figure 3 is a scrap section, taken on the line III-III of Figure 2, and on a different scale to show the nature of a flattened tubular housing of the fastening device. The fastening device of the retainer, designated generally by reference numeral l, is adapted to cooperate with a pin member designated generally by the reference numeral 2 and carrying a decorative article. The fastening device l comprises a tubular housing 3 which is mounted diametrically across a ring 4. The ring 4 is shown purely by way of example, and any other member appropriate to the use of the retainer could be secured on the housing 3, or the housing 3 could be used alone without any other member attached to it. The housing 3 is constituted by a length of flattened tube of generally oval cross-section, as seen in Figure 3. The tube could be seamless, as illustrated, or could have a longitudinal split to permit it to be formed up from flat sheet. Within the internal space of the housing 3 there is disposed a hairpin-shaped spring 5. The legs 5 a , 5 b of the spring are connected by a central bridging portion 5 c . The width of the central briding portion 5 c is such as to make the spring a snug fit, in contact or near contact, within the inner side wall surfaces 3 a , 3 b of the housing 3. The curvature or bowing inwardly of the legs 5 a , 5 b is such that they are most closely approached approximately centrally along their length, adjacent to apertures 6 provided correspondingly in the opposed major wall surfaces of the housing 3. The free end of each leg 5 a and 5 b abuts firmly against the respective inside wall surfaces 3 a and 3 b . In one manner of manufacture of the housing 3 with the spring 5 disposed within it, the end flaps 3 c , 3 d of the housing 3 are initially left as longitudinally extended flaps, to permit the spring 5 to be slid into the housing whereafter the end flaps 3 c , 3 d are bent up to the configuration shown in Figure 2. On the outer surface of the housing 3 there is secured an annular guide cup 7 having a central opening 8 of at least the same diameter as the apertures 6. The outer surface of the guide cup is curved and inclined in such a manner as to guide the rounded free end 9 of the pin 2 readily into the aperture 6, thereby to facilitate assembly of the pin 2 to the fastening device l. In use, the pin 2 is pushed into contact with the guide cup 7 and through the adjacent aperture 6, so as to make contact with the central portion of the spring legs 5 a , 5 b . With continued entering movement, the rounded end 9 of the pin 2 forces the spring legs apart, until the pin has passed between the legs and out through the other of the apertures 6. As the pin 2 is forced between the legs 5 a , 5 b , the legs are sprung outwardly and, because they are already in contact with the inside wall surface of the housing 3, their movement outwardly is restricted and they are forced to deform by bowing outwardly, thereby giving a very firm frictional engagement on the pin 2. The pin is thus held in assembly with the fastening device l, sufficiently firmly to enable the retainer to secure an article of decoration, jewellery, and ear-lobe embellishment or the like, whilst nevertheless being readily removable manually when required. The grip exerted by the spring 5 on the pin 2 may be made sufficient to hold the pin 2 firmly at any desired degree of axial insertion of the pin 2, but if a more positive locking engagement is required, the pin 2 may have one or more circumferential recesses l0 into which the spring legs can snap when the pin has been inserted. It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the particular details described above but that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. In particular, the decorative article could be carried by the fastening device instead of by the pin member. For example, in an ear-ring for non-pierced ears, the decorative article could be connected to the fastening device by a U-shaped member receiving the ear lobe and the pin member provided with a disc for clamping against the ear lobe to secure the ear-ring thereto.

Claims: 1. A retainer, for supporting a decorative article on the person, comprising a pin member (2) and a fastening device (l) separably connectable thereto, the fastening device including a housing (3) having aligned apertures (6) through which said pin member can pass with clearance, and a spring clip (5) located in said housing (3) to grip the pin member (2) passing through said apertures (6) thereby frictionally holding the pin member (2) releasably in said housing (3) characterised in that said housing is a tubular elongate housing (3), and said spring clip (5) is an elongate generally U-shaped spring having its legs (5a, 5b) abutting opposed side walls of said housing (3) and bowed towards each other to provide a pin-member gripping portion. 2. A retainer as claimed to Claim l, wherein said tubular housing is of flattened cross-section so that said opposed side walls are walls of minor dimensions and are connected by opposed walls of major dimensions, said aperture means being provided by aligned holes in both of said walls of major dimensions. 3. A retainer as claimed in Claim l or Claim 2, wherein said spring comprises a bridge portion connecting said legs, said bridge portion and the free end of each said leg portion, in the rest condition, all abutting said opposed side walls. 4. A retainer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tubular housing includes end flaps, on the respective ends of one of said major walls, bent up to overlie the ends of the housing. 5. A retainer as claimed in any one of Claims l to 3, wherein the respective ends of said tubular housing are pressed together to close the housing. 6. An ear-ring incorporating a retainer as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. 7. A fastening device for separable connection to a pin member (2) of an ear-ring, said device (l) comprising a pin member (2) and a fastening device (l) separably connectable thereto, the fastening device including a housing (3) having aligned apertures (6) through which said pin member can pass with clearance, and a spring clip (5) located in said housing (3) to grip the pin member (2) passing through said apertures (6) thereby frictionally holding the pin member (2) releasably in said housing (3), characterised in that said housing is a tubular elongate housing (3) and said spring clip (5) is an elongate generally U-shaped spring having its legs (5a, 5b) abutting opposed side walls of said housing (3) and bowed towards each other to provide a pin-member gripping portion. 8. A fastening device as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said tubular housing is of flattened cross-section so that said opposed side walls are walls of minor dimensions and are connected by opposed walls of major dimensions, said aperture means being provided by aligned holes in both of said walls of major dimensions. 9. A fastening device as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein said spring comprises a bridge portion connecting said legs, said bridge portion and the free said bridge portion and the free end of each said leg portion, in the rest condition, all abutting said opposed side walls. l0. A fastening device as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein said tubular housing includes end flaps, on the respective ends of one of said major walls, bent up to overlie the ends of the housing. 11. A fastening device as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein the respective ends of said tubular housing are pressed together to close the housing.

Inventors: CARRE, GRAHAM JOHN
Applicants: CARRE, GRAHAM JOHN
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A44C7
IPC codes: A44B17, A44C7