Abstract:
A method and system providing for customizable jewelry is disclosed. The customizable jewelry system comprises a plurality of jewelry strands with releasable clasps at each end and multi-connector findings. The multi-connector findings are connectors with multiple loops capable of being a connecting joint to the jewelry strands. The multi-connector findings are especially suitable for multiple layer necklaces and belts. The opposing ends of each jewelry strand can be releasably secured to one another and to multi-connector findings to form various structures suitable for use as necklace, bracelet, chain belt, or other component jewelry accessory. Each strand can be repeatedly utilized in multiple jewelry item combinations. Each strand within a jewelry structure can also be removed or substituted with another strand to achieve any configuration that is desirable for a particular outfit and setting.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of and claims benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/517,914 filed Sep. 8, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,095, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of customizable jewelry. More particularly, the present invention is a system that employs combinations of multi-connector findings and strands of jewelry to form customizable necklaces, bracelets, belts, and other accessories from a single jewelry system. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Many jewelry accessories such as necklace, bracelet, and chain belt have the same basic structure: a strand or strands of jewelry linked and secured by a multitude of available findings. While persons skilled in the art of jewelry making often utilize identical parts to construct different jewelry items, most jewelries sold on the market have fixed structures that are not modifiable by consumers. When a jewelry article is made with conventional jewelry making techniques, consumers loose the ability to utilize its components for other purposes. A consumer desiring several jewelry items with slight structural variations between them traditionally must purchase each jewelry items individually. Several methods and systems which permit some degree of modification and conversion between different types of jewelry are known in the art. 
     Some of the known arts allow conversions between different types of jewelry but do not permit modification. U.S. Pat. No. 1,704,919 issued to J. M. Murray on Oct. 10, 1924 discloses a necklace with a clasp element and corresponding elements evenly spaced along the chain. Corresponding elements attach to the clasp element to form equal-size loops which allows the chain to be worn as a bracelet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,063 issued to Irwin Pearl on Nov. 8, 2005 discloses an arrangement of stringed magnetic and non-magnetic beads that can be worn as a necklace or bracelet in loops about the user resulting contact together of the magnetic beads. Both of these inventions have fixed number of convertible modes and have no exchangeable parts. These designs allow a single jewelry item to be worn on different parts of the body, but lack customizability. 
     Other inventions have some degree of customizability but utilize connectors that are limited to one-to-one connection. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,252 issued to Mochizuki on Apr. 16, 1991 discloses a method of joining stone or pearl strands with imbedded connectors to inconspicuously create necklaces of different configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,797 B2 issued to Margaret Plumly on Apr. 13, 2004 discloses a jewelry finding that enables a flexible bracelet to be worn as a necklace. Locket clasps are provided at the ends of the neck accessory to provide secure interconnection of the bracelet clasp ends with the neck accessory, while at the same time enclosing and obscuring from view the connection hardware. These inventions provide methods to connect jewelry strands in a visually pleasing manner while retaining the mobility of the jewelry strands. One major disadvantage of these connectors however, is that they are limited to linear structures. As such, consumer cannot configure jewelry strands to create multiple layer jewelry. 
     Another group of known art provides customizability but utilizes conventional connectors that allow multiple connections only to a limited extent. U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0200236 A1 by Shirley I. Emberson et al. discloses a lanyard convertible to jewelry. This invention includes a Y shape neckpiece and a plurality of linear pieces. Each piece has a magnet, clasp, or hook on the opposing ends that can be detachably secured to one another to form necklaces or bracelets. The Y shape neckpiece can further be attached to an ID badge or other ornamentations. U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0078707 A1 by Darly Lea Walker et al. discloses a configurable jewelry closure comprising a series of common jewelry fasteners on links which can be detachably secured to jewelry strand(s) to form jewelry item. These two inventions are customizable, but suffer the limitation of traditional connectors. Conventional fasters such as clasps and hooks are designed for one-to-one connections. While they are capable of being concurrently connected to several other connectors, a cluster of connectors is aesthetically unpleasing and inconvenient; the removal of one clasp in a cluster can undesirably affects the connectivity of another clasp in the cluster. 
     In view of the above described deficiencies associated with customizable jewelry systems, the present invention has been developed to alleviate these drawbacks and provide benefits to a user. These enhancements and benefits are described in greater detail herein below with respect to several embodiments of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention in its several disclosed embodiments alleviates the drawbacks described above with respect to methods and systems for customizable jewelry and incorporates several additional beneficial features. The general objective of the present invention is to provide a new and improved customizable jewelry system especially suitable for creating multiple layer jewelry. 
     The present invention described herein is a system that employs combinations of multi-connector findings and strands of jewelry to form customizable necklaces, bracelets, and belts. Different from the clasp and loop pairing in most conventional jewelry, the jewelry strands used in the system has releasable clasps attached to both ends. The body of the strand itself can be made from any material commonly used for jewelry making. The multi-connector findings are connector pieces with multiple loops, each capable of removable attachment with the clasps on the strands. The preferred embodiment of this finding is a multi-connector-shaped metal with loops attached along the edges, and a chain and hook attached to one of the loops. The system of present invention permits jewelry strands to be detachably connected by multi-connector findings to form several types of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and chain belts. 
     The utilization of findings in the system of present invention has several advantages. These advantages are exemplified below by the differences between known methods of making a multiple layer necklace and the system of present invention. In the prior arts, there are two methods by which multiple layer jewelry can be constructed. Multiple layer necklaces sold on the commercial market often have the ends of each strand joined to the other strands. Such necklace has no customizability; none of the strands can be removed or replaced without causing damage to the original necklace. Another method is to wear multiple individual necklaces. When each necklace strand is put on individually however, individual strands have the tendency to rotate around the neck, resulting in connector misalignment. Although all the clasps and loops can be linked together to prevent misalignment, the process of putting on and removing such necklace can be time-consuming. The resulting cluster of clasps is also highly unaesthetic. 
     Using the system of the present invention, a five strand or layer necklace is constructed by connecting five jewelry strands between two multi-connector findings each having chain and hook attachment. Such necklace has several advantages over the conventional ones described above. First of all, each strand on the necklace is removable and replaceable. Consumer can remove or replace each strand to achieve a style that best accompany an outfit and/or occasion. The same strands can also be utilized to form other types of accessories. Secondly, each clasp on the jewelry strands is attached to an individual loop on a multi-connector finding, independent from other clasps. The incorporation of multi-connector findings not only eliminates the clustered appearance, each strand can also be removed and replaced without effecting any other connection. Thirdly, once the necklace is assembled, the entire necklace can be easily worn and removed through a single pair of connectors extending from the multi-connector findings. Individual strands are secured from becoming misaligned, while the undesired rotation of the entire necklace around the neck is as easy to adjust as a single strand necklace. Finally, these multi-connector findings are also capable of being decorative objects themselves, thereby increasing the overall aesthetic appeals of the jewelry. 
     The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of illustrative embodiments thereof, to be read by way of example and not of limitation in conjunction with the apparatus and the method described. The beneficial effects described above apply generally to the examples disclosed herein of the method and apparatus for customizable jewelry. The specific components and configurations through which these benefits are delivered will be described in detail herein below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described in greater detail in the following way of example only and with references to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows the elements used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A-F  shows front view of six embodiments of a multi-connector finding. 
         FIG. 3  shows a front view of another embodiment of a multi-connector finding. 
         FIG. 4  shows a front view of an embodiment of a multi-connector finding having chain and hook attachment. 
         FIG. 5  shows a front view of an double ended connector. 
         FIG. 6A  shows a perspective view of a necklace assembled with the system of present invention. 
         FIG. 6B  shows a perspective view of a necklace, a belt, and a bracelet assembled with the system of present invention. 
         FIG. 6C  shows a perspective view of a necklace and a belt assembled with the system of present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of a necklace assembled with the system of present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
     The present invention is a jewelry system.  FIG. 1  shows components of one embodiment of this system. Jewelry strands  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5  have a first standard releasable clasp  10 ,  13 ,  16 ,  19 , and  22  respectively on one end which are each attached to a thread (not visible in the illustration) on the non-clasp end. The preferred embodiment uses a metal wire thread; however, a wire or a thread made from materials commonly used in the art for similar purposes can alternatively be employed. A number of precious and semi-precious stones and beads  11 ,  14 ,  17 ,  20 , and  23  are stringed on the thread. Strands  11 ,  14 ,  17 ,  20  and  23  can also contain other components commonly used in jewelry making, including but not limited to stones, pearls, beads of manmade or natural materials, shells, charms, pendants, and lockets. Strands  11 ,  14 ,  17 ,  20 , and  23  can also be entirely replaced by standard jewelry chains or ribbons. Jewelry strand  5  is specifically shown with an optional removable pendent  25  which hangs from the thread through a releasable connector  26 . 
     A second standard releasable lobster claw clasp means  12 ,  15 ,  18 ,  21  and  24  closes off each strand on the opposite end, with its non-clasp end attached to the thread. The standard releasable clasp means shown in the illustrations are lobster claw clasps. Other clasp means commonly known to persons skilled in the art, including, but not limited to, spring ring clasps, toggle clasps, and hooks, can be used in place of the lobster claw clasp. Also, all five jewelry strands  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5  are drawn to be substantially equal in length in the illustration; however, the invention can be implemented with jewelry strands of varying lengths. 
     Connector module  6  comprises a standard releasable hook  27 , a short chain  28 , and a multi-connector finding  30  in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 . Multi-connector finding  30  is a small metal plate roughly 2-3 mm in thickness, and is generally triangular with one of the sides slightly arched outward. The multi-connector finding  30  can be made of any standard jewelry metal or plastic material. The flat surfaces of the multi-connector  30  are capable of being canvases for optional decorative designs, such as the embossed or stamped or cast stylized mark of the vendor. Five small elliptical adjacent openings or loops and  35  are formed in succession in the rim of the curved edge in a way that the major axes of each elliptical openings or loops are roughly tangential to the curved edge at the point of attachment. A larger circular loop  29  is connected to the multi-connector  30  opposite the curved edge, with its diameters parallel to the face plane of the desk  30 . 
     Multi-connector findings of other shapes and designs can alternatively be employed; some of these examples are illustrated and described in  FIGS. 2A-2F  and  FIG. 3  below. A chain  28 , made from alternating larger circular links  28 A and smaller elliptical links  28 B is attached to the triangular multi-connector  30  through loop  29 . Other chains commonly used in the art can be employed alternative, as long as a hook or a clasp can attach to at least part of the chain. A hook  27  is attached to the other end of the chain  28  at its non-hook side. Connector module  7  is identical to connector module  6  as described above (replacing  27 - 35  with  36 - 44  respectively). 
     A double ended releasable connector  8  or an S-shaped connector  9  shown in  FIG. 1  can be used in place of the hooks  27  and  36 , or any of the lobster claw clasps  10 ,  12 ,  13 ,  15 ,  16 ,  18 ,  19 ,  21 ,  22 , and  24 . Connector  9  is a double ended hook, with the openings of the hooks  49  and  50  facing in opposite directions, forming the shape of the letter “S.” Connector  8  shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5  has the same basic S-shaped structure formed by hooks  47  and  46  and two additional movable pieces  45  and  48  at the opening of the hooks, forming the shape of Roman numeral  8 . Movable pieces  45  and  48  open to allow linking and unlinking with another element, and close to prevent unintended unlinking during more vigorous movements. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , examples of a multi-connector finding are illustrated.  2 A shows an enlarged view of multi-connector  30  in  FIG. 1  and is described previously. 
       FIG. 2B  shows an example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention. Multi-connector  51  shown in  FIG. 2B  is generally rectangular in shape, with all four corners rounded and slightly protruding outward towards the shorter sides. One of the long sides of multi-connector  51  arches outward. Five elliptical openings or loops  53 ,  54 ,  55 ,  56 , and  57  are attached to the rim of the arched edge, with their major axes roughly tangential to the arch at the point of attachment. A larger circular loop  52  is attached at the center of the opposite side, with its diameters parallel to the face planes of the multi-connector  51 . 
       FIG. 2C  shows another example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention.  58  is generally elliptical in shape and is shown with its major axis positioned horizontally. Five small elliptical openings or loops  60 ,  61 ,  62 ,  63  and  64  are attached along the rim of the lower arch of the multi-connector  58  in a way that their major axes are roughly tangential to the curvature of the lower arch at the point of attachment. A larger circular ring  59  is attached to the center of the rim of the upper arch, with its diameters parallel to the face planes of the multi-connector  58 . 
       FIG. 2D  shows another example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention. Multi-connector  65  resembles the shape of a circular segment, formed by a straight edge and a curved edge. Five small elliptical openings or loops  67 ,  68 ,  69 ,  70 , and  71  are attached to the rim of the curved edge, each with their major axes roughly tangential to the curvature of the edge at the point of attachment. One larger circular loop  66  is attached to the center of the straight edge, with its diameters parallel to the face planes of the multi-connector  58 . 
       FIG. 2E  shows another example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention. Multi-connector  72  is approximately diamond-shaped, with all four corners rounded. Each of the four sides has two semi-circle protrusions  72 A along the edge. Each protrusion&#39;s diameter is around one third of the length of each side. A round hole  73  is perforated near one of the wider corners of the diamond-shape multi-connector  72 . One smaller elliptical hole  76  is perforated near the opposite corner. Four more elliptical holes  74 ,  75 ,  77 , and  78  are place along the two sides adjacent to hole  76 , in such a way that each hole is outlined by a semi-circle protrusion on those two sides. 
       FIG. 2F  shows another example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention. Multi-connector  79  is roughly a narrow rectangular bar with rounded corners. Five elliptical holes  81 ,  82 ,  83 ,  84 , and  85 , are perforated linearly and evenly spaced along the length of the bar  79  in a way that the major axes of the holes are parallel to the length of the bar. A larger circular loop  80  is attached to the center of one of the long edge of the rectangular bar  79  with its diameters parallel to the face planes of the bar  79 . 
       FIG. 3  shows another example of a multi-connector finding that can be used in the system of present invention. The multi-connector  86  is generally triangular with one of the sides curved outward. Three elliptical openings or loops  87 ,  88 , and  89  are attached to the rim of the curved edge, each with their major axes roughly tangential to the curvature of the edge at the point of attachment. A larger circular loop  90  protrudes from the corner opposite the curved edge with its diameters parallel to the face planes of the multi-connector  86 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an enlarged view of connector module  6 , and is described previously with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an enlarged view of connector  8 , and is described previously with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
     The material of multi-connector findings illustrated previously has been described herein as metal. However, the particular material of the multi-connector is not a critical aspect of this invention. Multi-connector findings can alternatively be made with wood, polymer, stone, leather, or a number of other natural or man-made materials. 
       FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  show several specific examples of jewelry items assembled using the system in the present invention. The system is designed to maximize customizability; as a result, numerous combinations are possible. Following illustrations are intended to serve as examples only. Further more, descriptions of these assembled jewelry item name specific elements previous illustrations, but most elements are interchangeable with other elements of similar functionality. For example, multi-connectors  30 ,  51 ,  58 ,  65 ,  72 , and  79  are all interchangeable. Other special finding designs that are rendered obvious to a person skilled in the art from the examples given can also be alternatively employed. Similarly, each jewelry strand, pendent, and clasp can be replaced by a number of alternatives that are obvious to a person skilled in the art, whether or not it is described herein. 
     One specific combination of the invention is shown in  FIG. 6A , a five strand or layer necklace  91  configured with components from  FIG. 1 . Necklace  91  comprises jewelry strands  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5 , and connector modules  6  and  7  (not visible in  FIG. 6A  but shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 . Necklace  91  is assembled by securing each jewelry strand between the two connector modules: clasp  10  to loop  31 , clasp  13  to loop  32 , clasp  16  to loop  33 , clasp  19  to loop  34 , clasp  22  to loop  35 , clasp  12  to loop  40 , clasp  15  to loop  41 , clasp  18  to loop  42 , clasp  21  to loop  43 , and clasp  24  to loop  44 . The necklace is worn and removed by connecting and disconnecting hook  36  and chain  28 . In  FIG. 6A , the cross-shaped pendent  25  is replaced by an oval shaped pendent  92 . The system of present invention allows consumers to arrange jewelry strand  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5  differently from what is shown and described above, or replace any of the jewelry strands with other strands not shown in the illustration. 
       FIG. 6B  shows a necklace  93 , a belt  94 , and a bracelet  95  each assembled using the system of present invention. One specific combination of the invention that forms a single strand necklace  93  comprises jewelry strands  1  and  2  and connector module  6  (not visible in this illustration). This necklace is assembled by connecting clasp  10  to loop  33  and clasp  12  to one of the circular links on chain  38 . While a necklace can be formed by simply linking clasp  10  and  12  of jewelry strand  1  or hooking a selected number of the strands  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5  in series, the addition of connector module  6  makes the length of the necklace adjustable. 
     One specific combination of the invention that forms a multiple layer belt  94  is assembled with jewelry strands  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 , and  5 , multi-connector  72 , multi-connector  86 , shown in  FIG. 3 , and connector module  6  (not visible in this illustration). This belt has three sections; strand  1  forms the right section, strands  4  and  5  forms the middle section, and strands  2  and  3  form the left section. Although this configuration can be achieved by directly linking clasps of the jewelry strands together, clutters of three or four claps are not aesthetically pleasing and the length of the belt will not have adjustable length. Instead, according to the present invention, each of the sections is connected to another through multi-connector findings. Specifically, strands  4  and  5  are linked between multi-connector findings  72  and  88  by attaching clasp  22  to loop  76 , clasp  24  to loop  80 , clasp  29  to loop  78 , and clasp  21  to loop  87 . In this illustration, the cross-shaped pendent  25  from  FIG. 1  is replaced by an oval shaped one  92 . In the left section, strands  2 ,  3  are linked between multi-connector  72  and connector module  6  by connecting clasp  16  to loop  73 , clasp  13  to loop  74 , clasp  15  to loop  34 , and clasp  18  to loop  32 . Strand  1  is clasped onto loop  90  of multi-connector  86  to from the single strand right section. Finally, the remaining unconnected clasp  10  of strand  1  can be clasped onto any part of connector module  6  for desirable length. 
     A bracelet  95  can be made with one or more jewelry strands and one multi-connector finding. One specific combination of a bracelet made from the system of present invention includes jewelry strand  2  and multi-connector  86 . Jewelry strand  2  is first connected to loop  88  of multi-connector  86  at its clasp  13 , then wrapped around the wearer&#39;s wrist two to three times, and finally connected back to loop  90  on multi-connector  86  at its clasp  15 . In the case of a single strand bracelet, the multi-connector  86  acts as a pendent or a charm. When multiple strands are used, the multi-connector prevents the strands from separating during movement. 
       FIG. 6C  shows a necklace  96  and a belt  97  both also assembled using the system of present invention. Necklace  96  is a modified version of the necklace  91  shown in  FIG. 6A . In  FIG. 6C , strands  1 ,  2 ,  3  are removed from the necklace  96  leaving only two strands  4  and  5  and a pendent  92  on the necklace. The necklace is then shortened by repositioning hook  27  on chain  37 . 
     Single layer belt  91  includes jewelry strands  1 ,  2 , and  98 , and multi-connector finding  86 . Jewelry strands  1  and  2  are first linked together by connecting clasp  10  to clasp  13 . Clasp  12  on strand  1  and clasp  15  on strand  2  are then attached to loops  87  and  89  on multi-connector  86 , respectively. A shorter jewelry strand  98  is attached to loop  90  of multi-connector finding  86  to from a Y-shape for ornamental purposes. An alternative version of this belt replaces strand  98  with a chain similar to the one attached to connector module  6 . Clasp  15  on strand  2  would alternatively be connected to links chain  98  to form an adjustable length chain belt. 
       FIG. 7  shows a multiple layer differential length necklace assembled with the system of present invention. One specific combination of a differential length necklace  100  is assembled from five jewelry strands  4 , and  5 , two connector modules  6  and  7 , and a pendent  99 . This necklace is a modified version of necklace  91  from  FIG. 6A . To convert necklace  91  to necklace  100 , clasp  12  on strand  1 , clasp  16  on strand  3 , and both clasps on strand  2  are detached from connector modules  6  and  7 . Clasp  12  is then attached to clasp  13 , and clasp  15  to clasp  16 . The resulting necklace has two shorter strands  4  and  5  and a long strand formed by connecting strands  1 ,  2 , and  3  linearly. In the illustration, the oval shaped pendent  92  is replaced by a flower-shaped pendent  99 . 
     Although the foregoing specific details describe various embodiments of the invention, persons reasonably skilled in the art will recognize that various changes may be made in the details of the method and apparatus of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, this invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described herein.