Abstract:
A connecting structure that gathers the ends of a plurality of chains or strands made of pearls or other ornamental beads to form a jewelry necklace. The connecting structure positions and retains the strands in a stacked arrangement when the necklace is donned on the neck of a person. The connecting structure has two sets to form a pair. Each set comprises a front side and a rear side. The front side includes at least two outlets evenly spaced apart longitudinally along the front side to provide connection to the ornamental strands, and the rear side has a rearward-extending terminal located below the longitudinal median of the connector. The terminals of the two sets are pivotally engaged with each other.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of Invention 
   The present invention relates to a connector that gathers the ends of a plurality of ornamental jewelry for encircling a member of human body, such as necklaces, bracelets, watchbands and armbands. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Chokers are 15 to 17 inches long necklaces worn at the base of the neck of a person. One aesthetically pleasing means of wearing a multiple-strand choker is to make the strands draping in front of the neck parallel and adjoined to one another in “a stacked arrangement”, as shown in FIG.  3 . In order to attain a stacked arrangement, the choker has to fit the contour of wearers&#39; neck. The shape of people&#39;s neck is substantially a truncated cone at the base, and gradually becomes a tube at the throat portion. To fit the shape of the cone, the length of an upper strand must be shorter than the lower strand. As the slope of the cone increases, the required relative difference between the lengths of the strands decreases. 
   When a person with a thick neck wears a multiple-strand necklace of a medium size, the necklace would fit at a higher portion of the neck, where the slope is steeper, thus the strands tend to separate from one other, as shown in FIG.  1 A. When a person with a thin neck wears the same necklace, the necklace slides to the base of the neck, where the slope of the neck is smaller, thus the strands overlap with one another as shown in FIG.  1 B. Although extenders are commonly used to adjust the necklace to fit the size of the neck, they can not adjust the strands to fit the contour of the neck. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,529,058 disclosed a device to set the length of each strand in a multiple-strand necklace to attain a better fit. But the finished necklace still has to be custom-made and cannot fit a variety of neck contours. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,992 disclosed a clasp, which claims the ability to adjust the distance between parallel beaded chains. However, the adjustment is made to the distance between the ends of the adjacent strands, and has limited effect in adjusting the distance between the portions of the strands that drapes in front of the neck. 
   Furthermore, the strands in a choker are easily displaced due to flexing of neck muscles or changes in body posture, such as movement of the shoulders or the head. A choker that is carefully fitted to the neck may not be able to retain the stacked arrangement. Ideally, the choker should resume a neatly stacked arrangement when the wearer engages in moderate physical activities. 
   Dividers are commonly used on the sides of multiple strand chokers to keep the strands adjoined and to fix their relative positions to maintain a neatly arrayed arrangement. However, chokers incorporating the separators still have to be custom made, and they are often not aesthetically desirable. 
   Wearing a short multiple-strand choker, known as “collars”, snugly around the throat also produces an aesthetically pleasing effect. Such choker also has to fit comfortably and shapely about the neck. The effect is lost should the strands sag or overlap with each other. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,598,597 disclosed an elastic connector for multiple-strand chokers that employs a set of springs to accommodate variation in the size of wearer&#39;s neck and prevent the choker from slipping down. However, a pressure is applied to the neck when an elastic means is used, and the wearer could suffer from an irritable stifled feeling at the throat. 
   Another means employed in the prior art to keep collar fit snugly around the neck is to use elastic strings. However, the strands have to be pulled very tightly around the neck to prevent from sliding down, thus causing discomfort. Moreover, the strings often lose their elasticity after repeated use. 
   Although multiple-strand chokers and collars are very popular jewelry, they could not be purchased off-the-shelf and expected to fit the contour of the neck featuring stacked arrangement effect, nor could they be confidently purchased through printed or electronic media when fitting is not possible before ordering. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the abovementioned disadvantages relating to multiple strand chokers, it is an object of this invention to provide a connector that enables a multiple-strand choker to fit a greater population of wearers with various neck contours. 
   It is another object of this invention to incorporate the connector in a “collar” type choker that does not slide down, as well as fit snugly and comfortably about the neck of the wearer in a stacked arrangement without using elastic means. 
   The construction of a multiple-strand necklace basically consists of a plurality of ornamental strands, having their two ends connected to the outlets of a pair of connectors. And the terminals of the connectors, which are located latitudinal across the outlets, are linked to a set of clasp that detachably secures the connectors to each other when the necklace is encircled around the neck. 
   It has been found that the multiple-strand chokers and collars can readily establish a stacked arrangement provided that the up-lifting force applied to the strands progressively decreases from the bottom strand to the top strand when these necklaces are encircled around the neck. Therefore, each strand acts a ledge for its upper strand. In other words, the strands are piled upwardly from the bottom strand. 
   The mechanical means of facilitating the result of this finding is using the connectors as levers to balance the down pull moment of the strands exerting on the connectors. The down pull moment of each strand acting on its respective outlet is proportional to the down pull force of the strands times the distance from the outlet to the terminal. Thus, by locating the terminals below the longitudinal median of the connectors, further away from the top strand and closer to the bottom strand, the down pull moment about the terminal increases from the bottom strand to the top strand. Due to an equal and opposite reaction, the resulting up-lifting force applied to the strands decreases from the bottom strand to the top strand. 
   The preferred embodiments of the present invention and the mechanism of facilitating the stacked arrangement will be explained in greater detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1A  is a front view of a conventional multiple-strand chokers having the strands separated; 
       FIG. 1B  is a front view of a conventional multiple-strand choker having the stands overlapped; 
       FIG. 2  is an illustration of a prior art; 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of a multiple-strand choker having the strands positioned in a stacked arrangement; 
       FIG. 4A  is a view of one preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention incorporated in a multiple-strand choker worn on a person, with the strands adjusted in a stacked arrangement; 
       FIG. 4B  is a plan view of the connectors shown in  FIG. 4A ; 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the connector of present invention for a two-strand choker; 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the relationship of the connector of  FIG. 5  with the ornamental strands in a two-strand choker; 
       FIG. 7  shows the two-strand choker of  FIG. 6  in a stacked arrangement; 
       FIG. 8  is a front view of the a collar type multiple-strand choker; 
       FIG. 9  shows another preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention designed for the multiple-strand choker shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 10  shows a pendent connected to a multiple-strand choker; 
       FIG. 11  is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention incorporated in the pendant shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention incorporated in a mesh collar. 
       FIG. 13  is a schematic view of yet another preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention designed for the multiple-strand choker shown in FIG.  8 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Please refer to  FIG. 2  which illustrates a choker using a conventional connector  36  of prior art having terminal  37  located at the longitudinal median of the connector. The lower strand  40  of the choker is longer and thus heavier than the upper stand  41 , and the lower strand  40  would sag down, and pull the upper strand  41  upwards by the lever action of the connector, thus creates an undesirable gap  42  between the strands. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , a preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of a first connector and a second connector, both are substantially elongated flat sheets, made from stamping a sheet of metal or lost wax casting. Each of the connectors has a front side  1  and a rear side  2 . A series of eyelets  3  is laid out evenly spaced apart longitudinally along the front side  1 , providing outlets to the ends of the ornamental strands. The terminals  4  and  5  extend rearwards from the rear side  2 , and are positioned below the longitudinal median M of the connectors (also referring to FIG.  5 ), preferably at a distance no less than 0.5 mm. A hollow  7  is formed in the terminal  4  of the first connector, and a pivot  8  extends perpendicularly upwards from the terminal  5  of the second connector; a cap  6  is soldered to the top of the pivot  8 ; whereas the diameter of the cap  6  is larger than the pivot in the second connector, and is able to fit into the hollow  7  of the first connector, and the said hollow  7  in the first connector is engageable with the pivot  8  in the second connector. Teeth  9  are made on the perimeter of the pivot  8  and teeth  10  are also made on the perimeter of the hollow  7 . 
   The two connectors are engaged with each other by inserting the cap  6  of second connector into the hollow  7  of the first connector. Once the hollow  7  is beneath the cap  6 , the connectors are rotated relative to each other on a plane parallel to the neck to a desirable angle A as shown in FIG.  4 A. Then the two connectors are pulled laterally away from each other, sliding the hollow  7  under the cap  6  until it is in contact with the pivot  8 . The Teeth  9  on the perimeter of pivot  8  and the teeth  10  on the perimeter of hollow  7  interlock with each other and form the angle A which is fixed between the two connectors once the teeth  9  and  10  are interlocked. 
   The above-described preferred embodiment is considered as one of the most practical. However, the mechanics that enable the advantages of the present invention is more conveniently explained with another embodiment of the connectors of the present invention that is incorporated in a two-strand choker shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7 , whereas the strands are made of the same material and have the same thickness. 
   A preferred embodiment of the connector for a two-strand choker is shown in  FIG. 5. A  hollow  18  is formed in the terminals of both connectors, which provides link with the O-rings  17  of a clasp assembly  15 , and allows the connectors to swivel on a plane parallel to the surface of the neck. Each connector has a single contact point between the terminal  33  and the O-ring  17 . Thus the connectors can swivel about the contact points. The portion of the connectors above the terminals  33  in the longitudinal direction is the upper portion  25 , and the portion of the connectors below the terminal  33  in the longitudinal direction is the lower portion  26 . 
   Ends of the upper strand  21  are connected to the upper eyelet  23  located in the upper portion  25  of the connector to form an upper loop  27 . Whereas the loop is the length of the strand  19  plus the space  29  between its ends when the choker is encircled about the neck. The ends of the lower strand  22  are connected to the lower eyelets  24  located in the lower portions  26  of the connectors to form a lower loop  28 . 
   When the choker is worn around the neck, the middle portion of the strands  34  and  35  are draped in front of the neck, applying loads to the eyelets  23  and  24  of the connectors. The clasp linked to the terminal provides an up lifting force to the connector to suspend the necklace from the back of the neck, as shown in FIG.  6 . Thus, the connectors assume the functions of a first class lever, with fulcrum F located at the terminal  33 , and downward loads applied to the eyelets  23  and  24 . Moments applied to the eyelets are approximately proportional to the weight of the strands times the distance from their respective eyelets  23  and  24  to the fulcrum F. 
   The lever characteristics of the connectors can position and retain the strands in a stacked arrangement for various neck contours provided that the following conditions are met:
     1. Relative circumferential length of the loops formed by each strand is adjustable;   2. The downward moment applied to the upper portions  25  of the connector is greater than the downward moment applied to the lower portions  26  when a gap X exists between the strands;   3. The strands are in a stacked arrangement when the downward moments applied to the upper portions  25  and the lower portions  26  of the connectors are balanced   

   The first condition is met by pivoting the connectors at a single point at the terminals, thus the connectors swivel relative to each other on a plane parallel to the surface of the back of the neck. Refer to  FIG. 6 , a gap X exists between the strands when the connectors are parallel to each other. As the upper portions  25  of the connectors tilt away from each other, the space  29  between the ends of the upper strand  19  increases, and the circumferential length of the upper loop  27  is expanded. Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the lower portions  26  of the connectors are levered towards each other, decreasing the space  30  between the ends of the lower strand  20 , thus circumferential length of the lower loop  28  is contracted to establish the stacked arrangement. The strands would remain stacked provided that angle B is sustained after the choker is donned on the neck. 
   In order to satisfy the second and the third conditions, the terminals  33  are desirably positioned below the longitudinal median M of the connectors, as shown in FIG.  5 . Even though the upper strand  19  is shorter and weighs less than the lower strand  20 , a greater moment is applied to the upper portion  25  of the connectors than the lower portion  26  because the distance from the upper eyelet  23  to the fulcrum F is longer than the distance from the lower eyelet  24  to the fulcrum F. 
   In consequence, the middle portion  34  of the upper strand  19  slides downward, pulling the upper portion  25  of the connectors apart (also referring to FIG.  4 A). Due to an equal and opposite reaction, the lower portion  26  of the connectors is tilted inward, lifting the middle portion  35  of the lower strand  20  upwards. The moments acting on the upper and lower portions  25  and  26  of the connectors are balanced when the upper strand  19  rests on the top of the lower strand  20 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , and the lower strand  20  acts as a ledge to support the upper strand  19 . Thus, the gap X between the strands is closed, and a stacked arrangement is attained. 
   Accordingly, stack arrangement is automatically attained for a variety of neck sizes and contours for the chokers incorporating the connector of the present invention. For example, a person with a thin neck wears a multiple-strand choker that incorporates the connector of the present invention, and the difference between the circumferential lengths of the loops is one inch when the strands are adjusted to a stacked arrangement. When another person with a thicker neck wears the same choker, the difference required is reduced to half an inch; thus an undesirable gap X is formed as shown in FIG.  6 . However, when the present invention is adopted, the upper strand  19  would slide down towards to the lower strand  20  because of the greater moment applied to the upper portion  25  of the connector, thus pulling the upper portions  25  of the connectors apart, and adding length to the upper loop  27 . Meanwhile the lower portion  26  of the connector are tilted inward, decreasing the length of the lower loop  28 , and the difference in length of the upper loop  27  and the lower loop  28  is reduced to half an inch, and the stacked arrangement is attained. 
   The advantages of the connector of the present invention described above are also applicable in adjusting chokers containing more than two ornamental strands to establish the stacked arrangement. As long as the down-pull moment acting on the upper potion of the connector is greater than the lower portion, the lifting force applied to the strands decreases progressively from the bottom strand to the top strand, and each strand can act as a ledge for its upper strand to establish the stacked arrangement. 
     FIG. 8  illustrates the application of a preferred embodiment of the connector of present invention in a three-strand “collar” type choker. Collars are approximately 12 to 14 inches long, worn high around the throat. By means of the invention, the top strand  51  can be stacked on the middle strand  52  which in turn can be stacked on the bottom strand  53 . As a result, the collar can fit snugly and comfortably around the wearer&#39;s neck, and does not slip down. A preferred embodiment of the connector is shown in FIG.  9 . The terminals  40  are located on the rear sides of the connectors, horizontally across a point between the middle eyelet  43  and the lower eyelet  24 . An extender  50  is attached to the terminal  40  of one of the connectors to accommodate various neck sizes, and a conventionally available clasp  47  is linked to the other connector. 
   Other than gravity, the strands in the collar are also subject to the pressure force imposed by the contour of the neck directing perpendicularly outwards from the surface of the neck  44 , and the friction force parallel to the surface of the neck  44 . In fact, the loads applied to the connecters in a collar choker primarily come from the neck-to-strand pressure, not the weight of the strands. 
   When donning a collar that incorporates the preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention, the wearer lifts the bottom strand  53  to the position of the neck  44  where the top strand  51  is intended to be worn, brings the terminal  40  of the connectors as closely to each other as possible, hooks the clasp  47  assembly to the appropriate link in the extender  50 , then let the collar to slide down the neck  44 . Subsequently, lower portions  46  of the connectors spread apart. As the bottom strand  53  expands its loop to fit the neck  44  circumference, and the upper portions  45  of the connectors are levered inward, the top strand  51  and the middle strand  52  are pulled against the surface of the neck  44 . 
   When the bottom strand  53  slides down along the surface of the neck  44 , the neck-to-strand pressure gradually increases, inducing friction between the bottom strand  53  and the surface of the neck  44 . The collar stops sliding down when the friction becomes sufficiently great to support the weight of the entire choker, thus the bottom strand acts as a ledge to support the weight of the top and the middle strands  51  and  52 . 
   Based on the calculation of the loads required to balance the connectors, the neck-to-strand pressure at the bottom strand  53  is estimated approximately twice the pressure of the middle strand  52  and four times the pressure of the top strand  51 . Thus, friction on the surface of the neck  44  decreases progressively from the bottom strand  53  to the top strand  51 , and the top strand  51  and the middle strand  52  slide down along the surface the neck  44  and rest on the strand underneath to facilitate an stacked arrangement. 
   Accordingly, the top strand  51  is most susceptible to relax from the neck  44  when the wearer engages in vigorous physical activities. As the top strand  51  relaxes, lever action of the connectors would pull the bottom strand  53  tighter against the neck  44 . Thus, the choker does not slide down further. The top strand  51  is pulled back against the neck  44  and slide down to rest on top of the middle strand  52  to resume the stacked arrangement when the wearer is at a resting position. 
   Based on experiences, a collar incorporating the connector of the present invention is much more comfortable to wear than conventional collars because no elastic means is used to prevent the choker from sliding down. The middle and the top strands  52  and  51  are loosely fasten to the upper portions  45  of the neck  44 , thus the wearer does not feel stifling around the throat or constraint when the neck  44  is moved. 
   When a connector of the present invention is incorporated in a pendant  59  that links to a plurality of ornamental strands, it also facilitates the advantages of fitting various neck sizes and keeping the strands in an stacked arrangement as shown in  FIG. 10. A  preferred embodiment for this application is shown in FIG.  11 . Base plate portion  56  of the pendant has a series of outlets on the right-hand-side for linkage to ornamental strands. Terminal  60  of a connector  57  according to the present invention is pivoted to the left-hand-side of the base plate portion  56 , whereas the terminal is positioned below the longitudinal median of connector  57 . The connector  57  is swivelable relative to the base plate portion  56  about the pivot  58 . Cover portion  55  of the pendant is embellished with a piece of gemstone  54  or other ornaments, and hinged to the base plate portion  56 . The cover portion  55  can be opened or closed to the base plate portion  56  through a set of clips  61 . 
     FIG. 12  illustrates the incorporation of the connector  63  of the present invention on a collar with an ornamental portion made up of a mesh  62 . The advantage of using the connector of the present invention in this type of collar is that less tension is required to prevent the mesh from sliding down in comparison to prior art connectors that have terminals located at their longitudinal medians. The connector distributes the greatest tension to the lower portion of the mesh  62 , thus induces sufficient friction on the lower portion of the neck to resist sliding. The upper portion of the mesh  62  would fit snugly about the neck with support from the material underneath by the same mechanism as explained in collars made of multiple strands of beads. 
     FIG. 13  illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention that is largely constructed like the one shown in FIG.  9 . However, instead of the terminals  40  formed on the rear side of the first and the second connectors, the rear side of the first and the second connector in this embodiment has an upper aperture  65  formed on the upper end and a lower aperture  66  formed on a lower end. And a flexible chain  64  has two ends engaged respectively with the upper aperture  65  and the lower aperture  66 . Like the embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , an extender  50  is attached to the chain  64  of the first connector to accommodate various neck sizes, and a conventionally available clasp  47  is linked to the other chain  64  of the second connector. The extender  50  and the clasp  47  are engaged respectively with a contact O-ring  67  of the chains  64 . The contact O-ring  67  is located at a longitudinal position between the middle eyelet  43  and the lower eyelet  24 , and is below the longitudinal median of the connectors, preferably at a distance no less than 0.5 mm. 
   For the purpose of providing specifications to the designing and manufacturing of chokers that incorporate the connector of the present invention, a guideline for selecting the length for the strands of various thickness is provided as follows to optimize the advantages of this invention. 
   Chokers having the top strand 15 to 18 inches long inclusive designed for people having 12 to 14 inch circumference measured at the base of the neck, length of the strands increases progressively from top to bottom at the interval of four times the thickness of the strands. 
   Collar chokers having the bottom strand less than 12 inches long designed for the same people, length of the strands decreases progressively from bottom to top at the interval of one times the thickness of the strands. 
   For example, for a three-strand choker with the top strand of sixteen-inch long and one-quarter inch thick, the middle strand is seventeen inches long, and the bottom strand is eighteen inches long. And, for a three-strand collar with the bottom strand of eleven-inch long and one-quarter inch thick, the middle strand is ten and three-quarter inch long and the top strand is ten and one-half inch long. 
   Minuteness of the alteration in the construction of the connectors according to the present invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, because the connectors in existing multiple-strand chokers can be easily replaced with one made according to the present invention, and significant improves the chokers&#39; wearability, and can be made available to a greater population of wearers with various neck sizes and contours. 
   Furthermore, various changes and modifications can be readily made to the connector in accordance to the aesthetic or functional requirements without departing from the principles of this invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.