Abstract:
A religious object having a necklace, including a pendant, and a piece of wool. The piece of wool is disposed within a cavity of the pendant such that the piece of wool is exposed to the body.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to religious sacraments and more particularly, to a brown scapular of religious significance.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0002]     The scapular is a form of clothing worn by monks when they were working. The scapular is a long strip of cloth, generally the width of the body, worn over the shoulders (scapula) from the front to the back and down to the ankles.  
         [0003]     Derived from the scapulars worn by monks are symbolic scapulars. Such a scapular is two pieces of cloth (generally about an inch square), connected by cloth cords and worn over the head. It often has a picture or a particular color, depending on the spirituality it stands for. With the passage of time, people began to give symbolic meaning to the scapular. In some religious Orders, such as the Carmelites, the Scapular turned into a sign of their way of life. The Scapular came to symbolize the special dedication of Carmelites to Mary, the Mother of God, and to express trust in her motherly protection as well as the desire to be like her in her commitment to Christ and to others. Thus it became a sign of Mary. The brown scapular is a sign approved by the Church and accepted by the Carmelite Order as an external sign of love for Mary, of the trust her children have in her, and of commitment to live like her.  
         [0004]     Unfortunately the known scapulars of today do not wear well. Conventional scapulars are either all cloth, selectively covered in plastic, or all metal. Cloth scapulars become worn with time and may eventually fall apart. Plastic may be used to cover the cloth pendants, however, the cloth necklace remains exposed and may still eventually break thus rendering the scapular un-usable. Thus, cloth and plastic scapulars must continually be replaced. Frequent replacement does not provide continuity in the keeping and wearing of the scapular. Conventional metal scapulars exists, however, they do not incorporate any wool cloth. Thus, the importance and symbolism of the wool cloth is ignored.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed towards a metal scapular having a necklace, including a pendant, and a piece of cloth. The pendant includes a cavity and the piece of cloth is disposed within the cavity. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a scapular according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a back view of the scapular according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a side view of one pendant of the scapular according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a front view of one pendant of the scapular having a hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of one pendant of the scapular attached to a chain by an alternate embodiment according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , a scapular  10  is shown according to one embodiment of the present invention. The scapular  10  is generally worn around the neck. Scapular  10  includes a necklace  12 , two pendants  14 ,  16  and a piece of wool  18 . Necklace  12  includes a first and second chain  12   a  and  12   b , respectively. Pendant  14  is attached to first chain  12   a  at an attachment point  15   a . Pendant  16  is attached to first chain  12   a  at an attachment point  15   b . First chain  12   a  is longer than second chain  12   b . First and second chains  12   a ,  12   b  are connected together such that both ends of second chain  12   b  are connected to first chain  12   a . As best shown in  FIG. 1 , one end of second chain  12   b  may be connected to first chain  12   a , for example, where first chain  12   a  is connected to pendant  14 . The opposing end of second chain  12   b  may be connected to chain  12   a , for example, at the midpoint of first chain  12   a . First and second chains  12   a ,  12   b  form a loop  20  by which the scapular  10  may be placed around the neck of a person (not shown) wearing the scapular  10 . Properly worn, pendant  14  rests upon the front torso of the wearer, while pendant  16  hangs behind the wearer.  
         [0012]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , front face  22  of pendant  14  and front face  24  of pendant  16  are shown according to one embodiment of the present invention. Front face  22  of pendant  14  may depict a religious pictorial. In the illustrated embodiment, face  22  of pendant  14  has a picture of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Front face  24  of pendant  16  may recite a religious prayer or scripture. In the illustrated embodiment, pendant  16  contains a scripture associated with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. However, it can be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments and can be practiced with any number of religious pictorials and prayers or scriptures.  
         [0013]     Likewise, rear face  26  of pendent  14  and rear face  28  of pendent  16  are shown according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , rear faces  26 ,  28  of pendants  14  and  16 , respectively, may have an insignia of a cross  30 . The cross  30  may be centered around an opening  32 . However, it can be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment and may be practiced with any picture and any scripture on front faces  22 ,  24  of pendants  14  and  16 . Moreover, the present invention may be practiced with only one insignia of cross  30  on either pendant  14  or pendant  16  or no insignia at all. Finally, the scapular of the present invention may be practiced with any size and shape of opening  32 , so long as opening  32  allows the wearer to be in contact with the wool  18 .  
         [0014]     Front face  22  and rear face  26  of pendant  14  are held together by an attachment mechanism, illustrated without limitations, as pins  34  positioned at the four corners of pendants  14 . Pins  34  hold front and rear faces  22 ,  26  of pendant  14  together such that an open cavity  36  is formed between front and rear faces  22 ,  26 . Similarly, front and rear faces  24 ,  28  of pendant  16  are held together by pins  34  such that an open cavity (not shown) similar to open cavity  36  is formed between front and rear faces  24 ,  28 . Wool  18  is placed within cavity  36 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Wool  18  may be felt through opening  32 , such that wool  18  may generally be in contact with the skin of the wearer. Typically, wool  18  is approximately the size of pendants  14  and  16 , however, wool  18  may be of any desired size so long as wool  18  may be felt through opening  32 . Preferably, wool  18  is smaller in size than pendants  14  or  16  due to space restrictions on the open cavity  36  by pins  34 .  
         [0015]     Alternatively, the attachment mechanism may also include a hinge  38  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The hinge  38  may be positioned along one edge of pendants  14  and  16 , pivotally attaching front and rear faces  22 ,  26  of pendant  14  together, and front and rear faces  24 ,  28  of pendant  16  together. Hinge  38  allows front and rear faces to pivotally open to expose wool  18 . Pins  34  may still be placed along the two corners opposite hinge  38  of each pendant to secure front and rear faces of the pendants together and prevent wool  18  from falling out of cavity  36 . A latch (not shown) may be placed along an edge opposite of the hinge  38  to secure front and rear faces of the pendants. The hinge  38  and latch attachment means allows the wearer to quickly and easily access cavity  36  and wool  18 . However, the present invention is not limited to the attachment means illustrated, but may also include means such as an adhesive, wire, or the like.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Pendants  14  and  16  may be attached to necklace  12  at two attachment points. Having two attachment points allows pendants  14  and  16  to hang evenly against the wearer. Additionally, having two attachment points may also eliminate the need for having pins  34  on the two corners in closest proximity to the two attachment points.  
         [0017]     The necklace  12  and the two pendants  14 ,  16  of the present invention are preferably manufactured from metal. The metal provides the necklace  12  and the two pendants  14 ,  16  with robustness for use in various environments. The metal protects wool  18  from environmental elements, for example, from exposure to the sun and moisture. Furthermore, metal may be easily stamped or engraved. Thus, the necklace  12  and the two pendants  14 ,  16  of the present invention may be manufactured in large quantities using a stamping machine, or individually hand-crafted by an engraver.  
         [0018]     Conventional scapulars are either all cloth, selectively covered in plastic, or metal. Cloth scapulars become worn with time and may eventually fall apart. Plastic may be used to cover the cloth pendants, however, the cloth necklace remains exposed and may still eventually break thus rendering the scapular un-usable. Conventional metal scapulars are durable, however, they do not include any wool cloth. Thus, conventional metal scapulars do not incorporate the importance and the symbolism surrounding the pieces of cloth.  
         [0019]     On the other hand, the scapular  10  of the present invention incorporates both modern durability and tradition. Metal is more long-lasting than cloth, and because individual scapulars may have sentimental value, the metal scapular  10  of the present invention offers the wearer an opportunity to use the scapular  10  longer than conventional scapulars. Additionally, the scapular  10  of the present invention incorporates the wool cloth  18 , and the religious symbolism associated with the wool. It can be noted that the wool cloth  18  of may be of various colors, depending on the of the religious preferences of the person wearing the scapular.  
         [0020]     Moreover, the front and rear faces  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  of each pendant  14  and  16  may be easily separated so that the piece of wool  18  may be replaced if necessary, without replacing the entire scapular  10 .  
         [0021]     While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the invention is not limited to the illustrations described and shown herein, which are deemed to be merely illustrative of the best modes of carrying out the invention. A person of ordinary skill in the art will realize that certain modifications and variations will come within the teachings of this invention and that such variations and modifications are within its spirit and the scope as defined by the claims.