Patent Publication Number: US-2006010573-A1

Title: Charm display device and the like

Description:
FIELD  
      The present invention relates to charms and more specifically to charms displayed on a clothing article.  
     BACKGROUND  
      It has become fashionable for women to display charms on their legs, usually a short distance above the top of their shoes, boots, etc., where the charms are typically supported by at least one chain. This fashion extends to situations where the woman is wearing socks. Unfortunately, the charm and chain would tend to become obscured behind and tangled in the material near the top of the sock.  
      Furthermore, young girls often seek to wear jewelry worn by grown women, including the charm chains. However, a child&#39;s limited dexterity typically prevents her from easily actuating the clasp on a chain.  
      Accordingly, there is a need for charms to be displayed on a sock and, located proximal to the charms, indicia imitative of a chain, providing the appearance of a real charm chain. The indicia would have the advantage of being incapable of tangling with or obscured by the material near the top of the sock.  
     SUMMARY  
      An article of clothing for a child is disclosed. The article comprises at least one charm connected to the garment, and indicia imitative of a chain located proximal to the at least one charm. The article provides the appearance of a charm chain without the complications and drawbacks that would face a woman or child attempting to wear a charm chain. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
      In order that the manner in which the above objectives are realized, a particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that the drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a sock having charms connected thereto and indicia imitative of a chain located proximal to the charms; and  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the sock of  FIG. 1 , taken substantially along the lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
      An article of clothing is disclosed consisting of a sock having one or more charms and indicia imitative of a chain applied thereto. These features provide a woman or child with the appearance of a charm chain without the complications and drawbacks that would face the woman or child attempting to wear a charm chain.  
      Turning to  FIG. 1 , a child&#39;s sock  4  is illustrated. The sock, in the illustration, is a typical girl&#39;s or woman&#39;s anklet sock having a toe  6 , a contoured heel  8 , a welt  10  and a top edge  12  defined by the uppermost portion of the welt  10 . It is to be appreciated that the sock could be another type of sock, such as an athletic sock, a bobby sock, a shortie, an over-the-calf, a knee-high or an over-the-knee sock. The sock  4  is manufactured from typical materials for a sock, such as cotton, a synthetic material or a blend of cotton and synthetics.  
      The sock  4  has indicia  14  located between the bottom edge of the welt  16  and the heel  8 . The indicia  14  are imitative of a chain having intertwined links. The purpose of the indicia  14  is to provide the sock  4  with the appearance of an overlying chain. The Figures illustrate a charm anklet with circular links, but it is to be appreciated that a variety of fashionable chain shapes could be chosen for the indicia. Such shapes include herringbone, rope and Figaro.  
      Preferably, the indicia  14  are produced using, for example, a jacquard knit, but the indicia can also be embroidered or even screen-printed onto the sock  4 . If knitting or embroidery is used, then a typical metallic fiber provides the luster and appearance of a metallic chain. The metallic fiber is blended with a fiber that is similar to that used in fabricating the sock. The yarn that results from the blended fibers is sufficiently elastic, strong and durable to sustain the indicia during application and normal wear and care.  
      The indicia  14  are sized to provide the typical link diameter for a real chain. For example, each link has a diameter of preferably between 2 and 10 mm. For symmetry, each link has a thickness of approximately one fifth of the diameter. The overall length of the indicia  14  is equivalent to the circumference of the sock at the location of the indicia. However, the indicia  14  could alternatively be designed with the appearance of chain slack, and in that case the overall length would be longer than the circumference of the sock.  
      The indicia  14  are illustrated as being continuous, i.e., imitative of a chain without a clasp. The continuous chain provides symmetry to a viewer when looking at the sock  4  from any perspective. However, the indicia could include the design of a clasp to further imitate a real chain.  
      The top of the indicia  14  is separated from the top edge  12  of the sock  4  by a distance that is sufficient to visually separate the indicia  14  from the top edge of the sock  12 . With regard to a sock having a welt  10  (or other form of permanent cuff), the indicia  14  is separated from the bottom edge  16  of the welt  10  by a distance that is sufficient to visually separate the indicia  14  from the welt  10 .  
      The distance between the chain and the top edge of the sock  12  is not so large that the indicia  14  appear lower than the angle bone for a girl or woman. With an anklet sock, having a short span of material between the bottom edge  16  of the welt  10  and the heel  8 , the top of the indicia  14  is separated from the bottom edge  16  of the welt  10  by less than half of the diameter of a single link of the indicia.  
      At least one charm  18  is attached to the sock  4 . The charm  18 , in the illustration, is a heart. The charm can be any known and enjoyed charm, where known charms relate to relationships, sports, religion and other interests.  
      The material used for fabricating the charm may be, for example, plastic, enamel or rhinestone, which may be painted as desired, or the charm may be fabricated from a non-precious metal or a typical metal alloy, which may be silver-plated, or even from a precious metal such as solid silver. The charm  18  is small enough to be comfortable for a person to wear but large enough to be seen and appreciated. For example, the surface area of the charm is between two and three times the surface area of a single link on the indicia  14 . The charm  18  has a typical thickness that is large enough to withstand normal use.  
      Turning to  FIG. 2 , in addition to  FIG. 1 , a first loop  20  and a second loop  22  are each illustrated. The first loop  20  is integrally connected to the charm  18  and the second loop  22  ( FIG. 2 ) is sewn through the sock material. The loops  20  and  22  are intertwined for retaining the charm  18  against the sock  4 . Alternatively, the first loop  20  is threaded directly to the sock  4  and the second loop is omitted.  
      The charm  18  is attached to the sock  4  in the vicinity of at least one link of the indicia  14 . This location provides the appearance of connecting the charm to the indicia rather than to the sock  4 . It is to be appreciated that there can be as many charms as there are links in the indicia while still maintaining the appearance of a charm anklet connected to the sock.  
      The indicia  14  are preferable but not essential, as charms are capable of being connected to the sock without the addition of indicia  14 . Without the indicia  14 , a plurality of charms could be symmetrically disposed about the sock circumference, below the top edge of the sock. Such a design is cost effective by minimizing the process of manufacturing the clothing article.  
      Accordingly, an article of clothing has been disclosed consisting of a sock  4  having one or more charms and indicia imitative of a chain attached thereto. The indicia have the added benefit of providing a woman or child with the appearance of a charm chain without the complications and drawbacks that would face the woman or child attempting to wear a real chain.  
      The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims and their combination in whole or in part rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.