Patent Publication Number: US-7721571-B2

Title: Clothing jewelry

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/730,041, filed Oct. 26, 2005. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to accessories for clothing, and more particularly to clothing jewelry for the ornamentation and decoration of articles of clothing. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Several jewelry items are available that can be attached to clothing, e.g., collar pins, brooches, cuff links, etc. However, little attention has been paid to the lower portion of garments. For example, the cuffs of blue jeans are often very plain. The decoration and ornamentation of the cuffs of pants, the hems of skirts, and the cuffs of blouses, blue jean jackets, and the like is usually limited to the decorative stitching of the hem, the attachment of feathers or puffs, the stitching of fabric emblems around the pant leg, sleeve or skirt, and the like. 
   Such ornaments are usually permanently attached to the garment. Removable decoration is usually limited to elastic bands that can be pulled over the pant leg or sleeve and that carry a decorative design. The result is that the appearance of clothing can usually only be modified by changing accessories worn with the clothing, such as belts, shoes, and the like. A decorative touch can be added by wearing an ankle bracelet, wrist bracelet, or other jewelry item, but the clothing itself is usually unadorned in the lower regions. W.I.P.O. Patent Number WO 2004/103108, published Dec. 2, 2004, discloses a piece of jewelry comprising an ornamental element such as a precious stone, however does not appear to disclose or suggest that the ornamental element can be worn in the manner as described in the present invention. 
   There is a need for a decoration or ornament for pant legs, for skirts near the hemline, for the sleeves of jackets, blouses and the like, and for similar items of clothing. It would also be desirable that the ornamentation be removable and replaceable so that the ornamentation can be coordinated to match belts, shoes, and other accessories worn with the clothing. 
   Thus, clothing jewelry solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The clothing jewelry is formed from a plurality of short chains removably attached to an article of clothing to form a plurality of vertically extending retainer loops, and an elongated decorative member supported by the retainer loops and encircling a portion of the clothing, e.g., a pant leg, a jacket or blouse adjacent the cuff, a skirt adjacent the hemline, and similar clothing articles. The elongated member may be a jewelry chain formed into a continuous or endless loop, a ribbon formed into an endless loop, or other decorative loops. The short chains have fasteners, e.g., a pin and back fastener, at both ends for removable attachment to the article of clothing. 
   Since the clothing jewelry is removable, the jewelry may be coordinated with other clothing accessories, such as belts and shoes. The endless loop can be substituted with chains having links of different shapes or sizes, or a ribbon may be substituted for a chain. The retainer loops may be exchanged to substitute the style of link or the decorative pinhead. The clothing jewelry provides a unique and easy way to decorate an otherwise plain article of clothing. 
   These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an environmental view of clothing jewelry according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the short chain retainer loop components of the clothing jewelry according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry according to the present invention showing an alternative decorative endless loop member. 
       FIG. 4  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing a rhinestone embodiment, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing a floral embodiment, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing a ribbon through leg loops embodiment, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing charms hung from leg loop chain embodiment, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing denim loops, according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an environmental view of the clothing jewelry showing rhinestones attached to the leg loops, according to the present invention. 
   

   Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention is clothing jewelry for the ornamentation and decoration of articles of clothing, particularly pant legs and jacket or blouse sleeves adjacent the cuffs and skirts adjacent the hemline. The clothing jewelry includes a plurality of short chains that are removably fastened to the clothing to form retainer loops  105 . The retainer loops  105  are disposed circumferentially around an item of clothing, such as a pant leg P, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The retainer loops  105  are capable of supporting and holding in place an adornment, i.e., an elongated decorative member  107  formed into a continuous or endless loop that is disposed circumferentially around an item of clothing such as pant leg P. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , each retainer loop  105  comprises a plurality of links  205  forming the chain. A pin  210  is attached to each end of the chain. Each pin  210  has a broad head  212 , which may include a decorative element formed on or attached to the head  212 . The pinhead  212  includes an eccentric hole  213  receiving the end link in the chain. The pins  210  are removably attached to an article of clothing, such as denim pant leg P, by piercing the article of clothing and attaching a back fastener, such as a clutch-back  215 , to the end of the pin  210 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the retainer loops  105  are aligned vertically and disposed circumferentially around the pant leg P. The retainer loops  105  may be formed from links  205  of the same size and shape, or some loops  105  may have fine links and others coarse or large links, and retainer loops  105  may be interchanged or replaced to change the decorative pinhead ornamentation. 
   The retainer loop chain links  205  and pins  210  may be made of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, plastic, aluminum, copper, titanium, steel, and the like. The color of the links  205  may be provided to match color of the clothing. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the elongated decorative member  107  may be a chain formed into a continuous or endless loop. The endless loop may be permanently formed by soldering all of the links closed, or the decorative member  107  may have a clasp or other fastener for releasably forming the endless loop. The links may be fine or coarse. If desired, it may be possible to attach pendants or charms to the links of the endless loop decorative member  107 , depending upon the weight of the pendant and the strength of the clothing material. 
   Alternatively, the elongated decorative member  107  may be a ribbon formed into a continuous or endless loop to encircle, the pant leg, sleeve, skirt, or other clothing member. The ribbon may be a cloth material, metallic or plastic strip, leather, and the like. The color(s) of the ribbon may be selected to match color of item of clothing. The ribbon may be formed into an endless loop by stitching the ends together, or may be provided with a releasable fastener, such as a buckle or hook and loop fasteners, at opposing ends of the ribbon. 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the present invention  105  may comprise rhinestone studded attachment pins  41   2  that advantageously adorn the vertical chain links  205  while providing attachment points of ends of the links  205  to an article of clothing such as pant leg P. A clutch-back such as clutch back  215  shown in  FIG. 2  may be used to retain the pins  412  in place on the garment. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the present invention  105  may comprise rose studded attachment pins  512  that advantageously adorn the vertical chain links  205  while providing attachment points of ends of the links  205  to an article of clothing such as pant leg P. Additionally, the chain links  205  may be threaded with a ribbon  515  that may provide additional structural support as well as additional aesthetic appeal. Additionally, a clutch-back such as clutch back  215  shown in  FIG. 2  may be used to retain the pins  512  in place on the garment. 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , the present invention  105  may comprise a ribbon loop  610  that is threaded through the chain loop  107  to advantageously adorn the loop  107  as well as provide additional structural support. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the present invention  105  may comprise a plurality of trinkets  710  that can be directly attached to the chain loop  107  or, as in the embodiment shown, attached via joining ring  715 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , the present invention  105  may comprise a plurality of denim or other cloth-like material retainer loops  802  that can be held in place on an article of clothing such as pant leg P by a broad head  812  having a clutch back, such as the clutch back  215  shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 9 , the present invention  105  may comprise rhinestone or other similar adornments  910  applied to the decorative member  107 . 
   It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.