Patent Publication Number: US-2005120744-A1

Title: Tension locking member for an earring

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a tension locking goods for earring, more particularly, a tension locking goods for earring useful for removably attaching the earring to an earlobe, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by two fixing pieces in a movable manner when the fixing pieces formed on both ends of the tension locking goods are bent and supported in a fixed position so that it can protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially prevent partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      It is well known that there are two kinds of earrings including one to be put on an earlobe without a hole and the other for the earlobe with a hole to wear the earring. Particularly, such earring has a tension locking goods possible to attach and detach the earring to the earlobe.  
       FIGS. 4 and 5  in the accompanying drawings illustrate conventional tension locking goods for the earring.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the tension locking goods  20  comprises a main body  22  of the locking goods which includes a fixing hole  27  integrated at one end to be hooked by a fixed end  16  of an earring body  10  while, on the other end thereof, a hinge hole  25   a  being formed through spring guidance walls  25  bent inside of the main body  22  and opposited each other; and a plate spring  30  endowing tension effect to the tension locking goods  20  between the spring guidance walls  25 , wherein the plate spring  30  has one end fixed by two fixing pieces  23  formed by bending both sides of the main body  22  of the locking goods and two supporting pieces  24 .  
      Such constructed tension locking goods  20  in prior art has the plate spring  30  mounted inside the main body  22  to press and fix the plate spring  30  by only fixing piece  23  of a part constructing a fixed support, and the supporting pieces  24  being apart from the plate spring  30  and supported at a desirable space. Accordingly, by repeatedly applying tension force of the plate spring  30 , fatigue stress is locally generated in the vicinity of the fixing piece  23  as the fixed support.  
      Tension effect of such plate spring  30  starts at the fixing piece  23  as the fixed support during initial working for widening the tension locking goods  20 , then, progresses on the supporting piece  24  as a starting point to intend distribution of the fatigue stress, however, it was found that the supporting piece  24  represented no remarkable effect. In addition, since such conventional tension locking goods  20  was under the fatigue caused by the tension effect of the plate spring  30  repeatedly applied, the goods  20  was locally cut nearby the fixing piece  23  as the fixing support. Also, the goods rather had less force for fixing the plate spring  30  since only the fixing piece  23  had a role of press-fixing the goods  20 , and exposed a problem not to vary or increase the tension effect of the tension locking goods  20  by means of the plate spring  30 .  
      Such problem may reduce tension effect due to fatigue limitation of the plate spring  30  as it repeatedly conducts detaching/attaching movement (that is, rotational motion) of the tension locking goods  20 , whereby it may cause lowering putting-on sense of the earring  1  to lead to a trouble that the earring  1  put on the earlobe comes loose and, thereby, being released from the earlobe.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Therefore, the present invention is purposed to solve the above captioned problems and has an object to provide a tension locking goods for earring useful for detachably wearing the earring, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by two fixing pieces in a movable manner when the fixing pieces formed on both ends of the tension locking goods are bent and supported in a fixed position so that it can protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially prevent partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.  
      To achieve the above object of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an earring with a tension locking goods according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a body part of the earring coupled with the tension locking goods according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 3 ( a ) is a development status view illustrating a body of the tension locking goods according to the present invention developed before the body is assembled with the plate spring;  
       FIG. 3 ( b ) is a cross-sectional view of the plate spring according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a development status view illustrating a body of the conventional tension locking goods developed before the body is assembled with the plate spring; and  
       FIG. 5  is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional tension locking goods and a body of the earring assembled together. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The present invention will be described in more detail by reference to the above drawings which are presented for purposes of illustration but should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention thereto.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an earring coupled with a tension locking goods according to the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a body part of the earring and the tension locking goods of the present invention assembled together.  FIG. 3 ( a ) is a development status view of a body of the tension locking goods according to the present invention developed before the body is coupled with the plate spring; and  FIG. 3 ( b ) is a cross-sectional view of the plate spring according to the present invention. Hereinafter, parts of the tension locking goods substantially identical to those of the conventional locking goods are illustrated with the same numerals.  
      As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an earring  1  comprising a tension locking goods  20  rotatably coupled with a body part  10  of the earring by a hinge  12  and expressing tension effect by a plate spring  30 , wherein the plate spring is coupled at a desirable position of inner side of a locking body  22  formed with two fixing pieces  23  having semicircular space parts  23   a  at both sides of the locking body and has an embossed projection  32  at one side, which is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection  32  to be hooked and supported by the fixing pieces  23  in a movable manner when the fixing pieces  23  formed on both ends of the tension locking goods  20  are bent and supported in a fixed position.  
      Such fixing pieces  23  are shown in  FIG. 3 ( a ) illustrating the pieces in a development status before bending the pieces into the locking body  22 . The fixing pieces  23  formed with the semicircular spaces  23   a  at both sides of the locking body  22  are faced to each other to form an entirely circular hook space  26  to be fitted with the embossed projection  32  when a bending process is conducted to joint the locking body  22  and the plate spring  30 , thereby forming an assembly of the locking body  22  and the plate spring  30 . In this case, the embossed projection  32  is fitted into and couple to lightly move within the circular space  26  formed by connecting two fixing pieces  23 .  
      Such hooked and supported plate spring  30  is not secured by a press-fixing process commonly applied to conventional plate springs, but assembled by the embossed projection  32  fitted into the hook space  26  formed by the fixing pieces to lightly move within the space  26 . The embossed projection  32  freely moves or flows within the circular space  26  formed by bending the fixing pieces  23  and is hooked and supported whenever tension is applied to the plate spring  30  due to movement of the earring body part  10 , whereby it allows the plate spring  30  not to be detached nor released from the locking body during its use.  
      The present invention constructed as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the earring  1  is attached to an earlobe by pulling the tension locking goods  20  outside to be widen around the hinge  12  in the earring body part  10  (see an imaginary line in  FIG. 2 ), then, pushing the tension locking goods  20  to a fixed end  16  to return the tension locking goods  20  through tension recovery action of the plate spring  30  to allow the fixed end  16  to be fitted into a fixing hole  27  formed at one side of the locking body  22 .  
      Herein, the tension recovery action of the plate spring  30  is more efficient than of conventional springs.  
      Briefly, if the tension locking goods  20  is pulled outside to be widen around the hinge  12  on the earring body part  10 , the tension recovery action of the plate spring  30  in an initial widening motion process is generated on the fixing pieces  23  and, in turn, the tension supporting piece  14  of the earring body part  10  supports the other end of the plate spring  30  to crease a small bending (that is, the tension recovery action) on the plate spring  30 , thereby being dismissed from its orginal position. At this time, the embossed projection  32  formed at one side of the plate spring  30  can do a littly free sliding-reciprocation within the hook space  26  made by the fixing pieces  23 , whereby the plate spring  30  is not under fatigue stress caused by the tension recovery action in any local parts, rather receives the tension recovery action over entire portion of the plate spring  30  and provide a dispersion effect evenly dispersing the fatigue stress without excessive load to any specified parts, whereby it prevents partial cutting of the fixing pieces  23  as the fixed support due to the fatigue stress caused by the tension recovery action of the plate spring  30  repeatedly applied like as in conventional springs, to result in accomplishing noticeable improvement of reliability for earring products.  
      In addition, the present invention has advantages of protecting the plate spring  30  from being cut out in partial and increasing tension recovery action, thereby making it possible to be substituted for common low quality of plate springs.  
      As clear from the above description, the present invention provides a tension locking goods for earring useful for removably attaching the earring to the earlobe, comprising a plate spring having an embossed projection at one side, wherein the plate spring is constructed and assembled to allow the embossed projection to be hooked and supported by the fixing pieces in a movable manner to protect the plate spring from being detached or released and, at the same time, to inhibit or reduce local stress load on the plate spring generated by repeatedly using the tension locking goods to essentially inhibit partial cutting of the plate spring, and obtain tension effect for the tension locking goods even by slight force, thereby, accomplishing smooth and enhanced wearing sense.  
      It is further understood by those skilled in the art that the forgoing description is a preferred embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.