Patent Publication Number: US-2016219992-A1

Title: Jewellery clasp

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a new and improved clasp for attaching jewellery items which have a loop and a clasp closure to a chain, necklace or bracelet or similar item. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the past, most jewellery items such as pendants or charms were attached to chains or the like by opening a link on the chain and placing a pendant on the chain. One of the problems with these products was that it was difficult to open the link on the chain or necklace and when opened, the charms or pendants could easily falloff the chain or necklace. 
     The present invention has overcome these difficulties and problems by providing the means to attach the charm or the pendant directly to the chain or necklace on the charm or pendant directly and not on the chain or necklace. This invention also allows for charms, pendants and the like to be attached to a chain which is a continuous chain and which does not have an opening link or device to secure the charm to the chain on the chain itself. Thus charms and the like can be affixed to a continuous chain or necklace which does not have an opening link on the chain. 
     Common bracelets or necklaces have a means on the bracelet or the necklace to secure a bead, a charm or a decorative item to the chain. These means typically comprise a clasp to secure the charm or if a bead is to be inserted onto the bracelet, a clasp which may be inserted directly through the bead or charm itself. This of course requires that the necklace have a link which can be opened and then secured. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been designed to overcome these disadvantages by providing that the insert such as a charm or pendant include a means to secure the charm or pendant directly to a chain by opening a clasp on the charm or pendant itself and then mounting the pendant on the chain. 
     To this end, in one of its embodiments, the invention provides a jewellery clasp for securing an ornamental item to a continuous chain comprising a pair of oppositely oriented decorative portions hinged on one side of a tubular member extending circumferentially around the clasp and terminating in a short gap at the opposite side of the hinged portion, a gap closure member extending from one of the decorative portions adapted to releasably secure the decorative potions in a closed position thereby closing the gap. 
     In another of its aspects, the invention provides a jewellery clasp for securing an ornamental item to a continuous chain comprising a pair of oppositely oriented decorative portions hinged on one side of a tubular member extending circumferentially around the clasp and terminating in a short gap at the opposite side of the hinged portion, a gap closure member extending from one of the decorative portions adapted to releasably secure the decorative potions in a closed position thereby closing the gap, wherein the gap closure member is a tongue portion extending inwardly from one of the decorative elements. 
     In yet another of its aspects, the invention provides a jewellery clasp for securing an ornamental item to a continuous chain comprising a pair of oppositely oriented decorative portions hinged on one side of a tubular member extending circumferentially around the clasp and terminating in a short gap at the opposite side of the hinged portion, a gap closure member extending from one of the decorative portions adapted to releasably secure the decorative potions in a closed position thereby closing the gap, wherein the gap closure member is tongue portion extending inwardly from one of the decorative elements and the tongue portion is press fitted to secure the decorative portions together. 
     In yet a still further aspect of the invention, it provides a jewellery clasp for securing an ornamental item to a continuous chain comprising a pair of oppositely oriented decorative portions hinged on one side of a tubular member extending circumferentially around the clasp and terminating in a short gap at the opposite side of the hinged portion, a gap closure member extending from one of the decorative portions adapted to releasably secure the decorative potions in a closed position thereby closing the gap, wherein the gap closure member is tongue portion extending inwardly from one of the decorative elements and the tongue portion is press fitted to secure the decorative portions together, wherein the tubular member is a continuous member extending through a channel attached to the two decorative portions thereby allowing the decorative portions to be swung away from each other. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a pendant having the new clasp in the closed position. 
         FIG. 2  shows a side view the pendant of  FIG. 1  in an open position. 
         FIG. 3  shows the pendant of  FIG. 1  in a fully open position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will be made to a pendant have the new clasp but the invention of the new clasp is equally applicable to any insert to be mounted on a chain, a necklace, a bracelet or on any similar item. 
     The pendant comprises an ornamental portion  2  on its front  4  and on its rear surface  6  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). A circumferential tubular member  9  extends around the ornamental portions as shown in  FIG. 1  thereby providing a closed ring when the ornamental portion  2  is in the closed position. A chain  11  is secured through the closed ring in the assembled condition thus retaining the pendant on the chain. 
     The tubular member  9  carries a hinge portion or connector  8  at the mid-point of a first side of the pendant which allows ornamental portions  4 , 6  to swing away and pivot from each other as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The tubular member  9  extends upwardly from connector  8  and back down the opposite side terminating at end portion  12 . In the opposite direction, tubular member  9  extends in the opposite direction from the connector  8  terminating in an end portion  16  leaving a short gap  20  between end portion  12  and end portion  16 . This gap  20  is sufficiently wide to allow a standard chain to be inserted through the gap and attached to either element  10  or element  14 . 
     The tubular member  9  may be a continuous member or may be two separate members welded or otherwise secured at each end of connector  8 . 
     One of the ornamental portions  4 , 6  carries a locking element  22  which is adapted to lock the clasp in a closed and locked position as shown in  FIG. 1  when the two ornamental portions  4 , 6  are pivoted towards the gap  20 . 
     In one embodiment, the locking element  22  is a short rectangular tongue  26  affixed to the ornamental portion  4  which extends over the gap  20  and press fits closed with the opposite element  6 . 
     In operation, the tongue  26  is forced away from the opposite ornamental portion  6  and each ornamental portion  4 ,  6  is swung away from the tubular member  9 . By swinging each ornamental portion  4 , 6  away from the tubular member  9 , this leaves the gap  20  in the open position allowing a chain or similar article to be inserted through the gap. After inserting the chain, each ornamental portion  4 ,  6  is swung to the closed position and the tongue  26  is press fitted to the opposite ornamental portion thereby closing the gap  20  and preventing the charm from falling off the chain. 
     With this structure, the pendant may be placed on the chain without opening the chain and possibly losing the other pendants which may be attached to the chain. Also, a pendant may be placed on a chain which does not have a means to open the chain, in other words, a continuous chain. 
     It is also noted that with this invention, one may place two or more chains on the pendant itself or in fact, may secure one pendant to a second pendant and then to a chain. This flexibility provides and improved structure for connecting a variety and number of pendants and a number of chains together. 
     While the principles of the invention are described in one embodiment of the invention, those skilled in this art may make modifications in the structure, arrangement and components of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the description and drawings be illustrative and not limiting in any sense and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the invention referred to therein.