Patent Publication Number: US-2006005578-A1

Title: Device and method for positioning ornaments onto elongated ornamental articles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates to a positioning device and to the method for inserting-positioning ornaments onto articles with elongated structure, such as necklaces and bracelets in the field of jewellery, silverware or cheap jewellery in general. Ornamental articles, such as necklaces and bracelets, constituted by an elongated structure, such as a chain, ending at the ends with closing members, are known.  
      Such ornamental articles can be combined with a decorative member apt to make them precious, for example a pendant or a relatively showy member equipped with a hole sized to be crossed by the chain, or other elongated member, therewith such articles are manufactured.  
      In the necklaces it is particularly important, for aesthetical reasons, that the closure be positioned behind the neck of the wearing person, whereas the decorative member be well centered and at sight, then in “diametrically” opposed position with respect to the closure.  
      During the movements of the body wearing such necklace, the latter can rotate and the closure from a rear position can reach the front position, near the pendant or other decorative member mobile onto the necklace itself. In such case, the necklace looses its aesthetical quality. In order to avoid this, the person wearing it often looks for the closure with one hand and, in case it has moved, he/she brings it back behind the neck, whereas the pendant remains constantly, under the effect of its own weight, in the lower central position of the necklace supporting it.  
      In order to prevent the sliding of the necklace around the neck of the person wearing it and thus the approaching of the closure to the decorative member, the latter is usually fixed onto the necklace, so that with its weight, when the necklace is worn, it prevents the necklace to rotate and the closure to move toward the front position of the body wearing it. However, such necklaces have one configuration only, unlike the ones with mobile pendant which can assume two different configurations: one without pendant or other mobile decorative member, one with the pendant or with said inserted mobile decorative member.  
      Some manufacturers have overcome the drawback of the necklace rotation by implementing in the central part thereof a link, or however a structure, thereto the pendant can be appended. However, such attachment member, if without a pendant, can depreciate the aesthetical quality of the necklace itself.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of present invention is to implement a positioning device which could be applied or removed from an elongated structure, such as a chain, thus from an article with such implemented elongated structure, with said device apt to originate a removable point behaving as an attachment or positioning fixed point for the removable decorative member to be applied or not to the necklace, to the bracelet or other article or elongated structure of the decorative type.  
      Another object of the invention is to implement a positioning device, structured so as to be able to be applied to an elongated structure, resulting to be able to slide thereon and having high stability in the position in which it is placed so that with a plurality of such devices in the body of the elongated structure several decorative members can be applied, in the chosen positions, with a variable number of said positioning devices and thus with a variable number of the decorative members to be applied according to the user&#39;s will, so as to implement, with a limited number of components, a necklace or other elongated article, with a plurality of different aesthetical shapes.  
      Finally, another object is to find a method therewith the user can intervene directly onto her/his own necklace or other decorative article with elongated structure to modify its aesthetical aspect by using a limited number of components.  
      These and still other objects are reached by the invention, consisting in a positioning device apt to act on the article with elongated structure to be adorned as support and/or abutting and stopping means for decorative members, as well as consisting in the method by which using with one or more of said positioning devices the elongated structure, as a chain, is allowed to be adorned with one or more decorative members, according to different modes at the user&#39;s discretion, thus originating necklaces, bracelets and other ornamental articles with elongated structure with diversified aesthetical aspects. The positioning device is applied singularly or a plurality of positioning devices is applied so as to originate one or more attachment point or an interval or several intervals onto the elongated structure thereto or therein the decorative members are to be positioned, thus implementing a necklace, a bracelet or other elongated article with variable and modular configuration, according to the user&#39;s wishes.  
      The positioning device, according to the invention, consists in the combination of a structure bearing at least a crossing through hole communicating with an annular cavity inside it and an adhering annular member made of flexible and soft material, partially housed in said annular cavity and having an inner diameter smaller than the one of the crossing through hole and a larger outer diameter than the one of said crossing through hole, being sized so as to house steadily in said annular cavity thereby it will be almost hidden to the sight. The method consists in making the elongated structure to be adorned to cross the crossing through hole of one or more positioning devices, which structure will have the sizes so as to determine a plastic deformation of the adhering annular member in the single positioning device so that it or they, if they are more than one, position steadily in the chosen points onto the elongated structure to be adorned, with the decorative members applied onto the single positioning device or onto the elongated structure to be adorned in the sections comprised between pairs of positioning devices thereamong said decorative members can be free to move.  
      Such positioning device and method result to be advantageous because they allow the application in a removable way of one or more decorative components to ornamental articles with elongated structure and each positioning device, once introduced, can be varied in its position by “braked” sliding, without abrading and thus damaging the surface of the ornamental elongated structure thereon it is made to slide. Such positioning device, if equipped with an attachment hole or projecting annular, constitutes the means thereto the decorative member, for example a pendant, is to be applied.  
      If it is not equipped with an attachment hole or with a projecting annular, it will be apt to originate an abutting and stopping point, thus it could delimitate, together with another such corresponding positioning device, a section of the elongated structure wherein one or more decorative members equipped with hooking annular or sliding hole could move. In this case the single positioning device constitutes an abutting and stopping point for the sliding decorative member(s) applied to the elongated structure therewith the necklace, bracelet or other is made.  
      The method, therewith the stabilization of one or more decorative members to the necklace, bracelet or other elongated structure is implemented, results to be particularly advantageous as it allows, with a limited number of positioning devices and of decorative members, to make the ornamental article with elongated structure to assume a plurality of different aesthetical aspects obtained by its combination with the positioning device(s) and with one or more decorative members, according to the combination chosen by the owner of such members. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other features and advantages will be evident, particularly to the persons skilled in the art, upon reading the following description, related to the embodiments exemplified in the drawings of the enclosed table which show practical implementation examples, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is the axonometric view of the positioning device;  
       FIG. 2  is the view of the device of  FIG. 1  applied onto an elongated structure, with said device sectioned by an axial plane;  
       FIG. 3  is the view of the device of  FIG. 1  applied to an elongated structure, with said device equipped with attachment annular;  
       FIG. 4  is the view of two devices and of two decorative members shaped like a small barrel crossed by the elongated structure, with the two devices sectioned by an axial plane;  
       FIG. 5  exemplifies the central length of a necklace thereto a decorative pendant is appended, the sliding backlash thereof is delimited by two positioning devices placed side by side;  
       FIG. 6  exemplifies a length of a necklace combined with two pairs of positioning devices delimiting two sections, onto one thereof two decorative members are placed, onto the other one, instead, three decorative members are placed, all of them crossed by the elongated structure of the necklace itself;  
       FIG. 7  exemplifies the positioning device equipped with attachment hole. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)  
      It is understood that the drawings are exemplifying only with the purpose of making easier the comprehension of the invention, without being any limitation therefor.  
      The invention, then, consists in a positioning device  1  and in a method therethrough an elongated structure  6 —implementing a necklace, a bracelet or any other ornamental article with elongated configuration—such as a chain, in particular of the type with round cross section or however with a profile of said section not far from the circular shape, or such as small cords or other structures therewith the necklaces, bracelets and other ornamental articles are made, is adorned with pendants or other decorative members.  
      Said positioning device  1  is constituted by the combination of a structure  2 —bearing at least a crossing through hole “delimitated” by an annular cavity  3 —and an adhering annular member  4 , usually recalling the toroidal shape, made of flexible and soft material. Said adhering annular member  4  is sized so as to house in said annular cavity  3  and to project from the same towards the crossing axis. Said adhering annular member  4 , then, has a diameter or inner width smaller than the one of the crossing through hole and an outer diameter apt to allow it to partially house within the annular cavity  3  of the structure  2  which will provide in keeping it even when stressed in axial direction.  
      Then, said structure  2 , with crossing hole usually with annular configuration, is so as to appear usually as a disc. It can have an auxiliary attachment hole  10  or an attachment annular  5  to allow the application of pendants or other decorative members destined to appear appended to the structure  2  itself. In another embodiment, the structure  2  can be without auxiliary holes  10  or attachment annulars  5 , particularly when the positioning device  1  is destined to originate stopping or abutting points for appended decorative members  7  or for the decorative members  8  sliding onto the elongated structure  6  implementing the necklace, the bracelet or other decorative article.  
      The structure  2  with crossing through hole, then, is combined with an adhering annular member  4  made of flexible and soft material destined to interact with the elongated structure  6  therewith the necklace, the bracelet or other is made. In this way the structure  2  with crossing through hole is hindered in its own spontaneous sliding and thus it is stabilized in an adequate way onto the elongated structure  6 , by implementing in the latter an attachment point or an abutting and stopping point.  
      The adhering annular member  4  made of flexible and soft material is usually an “O” ring housed or hold by the annular cavity  3  of the structure  2  therefrom it projects with the quantity sufficient to carry out the antisliding action and at the same time to protect the structure  2 , with crossing through hole, from the direct contact with the elongated structure  6  crossing it.  
      The present invention also relates to the method therethrough the positioning of ornaments onto elongated articles, such as necklaces, bracelets, anklelaces and others is performed. This method consists in using one or more positioning devices  1 , each one constituted by a structure  2  with crossing through hole delimited by an adhering annular member  4 , usually shaped like a toroi and made of a flexible and soft material, in using an elongated structure  6 , implementing a necklace, a bracelet or similar article, sized to cross the structure  2  with crossing through hole, thus carrying out an interaction which causes a light plastic deformation at least of the adhering annular member  4  so as to be stable in each point of said elongated structure  6  so that each device  1  originates an attachment point or an abutting and stopping point for appended decorated members  7  or for decorative members  8  sliding onto said elongated structure  6 .  
      The method, then, in a case provides the use of a single positioning device  1 , thereto a decorative pendant is to be appended, in another case it provides the use of more positioning devices  1  thereto decorative members are to be appended, to be placed one next to the other or spaced thereamong.  
      In still another case the method of the present invention provides the use of one or more pairs of positioning devices  1  therewith a section or more sections of the elongated structure  6  is/are to be delimited, thereon the sliding space for appended decorative members  7  and/or decorative members  8  sliding onto the elongated structure  6  can be positioned and delimited. These decorative members could be equipped with hooking annular or other equivalent means thereby they can be supported from the elongated structure  6 , or they could be equipped with their own hole, to be crossed by the elongated structure  6  and to slide onto the same.  
      Then, such method allows in one case the user to define the point or the points where to place the positioning device(s)  1  to which the decorative members are to be appended, in another case, it allows the user to define the section or the sections of the elongated structure  6  which will have to support the decorative members. So that, said user can modify the aesthetical aspect of the composite article implemented by combining the supporting elongated structure  6 , such as a chain, a small cord or any other structure with which the necklace, bracelet or other is made, with one or more positioning devices  1  and with one or more decorative members which could be of different types and shapes.