Patent Publication Number: US-2010107690-A1

Title: Jewelry eyeglass holder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/108,868 filed Oct. 28, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to jewelry for holding eyeglasses in a folded position. 
     Jewelry eyeglass holders are known that have a specially formed loop or hook hanging downwardly from a jewelry pin. While the loop or hook is partially covered by the eyeglasses while they are held, the loop or hook is fixed in position and thereby remains visible even when the eyeglasses are not being held. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,484. Unfortunately, the loop or hook, which is not integrated into the jewelry pin design itself, is conspicuous and may detract from the appearance of the jewelry pin when the eyeglasses are not being held. 
     One approach to solving this problem is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,140 by using a hinged connection to hide the hook or loop behind the jewelry pin when it is not being used to hold a pair of eyeglasses. However, the inter-relating pieces make such a pin difficult to manufacture. 
     A need remains for a jewelry pin eyeglass holder that is easily manufactured in which the hook or loop used to secure the eyeglasses does not detract from the appearance of the pin. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This need is met by the present invention. The present invention provides a piece of jewelry having a loop defining an eyeglass holder incorporated into the jewelry design itself so as to blend in with the rest of the design and yet securely hold the junction between the glass rim and the folded post of the eyeglasses. 
     The present invention thus provides a piece of jewelry having an ornamental design portion with a height dimension and a width dimension defining a plane and an arcuate semi-circular loop extending between opposite sides of the height dimension in a plane essentially perpendicular to the plane of the ornamental design portion of the piece of jewelry, wherein the loop defines an aperture for securely receiving an eyeglass post in the folded position. The piece of jewelry is preferably a pin and the arcuate semi-circular loop is preferably a wire of a gauge large enough to adequately support the eyeglasses but small enough not to be readily noticeable by the casual observer. According to one embodiment, the loop is the same color as the jewelry piece so as to camouflage the loop to prevent detection. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the invention and many other intended advantages can be readily attained by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the following drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of an eyeglass holder jewelry pin according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the  FIG. 1  embodiment from the opposite side; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of an alternate embodiment od an eyeglass holder jewelry pin according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the figures, in which like numerals refer to like portions thereof, eyeglass holder jewelry pin embodiments according to the present invention are depicted in  FIGS. 1-5 .  FIGS. 1 and 2  show opposing side views of one embodiment of a jewelry pin  10  with an ornamental design portion  12 , arcuate semi-circular loop  14 , and pin-fastener  16  for securing the jewelry pin  10  to the clothing of a wearer is affixed to the rear surface  17  or ornamental design portion  12 . 
     The rear view of  FIG. 3  and the front view of  FIG. 4  show that the ornamental design portion  12  has a height dimension A and a width dimension B defining a plane, with opposing sides  18  and  20  of the height dimension. Arcuate semi-circular loop  14  is affixed to the front  15  of ornamental design portion  12 , and extends between opposing sides  18  and  20  to define a plane C essentially perpendicular to the plane of the ornamental design portion  12  of jewelry pin  10 . This is also evident from  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Loop  14  also defines aperture  22  for securely receiving an eyeglass post in the folded position. 
     When jewelry pin  10  is secured to a wearer&#39;s clothing by pin-fastener  16 , the arcuate semi-circular loop  14  extends essentially perpendicularly from the wearer&#39;s body and presents aperture  22  for receiving the wearer&#39;s eyeglasses. By extending perpendicularly from the plane of the ornamental design portion  12  of the jewelry pin  10 , as well as from the wearer&#39;s body, the loop  14  is not readily visible to the casual observer as compared to prior art pins in which the loop or hook is coplanar with the ornamental portion for the jewelry piece. This is evident in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,484 as well as the afore-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,140. 
     This is further advantageous because the loop  14  is not positioned like prior art hooks or loops that cause the eyeglasses to dangle loosely from the pin. (See again, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,484.) The jewelry pin  10  of the present invention securely holds the eyeglasses against the ornamental design portion  12  when in use. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 5 , incorporating a simple ornamental oval design for the ornamental design portion  12  to which the which the loop  14  is affixed to the front  15  and the pin-fastener  16  is affixed to the rear (not show). The sharp point  24  of pin-fastener  16  is received in backing receptacle  26  to prevent injury to the wearer. 
     Another advantage provided by the jewelry pin of the present invention is that it is simple to manufacture. The ornamental design portion  12  and the eyeglass holder loop  14  are a single integral piece that are formed together without inter-connections that require assembly. The jewelry piece of the present invention can be molded or formed as a single piece combining the ornamental portion  12  with the eyeglass-holding loop  14 . 
     While the eyeglass holding loop  14  serves a functional purpose, in another embodiment it can also incorporate an ornamental shape or design, for example by having the appearance of a braid. In another embodiment, the ornamental design portion  12  may incorporate a popular logo such as the logo of a sports team, cartoon character, product endorsement, and the like. In another embodiment the popular logo is part of the front side of a planar backing to which the ornamental design portion  12  is secured. In such an embodiment, the pin-fastener is affixed to the opposing back side of the planar backing rather than just the back side of the ornamental design portion of the jewelry pin. 
     As will be readily appreciated, numerous variations and combinations of the features described above can be used without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims. Such variations are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.