Patent Publication Number: US-9894965-B2

Title: Toolery

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/932,531, filed Jan. 28, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     The invention relates to a necklace with at least one rear pendant provided to counterbalance the weight on the front of the necklace in order to avoid stress on the back of the wearer&#39;s neck. 
     In one embodiment, the necklace is a utility necklace with arrangements for receiving useful items conveniently accessible on the front of the necklace, and a pendant on the rear of the necklace for counterbalancing the weight of the useful items on the front. 
     In a second embodiment, the necklace is a decorative jewelry item, with an accessory pendant affixed to the back to counterbalance the weight of the decorative features on the front. 
     In either case, the necklace is sized to suit the head size of the wearer. 
     The invention is not limited to the described examples. In particular, the term “pendant” should be interpreted as including any object suitable for serving as a counterweight on a necklace. 
     As explained herein, the invention relates to a combination of a necklace and a rear counterweight. The necklace may be a piece of jewelry, or designed more for utility than for fashion. The rear counterweight may be permanently attached, or removable. 
     A set of interchangeable counterweights may be provided with the necklace, possibly in different weights, for being attached to selected position(s) on the necklace for counterbalancing various loads in various positions. 
     The invention also extends to a set of counterweights, not associated with a specific necklace, from which the user may select at least one suitable counterweight for use with a particular utility-type or decorative necklace. 
     The invention further relates to a method, including steps of selecting and positioning one or more counterweights on the rear of a necklace for counterbalancing the load on the front. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1-6  show a utility necklace according to a first embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIGS. 7-8  show a decorative jewelry-type necklace according to a second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     First Embodiment 
     Examples of the first embodiment are seen in  FIGS. 1-6 . 
     The necklace of  FIG. 1  has chains on the front (toward the bottom of the figure) for holding various items in convenient position for use, and a rear pendant with a sufficient weight for counterbalancing the weight of the items on the front. 
     Additional details are seen in  FIGS. 3-6 . In this example, one of the chains supports a ring for holding a pair of eyeglasses or another item that can be hung on such a ring, one chain supports a pair of folding scissors, and one holds a key. The chains (or the necklace itself) are advantageously long enough so that the hanging item (for example the key) is in position for use without being removed from the necklace. Also advantageously, the items can be provided with individual clasps or hooks for being removed from the necklace for use, and then easily returned to the necklace. 
     As an alternative or in addition to the individual chains, a plate or another type of large-scale support with appropriate apertures or fastening means may be provided for receiving the useful items on the front of the necklace. See  FIG. 2 . In this example, in addition to the rear pendant, the necklace supports a decorative plate with four holes for receiving the items, for example via hooks or clasps attached to the items. 
     Of course, the rear counterweight need not be a pendant, but could take another form, such as an object incorporated into the rear part of the necklace, or a heavier material forming a rear part of the necklace. 
     Furthermore, the invention may include a set of rear pendants having various weights, rather than a single pendant as shown. The user can then choose the rear pendant having the best weight for counterbalancing the front load. For example, on a day when the user needs to carry a heavy set of keys on the front, a heavier rear pendant can be chosen as the counterbalance. 
     Moreover, the rear pendant can be placed in an optimized position for performing its function. In the last example, if the heavy keys are to be secured to the left-front side of the necklace, the user can secure a pendant of a corresponding weight to the right-rear side of the necklace for best counterbalancing of the front weight. Moreover, in that case a lighter pendant could be placed on the left-rear side of the necklace for a more balanced load all around the necklace. 
     In each of these examples, one or more counterweights are placed on the rear side of the necklace. The counterweight(s) may be permanently secured to one point on the necklace, or removable and interchangeable at selected positions on the necklace for optimizing the counterbalancing of the front load. 
     Referring specifically to  FIG. 3 , there are seen varying sizes and weights of counterbalancing pendant which can be attached to the back of the necklace. Chains may be provided for the attachment of the counterweights. Clasps may be provided on the chains or on the counterweights. The chains can vary in length. Clasps may be provided for removably attaching the counterweights to the chains. 
     As shown, an example of a utility item may be a key, and/or a ring for holding eyeglasses. These items may or may not have clasps attached. 
     Clasps may be removed or added to the utility chains as needed. For example, a clasp may be provided on a chain for an individual utility item if the item does not have a clasp. On the other hand, if a utility item does have a clasp, a clasp may be removed from a corresponding chain as necessary. 
     Second Embodiment 
     The second embodiment relates to providing one or more counterweight pendants, possibly a set of pendants in various weights, for attaching to the back of a decorative (jewelry-type) necklace for counterbalancing the front load and reducing the stress on the back of the user&#39;s neck. Any suitable type of hook or clasp may be provided for attaching the pendant to the back of the necklace. 
     An example is seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . As described above in connection with the first embodiment, one or more pendants are selected from the set of pendants in the second embodiment for counterbalancing the load(s) on the front of the necklace. 
     Referring specifically to  FIG. 7 , separate counterweight(s) may be provided for the back of any necklace to provide a counterbalancing weight for a load on the front of the necklace. Preferably the counterweight is attached to the back of a necklace with chain. Counterweight pendants with various sizes and weights may be provided, with or without clasps. Pendants and/or chains can have clasps to attach varying sizes and weights of counterbalancing pendants to the necklace. 
     In each of these embodiments, the weight relationship between the front and back loads can be adjusted for greatest comfort and utility. If the rear load is equal to the front load, the necklace may not hang properly for cosmetic purposes. On the other hand, equal front and rear loads may provide optimal counterweighting and greatest comfort. With the pendants or other counterweight objects being detachable and interchangeable, the user can select an optimal counterweight and optimal attachment point for satisfying both of these needs. 
     As explained herein, the invention relates to a combination of a necklace and a rear counterweight. The necklace may be a piece of jewelry, or designed more for utility than for fashion. The rear counterweight may be permanently attached, or removable. 
     A set of interchangeable counterweights may be provided with the necklace, possibly in different weights, for being attached to selected position(s) on the necklace for counterbalancing various loads in various positions. 
     The invention also extends to a set of counterweights, not associated with a specific necklace, from which the user may select the proper counterweight for use with a particular utility-type or decorative necklace. 
     The invention further relates to a method, including steps of selecting and positioning one or more counterweights on the rear of a necklace for counterbalancing the load on the front. 
     Although embodiments and examples of the invention have been described, the invention is not limited to the present disclosure, but extends rather to all modifications and variations within the reasonable scope of the disclosure that might occur to those having ordinary skill in the pertinent field.