Abstract:
An ornamental member for an accessory is in the form of a frame surrounding an opening, or is in the form of a base plate formed of a rigid material having rigidity and being integral with the frame. A slit is formed through one side wall of the ornamental member, the slit being longer than the width of an upper end of the opening between two side walls adjacent to the one side wall. An ornamental sheet is removably insertable through the slit, and all edges of the ornamental sheet are concealed by the frame with the ornamental sheet inserted. One accessory exhibits various different ornamental appearances by remobably inserting various kinds of ornamental sheets into the ornamental member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an ornamental member for an accessory in which various kinds of ornamental sheets are each detachably inserted into a ornamental member surrounded by, for example, a quadrilateral, diamond-shaped or rectangular frame, whereby one accessory can exhibit various different decorative appearances, and an accessory using the same such as a finger ring, a pendant, a necklace, a bracelet, a clip earring, an earring for a pierced ear, an anklet, cuff links, a tiepin, a buckle for a belt or a watch strap.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The conventional accessories have been produced by combining noble metals, plated articles, jewels, semi-precious stones such as agate and turquoise, glass beads and the like. As a result, one accessory has a fixed design, and does not exhibit other different decorative appearances.  
           [0003]    Recently, accessories have come into more general use, and it has been in fashion to have many accessories of various kinds and to use various ones depending on ones mood. In particular, this tendency has become popular among young women.  
           [0004]    However, it is uneconomical to have many accessories of various kinds even if the individual accessories are inexpensive.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENITON  
         [0005]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an ornamental member for an accessory in which the appearance of one accessory is changed to at least one other different decorative ppearance only by an operation of exchanging an ornamental sheet, whereby one accessory functions as two or more accessories.  
           [0006]    Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory using the ornamental member.  
           [0007]    According to the invention, there is provided an ornamental member comprising a rigid base plate, a frame provided on the whole periphery of the base plate integrally therewith, and an opening surrounded by the frame, wherein a slit is formed in one side wall of the ornamental member, and an ornamental sheet can be removably inserted through the slit, the slit being longer than the width of an upper end of the opening between two side walls adjacent to the one side wall and shorter than the width of the base plate. Only the frame having the slit may be used without the use of the base plate. Further, the base plate may have a curved surface, and is rectangular in the sectional form only in one direction. The slit is formed in a side wall crossing the one direction in which the curved surface is rectangular. As the ornamental sheet, a colored thin sheet and a transparent or translucent protective sheet for protecting the thin sheet are used, and a plastic sheet subjected to hologram processing or having iridescent luster, or a plastic sheet vapor-deposited with aluminum is used as the protective sheet or the ornamental sheet.  
           [0008]    That is to say, according to the invention, variously colored or patterned ornamental sheets are each inserted into the frame-like ornamental member through the slit formed in the one side wall of the frame. Thus, one accessory can be used matching it to dress of various kinds by changing the color, raw material and pattern of the ornamental sheet, and further by combinations of various variations such as a hologram-processed sheet, a pearl luster sheet, an iridescent luster sheet, a metallic luster sheet such as a sheet having an aluminum-deposited layer, a mirror surface sheet and a matte-finished translucent sheet. Further, the frame can be formed with a semicylindrical curved surface, or in a cylindrical shape, thereby giving solidity to the member for the accessory.  
           [0009]    The use of the ornamental member for an accessory makes possible to obtain a different appearances by purchasing one accessory such as a finger ring, a necklace, a pendant, cuff links or a tiepin, and changing the ornamental sheet, which increases the usefulness of the accessory.  
           [0010]    In convention with the invention, the term “accessory” means an article worn for making ones appearance more ornamental, such as a finger ring, a pendant, a necklace, a brooch, a bracelet, a clip earring, an earring for a pierced ear, an anklet, cuff links, a tiepin, a buckle for a belt, an ornamental button, a watch strap, a hair ornament, an ornamental comb, a hair band, a key holder or an ornament worn over an obi. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an ornamental sheet comprising a thin sheet and a protective sheet is inserted into an ornamental member for an accessory of the invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ornamental member composed of only a frame  2  without a base plate;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line IV-IV of FIG. 3;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing a finger ring prepared using the ornamental member of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line IV-IV of FIG. 5;  
         [0017]    FIGS.  7 - a  to  7 - d  and FIGS.  8 - a  to  8 - d  are schematic views for illustrating the forms of base plates, the forms of slits and the arrangements thereof;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the base plate of the ornamental member  3  shown in FIG. 1 has a curved surface; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the relationship among the form of a base plate  1 , a direction in which the sectional form becomes rectangular, and a slit. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    The invention will be illustrated with reference to the drawings in detail below.  
         [0021]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral  1  designates a base plate, which is generally made of a metal, but may be made of a hard plastic in some cases. The base plate  1  is integrally provided with a frame  2  on the periphery thereof. That is to say, the frame  2  comprises four side walls  2   a  extending so as to protrude inward from the outer periphery of the base plate  1  and a border portion  2   b  bordering the front of the base plate  1 . The border portion  2   b , base plate  1 , and side walls  2   a  are elements of an ornamental member  3 . A slit  4  is formed in one of the walls  2   a  of the frame  2 . The slit  4  is shorter in length than the side wall  2   a  in which the slit  4  is formed, and has a width allowing an ornamental sheet  5  to be removably, i.e., reversibly, inserted therethrough. It is required that the ornamental sheet  5  be larger than an opening  6  surrounded by the border portion  2   b , with the ornamental sheet  5  inserted, to conceal all edges of the ornamental sheet  5  under the border  2   b . The opening  6  is a front portion of the base plate  1  surrounded by the border portion  2   b .  
         [0022]    The ornamental sheet  5  may be any, as long as it can be removably inserted through the slit  4 , has such a form and a size that all edges of the sheet are concealed under the border portion  2   b  after insertion, and has a decorative appearance. Specifically, a sheet having a thickness of 80 to 400 μm can be used to which a pattern has been imparted or metallic luster has been imparted by vapor deposition with aluminum, and moreover, which is laminated with a plastic sheet to impart such rigidity that the sheet can be easily removed or inserted through the slit. Further, the ornamental sheet can also be constituted by a thin sheet  7  composed of ordinary printing paper or stationary and a transparent or translucent plastic protective sheet  8  having a thickness of 80 to 400 μm. The combinations of color and/or pattern and/or texture of the thin sheet  7  and pattern optionally imparted to and transparency of the protective sheet  8  can impart to the ornamental member various different ornamental appearances.  
         [0023]    Taking insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5  through the slit  4  into account, the thin sheet  7  requires at least the rigidity of writing paper, and is preferably printing paper or packaging paper. The transparent plastic sheets used for the protective sheets  8  include sheets of acrylic resins, polystyrene, polyesters, polypropylene, vinyl chloride resins, copolymers thereof and copolymers thereof with other monomers. Further, it is also possible to make these sheets translucent, matte-finished translucent, mirror-finished or aluminum-deposited. A thin layer of deposited aluminium gives metallic luster to a color of the thin sheet  7 . Imparting translucent pearl luster to the protective sheet  8  also preferably gives depth to the color of the thin sheet  7 .  
         [0024]    The protective sheet  8  laminated with a film having a hologram pattern gives special brilliance. In conducting the hologram processing, a pattern or an image is formed only by engraving minute striped unevenness having a width and a depth roughly corresponding to a wavelength of visible light on a surface of a smooth film or membrane, somewhat different from hologram in the original meaning that a light wave (signal wave) diffracted by an object is allowed to interfere with another light wave having coherence therewith, and the resulting interference fringes are recorded on a light-sensitive material and measured. As a result, when the treated surface is exposed to light, visible light is irregularly reflected by the unevenness to glitter in rainbow colors, and the color tones thereof change with angles of incidence.  
         [0025]    The hologram processing of the invention can be easily conducted with a commercially available hologram-processing machine, such as “Davis Light Machine” or “Light Machine” manufactured by Dimensional Arts, U.S.A. That is to say, the unevenness is directly or indirectly engraved on the surface of the smooth film by a laser beam high in coherence. The term “pattern” as used in the invention means a concept including not only a simple continuous pattern, but also a three-dimensional image.  
         [0026]    Further, the protective sheet can also be laminated with an iridescent reflecting film. The iridescent reflecting film is a multi-layer transparent thermoplastic film composed of at least 20 ultra thin membrane layers each having a substantially uniform thickness, wherein the thickness of each ultra thin membrane layer is roughly a wavelength of visible light, and the ultra thin membrane layers adjacent to each other are 0.03 or more different in refractive index. Specific examples thereof include films of thermoplastic terephthalate polyesters, methyl methacrylate polymers, linear low density polyethylene, and blended polymers thereof and other thermoplastic polymers. The iridescent reflecting film is changed in the color tone according to the angle from which it is looked at like a buprestid.  
         [0027]    Further, one ornamental sheet  5  can also be used in which the protective sheet  8  is integrally laminated with the thin sheet  7 .  
         [0028]    Furthermore, a luminous plastic sheet obtained by kneading luminous microcapsules with a resin, and forming a film from the resulting product can also be used as it is or as a laminate.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIGS. 3 and 4 show an ornamental member composed of only a frame  2  having a slit  4  without a base plate. In this case, a backing sheet  9  having rigidity is required as a protective member substituting for the base plate  1 . Accordingly, an ornamental sheet  5  is overlaid onto the backing sheet  9 , and the superposed sheets are inserted through the slit  4 . In FIG. 4, border portions  2   b  on the front side and the back side are identical to each other in width. However, the width on the back side can made greater than that on the front side to enhance the reinforcing effect. The space between the front and back border portions defines a groove  13  that holds edge portions of the ornamental sheet  5  and the back sheet  9 .  
         [0030]    As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in a finger ring  10 , an ornamental sheet  5  is inserted into an ornamental member  3  aethestically connected to the ring  10  by support  11  and having a rectangular opening  6  and a slit  4  to be oriented toward the distal or nail end of the finger when the ring  10  is worn.  
         [0031]    As to the forms of the ornamental members  3  or the base plates  1 , various forms can be conceived, and exemplary other forms of the ornamental members  3  or the base plates  1 , forms of the slits  4  and the arrangements thereof are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.  
         [0032]    For meeting the requirement that the ornamental sheet  5  is removably inserted into the opening  6  formed of the base plate  1  and the frame  2  through the slit  4 , it is required that two side walls of the ornamental member, facing each other and perpendicular to a side wall provided with the slit, are parallel to each other or converge in the direction of insertion through the slit. FIGS.  7 - a  and  7 - b  show rectangular ornamental members. When a long side wall is provided with the slit as shown in FIG. 7- a , an oblong ornamental member is obtained. When a short side wall is provided with the slit as shown in FIG. 7- b , an elongated ornamental member is obtained. FIG. 7- c  shows a parallelogrammic ornamental member, and FIG. 7- d  shows an ornamental member having a parallelogrammic form in which the respective sides are identical in length to one another, that is to say, a diamond shape. As shown in the figures, the ornamental sheet  5  can be inserted through the slit provided through one side wall to which two side walls parallel to each other are perpendicular.  
         [0033]    Insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5  are possible not only in the case that two side walls of the ornamental member, facing each other and perpendicular to a side wall provided with the slit  4 , are first parallel to each other and then converge in the direction of insertion through the slit  4  as shown in FIG. 8- a , but also in the case that two side walls of the ornamental member, facing each other and perpendicular to a side wall provided with the slit  4 , are in no portion parallel to each other but continuously converge in the direction of insertion through the slit  4  as shown in FIG. 8- b . A trianglular ornamental member is available as well as the pentagonal ornamental member as shown in FIG. 8- a  and the reverse-trapezoidal ornamental member as shown in FIG. 8- b.    
         [0034]    Further, the side wall provided with the slit  4  or the side wall facing the side wall provided with the slit  4  is not necessarily one straight line, and may be a bent line or in a circular arc form, which has no effect on insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5 . The side wall provided with the slit is formed into a circular arc form in FIG. 8- c , and the side wall facing the side provided with the slit is formed into a circular arc form in FIG. 8- d . However, both the aforementioned side walls may be formed into a circular arc form. Although all the aforementioned circular arc forms shown in the figures convex, they may be concave.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the base plate of the ornamental member  3  shown in FIG. 1 has a curved surface so that cross sections perpendicular to the direction of insertion and withdrawn of the ornamental sheet which directions are shown by the arrows are curved. To permit ready insertion of the ornamental sheet  5 , cross sections parallel to the directwise of insertion and withdrawal of the ornamental sheet are rectangular. At the same time, the sectional form of a slit is also linear. In FIG. 9, the slit is provided in a position crossing at right angles a direction in which the sectional form of the base plate is rectangular. Accordingly, even if the curvature of the base plate  1  is pronounced, the ornamental sheet  5 , being pliable or flexible, can be easily inserted and removed. Referring to FIG. 9, the reference numeral  12  indicates a fitting for hanging the ornamental member on a chain as a pendant. In FIG. 9, the fitting  12  is attached to an upper portion of the ornamental member  3 . However, fittings  12  may be attached to both sides thereof to permit use of two or more ornamental members  3  connected directly or through other chains, strings or ornaments.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the relationship among the form of the base plate  1 , the direction in which the sectional form is rectangular, and the slit. Even if the slit  4  does not cross at right angles a direction in which the sectional form of the base plate is rectangular, when the slit  4  is provided on a side wall crossing a direction in which the sectional form of the base plate is rectangular, insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5  are easy.  
         [0037]    However, in the case of the diamond form as shown in FIG. 7- d , when the direction in which the sectional form of the base plate becomes rectangular is the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7- d , insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5  becomes somewhat inconvenient. However, when the radius of curvature is not so great, insertion and removal of the ornamental sheet  5  are possible, and decorative effect is also high. Although the form in which the curved surface is concave is shown in FIG. 9, the curved surface may be convex.  
         [0038]    Further, when the base plate is cylindrical, circular frames are provided in two parts, upper and lower. A slit is circular, and provided only through one side wall. A circular ornamental sheet  5  can also be removably inserted through the slit.  
       EXAMPLE 1  
       [0039]    A 1.5 cm ×2 cm ornamental member  3  having the form shown in FIG. 1 was produced. The thickness of a base plate was 1 mm, the width of a slit  4  was 1 mm, the length thereof was 1.3 cm, and the thickness of a side wall  2   a  was 3 mm. This ornamental member  3  was mounted on an ornamental face of a finger ring as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. A thin sheet  7  in the form of calendered paper on which a colored pattern of a golden color and a red color faded in the boundary between them was painted was overlaid with a protective polyvinyl chroride sheet  8  in which a hologram pattern was formed and the hologram face was protected with a transparent acrylic sheet to prepare an ornamental sheet  5  having a thickness of 400 μm. This sheet  5  was inserted through the slit  4 . A finger ring that was beautiful and had a feeling of high quality was obtained. Then, the ornamental sheet  5  was pulled out.  
         [0040]    Thereafter, a thin sheet  7  having a pattern in which various colors were arranged in dot form based on black was overlaid with a translucent pearl luster acrylic sheet having a light transmittance of 80% as a protective sheet  8  to prepare another ornamental sheet  5 . This sheet  5  was inserted through the slit  4 . A color tone suggestive of black opal was obtained.