Abstract:
An earring having a rod member passable through an ear-pierced hole of a wearer, a housing connected to the rod member, and a magnetic member positioned within the housing. The rod member is made of a high-quality non-allergenic material, and a low cost ornament can be attached thereto by the magnetic member.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims all rights of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/849,295 filed on Jan. 24, 2013 (pending), which is fully incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The presently disclosed principles and inventions are related to interchangeable earrings for individuals with pierced sensitive or allergic ears. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Earrings are typically sold to consumers as finished products. Individuals with sensitive ears have restricted choices when shopping for earrings as many individuals with sensitive pierced ears can only wear products made of platinum or 14 kt gold up to 24 kt gold metals. There have been several attempts to modify earrings and create interchangeable jewelry. Erickson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,036) describes an earring in which an ornament can screw on and off from the base post. Green (U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,104) describes an earring in which the front ornament can screw on and off, being replaced with various front ornaments. Monahan (U.S. Pat. No. US 2009/0282867 A1) describes a kit consisting of interchangeable ornaments which can be placed individually or in combination to create an earring or necklace, organized in a designated box. Lichtenstien (U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,176) describes an interchangeable earring consisting of a looped pin secured to the earlobe and a kit containing pieces to assemble an ornament designed to attach to the looped pin. These inventions are different mechanically as they do not use a magnetic clasp to secure the ornament to the post or wire. They also are not said to be exclusively made of platinum, titanium or 14 kt gold through 24 kt gold metals, which would make them unacceptable for individuals to wear in sensitive pierced ears. These inventions are different in purpose, as the earrings described are not for specific use for individuals with allergic or sensitive earlobes, and are also different in mechanical function. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one general aspect, the invention provides an earring having a rod member passable through an ear-pierced hole of a wearer, a housing connected to the rod member, and a magnetic member positioned within the housing 
     In one specific aspect, the rod member is made of a high-quality non-allergenic material, and a low cost ornament can be attached thereto by the magnetic member. 
     In another specific aspect, the earring further includes an ornamental attachment piece having an attachment member configured to removably attach to the magnetic member so as to removably and interchangeably secure the ornamental attachment piece to the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which like references are intended to refer to like or corresponding parts, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of a post-style earring without an ornamental attachment in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a post-style earring without an ornamental attachment in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of a post-style earring with an ornamental attachment in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a back view of the ornamental attachment in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a post-style earring with an ornamental attachment in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of a hook-style earring without an ornamental attachment in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a detailed view of a hook-style earring without an ornamental attachment in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of the ornamental attachment for the hook-style earring in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the ornamental attachment for the hook-style earring in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent the same or similar elements, and, initially, to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in which an exemplary post-style earring  10  is illustrated. As shown in the figures, post-style earring  10  preferably includes a post-style earring rod  12  securely attached to the housing  14 , an earring backing  16  slidably movable along the earring rod  12 , and a magnet  18  inserted into and fixedly secured within housing  14 . In use, the earring backing  16  is removed from the earring rod  12  to enable the wearer to insert the earring rod into a pierced ear hole. The backing is then placed back onto the earring rod and is slidably moved along the rod so as to secure a wearer&#39;s earlobe between the backing  16  and the housing  14 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the earring rod  12  is made of a non-allergenic material, for example, platinum or 14-24 Kt gold, so as to prevent skin sensitivity of a wearer. The housing preferably has a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior and is made of a non-ferrous material. Magnet  18  is preferably disc-shaped and is secured within the housing with an adhesive. The magnet is preferably 3 mm-10 mm in diameter. It should be understood by a person skilled in the art that in a simplified embodiment, magnet  18  may be directly secured to the earring rod  12  without the use of housing  14 . Similarly, it should be understood that, although the magnet and the housing are described as being circular and cylindrical in shape, respectively, any other shape can be utilized. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , an interchangeable ornamental knob attachment  20  removably attachable to the post-style earring  10  is provided in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. Ornamental knob attachment  20  preferably includes a front decorative side  22 , a rear panel  24  and an aperture  26  formed at the rear panel. Aperture  26  is shaped as an elongated tunnel having a length and a width, the width of the tunnel being is sized to snugly fit the housing  14  therein and the length of the tunnel being longer than a diameter of the housing. The tunnel preferably includes a ferrous metal portion  28  and a non-ferrous portion  32 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , when housing  14  of the post-style earring  10  is inserted into the aperture  26 , it is positioned such that magnet  18  is located adjacent to the ferrous metal portion  28 , thereby magnetically attracting each other and removably attaching post-style earring  10  to the ornamental attachment  20 . Any suitable material can be used to manufacture the ornamental attachment. Because there is a space between the ornamental attachment and a wearer&#39;s skin, the material of the attachment is not placed into direct contact with the wearer&#39;s skin, and no allergic reaction occurs. 
     Although in the above-described embodiment the ornamental attachment  20  is secured to the post-style earring  10  by means of the aperture  26  and the inserted therein housing  14  with magnet  18 , it should be understood by a person skilled in the art that the removable attachment can be also be accomplished by simply forming at least a portion of the rear panel  24  of a ferrous metal and attaching magnet  18  to this portion of the rear panel. 
     In use, a wearer would remove the earring backing from the earring rod  12 , insert the rod into an earring hole, and secure the earring  10  with the backing  16 . The wearer would then secure the ornamental attachment  20  to the earring  10 , thus creating a complete earring look. If the wearer decides to change the look, he/she can simply exchange one ornamental attachment  20  for another without changing the earring  10  and without risking an allergic reaction. 
     The second preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 6-9 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , an exemplary hook-style earring  30  is provided in accordance with this embodiment. Hook-style earring  30  preferably includes a hook-style earring rod  34  insertable into a wearer&#39;s ear hole. Hook-style earring rod  34  is preferably made of a non-allergenic material, for example, platinum or 14-24K gold, so as to prevent skin sensitivity or an allergic skin reaction of a wearer. A non-ferrous housing  36  is removably secured to the earring rod  34  by a hook and loop attachment mechanism  38 . Any other suitable attachment mechanism may be utilized to secure housing  36  to the rod  34 . Similarly to the first embodiment, housing  36  is preferably cylindrically-shaped with a hollow interior into which a disc-shaped magnet  42  is inserted. The magnet is preferably fixedly secured in the housing with an adhesive. Similarly to the above, the diameter of the magnet is preferably between 3 mm and 10 mm. Any other suitable shape of the magnet may be utilized. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , an interchangeable ornamental pendant attachment  40  is provided in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention. Ornamental pendant attachment  40  preferably includes a decorative member  44  and an attachment member  46 . Attachment member  46  is preferably made from a ferrous metal material so as to form magnetic attraction with the magnet  42  of the hook-style earring  30 , thereby, removably attaching the hook-style earring  30  to the ornamental pendant attachment  40 . The size and shape of the attachment member  46  is preferably selected to roughly correspond to the size and shape of the magnet  42 . Any suitable material can be used to manufacture the ornamental pendant attachment. In the preferred embodiment, the decorative member  44  is made of a non-ferrous metal material. Because, this material is not placed into direct contact with the wearer&#39;s skin, no allergic reaction occurs. 
     Alternatively, an entire ornamental pendant attachment  40  can be made from a ferrous metal material. 
     It should be noted that in both embodiments described above, a magnet provided on the earring portion adheres to a ferrous metal portion provided on the ornamental attachment. Although theoretically this can be reversed (or, alternatively, both sides can include magnets), it is not desirable to provide magnets on the ornamental attachment for two reasons: (1) this creates a greater possibility of assembly errors by providing pieces with incorrectly charged magnets, resulting in magnetic rejection, and (2) when ornamental attachments are stored together with other like attachments or other ferrous metal items, they would unintentionally adhere to one another, possibly damaging each other. 
     Finally, although the invention is described with respect to the two most popular earring styles, i.e., the post style and the hook style, other earring styles (e.g., lever back earrings, hoop earrings, snap-bar earrings, etc.) can be manufactured in the manner described in the present application. 
     The figures in this disclosure are conceptual illustrations allowing for an explanation of the present invention. Notably, the figures and examples above are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention to a single embodiment, as other embodiments are possible by way of interchange of some or all of the described or illustrated elements. Moreover, where certain elements of the present invention can be partially or fully implemented using known components, only those portions of such known components that are necessary for an understanding of the present invention are described, and detailed descriptions of other portions of such known components are omitted so as not to obscure the invention. In the present specification, an embodiment showing a singular component should not necessarily be limited to other embodiments including a plurality of the same component, and vice-versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. Moreover, applicants do not intend for any term in the specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon or special meaning unless explicitly set forth as such. Further, the present invention encompasses present and future known equivalents to the known components referred to herein by way of illustration. 
     The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the relevant art(s) (including the contents of the documents cited and incorporated by reference herein), readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Such adaptations and modifications are therefore intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. 
     While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail could be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.