Patent Document

This application claims benefit of provisional application No. 60/367,107, filed Mar. 25, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a vibrating sexual aid device, specifically to a miniature hands-free device that is worn on the body and that attaches to an article of clothing. 
   Battery powered vibrating devices are well known in the art. Hands-free genital vibrators are less common, but have been produced and offered for sale. Known devices are worn either internally or externally. Internally worn devices are outside the scope of this application and will not be discussed further. 
   The smallest of the known external hands-free devices are more than two inches in their largest dimension, weigh several ounces, and are powered by AA cell or larger batteries. The known devices are held in proximity to the genital area with a special harness. Although details differ, the harness looks generally like an athletic supporter and consists of a waistband or belt, a fabric pouch at the front, and two straps which attach to the pouch, pass through the legs, and attach at the rear of the waistband. 
   These known devices suffer from several disadvantages including their relatively large size, obtrusiveness, unattractive appearance, cost, and difficulty of use. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,678 describes a vibrator vest for massage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A miniature sexual aid device of the invention comprises a battery powered electric vibrator which attaches to the user&#39;s clothing. The device in a preferred embodiment is approximately 1 inch in diameter and weighs approximately 1 ounce. The sexual aid device includes a vibration motor, a button cell battery, a moisture resistant housing that contains the motor and battery, and a clip for attaching the device to the clothing. The clip may be formed and colored to create decorative shapes and designs. 
   The two part housing preferably is roughly cylindrical in shape. Rotating the upper housing in relation to the lower housing operates an on-off switch and, if rotated further, twists open the housing to provide access to the battery. In a preferred embodiment the housing, exclusive of the retaining clip, is smaller than a cylinder 0.75 inch in diameter and 0.75 inch high and weighs less than 0.5 ounce. The housing is moisture resistant. 
   The retaining clip may be offered in a variety of styles. Each style allows the device to be easily and quickly attached and detached. The clip securely affixes the device to clothing without damaging the garment material. 
   Accordingly several objects and advantages of my invention are:
         to provide a hands free vibrating sexual aid which attaches securely to clothing without damaging the garment;   to provide a clothing mounted vibrating sexual aid which may be shaped and colored in such a way as to be worn as an ornament;   to provide a miniature hands free vibrating sexual aid which, due to its tiny size, is amusing, unobtrusive and non-threatening; and   to provide a hands free vibrating sexual aid which vibrates strongly enough to be stimulating but not so strongly that it causes numbing.       

   Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and the ensuing description. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a rear perspective view of one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the invention with a heart shaped front plate, showing how the device attaches to an article of clothing. 
       FIG. 3  shows a disassembled perspective view of the invention, in a slightly modified embodiment with a different front plate. 
       FIG. 4  shows a front perspective, partially disassembled view of the invention with a flower shaped front plate. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are perspective views of a modified form of the invention, with a slide-on material clip as a different means of attachment. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of another form of the invention, with a pin-and-socket material clip for attachment to clothing fabric. 
       FIGS. 9 ,  10  and  11  are perspective views of a further form of the invention, with a side-mount material clip. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  shows in perspective one preferred embodiment for carrying out the principles of the invention. The vibrator device  10  has a vibration module  12  with an exterior moisture resistant housing which separates into an upper or motor housing  11  and a lower or battery housing  13 . (“Upper” and “lower” are only used for convenience of description and not to imply particular orientation of the device  10  in use.) The upper housing and lower housing twist apart to enable battery replacement and snap together to reassemble the device. A heart shaped front plate  15  in this embodiment serves as a retaining clip and removably attaches to the vibration module  12 . The housings can be referred to as first and second housing, or first and second housing components, or the assembled two housings can simply be referred to as a housing. Reference to two housings includes construction wherein one “housing” is simply closure plate. 
     FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the vibrator showing the positions of vibration module  12  on the inside of a pair of panties and the heart shaped front plate retaining clip  15  on the outside. This embodiment uses magnetic force to removably attach the front plate to the vibration module, sandwiching the garment material, and holding the device in place. Magnets are seen at  17 . 
     FIG. 3  is a disassembled or exploded perspective view of this preferred embodiment of the vibrator, in this case with a different decorative front plate  15   a . The upper housing  11  contains a transversely mounted vibrator motor  23 , a negative battery contact  27 , and a switch contact  31 . A negative motor wire  23   a  is connected to the negative battery contact  27  and a positive motor wire  23   b  is connected to the switch contact  31 . The lower housing  13  contains a battery  25  and a positive battery contact  29 . The positive battery contact  29  touches the battery and also extends upward from the lower housing  13  in such a way that it may touch the switch contact  31  when the unit is assembled. In the assembled configuration the motor  23  is engaged in a recess (not shown) of the upper housing, and the vibrator motor casing or the motor&#39;s battery contact  27  engages against the battery  25 . In this preferred embodiment rotating the upper housing  11  in relation to the lower housing  13  powers the device on and off by moving the switch contact  31 , which is secured to the upper housing  11 , into contact with the battery contact  29 . 
   In this embodiment, three magnets  17  are permanently fixed into sockets on the bottom of the lower housing  13 . Three steel (or other ferrous metal) inserts  19  are permanently fixed into sockets in the front plate  15  in such a way that when the unit is assembled the magnets and steel inserts are in contact. The positions of the magnets and steel inserts can be reversed. 
   Note that the described configuration is preferred, in that the vibrator motor can reside in an elongated top area  11   a  of the upper housing, but the battery and vibrator motor positions can be reversed if desired. The housings are referred to as first and second housings in the claims, and no implication as to necessary position should be taken from reference herein to upper and lower positions for each housing. The top area  11   a  as shown in the drawing may be rounded and without sharp edges, as a sexual stimulation tip that can be worn and positioned as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   The vibrator motor  23  may be of a known type used in silent pagers, usually known as a vibration motor or pager motor. For example, the motor can be one identified as “cylindrical DC motor of permanent magnet”, Model OTL-6SL, manufactured by Jinlong Machinery &amp; Electronic Co., Ltd. Of Yeuquing, Zhejiang, China. This particular cylindrical motor  23  is about 10 mm in length and about 6 mm in diameter. Preferably the vibrator motor is less than about 20 mm in length and less than about 10 mm in width or diameter to suit the objectives of the invention. 
     FIG. 4  shows a preferred embodiment  10  of the vibrator with magnets  17  visible on the underside of vibration module  12 . As in  FIG. 3 , the front plate  15  is formed in the shape of a flower. Also,  FIG. 4  shows in dashed lines an alternative form of on/off switch  32 , a simple toggle, twist or slide switch (or other appropriate switch) mounted on the side of the housing. This is an alternative to the housing rotation switch described above. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6  show an alternate embodiment of the vibrator in which the device is held in place with a slide-on material retaining clip  33 . The upper housing  11  snaps together with the lower housing  13  to form the vibration module  12 . The U-shaped slide-on material clip  33  mates with a clip slide recess  35 , or a pair of opposed recesses, that are integral with the lower housing  13  in this embodiment. Reference to “recesses” is intended to embrace either form. Otherwise the construction and function are similar to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . When attached to a garment, the vibration module  12  is worn inside the garment and the slide-on clip  33  is worn on the outside. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  show an alternate embodiment of the vibrator in which the device is held in place with a pair of pins (or at least one pin)  39  that mate with a pair of pin sockets  37  in a pin-and-socket front plate  36 . The front plate  36  is flower shaped in this drawing as an example. When attached to a garment, the vibration module  12  is worn inside the garment and the front plate  36  is worn on the outside. The pins extend through the fabric and engage the sockets by friction. The number of pins and sockets can vary and their positions can be reversed from what is shown. 
     FIGS. 9–11  show an alternate embodiment of the vibrator in which the device is held in place with a side-mount material clip  41 , somewhat like a money clip or tie clip, having two spring-loaded arms  43  and  45  connected at an outer end  47  and adapted to pinch the fabric between the arms when attached by lateral sliding to the article of clothing. This embodiment attaches to a garment using a structure similar to a paper clip or other pinch-type clip as noted above. 
   The terms “retaining clip”, “retaining means”, “clip”, “clip means”, etc. are to be understood as meaning those forms of clips shown (magnets, pins, slide engagements, pinch clips like a money clip, etc.), and all equivalent structures capable of engaging clothing so as to position the vibrator portion inside, and not to include bands or straps, such as a ring or watch. 
   In operation of any of the embodiments, the user inserts the vibration module into the body side of an article of clothing, most commonly a pair of panties, then affixes the front plate to the exterior of the material, sandwiching the material. For  FIGS. 9–11  the entire device is slid in from ones side. The user powers the device on by twisting the upper housing, in one preferred embodiment. Testing has shown that a watch battery can power the device for a period of between 30 and 90 minutes depending on the storage capacity of the battery and the power consumption of the motor. 
   Accordingly, the miniature clothing attachable vibrator of this invention provides a small, lightweight vibrator that attaches securely yet comfortably to clothing. The vibrator is quick and easy to attach and detach, and may be worn comfortably and undetectably under outer garments and does not interfere with the user&#39;s normal activities. The vibrator&#39;s small size makes it unobtrusive and non-threatening. The outer cover may be produced in a number of attractive and amusing shapes such as flowers, hearts, stars, animal shapes, etc. The device contains few parts and may be inexpensively produced. 
   Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Technology Category: 1