Jewelry clasp

Abstract

A jewelry clasp for securing a first end of an elongated member of a bracelet or a necklace to a second end of the elongated member includes a female part and a male part. One of the female and male parts includes a first magnet and the other of the female and male parts includes a part magnetically attractable by the first magnet. The female part includes a housing and a hinged lid, the hinged lid being pivotable between a locking state and a releasing state and including the first magnet or the part magnetically attractable by the first magnet. When the female part is open, the male part can be inserted in an axial direction into the housing, and when the female part is closed and the male part is inserted into the housing, the male part is locked to the female part.

Claims

1. A jewelry clasp for securing a first end of an elongated member of a bracelet or a necklace to a second end of the elongated member, the jewelry clasp comprising a female part and a male part; wherein one of the female and male parts comprises a first magnet and the other of the female and male parts comprises a part magnetically attractable by the first magnet; wherein the female part comprises a housing and a hinged lid, the hinged lid being pivotable between a locking state in which the female part is closed and a releasing state in which the female part is open; and wherein the hinged lid comprises the first magnet or the part magnetically attractable by the first magnet; so that when the female part is open, the male part can be inserted in an axial direction into the housing, and when the female part is closed, and the male part is inserted into the housing, the male part is in a locked position in which the male part is locked to the female part; wherein the first magnet and the part magnetically attractable by the first magnet are magnetically attracted to each other when the male part is locked to the female part and the part magnetically attractable by the first magnet is a second magnet; and wherein the female part automatically opens due to magnetic repulsion between the first magnet and the second magnet when the male part is moved towards the female part.

2. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the first magnet comprises a first surface, and the second magnet comprises a second surface, wherein in the locked position of the male part, the first and second surfaces face each other and extend in the axial direction.

3. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein one of the male part and the female part comprises at least one tongue, and the other of the male part and the female part comprises at least one groove, and wherein the male part is inserted into the housing by the at least one tongue sliding in the at least one groove.

4. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the female part and the hinged lid form a parallelepipedal shape in the locking state of the hinged lid.

5. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the hinged lid is hinged by a hinge pin for connecting the male part to the housing of the female part, said hinge pin allowing the hinged lid to pivot between the locking state and the releasing state.

6. The jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the jewelry clasp further comprises a mechanical safety lock comprising a first lock part of the hinged lid and a second lock part of the male part, wherein the first and second lock parts engage in the locked position of the male part to prevent the male part from being released from the female part.

7. The jewelry clasp of claim 6, wherein the first or second lock part comprises a protrusion, and the other lock part comprises a cut-out, and the protrusion is inserted into the cut-out in the locked position of the male part, such that an axial movement is prevented.

8. A piece of jewelry comprising an elongated member and a jewelry clasp according to claim 1, wherein the female part is attached to or is a first end of the elongated member, and the male part is attached to or is the second end of the elongated member, so that the clasp secures the first end to the second end when the male part is inserted to the housing.

9. A method of opening the female part of the jewelry clasp of claim 1, wherein the part magnetically attractable by the first magnet is a second magnet, the method comprising: moving the male part of the jewelry clasp towards the female part in the axial direction, whereby the hinged lid automatically opens due to magnetic repulsion between the first magnet and the second magnet.

10. A method of locking the jewelry clasp of claim 1, the method comprising: moving the male part to the locked position, inserting at least part of the male part within the housing and closing the hinged lid, the closing of the hinged lid optionally being provided or assisted by magnetic attraction between the first and second magnets.

11. A method of unlocking the jewelry clasp of claim 1, the method comprising: releasing the male part by pushing the hinged lid of the female part, removing the male part from the female part by sliding the male part in an axial direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further embodiments and advantages of the jewelry clasps, pieces of jewelry, and methods according to the present disclosure are disclosed in the subsequent detailed description and in the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the jewelry clasps according to the present disclosure, also showing parts of an elongated member of a piece of jewelry;

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1 in an assembled condition, wherein a male part of the jewelry clasp is in a detached state;

(4) FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to that of FIG. 2, wherein the male part has been inserted into and locked to a female part of the jewelry clasp;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracelet comprising the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1, in which the male part is in a locked state; and

(6) FIGS. 5 to 7 are perspective views of the jewelry clasp of FIG. 1, illustrating a method of locking the male part to the female part thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIGS. 1 to 7 show different views of a jewelry clasp 1 attached to ends of an elongated member in the form of a flat, flexible, metal strap chain 2 for forming a bracelet shown in its entirety in FIG. 4.

(8) Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, the jewelry clasp 1 is for securing a first end of the chain 2 to a second end thereof. The jewelry clasp 1 comprises a female part 3 and a male part 4. The female part 3 comprises a first magnet 5, and the male part 4 part comprises second magnet 6. The female part 3 comprises a housing 7 and a hinged lid 8. The hinged lid 8 is pivotable between a locking state, shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, in which the female part 3 is closed, and a releasing state, shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, in which the female part 3 is open. The hinged lid 8 comprises the first magnet 5. Hereby, as will be explained further below, when the female part 3 is open, the male part 4 can be inserted in an axial direction A into the housing 7, and when the female part 3 is closed, and the male part 4 is inserted into the housing 7, the male part 4 is in a locked position in which the male part 4 is locked to the female part 3.

(9) The magnets 5, 6 provide a magnetic lock, which only provides a significant force on the lid 8 when the male part 5 is close to or inserted in the housing, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, which makes it easier to insert the male part 6 into the housing 8. The female part 3 opens automatically due to magnetic repulsion between the magnets 5, 6 when the male part is moved towards the female part, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, which makes it possible to insert the male part into the housing, potentially using only one hand. After insertion of the male part into the housing, the closed lid closes automatically due to magnetic attraction between the magnets 5, 6.

(10) A shape of the closed female part 3 is substantially parallelepipedal.

(11) The hinged lid 8 includes a magnet spacing 9 matching the magnet 5, the magnet 5 being inserted and attached in the magnet spacing 9. The male part similarly includes a magnet spacing 10 in which the magnet 6 is inserted. The magnets 5, 6 and magnet spacings 9, 10 each have a parallelepipedal shape. The magnets 5, 6 are permanent magnets with heights smaller than lengths and widths thereof. Opposite magnetic poles of the magnets 5, 6 are positioned facing and abutting each other when the male part 4 is locked to the female part 3, i.e. when the clasp 1 is in its closed position. The male part 5 can be brought to its attached position by attraction between the magnets 5, 6.

(12) The female part 3 and the male part 4 each comprises a cap 11, 12, respectively, each with a spacing having an opening receiving and attaching one end of the strap chain 2, see FIGS. 2 and 3. The caps 11, 12 and their spacings and the openings have a parallelepipedal shape corresponding to the shape of the strap chain 2.

(13) The magnets 5, 6 are positioned with magnetic north and south poles thereof distributed along a radial direction extending perpendicularly to the axial direction A. North and south poles of the magnets 5, 6 face each other in the locked state of the male part 4. The magnets 5,6 are in the attached, locked position of the male part 4 held in abutment with each other, see FIG. 3.

(14) An external shape of the male part 4 matches a shape of an interior spacing of the female part 3 when the hinged lid 8 is closed.

(15) A tip part 13 of the male part 4 is chamfered to allow a more controlled insertion of the male part 4 into the female part 3. A rear part 14 of the hinged lid 8 is chamfered to allow for a pivoting opening movement of the hinged lid 8 in relation to the housing 7, see FIGS. 2 and 3.

(16) When the female part 3 is closed, and the male part 4 is inserted into the housing 7, the male part 4 is locked in the axial direction A to the female part 3 by the lid 8. The female part 3 is closed by the lid 8.

(17) The housing 7 comprises an opening 15. The male part is inserted into the housing through a front part of the opening 15. A top part of the opening 15 is covered and closed by the hinged lid in the locked position of the male part 4. The housing 7 comprises two side walls, a rear wall, and a bottom wall, which together define the opening 15.

(18) The axial direction A is a longitudinal direction defined as an insertion or sliding direction of the male part 4.

(19) The hinged lid 8 is plate-shaped and hinged at one end to be pivotable and rotatable about a hinge axis defined by a hinge pin 16. The lid 8 is attached to the housing 7 by the hinge pin 16. The lid 8 comprises a front part 17 and a rear part 18, the front part 17 including the first magnet 5, and the rear part 18 being positioned oppositely from the front part in relation to the hinge pin 16. The male part can be released by pushing the rear part, e.g. with a finger, so that the lid 8 is opened. The rear part 18 extends above the rear wall of the housing 7.

(20) The magnets 5, 6 are magnetically attracted to each other when the male part 4 is locked to the female part 3, which provides a magnetic locking of the male part 4 to the female part 3.

(21) The female part opens automatically due to magnetic repulsion between the magnet 5, 6 when the male part 4 is moved towards the female part 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. This is achieved by the magnet 5 being rejected from the magnet 6 when a user in a detached positioned of the male part 4 brings the male part 4 close to the front part of the opening 15 of the female part 3. The same magnetic poles of the magnets 5, 6, i.e. either the magnetic south or magnetic north poles, reject the magnet 5 so that the hinged lid 8 automatically pivots open by means of the magnetic repulsion between the two magnets 5, 6. When the male part 4 is then further inserted into the housing 7, due to the now changed positioning of the magnets 5, 6, opposite magnetic poles of the magnets 5, 6 bring the lid 8 to automatically close by means of the now magnetic attraction between the magnets 5, 6.

(22) Hereby, the wearer or user of the jewelry clasp 1 need not to use a hand to manipulate the female part 3 during insertion of the male part 4, such as press or insert his/her fingernails into a cut-out, to open or close the female part 3. Manipulation of the female part 3 is not necessary to open the female part 3. The wearer need only bring the male part 4 close to the front part of the opening 15, which causes the lid 8 to pivot open, after which the wearer can slide in the male part 4, after or during which the female part 3 then automatically closes.

(23) The magnets 5, 6 comprise associated surfaces which, in the locked position of the male part, face and abut each other and extend in the axial direction A. The resultant magnetic attraction in the locked state of the male part 4 occurs in the radial direction which allows the lid to 8 open and close automatically, as explained.

(24) The male part 4 comprises two tongues 19, and the housing 7 comprises two corresponding grooves 20. The male part 4 is inserted into the housing 8 by the tongues 19 sliding in the associated groove 20. The grooves 20 are provided on inner sides of the side walls of the housing 7. The tongues are elongated and extend in the axial direction A. The grooves are elongated tracks also extending in the axial direction A. The tongues 19 are inserted into the grooves 20 when the male part 4 is inserted into the housing 8. The tongues are formed by lateral edges of the male part 4, the male part 4 being shaped as a flat, potentially parallelepipedal plate. The grooves are provided at lateral interior surfaces of an interior spacing of the female part 3 for receiving the male part 4. The two sets of tongue 19 and groove 20 are positioned at a distance from each other and extending in the radial direction as well as in the axial direction A.

(25) Cooperation between the grooves 20 and tongues 19 prevents the male part 4 from being removed from the female part 3 in radial directions, while allowing the male part 4 to be removed from the female part 3 by sliding the male part 4 in an axial direction A.

(26) The female part forms a parallelepipedal shape in the locking state of the lid 8.

(27) The hinged lid is hinged by the hinge pin 16 connecting the male part 4 to the housing 8, the hinge pin 16 allowing the lid 8 to pivot between the locking state and the releasing state of the male part 4. The hinge pin 16 is provided separately from the lid 8 and housing 7 and is mounted at ends of the hinge pin 16 in holes of the housing 7. The hinge pin 16 extends through the rear part 14 of the hinged lid 8.

(28) The jewelry clasp 1 further comprises a mechanical safety lock comprising a first lock part of the lid 8 and a second lock part of the male part 4. The first lock part is a protrusion 21 protruding from a bottom surface at a front of and in one piece with the lid 8, and the second lock part is a cut-out 22 in a top surface at a rear of the male part 4. The protrusion 21 is inserted into the cut-out 22 in the locked position of the male part 4 to prevent the male part from being released (pulled out in a direction opposed to the axial direction A) from the female part 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(29) 1 Jewelry clasp 2 Strap chain 3 Female part 4 Male part 5 First magnet 6 Second magnet 7 Housing 8 Hinged lid 9 Magnet spacing 10 Magnet spacing 11 Cap 12 Cap 13 Tip part 14 Rear part 15 Opening of housing 7 16 Hinge pin 17 Front part of lid 8 18 Rear part of lid 8 19 Tongues 20 Grooves 21 Protrusion 22 Cut-out for protrusion 21 A Axial direction