Necklace shortener

Abstract

A jewelry shortener for temporarily shortening a jewelry chain comprises a clasp with a cushion element that traps both sides of the chain at a desired length when the clasped is closed. The clasp may or may not have an ornamental element that is visible when worn.

Claims

1. A jewelry system comprising; a jewelry chain having a length and formed with chain links; a jewelry shortener for shortening the length of the jewelry chain, comprising: a clasp adapted to trap the jewelry chain as it passes through said clasp; wherein said clasp comprises a top member attached to a bottom member on a first side of said clasp with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and a closure mechanism on a second side of said clasp; wherein said clasp has an open position and a closed position; wherein when said clasp is in said closed position said top member of said clasp has an exterior surface of the top member and an interior surface of the top member and said bottom member of said clasp has an exterior surface of the bottom member and an interior surface of the bottom member; at least two prongs extending upwardly from outer edges of the bottom member to define, along with said hinge and said closure member, an interior space; said at least two prongs extending inwardly into said interior space, wherein the at least two prongs are evenly spaced from where the top member is attached to the bottom member with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and from the closure mechanism, thereby forming only two cavities; and a cushion element fixedly attached within said interior space by at least said prongs and said closure member wherein said cushion element is adapted to be compressed and secures the jewelry chain inside said clasp within at least one of the only two cavities.

2. The jewelry system of claim 1, wherein said cushion element substantially fills the space between said interior surface of said top member and said interior surface of said bottom member when said clasp is in closed position.

3. The jewelry system of claim 1, wherein said cushion element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

4. The jewelry system of claim 1, wherein the cushion element is formed from EVA foam.

5. The jewelry system of claim 1, wherein an ornamental element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

6. The jewelry system of claim 1, wherein said top member and said bottom member have a length and a width, wherein the length dimension is greater than the width dimension, and the width of said top member is less than the width of said bottom member.

7. A jewelry system comprising: a jewelry chain having a length and formed with chain links; a clasp adapted to trap the jewelry chain passing through said clasp in a transverse direction to said jewelry chain thereby shortening the length of the jewelry chain; wherein said clasp comprises a top member attached to a bottom member of said clasp on a first side with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and a closure mechanism on a second side of said clasp; wherein said clasp has an open position and a closed position; wherein in said closed position said top member has an exterior surface of the top member and an interior surface of the top member and said bottom member has an exterior surface of the bottom member and an interior surface of the bottom member; at least two prongs extending upwardly from outer edges of the bottom member to define, along with said hinge and said closure member, an interior space; said at least two prongs extending inwardly into said interior space, wherein the at least two prongs are evenly spaced from where the top member is attached to the bottom member with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and from the closure mechanism, thereby forming only two cavities; and at least one cushion element fixedly attached within said interior space by at least said prongs and said closure member and substantially filling said only two cavities, wherein said at least one cushion element is adapted to be compressed and secure said jewelry chain inside said only two cavities.

8. The jewelry system of claim 7, wherein said at least one cushion element substantially fills the space between said interior surface of said top member and said interior surface of said bottom member when said clasp is in closed position.

9. The jewelry system of claim 7, wherein said at least one cushion element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

10. The jewelry system of claim 7, wherein the at least one cushion element is formed from EVA.

11. The jewelry system of claim 7, wherein an ornamental element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

12. The jewelry system of claim 7 wherein said top member and said bottom member have a length and a width, wherein the length dimension is greater than the width dimension, and the width of said top member is less than the width of said bottom member.

13. A jewelry system comprising: a jewelry chain having a length and formed with chain links; a jewelry shortener for shortening the length of the jewelry chain comprising: a clasp adapted to trap the jewelry chain passing through said clasp in a transverse direction to said chain; wherein said clasp comprises a top member attached to a bottom member on a first side with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and a closure mechanism on a second side; wherein said clasp has an open position and a closed position; wherein in said closed position said top member has an exterior surface and an interior surface and said bottom member has an exterior surface of and an interior surface, said interior surface of said bottom member and said interior surface of said top member form an interior space when said clasp is in the closed position; at least two prongs extending upwardly from outer edges of the bottom member to define, along with said hinge and said closure member, an interior space; said at least two prongs extending inwardly into said interior space, wherein the at least two prongs are evenly spaced from where the top member is attached to the bottom member with a non-living hinge that is rotatably movable between two partially circular sections of the bottom member and from the closure mechanism, thereby forming only two cavities; wherein said interior space is fixedly attached within said interior space by at least said prongs and said closure member and substantially filled by at least one cushion element adapted to compress and secure said jewelry chain inside said clasp within the only two cavities.

14. The jewelry system of claim 13, wherein said at least one cushion element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

15. The jewelry system of claim 13, wherein the at least one cushion element is formed from EVA.

16. The jewelry system of claim 13, wherein an ornamental element is integral to at least one of said top member or said bottom member.

17. The jewelry system of claim 13, wherein said top member and said bottom member have a length and a width, wherein the length dimension is greater than the width dimension, and the width of said top member is less than the width of said bottom member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the described apparatus are illustrated by way of example in the figures of the accompanying drawing sheets, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is front side elevational view of a necklace shortener embodying one form of the present invention in the closed position;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front side perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in the open position;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a necklace shortener of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of a necklace shortener of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a rear side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with optional ornamental element;

(7) FIG. 6 is a front side perspective view illustrating a necklace shortener of the embodiment of FIG. 2 shown at one step of the operation for shortening with parts open and portions of a necklace;

(8) FIG. 7 is a front side elevational view illustrating the necklace shortener of the embodiment of FIG. 1 shown at another step of the operation for shortening with parts closed around portions of a necklace;

(9) FIG. 8 is a back elevational view of the neck of a user wearing a chain illustrating an embodiment of the invention in use;

(10) FIG. 9 is a front side perspective view of a necklace shortener in the closed position of another embodiment of the present invention;

(11) FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9;

(12) FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(13) Referring now to the invention in more detail, in FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a necklace shortener 10, according to a first embodiment, comprising a clasp 12 and cushion element 18. Clasp 12 is comprised of a top member 14 having an interior top member 20A and exterior top member 20B, a bottom member 16 having an interior bottom member 22A and exterior bottom member 22B. Top member 14 is attached to bottom member 16 by hinge 26 on a first side and having a closure mechanism 28 on a second side. Hinge 26 allows top member 14 to move from an open position as shown in FIG. 2 to a closed position as shown in FIG. 1. Closure mechanism 28 allows top member 14 to engage with bottom member 16 to hold clasp 12 in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 1.

(14) Bottom member 16 comprises double prongs 24A and 24B centrally located along the edges of interior bottom member 22A, and evenly spaced between hinge 26 and closure mechanism 28 which divides the interior space into two cavities which hold the individual jewelry strands in place between double prongs 24A and 24B in a transverse direction to the clasp 12 when engaged in the operation for shortening as shown in FIGS. 6-8 in this particular embodiment.

(15) Cushion element 18 substantially fills the interior space of clasp 12 and is fixedly attached along interior bottom member 22A, between double prongs 24A and 24B, and hinge 26 on a first side and closure mechanism 28 on a second side and is adapted to hold jewelry chains inside the clasp without slipping when engaged in a closed position as shown in FIG. 7, in this particular embodiment.

(16) Clasp 12 in this particular embodiment, preferably measures approximately 10 mm×3 mm×5 mm but can be scaled to accommodate larger or smaller jewelry chains and the like.

(17) Cushion element 18 substantially fills the interior space of clasp 12 at least 80% between the interior bottom member 22A and interior top member 20A and may be comprised of closed cell foam materials, such as EVA foam in this particular embodiment, but may be comprised of silicone, silicone rubber, open cell foams, foam rubber, natural or synthetic rubber, or other resiliently compressible materials known in the art and may also contain coloring agents.

(18) Cushion element 18 in this particular embodiment is fixedly attached and held in place inside the interior space of the clasp 12 without or with minimal use of adhesives by arranging the cushion element 18 between the double prongs 24A and 24B and hinge 26 on a first side and closure mechanism 28 on a second side of the interior of clasp 12. However in some forms, the cushion element 18 may be fixedly attached to at least one interior top member 20A or interior bottom member 22A by the use of adhesives to bond the cushion element 18 to the interior surface, or by way of other methods known in the art.

(19) In FIG. 5, there is shown a rear side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with optional ornamental element 30 attached to the exterior bottom member 22B in this particular embodiment, however ornamental element 30 may be attached to the exterior top member 20B, both the exterior top member 20B and exterior bottom member 22B or may be integral to the top member 14, the bottom member 16 or be integral to both the top member 14 and bottom member 16 in alternative embodiments.

(20) Referring now to FIGS. 6-8 there is shown a necklace shortener 10 according to the present invention, illustrating in FIG. 6, a front side perspective view illustrating a necklace shortener 10 of the embodiment of FIG. 2 shown at one step of the operation for shortening with parts open and portions of a necklace 32, and in FIG. 7, a front side elevational view illustrating the necklace shortener 10 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 shown at another step of the operation for shortening with parts closed around portions of a necklace 32, and in FIG. 8, a back elevational view of the neck of a user wearing a chain illustrating an embodiment of the invention in use.

(21) According to this embodiment, the operation for shortening comprises placing two portions of a necklace 32 inside clasp 12 in a transverse direction to clasp 12, as shown in FIG. 6, at the users desired length around their neck and then engaging the clasp 12 in a closed position, thus holding the portions of a necklace 32 in place without slipping between cushion 18 and interior top member 20A as shown in FIG. 7 and demonstrated in use in FIG. 8.

(22) The two cavities created by double prongs 24A and 24B, in this embodiment, may further assist in holding the portions of a necklace 32 inside the clasp 12 when placed on each side of the double prongs 24a and 24B and engaged in the closed position in the operation for shortening.

(23) In more detail, referring to FIG. 8, necklace shortener 10 clasps the chains of a necklace 34 together at the users desired length along the back of the users neckline with optional ornamental embellishment 30 facing out, however alternative methods may be used.

(24) FIGS. 9-11 is shown another embodiment of necklace shortener 10 of the present invention, in which corresponding parts are identically numbered.

(25) In this embodiment, clasp 12 is also comprised of a top member 14 having an interior top member 20A and exterior top member 20B, a bottom member 16 having an interior bottom member 22A and exterior bottom member 22B and demonstrates an alternative clasp 12 shape to the necklace shortener 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Top member 14 is also attached to bottom member 16 by hinge 26 on a first side and having a closure mechanism 28 on a second side. Hinge 26 similarly allows top member 14 to move from an open position to a closed position and closure mechanism 28 allows top member 14 to engage with bottom member 16 to hold clasp 12 in a closed position, in a similar manner as shown in the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(26) Bottom member 16 of this embodiment similarly comprises double prongs 24A and 24B shown in an alternative shape to the embodiment of FIG. 1, which are also centrally located along the edges of interior bottom member 22A, and evenly spaced between hinge 26 and closure mechanism 28, dividing the interior space into two cavities which hold the portions of a necklace 32 in place between the double prongs 24A and 24B in a transverse direction to the clasp 12 when engaged in the operation for shortening as demonstrated in FIGS. 6-8.

(27) Cushion element 18 also substantially fills the interior space of clasp 12 by at least 80% and is fixedly attached along interior bottom member 22A, between double prongs 24A and 24B, and hinge 26 on a first side and closure mechanism 28 on a second side. Cushion element 18 is shown in a clear silicone material in this particular embodiment, and is similarly adapted to hold jewelry chains inside the clasp without slipping when engaged in a closed position of the shortening operation.

(28) Clasp 12 in its assembled form of this particular embodiment, preferably measures approximately 12 mm×4.5 mm×4.4 mm but can also be scaled to accommodate larger or smaller jewelry chains and the like.

(29) In this particular embodiment, ornamental element 30 is integral to the top member 14 but in other forms may be integral to bottom member 16 or both top member 14 and bottom member 16 or attached to the exterior top member 20B or the exterior bottom member 22B or both the top exterior member 20B and the exterior bottom member 22B.

(30) In the embodiments described, clasp 12 is preferably made of precious or base metal, but other materials may be used such as plastic, wood, or a mixture of materials known in the art that provide the rigid structure required to perform its function.

(31) Clasp 12, in these particular embodiments is shown as a fold-over clasp, however in alternative embodiments clasp 12 may be an alligator clasp, a claw clasp, or various other styles known in the art.

(32) In the embodiment described, double prongs 24A and 24B divide the interior space into two cavities which hold the individual portions of a necklace 32 in place between double prongs 24A and 24B in the operation for shortening described in FIGS. 6-8. In alternative forms, the double prongs 24A and 24B may be omitted and not necessary for performing the transverse operation for shortening. In this form, at least one or more cushion elements may be fixedly attached along at least one of the top interior member 20A or bottom interior member 22A or integral to the top member 14 or bottom member 16 of the clasp 12.

(33) In some forms, a single prong or protrusion may divide the interior space into discreet cavities.

(34) In some forms, clasp 12 may further comprise a locking element to allow the top member to be further secured to the bottom member and prevent the clasp from opening when in a locked position. The locking element may be a single or double safety latch, a hook safety latch, a FIG. 8 safety latch, a revolver safety latch, a push-pull safety latch or other locking elements known in the art.

(35) Ornamental element 30 may comprise precious, semi-precious or artificial stones, gems, crystals, beads, precious or base metals or various other materials known in the art and may provide an item of jewelry in certain embodiments that is both ornamental and functional.

(36) In some forms, at least one cushion element may be made of silicone, silicone rubber, closed-cell foam such as EVA foam, open cell foam, foam rubber, natural or synthetic rubber, or other resiliently compressible materials known in the art and may contain coloring agents.

(37) In some forms, the cushion element 18 may be fixedly attached to the surface of at least one top interior member 20A or interior bottom member 22A of the clasp 12 by the use of adhesives to bond the cushion element 18 to the interior surface, or by way of other methods known in the art. In other forms, at least one cushion element 18 is held in place inside the interior space of the clasp without or with minimal use of adhesives by arranging the cushion element between the double prongs 24A and 24B and hinge 26 on a first side and closure mechanism 28 on a second side of the interior of the clasp 12.

(38) In some forms, the cushion element may be integral to the top member 14 or bottom member 16 of the clasp 12 or may be integral to both the top member 14 and bottom member 16.

(39) Additionally, in some forms two or more cushion elements 18 may be used. In this form, the cushion elements 18 together may substantially fill the interior space by at least 80% combined between the top member 14 and the bottom member 16.

(40) The word necklace chain is not meant to be limiting and may include other jewelry strands, cords, or strings known in the art as well as constructed of various materials such as leather, fabric, metal or plastic and may refer to portions of a necklace, bracelet, anklet or other known jewelry items.

(41) According to the embodiments described, a method for shortening comprises placing two portions of a necklace 32 inside clasp 12 in a transverse direction to the clasp 12 at the user's desired length around their neck and engaging the clasp 12 in a closed position, thus holding the portions of a necklace 32 in place without slipping, however alternative methods for shortening may be used.

(42) In some forms, the top member 14 and bottom member 16, may have a length and a width in which the width of the top member 14 is less than the width of the bottom member 16. An example of this is a top member 14 comprised of a pin or post. In this form, a further method for shortening may comprise inserting the pin or post through holes in two segments of a jewelry chain and then enclosing the two segments of the jewelry chain in a transverse direction to the clasp 12 at the users desired length around their neck, by engaging the clasp 12 in a closed position, thus holding the chain in place without slipping.

(43) The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, a necklace shortener with the ability to temporarily shorten the length of jewelry chains, such as box chains, or various other styles of necklace strands that are known in the art for which temporary shortening poses a challenge while also providing an item of jewelry in certain embodiments that is ornamental and functional.

(44) While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.