Nondestructive wearable and detachable display assembly
10943514 ยท 2021-03-09
Inventors
Cpc classification
G09F7/04
PHYSICS
G09F7/18
PHYSICS
International classification
G09F7/18
PHYSICS
Abstract
A display assembly supports a display item in a visually prominent orientation and is removably attachable to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner. The display assembly includes a docking assembly removably attached to the article of clothing and having a base unit with one or more dock interconnects and a display interconnect, and a docking unit having one or more base interconnects. A display unit includes a display holder having a display chamber dimensioned to support the display item in the visually prominent orientation. The display unit also includes a docking interconnect, wherein the display unit is attachable to and detachable from the docking assembly with a single hand of the user via an operative engagement of the docking interconnect with the display interconnect of the docking assembly.
Claims
1. A display assembly supports at least one display item in a visually prominent orientation and is removably attachable to an article of clothing worn by a user in a nondestructive manner, the article of clothing having an inner surface and an outer surface, said display assembly comprising: a docking assembly comprising a base unit having at least one dock interconnect and at least one display interconnect; said docking assembly further comprising a docking unit having at least one base interconnect; said docking assembly removably attached to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner via an operative alignment of said at least one dock interconnect and said at least one base interconnect; a display unit comprising a display holder having a display chamber dimensioned to support the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation; and said display unit also including at least one docking interconnect, said display unit attachable to and detachable from said docking assembly with a single hand of the user via an operative engagement of said at least one docking interconnect with said at least one display interconnect of said docking assembly.
2. The display assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said base unit is positioning on the inner surface of the article of clothing and said docking unit is positioned on the other surface of the article of clothing proximate said base unit.
3. The display assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said at least one dock interconnect comprises a magnetic material of construction.
4. The display assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said at least one base interconnect comprises a magnetic material of construction.
5. The display assembly as recited in claim 4 wherein said operative alignment of said at least one dock interconnect and said at least one base interconnect is at least partially defined by an interconnecting magnetic force between said at least one dock interconnect and said at least one base interconnect sufficient to releasably secure said docking assembly to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner.
6. The display assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one docking interconnect comprises a magnetic material of construction.
7. The display assembly as recited in claim 6 wherein said at least one display interconnect comprises a magnetic material of construction.
8. The display assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said operative engagement of said at least one docking interconnect and said at least one display interconnect is at least partially defined by a docking magnetic force between said at least one docking interconnect and said at least one display interconnect sufficient to releasably attach said display unit to said docking assembly, thereby disposing the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation.
9. The display assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said display unit further comprises a display alignment member disposed around at least a portion of said at least one docking interconnect.
10. The display assembly as recited in claim 9 wherein said display alignment member comprises a geometric configuration.
11. The display assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said docking aperture comprises a display alignment guide channel, said display alignment guide channel comprising a complementary geometric configuration dimensioned to receive said display alignment member therein in at least one aligned configuration.
12. The display assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein said docking aperture comprises a display alignment guide channel, said display alignment guide channel comprising a complementary geometric configuration dimensioned to receive said display alignment member therein in any of a plurality of aligned configurations.
13. The display assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said display unit further comprise an access slot disposed in communication with said display chamber, said access slot dimensioned to permit insertion of the at least one display item into said display chamber and removal of the at least one display item from said display chamber.
14. The display assembly as recited in claim 13 wherein said display unit further comprises an access opening through a portion of said display holder and into said display chamber to facilitate insertion and removal of the at least one display item into and from said display chamber, respectively.
15. A display assembly supports at least one display item in a visually prominent orientation and is removably attachable to an article of clothing worn by a user in a nondestructive manner, the article of clothing having an inner surface and an outer surface, said display assembly comprising: a docking assembly comprising a base unit having a plurality of dock interconnects and at least one display interconnect; said docking assembly further comprising a docking unit having a plurality of base interconnects; said docking assembly removably attached to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner via an operative alignment of said plurality of dock interconnects and said plurality of base interconnects; a display unit comprising a display holder having a display chamber to support the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation; and said display unit also including at least one docking interconnect, said display unit attachable to and detachable from said docking assembly with a single hand of the user via an operative engagement of said at least one docking interconnect with said at least one display interconnect.
16. The display assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein each of said plurality of dock interconnects or each of said plurality of base interconnects comprises a magnet.
17. The display assembly as recited in claim 16 wherein said operative alignment of said plurality of dock interconnects and said plurality of base interconnects is at least partially defined by an interconnecting magnetic force between said plurality of dock interconnects and said plurality of base interconnects sufficient to releasably secure said docking assembly to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner.
18. The display assembly as recited in claim 15 wherein said at least one display interconnect or said at least one docking interconnect comprises a magnet.
19. The display assembly as recited in claim 18 wherein said operative engagement of said at least one docking interconnect and said at least one display interconnect is at least partially defined by a docking magnetic force between said at least one docking interconnect and said at least one display interconnect sufficient to releasably attach said display unit to said docking assembly, thereby disposing the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation.
20. A display assembly supports at least one display item in a visually prominent orientation and is removably attachable to an article of clothing worn by a user in a nondestructive manner, the article of clothing having an inner surface and an outer surface, said display assembly comprising: a docking assembly including a base unit having a plurality of dock interconnects and a display interconnect, said dock interconnects and said display interconnect comprising magnets; said docking assembly further comprising a docking unit having a plurality of base interconnects, said base interconnects comprising magnets; said docking assembly removably attached to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner via an operative alignment of said plurality of dock interconnects with said plurality of base interconnects, said operative alignment of said plurality of dock interconnects and said plurality of base interconnects is at least partially defined by interconnecting magnetic forces between magnetically aligned ones of said plurality of dock interconnects and said plurality of base interconnects sufficient to releasably secure said docking assembly to the article of clothing in said nondestructive manner; a display unit comprising a display holder having a display chamber to support the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation; and said display unit also including a docking interconnect comprising a magnet, said display unit attachable to and detachable from said docking assembly with a single hand of the user via an operative engagement of said docking interconnect with said display interconnect, said operative engagement of said docking interconnect and said display interconnect is at least partially defined by a docking magnetic force between said docking interconnect and said display interconnect sufficient to releasably attach said display unit to said docking assembly, thereby disposing the at least one display item in said visually prominent orientation.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
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(12) Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(13) The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word exemplary or illustrative means serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any implementation described herein as exemplary or illustrative is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms upper, lower, left, rear, right, front. vertical. horizontal, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
(14) Shown throughout the figures, the present invention is directed toward a display assembly configured to be attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, wherein the display assembly includes a display unit which is quickly and easily attachable to and detachable from a docking assembly, which remains removably secured to the article of clothing, using a single hand.
(15) Referring initially to
(16) Looking next to
(17) Turning to the illustrative embodiments of
(18) As noted above, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, a docking unit 130 includes at least one base interconnect 136 which is operative with at least one dock interconnect 126 of the base unit 120, such that the base unit 120 and the docking unit 130 of the docking assembly 110 may be removably attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner. In at least one further embodiment, a docking unit 130 comprises a plurality of base interconnects 136 which are operative with corresponding ones of a plurality of dock interconnects 126 of the base unit 120, once again, such that the base unit 120 and the docking unit 130 of the docking assembly 110 may be removably attached to an article of clothing in a nondestructive manner.
(19) Further, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, at least one dock interconnect 126 comprises a magnetic material of construction. In such an embodiment, at least one corresponding base interconnect 136 may comprise a metallic material of construction. As will be appreciated, the magnetic material of the at least one dock interconnect 126 will be magnetically attracted towards the metallic material of construction of a corresponding base interconnect 136 when the dock interconnect 126 and the base interconnect 136 are disposed in operative alignments with one another. In one further embodiment, at least one dock interconnect 126 and at least one base interconnect 136 each comprise a magnetic material of construction. In yet another embodiment, at least one dock interconnect 126 and/or at least one base interconnect 136 comprise a magnet. As will be further appreciated, the at least one dock interconnect 126 and the at least one base interconnect 136 will be magnetically attracted toward one another when disposed in an operative alignment with one another. An operative alignment as used herein between one or more dock interconnects 126 and one or more base interconnects 136 is at least partially defined by an interconnecting magnetic force between the dock interconnect(s) 126 and the base interconnect(s) 136 sufficient to releasably secure the docking assembly 110 to the article of clothing in a nondestructive manner, such as is illustrated in
(20) With reference once again to the illustrative embodiments of
(21) Similarly, and with reference to the illustrative embodiments of
(22) It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of dock interconnects 126 may present a common magnetic polarity, whether positive or negative, outwardly from an active base surface 124 of the base unit 120, while a plurality of base interconnects 136 may present a common but opposite magnetic polarity, once again, whether positive or negative, outwardly from an active docking surface 124 of the docking unit 130. As such, when the dock interconnects 126 on the base unit 120 are positioned in proximity to the base interconnects 136 on the docking unit 130, such as is shown best in
(23) While as described herein as comprising magnetic materials and/or magnets themselves, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art the dock interconnect(s) 126 and base interconnect(s) 136 in accordance with the present invention may be operative utilizing other nondestructive attractive forces such as, by way of example only, electrical forces, electromagnetic forces, gravitational forces, molecular forces, etc.
(24) Turning next to the illustrative embodiments of
(25) As such, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention a display holder 142 comprises an at least partially transparent or translucent material of construction. More in particular, at least an outwardly facing surface of a display holder 142 comprises at least partially transparent or translucent material of construction such that a display item DI supported therein is visible there through. In one further embodiment, a display holder 142 is constructed of a rigid or semi-rigid non-magnetic material of construction such as, by way of example only, plastic, fiberglass, ceramic, rubber, engineered composite materials, etc., just to name a few.
(26) A display holder 142 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention further comprises an access slot 146 disposed in communication with at least a portion of a display chamber 144. As shown best in the illustrative embodiment of
(27) It is to be appreciated that in at least one embodiment, a display chamber 144 may comprise a substantially or completely sealed configuration having at least one display item DI supported therein such that it may be displayed in a visually prominent orientation.
(28) As previously stated, in at least one embodiment a base unit 120 further comprises a display interconnect 128. As also previously noted, a docking unit 130 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises a docking aperture 138. As shown in the illustrative embodiments of
(29) Turning next to the illustrative embodiment of
(30) More in particular, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, at least one display interconnect 128 comprises a magnetic material of construction, and a corresponding docking interconnect 150 comprises a metallic material of construction. As will be appreciated, the magnetic material of the at least one display interconnect 128 will be magnetically attracted towards the metallic material of construction of a corresponding docking interconnect 150 when the display interconnect 128 and the docking interconnect 150 are disposed in an operative alignment with one another, such as is partially demonstrated in
(31) As such, in at least one embodiment, an operative engagement of at least one docking interconnect 150 with at least one display interconnect 128 disposed on a base unit 120 of a docking assembly 110 occurs when the docking interconnect 150 of the display unit 140 is positioned proximate the docking aperture 138 of a docking unit 130, while the docking unit 130 is disposed in an operative alignment with a base unit 120 comprising a display interconnect 128. In one further embodiment, as used herein, an operative engagement of at least one docking interconnect 150 and at least one display interconnect 128 is at least partially defined by a docking magnetic force between the docking interconnect 150 and the display interconnect 128 sufficient to releasably attach the display unit 140 to the docking assembly 110, with a single hand, thereby disposing at least one display item DI in a visually prominent orientation.
(32) With continued reference to
(33) It will also be appreciated that in at least one further embodiment, a display alignment member 152 and a display alignment guide 154 may comprise complementary geometric configurations such that only one aligned configuration exists such as, by way of example only, complementary trapezoidal configurations. In still one further embodiment, a display alignment member 152 and a display alignment guide 154 may comprise complementary geometric configurations such that only a very limited number of aligned configurations exist, such as, by way of example only, complimentary rectangular, equilateral triangular, square, or hexagonal configurations.
(34) As will be further appreciated, in an embodiment wherein the docking aperture 138 and the docking interconnect 150 each comprise a simple circular configuration, display holder 142 may be rotated a full 360 degrees in either direction, thereby disposing the display holder into any of a plurality of aligned configurations, as may be desired.
(35) Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it is understood that any of the features presented in the embodiments may be integrated into any of the other embodiments unless explicitly stated otherwise. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.