Dual Slider Mechanism for Independent Adjustment of Jewelry Lengths to Maintain Fit and Style

Abstract

A dual slider mechanism to independently adjust jewelry lengths to maintain the fit and style of a necklace. This is an article of jewelry comprised of two flexible members and two sliding members with sliding ends and fixed ends such that the sliders attach to the flexible members to permit movement along the flexible members therefore providing a functionally independent interplay between fit and style.

Claims

1. An article of jewelry comprising: a first flexible member having first and second ends; a second flexible member having first and second ends; and two sliding members with sliding ends and fixed ends such that the sliders attach to the flexible members with their fixed ends to permit movement along the flexible members with their sliding ends therefore providing functionally independent interplay between fit and style.

2. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein the fit can be varied without a change in style.

3. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein the style can be varied without a change in fit.

4. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein the article of jewelry is a necklace.

5. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein said flexible members comprise any decorative material such as chain, including silver, gold or other ornamental metal types, wire, cord, leather, or fabric.

6. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein the size of said flexible members or slider balls can be any dimension.

7. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein an enhancement like a pendant or other design element can be attached to one or both said flexible members.

8. The article of jewelry from claim 1, wherein the first and second ends of the sliding member are enclosed within a cover to appear like a single unit.

9. The necklace from claim 4, wherein the said second flexible member is shorter than the said first flexible member and the said sliding members move along the first flexible member and securely attach to the second flexible member to reduce the chance of the tail of the necklace from coming towards the front of the body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates the plain view perspective of the dual slider mechanism used in a necklace.

[0022] 1 is a slider component, positioned behind the neck.

[0023] 2 is a slider component, positioned in the front of the neck.

[0024] A, B, and C comprise a single, continuous chain (A-B-C), which is threaded through the slider components 1 and 2.

[0025] D is a separate chain, affixed to the slider components 1 and 2.

[0026] Chain segment C attaches to a pendant, or other article of jewelry.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates the state of the necklace when the fit of the necklace (length of B plus D) has changed from FIG. 1, but the style (length of C) stayed the same as FIG. 1. This state was created by moving slider component 1 along the chain A-B-C to extend the length of segment A.

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates slider 2 moving along chain A-B-C to create a longer segment C.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates the state of the necklace when the style of the necklace (length of C) has changed from FIG. 1, but the fit (length of B plus D) stayed the same as FIG. 1. This state was created by moving slider component 2 along the chain A-B-C to extend the length of segment C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] This invention is a dual-sliding mechanism to dynamically adjust the fit and style of an article of jewelry. While this mechanism can be used on an anklet, bracelet, or body chain, its primary use is for a necklace. In general terms, fit describes the size of the necklace around the neck (from tight to loose) while style describes the overall shape of the necklace (from a Y-shape lariat to a simple pendent).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the article of jewelry comprises two flexible members and two sliding members. The flexible members have first and second ends and can be made with any suitable material for jewelry (e.g., chain, wire, leather, gold, silver, and/or the like).

[0032] The first flexible member is a single, continuous unit comprised of segments A, B, and C. The first end of the first flexible member is part of segment A while the second end of the first flexible member is part of segment C. The second flexible member is D. 1 and 2 are sliding members which both comprise sliding ends and fixed ends. 1 and 2 connect to the first flexible member A-B-C through their sliding ends and they connect to second flexible member D by their fixed ends. This allows the sliders to move freely and independently along the first flexible member. This results in the selective adjustment of lengths of A, B, and C. A simple pendant is attached to C to show the orientation of the necklace. Fit is related to the length of B plus D while style is related to the length of C. In this configuration, A is the tail of the necklace.

[0033] FIGS. 1-4 illustrate multiple configurations of the same necklace.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates the state of the necklace when slider 1 has moved away from the free end of the chain towards the pendent end of the first flexible member, increasing the length of A. Since slider 2 did not move, the length of C stays the same, but the length B is shortened. This configuration adjusts the fit of the necklace by making the circumference of the enclosed loop of the necklace smaller, while maintaining the style of the necklace.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates the state of the necklace in FIG. 1 when slider 2 moves towards the free end of the first flexible member, thereby increasing the length of C.

[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates the state of the necklace in FIG. 1 when both sliders 1 and 2 move along the first flexible member towards its pendant end, adjusting the style of the necklace by transforming it from a lariat to a pendant necklace, while maintaining the fit of the necklace. In this configuration, the length of C is zero.

[0037] These figures in this discussion pertain to a single arrangement of sliders and flexible members in which both sliders are on the same chain. The invention is not limited to the precise embodiment of the invention in the illustrations. For example, the sliding elements can be securely fixed to separate chains to achieve the same adaptability of fit and style. While the flexible members on a necklace can have any dimension, if the second flexible member is shorter than the first flexible member, it is recommended the sliding members move along the first flexible member and securely attach to the second flexible member to reduce the chance of the tail of the necklace from coming towards the front of the body. Any enhancement or design element like a pendant can be added to a flexible member. The sliding member may be enclosed within a cover to appear like a single unit.

[0038] The novelty of this dual sliding mechanism is that is allows fit and style to be selectively adjusted independently of one another. It achieves more than simply adjusting the size of the jewelry; it allows the size and the style to be adjusted simultaneously.