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Patent Abstract
The invention includes a nonpiercing jewelry. The nonpiercing jewelry
may include a support, an ornament, and a pad. The support may have
a first support end, a second support end, and a base positioned
between the first support end and the second support end. The ornament
may have a first piece coupled to the first support end and a second
piece coupled to the second support end to define a gap between
the first piece and the second piece. The nonpiercing jewelry further
may include a post or adhesive to attach the pad to the support.
Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A nonpiercing jewelry, comprising: a support having a first
support end, a second support end, and a base positioned between
the first support end and the second support end; an ornament having
a first piece coupled to the first support end and a second piece
coupled to the second support end to define a gap between the first
piece and the second piece; a pad; and means for coupling the pad
to the support.
2. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the means for coupling
the pad to the support includes a post attached to the support.
3. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 2 where the post is attached
to the support to define between the post and the support an opening
leading to a slot.
4. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 3, further comprising: a cross
member attached to the post.
5. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 2 where the post includes a
first post and a second post positioned to oppose the first post
to define a slot that leads to an open area.
6. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 2 where the post includes a
ring that defines an opening.
7. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad includes a
slit that leads to a pocket as part of the means for coupling the
pad to the support.
8. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the means for coupling
the pad to the support includes adhesive adapted to be positioned
between the pad and the support.
9. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1, further comprising: means
for stabilizing the pad to the support.
10. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 9 where the means for stabilizing
the pad to the support includes a support surface positioned in
the support.
11. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the ornament conveys
an image.
12. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1, further comprising a clamp
pad attached to one of the ornament and the pad.
13. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad defines a
pad width and the gap defines a gap width and where the pad width
is a function of the gap width.
14. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad defines a
pad shape that is at least one of cylindrical, tubular, toroidal,
rectangular, spherical, gum-dropped, and mushroom capped.
15. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad is marked
by the ability to return towards an original position, as after
having been compressed.
16. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad is resilient.
17. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the pad includes material
from a group of materials consisting of silicone, rubber, foam,
cork, sponge, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyolefin, fluoropolymer,
vinyl, naturally occurring substance, and gel that is configured
to be contained in a gel pack.
18. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1, where the gap is a first
gap, the ornament further having at least a third piece coupled
to the support to define at least a second gap, where the second
gap is positioned between the second piece and the third piece.
19. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the ornament is removeably
attached to the support.
20. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 19 where at least one of the
first piece and the second piece of the ornament includes a resilient
structure to blast one of the first piece and the second piece into
at least one position.
21. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 1 where the support includes
a first link that is at least one of pivotally connected and slidably
connected to a second link.
22. A jewelry structure adapted to be assembled with a pad to form
a nonpiercing jewelry, the jewelry structure comprising: a support
having a first support end, a second support end, and a base positioned
between the first support end and the second support end; an ornament
having a first piece coupled to the first support end and a second
piece coupled to the second support end to define a gap between
the first piece and the second piece; and means for coupling the
pad to the support.
23. The jewelry structure of claim 22 where the means for coupling
the pad to the support includes at least one of a post attached
to the support and adhesive adapted to be positioned between the
pad and the support.
24. A method to make a jewelry structure adapted to be assembled
with a pad to form a nonpiercing jewelry, the method comprising:
presenting a mold having a mold cavity, where the mold cavity is
shaped to have a reverse of a support, an ornament, and a post,
where the support includes a first support end, a second support
end, and a base positioned between the first support end and the
second support end, and where the ornament includes a first piece
coupled to the first support end and a second piece coupled to the
second support end to define a gap between the first piece and the
second piece, and where the post is attached to the support; placing
jewelry structure material into the mold cavity; and hardening the
jewelry structure material to form the jewelry structure.
25. The method of claim 24 where presenting a mold having a mold
cavity includes employing lost-wax-casting.
26. The method of claim 24 where placing jewelry structure material
into the mold cavity includes one of pouring jewelry structure material
into the mold cavity and injecting jewelry structure material into
the mold cavity.
27. A nonpiercing jewelry, comprising: a support having a first
support end, a second support end, and a base positioned between
the first support end and the second support end, where a portion
of the support is formed into a coil; and an ornament having a first
piece coupled to the first support end and a second piece coupled
to the second support end to define a gap between the first piece
and the second piece.
28. A nonpiercing jewelry kit, comprising: a container; and a nonpiercing
jewelry having a support, an ornament, a pad, and a means for coupling
the pad to the support, the support having a first support end,
a second support end, and a base positioned between the first support
end and the second support end, and the ornament having a first
piece coupled to the first support end and a second piece coupled
to the second support end to define a gap between the first piece
and the second piece, where the nonpiercing jewelry is at least
one of positioned within the container and attached to the container.
29. The nonpiercing jewelry kit of claim 28 where the means for
coupling the pad to the support includes at least one of a post
attached to the support and adhesive adapted to be positioned between
the pad and the support.
30. The nonpiercing jewelry kit of claim 28 where the pad includes
at least a first pad and a second pad, where the first pad defines
one of a Durometer hardness and size that is different from a Durometer
hardness defined by the second pad.
31. A nonpiercing jewelry, comprising: a support having a first
support end, a second support end, and a base positioned between
the first support end and the second support end; an ornament having
a first piece coupled to the first support end and a second piece
coupled to the second support end to define a gap between the first
piece and the second piece; a post attached to the support; and
a pad adapted to be coupled to the post.
32. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 31 where the post is attached
to the support to define between the post and the support an opening
leading to a slot.
33. The nonpiercing jewelry of claim 32 where the support includes
a support surface positioned adjacent to the slot.
Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Invention Field of Endeavor
[0002] The invention may include personal adornments such as jewelry
having direct body attachment. More particularly, the invention
may include a nonpiercing earring having an ornament that contributes
to a pierced effect.
[0003] 2. Background Information
[0004] Humans have been directly attaching ornaments to their bodies
for thousands of years. Ears were probably first pierced to ward
off demons and spirits who were believed to be repelled by metal.
Sailors used to have an ear pierced in an attempt to improve their
eyesight and, if the bodies washed up somewhere, the earring would
pay for a Christian burial.
[0005] Earrings have always been popular among women. However,
as the Roman Republic grew more prosperous with wealth and luxury,
earrings became as popular among men as they were among women. Like
the Roman days, earrings once again have become popular among men,
reflecting the world society's prosperity in wealth and luxury.
[0006] Tongue piercing is one of the most popular piercing due
to its shocking and provocative effect. However, many people who
desire to present such a shocking effect choose not to obtain a
tongue piercing because of the drastic action needed to secure the
jewelry. Several inventors have recognized this need and have sought
to provide nonpiercing jewelry that would present a pierced effect.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. D144,804, issued in 1945, discloses an earring
having a discontinuous ornament fixed to each end of a U-shaped
bar. The discontinuous ornament defines a space and the bar includes
a screw-with-plate attaching member. As the earlobe resides between
the discontinuous ornament and the plate, the earring is secured
to an earlobe by tightening the screw. Ideally, to present a pierced
effect, the earlobe should be forced into the noted space so that
the fleshy lobe bulges outward and above the space. However, since
the centerline of the screw-with-plate attaching member of U.S.
Pat. No. D144,804 is offset from the midpoint of the space, it is
unlikely that the earring of U.S. Pat. No. D144,804 would present
a pierced effect.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,775 ("the '775 patent"), issued
in 1985, discloses as a first embodiment an earring similar to U.S.
Pat. No. D144,804 However, the earring of the '775 patent includes
a screw-with-plate attaching member whose centerline is aligned
with the midpoint of the space of the discontinuous ornament. A
problem with the screw-with-plate attaching member is that it is
expensive to manufacture, cumbersome to operate, and subject to
being caked with grime.
[0009] The '775 patent additionally discloses another earring embodiment
having a simpler attaching member. The U-shaped bar is attached
to a first and second trimming half, where the trimming halves comprise
the discontinuous ornament. The U-shaped bar is bent to include
an angled section directly below the discontinuous ornament space.
The angled section pushed the earlobe through the space. If the
fit is too loose or too tight, the inelastic trimming halves may
be bent to adjust the fit.
[0010] A problem with the second embodiment of the '775 patent
is that bending the trimming halves causes the trimming halves to
misalign so that discontinuous ornament loses its pierced effect.
In addition, bending the trimming halves subjects the U-shaped bar
to metal fatigue. A further problem is that it is difficult to install
the earrings of the '775 patent. What is needed is an apparatus
and method to overcome these and other problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The invention includes a nonpiercing jewelry. The nonpiercing
jewelry may include a support, an ornament, and a pad. The support
may have a first support end, a second support end, and a base positioned
between the first support end and the second support end. The ornament
may have a first piece coupled to the first support end and a second
piece coupled to the second support end to define a gap between
the first piece and the second piece. The nonpiercing jewelry further
may include a post or adhesive to attach the pad to the support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 100.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of nonpiercing jewelry 100.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional side view of body assembly
300.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an elevated view of body assembly 400.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a plan view of body assembly 500.
[0017] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of nonpiercing jewelry
600.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a partial sectional side view of body assembly
700.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a method 800 to make jewelry structure 101.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 900 of post 114.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 1000 of post 114.
[0022] FIG. 11 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 1100 of post 114.
[0023] FIG. 12 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 1200 of post 114.
[0024] FIG. 13 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 1300.
[0025] FIG. 14 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 1400.
[0026] FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of jewelry structure
1500.
[0027] FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of jewelry structure
1500 illustrating an alternate embodiment of jewelry structure 1500.
[0028] FIG. 17 is an elevated view of nonpiercing jewelry 1700.
[0029] FIG. 18 is an elevated view of nonpiercing jewelry 1800.
[0030] FIG. 19 is an elevated view of a nonpiercing jewelry kit
1900.
[0031] FIG. 20 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 2000.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 100. Nonpiercing jewelry 100 may be a personal adornment
having direct body attachment. Nonpiercing jewelry 100 may include
a jewelry structure 101 having a support 102 and an ornament 104.
Nonpiercing jewelry 100 further may include a pad 106.
[0033] Support 102 may be any structure that may hold ornament
104 in place. Support 102 may be made from jewelry structure material
such as metal, plastic, rubber, and naturally occurring substance.
Support 102 may include a first support end 108, a second support
end 110, and a base 112 positioned between first support end 108
and second support end 110. Support 102 further may include a post
114 coupled to support 102.
[0034] Post 114 may be utilized to secure pad 106 to support 102.
For example, post 114 may be arranged to define between post 114
and support 102 an opening 116 leading to a slot 118. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, post 114 is attached to support 102 at a first support
end 120 and bent over so that a second support end 122 and the first
support end 120 both reside in a plane of base 112.
[0035] Ornament 104 may be any object representing a perforating
object, such as an arrow, sword, lance, or needle. Additionally,
ornament 104 may be any object that does not represent a perforating
object, such as scissors, ankh, guitar, microphone, water pipe,
labrys, pagan broom, pagan knife, wand, symbol, collector item,
trademark, or combination thereof. In general, ornament 104 may
convey any single-axis symmetric, multi-axis symmetric, asymmetric
open or closed image having straight or soft (curved) lines, where
the lines may be crossing or non-crossing.
[0036] To aid in presenting a pierced effect, ornament 104 may
include a first piece 124 attached to first support end 108 and
a second piece 126 attached to second support end 110, the arrangement
of which may define a gap 128 and a gap width 129. The first piece
124 may include a first taper end 130 and have other sharp edges
removed to minimize or prevent damage to that part of the body to
which support 102 and ornament 104 is attached. Similarly, the second
piece 126 may include a second taper end 132 and have other sharp
edges removed. Post 114 may be attached to support 102 so that pad
106 may be aligned with respect to a midpoint of gap 128.
[0037] Pad 106 may include a body 134. Pad 106 may be solid or
may define a cavity 136 within body 134. Where Pad 106 is solid,
pad 106 may be made of a material capable of being pierced by post
114 to form a cavity 136. Examples of such material include rubber,
resilient polystyrene plastic, and soft, resilient metals. Support
102 may provide a stable platform on which pad 106 may be compressed
and uncompressed.
[0038] Cavity 136 may extend partially through body 134 or extend
completely through body 134. Pad 106 of FIG. 1 is illustrated as
a tube that defines a pad flat portion 138 having a pad width 140
and a pad-curved portion 142, the combination of which may define
a pad surface 144. Moreover, cavity 136 of FIG. 1 extends completely
through body 134.
[0039] Pad 106 may include a cushionlike mass of soft material.
Moreover, pad 106 may include a material or a structure, each of
which may be marked by the ability to return towards an original
shape or position, as after having been compressed. For example,
pad 106 may include material such as silicone, rubber, foam, cork,
polyurethane, polystyrene, polyolefins, fluoropolymers, vinyl, naturally
occurring substance, and gel that may be contained in a gel pack.
A material of pad 106 may have a Durometer hardness of approximately
20 to 90 Shore "A", approximately 50 to 70 Shore "A",
and may have a Durometer hardness of approximately 60 +3/-3 Shore
"A".
[0040] Pad 106 may be defined by a variety of shapes, including
a pad shape that is at least one of cylindrical, tubular, toroidal
such as from an O-Ring, rectangular, spherical, gum-dropped, mushroom
capped, or any combination of the same.
[0041] To aid in the piercing effect, some of the components of
nonpiercing jewelry 100 other than ornament 104 may be of a flesh
tone, translucent, clear, or transparent color. For example, support
102 may be made of jewelry structure material such as a clear acrylic
while pad 106 may be of a clear silicone rubber.
[0042] Nonpiercing jewelry 100 may be formed by urging second support
end 122 of post 114 into cavity 136 so that a portion of body 134
may reside in slot 118. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of nonpiercing
jewelry 100. With pad 106 retained by post 114, pad 106 may be positioned
to reside between first piece 124 and second piece 126.
[0043] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional side view of body assembly
300. Included in body assembly 300 may be nonpiercing jewelry 100
and fleshy part 302 having an undersurface 304. Fleshy part 302
may be any soft, plump material, including organic material such
as an ear or tongue and inorganic material such as rubber.
[0044] To form body assembly 300, pad 106 may be compressed and
fleshy part 302 may be inserted between pad surface 144 and first
taper end 130 and second taper end 132 of ornament 104. Compressed
pad 106 may work against undersurface 304 to push fleshy part 302
through gap 128 to form a mound 306. Due in part to the soft, plump
material of mound 306, mound 306 may form about and to some extent
may overlap first taper end 130 and second taper end 132 so as to
give the appearance that ornament 104 pierced fleshy part 302.
[0045] To aid in inserting fleshy part 302 between pad surface
144 and first taper end 130 and second taper end 132 of ornament
104, support 102 may exhibit resilient characteristics so that it
may be bent temporarily to open gap 128 and automatically return
to an original arrangement of support 102. Moreover, as illustrated
in FIG. 2, nonpiercing jewelry 102 further may include a clamp pad
146 to protect fleshy part 302 from excessive pressure from an attaching
member formed by ornament 104 and pad 106. Clamp pad 146 may be
attached to ornament 104, pad 106, or a combination thereof. Where
clamp pad 146 is attached to pad 106, pad 106 may be a magnet.
[0046] It may be important that pad width 140 be large enough to
cause mound 306 to form about first taper end 130 and second taper
end 132. Additionally, it is important that pad width 140 not be
so large as to prevent pad 106 from pushing fleshy part 302 through
gap 128. Pad width 140 may be a function of gap width 129. Pad width
140 further may be a function of a density of fleshy part 302.
[0047] FIG. 4 is an elevated view of body assembly 400. Included
with body assembly 400 may be nonpiercing jewelry 100 and an earlobe
402. As illustrated in FIG. 4, earlobe 402 is inserted into nonpiercing
jewelry 100 to form mound 404 in a soft, fleshy, pendulous part
of earlobe 402.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a plan view of body assembly 500. Included with
body assembly 500 may be nonpiercing jewelry 100 and a tongue 502.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, tongue 502 is inserted into nonpiercing
jewelry 100 to form mound 504 in a fleshy, movable, muscular part
of tongue 402.
[0049] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of nonpiercing jewelry
600. Nonpiercing jewelry 600 may include jewelry structure 101 having
support 102, ornament 104, and pad 106. To aid in stabilizing pad
106 to support 102, support 102 further may include a support surface
602 positioned in support 102. Support surface 602 may define a
profile similar to that portion of pad 106 that is anticipated to
encounter support surface 602 on assembly. Since it is anticipated
that pad flat portion 138 will encounter support surface 602 on
assembly, then the profile of support surface 602 may be flat. Support
102 further may include a stiffener 604 at those locations along
support 102 having a thickness that may be insufficient to provide
support.
[0050] FIG. 7 is a partial sectional side view of body assembly
700. Included in body assembly 700 may be jewelry structure 101,
pad 106, and fleshy part 302. As illustrated, support surface 602
may act on pad flat portion 138 to work towards stabilizing pad
106.
[0051] FIG. 8 is a method 800 to make jewelry structure 101. At
802, a user of method 800 may present a wax jewelry structure having
a support, an ornament, and a post, where the support includes a
first support end, a second support end, and a base positioned between
the first support end and the second support end, and where the
ornament includes a first piece coupled to the first support end
and a second piece coupled to the second support end to define a
gap between the first piece and the second piece, and where the
post is attached to the support.
[0052] At 804, the user may combine a mold mixture and the wax
jewelry structure in a container. The mold mixture may be any substance
that may form around the wax jewelry structure, such as a mixture
of investment powder and water.
[0053] At 806, the user may harden the mold mixture to form a hardened
mold.
[0054] At 808, the user may remove the wax jewelry structure from
the hardened mold to form a mold cavity. For example, the user may
place the hardened mold with wax jewelry structure into an oven
and heat the wax away. With the wax jewelry structure removed, the
remaining cavity in the mold may be in the shape of the wax jewelry
structure.
[0055] As an alternative to the lost-wax-casting method of 808
or a spin casting method, the user may present a hardened mold for
injection molding, where the mold may include a mold cavity that
may be shaped to have the reverse of a support, an ornament, and
a post, where the support includes a first support end, a second
support end, and a base positioned between the first support end
and the second support end, and where the ornament includes a first
piece coupled to the first support end and a second piece coupled
to the second support end to define a gap between the first piece
and the second piece, and where the post is attached to the support.
[0056] At 810, the user may insert jewelry structure material into
the mold cavity.
[0057] At 812, the user may harden the jewelry structure material
to form jewelry structure 101.
[0058] At 814, the user may remove jewelry structure 101 from the
hardened mold.
[0059] At 816, the user may return to 810 and pour jewelry structure
material into the mold cavity.
[0060] At 818, the user may finish jewelry structure 101, such
as by polishing jewelry structure 101. Here, the jewelry structure
101 may be adapted to be assembled with pad 106 to form nonpiercing
jewelry 100.
[0061] Support 102 and ornament 104 may be made from non-hydroscopic,
non-allergenic, or hypoallergenic plastic or metal.
[0062] FIG. 9 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 900 of post 114. Pad 106 may define a gumdrop shape
and may be pressed onto post 114 so that a portion of pad 106 may
be positioned about post 114. Alternatively, post 114 may be spring
removeably attached to base 112 at a first end an include pad 106
at a second end.
[0063] FIG. 10 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 1000 of post 114. Post 114 additionally may include
a cross member 1002. Cross member 1002 may be elongated or dish
shaped. Pad 106 may define a mushroom cap shape and may be pressed
onto post 114 so that a portion of pad 106 may be positioned about
post 114.
[0064] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of an alternate arrangement
1100 of post 114. Post 114 may include a first post 1102 and a second
post 1104. The first post 1102 and the second post 1104 may be bent
and positioned to oppose one another to define a slot 1106 and an
open area 1108. Here, pad 106 may define a tube shape such as in
FIG. 1. Pad 106 may be pressed through slot 1106 so that a portion
of pad 106 may be positioned within open area 1108.
[0065] FIG. 12 is a partial exploded perspective view of an alternate
arrangement 1200 of post 114. Post 114 may include a ring 1202 that
defines an open area 1204. Where defining a tube shape, pad 106
may include a slit 1206 so that the tube shape is discontinuous
and defines two ends. Here, the two ends of pad 106 may be separated,
lowered so that open area 1204 may be positioned between the two
ends of pad 106, and released to engage open area 1204. Pad 106
may then be rotated. To accommodate pad curved portion 142 and help
keep pad 106 stable, support surface 602 may define a curved profile.
[0066] FIG. 13 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 1300. Pad 106 may include a slit 1302 that may lead to a
pocket 1304. Pocket 1304 may define a profile adapted to fit about
a profile of support 102. For example, a profile of pocket 1304
may be tubular.
[0067] FIG. 14 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 1400. Pad 106 may include an attachment piece 1402 containing
slit 1302 and pocket 1304. A tacky, sticky substance generally referred
to as adhesive may be positioned between support 102 and pad 106
to further secure support 102 and pad 106 together. Moreover, pad
106 may be melted directly onto support 102. To aid in maintaining
pad 106 in one position along support 102, support 102 further may
include a first rib 1404 and a second rib 1406 and pad 106 may be
positioned between the first rib 1404 and the second rib 1406.
[0068] FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of jewelry structure
1500. FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of jewelry structure
1500 illustrating an alternate embodiment of jewelry structure 1500.
Jewelry structure 1500 may include a support 1502 and an ornament
104. A portion of support 1502 may be formed into a coil 1504. Coil
1504 may be marked by the ability to return towards an original
position, as after having been compressed. Coil 1504 may be aligned
with respect to a midpoint of gap 128. Moreover, coil 1504 may be
helical as in FIG. 15 or composed of multiple folds such as the
leaf shape illustrated in FIG. 16. The need for pad 106 may be eliminated
where coil 1504 is marked by the ability to return towards an original
position, as after having been compressed.
[0069] FIG. 17 is an elevated view of nonpiercing jewelry 1700.
Nonpiercing jewelry 1700 may include a support 1702, an ornament
1704, and a pad 106.
[0070] Support 1702 may include a first link 1706, a second link
1708, a third link 1710, and a fourth link 1712. First link 1706
and second link 1708 may be pivotally connected to each other through
a pivot 1714. Pivot 1714 may include a registration to prevent first
link 1706 and second link 1708 from rotating less than ninety degrees
with respect to one another. Third link 1710 and fourth link 1712
may be pivotally connected to each other through a pivot 1716. Pivot
1716 may permit third link 1710 and fourth link 1712 to rotate along
an x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, or a combination thereof.
[0071] Second link 1708 and third link 1710 may be slidably connected
to one another for movement toward and away from each other. For
example, second link 1708 and third link 1710 may be telescopically
connected to each other.
[0072] Ornament 1704 may include a first piece 1718 attached to
first link 1706 through a pivot 1720 and a second piece 1722 attached
to fourth link 1712, the arrangement of which may define a gap 1724.
First piece 1718 further may include a resilient structure to blast
first piece 1718 into at least one position. For example, the resilient
structure may include a spring 1726 removeably attached between
the support 102 and the ornament 104. Here, the first piece 1718
may be thought of as being spring actuated. Blasting first piece
1718 onto fleshy part 302 and retaining first piece 1718 in that
position may pinch fleshy part 302 to increase mound 306 and aid
in presenting an illusion that the fleshy part 302 has been pierced
by ornament 1704.
[0073] Ornament 1704 may be removeably attached to support 1702
to permit adjusting of the compression on the fleshy part 306 (FIG.
3) and to permit substituting one ornament 1704 with another ornament
1704. For example, a fastener member may be positioned between second
piece 1722 and fourth link 1712 to threadably mount second piece
1722 to fourth link 1712. The fastening member additionally may
be a post attached to second piece 1722 and a detent within link
1712, where the post may include a ball end.
[0074] FIG. 18 is an elevated view of nonpiercing jewelry 1800.
Nonpiercing jewelry 1800 may include a support 1802, an ornament
1804 attached to support 1802, a first pad 1806, and a second pad
1808. Ornament 1804 may include two or more gaps. For example, ornament
1804 may include a first piece 1810 and a second piece 1812, the
relative positioning of which may define a gap 1814. Ornament 1804
further may include a third piece 1816 that, together with second
piece 1812, may define a gap 1818.
[0075] FIG. 19 is an elevated view of a nonpiercing jewelry kit
1900. Nonpiercing jewelry kit 1900 may include a container 1902
that may have marketing information 1904 positioned thereon. Attached
to or within container 1902 may be a first jewelry structure 1906
and a first pad 1908. First pad 1908 may be attached to first jewelry
structure 1906. The container 1902 further may include a second
jewelry structure 1910, a second pad 1912, and a third pad 1914.
First pad 1908, second pad 1910, and third pad 1912 may define different
Durometer hardnesses or sizes. The container 1902 further may include
a changeable ornamental element 1916 having a first part 1918 and
a second part 1920 that may be interchanged with ornaments on either
first jewelry structure 1906 or second jewelry structure 1910.
[0076] FIG. 20 is a partial exploded perspective view of a nonpiercing
jewelry 2000. Pad 106 may include a first arm 2002 having a first
claw 2004 and include a second arm 2006 having a second claw 2008.
First claw 2004 and second claw 2008 each may define a profile adapted
to fit about a profile of support 102. The profile of first claw
2004 may provide a tight fit about support 102 to prevent first
claw 2004 from moving once position about support 102. The profile
of second claw 2008 may provide a lose fit about support 102 to
permit second claw 2008 to move towards and away from first claw
2002.
[0077] The nonpiercing jewelry of the invention may be utilized
in any body piercing, including apadravya, belly, clitoris, ear,
eyebrow, fraenulum, guiche, hafada, infibulation, labret, lip, navel,
nipple, nose, palang, Prince Albert, septum, toe, and tongue. The
nonpiercing jewelry of the invention may be used on humans, animals
such as monkeys, and structures such as wax figures, items used
in the movie industry, cloth, nylon, or artistic object.
[0078] The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided
merely to illustrate the principles of the invention and should
not be construed as limiting the scope of the subject matter of
the terms of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings
are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than
a restrictive sense. Moreover, the principles of the invention may
be applied to achieve the advantages described herein and to achieve
other advantages or to satisfy other objectives, as well. |