US2763999A - Earring pads with expansible opening for attaching to earring - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 25, 1956 F. P. NORMAN 2,763,999

EARRING PADS WITH EXPANSIBLE OPENING FOR ATTACHING TO EARRING Filed Nov. 27, 1953 FRANCES R NORMAN,

IN VEN TOR.

HUEBNER, BEEHLER, WORREL 8\ HERLZIG,

A TTORNEYS- o EG PADS WITH EXPANSIBLE OPENING FUR ATTACHING T EARRING Frances P. Norman, Los Angeles, Calif. Application November 27, 1953, Serial No. 394,732

2 Elaims. (Cl. 63-44) The application relates to earring pads adapted particularly for earrings of the clip-on and screw-on type.

The vast majority of earrings currently worn consists either of the clip-on type or screw-on type, it being no longer popular to any great extent for women to have their car lobes pierced for earrings of the type which pin through the ear lobe. Moreover, earrings have been increasing in popularity and as a rule most women enjoy an exceedingly varied assortment of earrings in different styles, sizes, weights, and decorative effect.

Although the principle of fastening earrings to the ear has become well established in either the clip-on or screw-on type of clamp, a great many manufacturers have resorted to many ditferent kinds of clips and clamps, some of which take the comfort of the wearer into consideration but many others of which oifer no more than a means of fastening the earring to the ear. The screw-on earrings are frequently made with metallic pads for contacting the ear so small that they tend to press the ear lobe over such a small area that the lobe becomes pinched. At times a certain roughness in the ear-contacting area causes irritation and discomfort. Moreover, earrings which are heavy necessitate even greater pressure to hold them in place, the greater pressure consequently resulting in greater discomfort.

The clip-on earrings are customarily made with a tixed spring which resiliently presses the clamping parts of the earring against the ear lobe. Although some of the better grade clip-on earrings purport to include means for adjusting the pressure of the spring, such adjustments are usually ineffective and in fact few earrings of the clip-on type are adjustable at all except by distorting or bending parts of the earring. If the clip-on earring is not tight enough, the earrings will fall off. if too tight, there is no ready means of adjusting them to the wearers ear for maximum comfort.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved earring pad device universally adapted to use on all styles of clipon and screwon earring clamps which renders it relatively easy and comfortable for anyone to wear earrings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved earring pad device so constructed that pads may be attached to both outside and inside clamps, thereby improving the comfort of the clamp on both sides of the ear lobe but without impairing the decorative appearance of the outside of the earring.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved earring pad device which is adapted to fit all styles of clip-on and screw-on earrings and which, moreover, is so constructed further that the pad devices can be very readily placed on the earring when it is to be used and thereafter with equal facility removed from the earring for use later with a different pair of earrings.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved earring pad device which, in addition 2,763,999 Patented Sept. 25, 1956 ice to improving the comfort of the earring on the ear, provides a non-slipping grip so that only a relatively light pressure is necessary to hold even the heaviest earrings in place.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved earring pad device which can be constructed of such material as to render it cleanable and therefore sanitary and which is also sufliciently inexpensive to enable users to purchase the pads in quantity so that suitable pads may be always available for a relatively large assortment of earrings.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing an earring equipped with a pad in place on the lobe of the ear.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of a screw-on type earring equipped with a set of the pad devices.

Figure 3 is a perspective exploded view of the outside pad of a set of pad devices showing the two parts from which it is constructed.

Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view of the inside pad of a set of pad devices showing the parts from which it is constructed.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a clip-on type earring to which a set of pads has been applied.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of the inside pad of a set of earrings.

Figure 7 is an elevational view showing a screw-on type of earring equipped with the pad of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating a manner in which the pad devices may be packaged in sets for marketing.

In the drawings the earring pad devices are illustrated as supplied in sets, there being an outside pad, such as that illustrated as to its separate parts in Figure 3 for the outside clamp of an earring, and an inside pad, such as that illustrated as to its separate parts in Figure 4 for the inside clamp of an earring. The pad devices are so constructed especially with respect to the inside pad, to permit the same pad to be used either upon the screw-on type of earring of Figure 2 or the clip-on type of earring of Figure 5. The earrings are of conventional construction and designed to be applied to a lobe 10 of the car 11 as suggested by application of an earring 12 in Figure 1. As there shown the earring is a pendent type earring wherein a substantially U-shaped arm 13 is visible beneath the lobe of the ear.

The screw-on type earring of Figure 2 illustrates a somewhat decorative exterior ornamentation 14 extending over considerable area sutficient to hide the outside clamp. Such decorative exteriors are frequently constructed of rhinestone facings or any one of an almost innumerable variety of decorative stones and plastics.

The screw-on type earring of Figure 2 includes a substantially U-shaped arm 15 joining an outside clamp 16 of the earring to an inside clamp 17. The inside clamp includes a screw shank 18 having a knurled knob 19 by means of which the clamp may be screwed against the inside of the lobe of the ear.

Details of the inside pad employed with the screw-on earring of Figure 2 and also the clip-on earring of Figure 5 are illustrated in Figure 4. The pad consists of a resilient member 20 which may be of sponge rubber or other material having soft compressible non-slipping characteristics and which has sutficient body and strength to maintain its shape. The diameter of the resilient member is ordinarily substantially larger than the diameter of the lobe contacting portion of the inside clamp.

A pocket element 21 is made of substantially the same diameter as the resilient member or perhaps slightly smaller and is designed to be attached to the resilient member by means of an adhesive or vulcanizing or other appropriate attaching means. The pocket element includes inner and outer sides, an outer side 20 being visible in Figure 4. The inner and outer sides are joined by a closing circumferential portion 23 which has a dis tendable opening 24 along a portion of the circumference. At the center of the outer side 22 is another distendable opening 25.

When the inside pad of Figure 4 is to be attached to a screw-on typeearring, the opening 25 is stretched over the ear-contacting portion of the inside clamp and by this means the pad is securely mounted upon the inside clamp in the position shown in Figure 2.

Should it be desired to employ the inside pad with a clip-on type earring like that shown in Figure 5, an inside clip 26 provided with the customary spring 27 is forced into the opening 24 by stretching the opening. The pocket element can then be pushed over the inside clip until it is properly centered upon the lobe-contacting portion of the clip.

The outside pad of the set illustrated in Figure 3 ordinarily contains two parts, namely, a resilient member 28 made of the same material as the resilient member 2%, and approximately the same size, though slightly larger or smaller sized outside pads may be appropriate. On the outside face of the resilient member 28 there may be provided a metallic ring 29 at the center of which is an opening 30. The metallic ring is fastened to the resilient member 28 by some suitable permanent adhesive. To facilitate securing the outside pad to the outside clamp a reusable permanent adhesive substance may be applied to the outside face of the resilient member 28 within the area of the opening 30. This adhesive may be any one of a number of commercial adhesives such, for example, as the adhesives employed on transparent plastic tape.

It being borne in mind that metal portions of most earrings have a silver, gold, or copper luster, the metallic ring 29 may preferably be made of a material presenting a silver, gold, or copper appearance even though the ring in substance may be something other than metal. The chief function of the ring is to cover the resilient member 28 so as to conceal it with a material which will harmonize with the decorative exterior of the earring, inasmuch as the resilient member 28 to be effective frequently has to be of such a large size as to be visible beyond the area of the earring.

Due to the fact that the outside pad is not manipulated in fastening the earring to the car as is the inside pad, the outside pad can readily be secured to the outside clamp by the adhesive already referred to. In Figure 2 the outside pad is secured centerably within the exterior ornamentation 14 to the outside clamp 16 in the manner described. In this instance the ornamentation may be sufficiently large to completely conceal the resilient member 28 and its metallic ring 29.

In the case of Figure 5 a decorative exterior portion 31 may not have sufficient breadth to entirely conceal the outside pad, in which event the metallic ring 29, though exposed, can be made of a harmonizing metallic appearance so as to be inconspicuous when the earring of Figure 5 is worn upon the ear.

Inasmuch as the pocket element is made of resilient and distendable material, the precise form of the pocket element may not be of primary importance. Its character therefore permits construction of a pocket element 32 in the form illustrated in Figure 6. As there shown the pocket element may be initially fabricated as a long flat tube and cut to the length shown in Figure 6, fitting within the circumference of a resilient member 33. Since the pocket element is cut from a tube, there will be a distendable opening 34 at one end and a similar distendable opening at another end 35. To provide the same versatility for a pad of the modified form of Figure 6 there may further be provided a central distendable opening 36 permitting the pad to be applied to a screw-on type earring in the same fashion as the pad of Figure 4. Due to the presence of two distendable edge openings the clip-on type earring may be applied from either end. Figure 7 by way of example shows the screw-on pendent earring 12. of Figure 1 equipped with the modified form of pad of Figure 6. In the view of Figure 7 a lobe contacting button 37 is visible within the pocket element 32- in the position it would normally occupy. The outside pad of this form may be the identical pad illustrated and described in connection with Figure 3. Here too the decorative portion of the earring may be such as to be smaller than the circumference of the outside pad, in which event the metallic ring 29 is useful in concealing the pad.

As a matter of convenience the earring pad devices may be supplied in sets or multiple sets carried by a strip 38 of cardboard, tape, or similar material, around which a tube 39 of transparent plastic material may extend in order to mount the pads in a visible position for inspection. Although the inner pads may be of uniform diameter, outer pads may be supplied in difierent diameters in order to accommodate earrings, the decorative portion of which may be too small to lend themselves to use with outside pads of large diameter, therefore making pads of small diameter more acceptable.

There has accordingly been described herein a simple inexpensive earring pad device of sufficient versatility to be employed without alteration to practically all types of earring clamps which secure earrings to the ear lobe by pressure. The pad devices not only greatly insure the comfort of the wearer when wearing all types of rings but also add greatly to the security of earrings to the ear.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An earring pad device for use on earrings having clamping members of various sizes and configurations comprising a composite pad including a pocket element comprising a pair of superposed substantially flat and.

generally circular walls joined at edges to form an enclosed and generally fiat pocket, the material of said element being of firm non-metallic flexibly expandable material and having a thin section throughout, said pocket being of a size receptive of a clamping member of maximum size, a soft flexible generally circular cushion element of sponge rubber substantially thicker than the walls of said pocket element, said elements having substantially flat contacting faces, and an adhesive layer forming a flexible joint between said faces, said pocket element having acircumfcrentially continuous stretchable opening therein adapted for extension over and reception of a clamping member of selected size and configuration.

2. An earring pad device for use on earrings having screw-on and clip-on clamping members of various sizes and configurations comprising a composite pad including a substantially flat thin walled pocket element of firm non-metallic flexibly expandable material having an inside pocket of a size receptive of a clamping member of maximum size, a flexible cushion element of porous consistency, said elements having substantially fiat contacting faces, and an adhesive layer forming a flexible joint between said faces, said pocket element having a substantially central circumferentially continuous opening on a side thereof opposite the cushion element smaller in size than the screw-on clamping member of minimum size and having a circumferentially continuous opening at an edge thereof smaller in size than the clip-on clamping member of minimum size, said openings being selectively usable on clamping elements of diiferent sizes and configurations.

667,630 Kratz-Boussac Feb. 5, 1901 6 Hill May 2, 1905 Housley May 19, 1931 Ring -1 Oct. 1, 1940 DOrsay Dec. 11, 1945 Marcus Mar. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS France Feb. 1, 1927 France May 26, 1928 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1921 Great Britain June 4, 1935

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