CLOSUREDEVICEFORORNAMENTAL ARTICLE CHAINS

Field of Application

The present invention regards a closure device for ornamental article chains.

The closure device is inserted in the sector of the manufacturing industry for producing ornamental articles and in particular precious metal jewels.

The device, according to the preamble of the main claim, is an accessory for articles comprising chains such as bracelets or necklaces, having the object of making it easier for the users to put the articles around their neck or wrist.

State of the art In the sector of production of jewellery articles or their accessories, magnetic closure devices have long been used for ornamental chains of bracelets or necklaces, which permit opening or closing the ornamental chain as desired around the neck or wrist in order to put it on or take it off with ease.

For such purpose, the device provides for, in the simplest embodiment, two supporting clasp elements placed at the ends of the chain, associated with the magnets, generally partially covered by a precious or semi-precious metal foil.

Functionally, when the two clasp elements are brought close to each other, the attraction between the magnets causes the ring-type closure around the wrist or neck of the user, while obviously the removal of the magnets determines the opening of the chain which can thus be easily removed from the neck or wrist.

Numerous closure devices for ornamental chains present on the market are based on this magnetic attraction principle.

Such closure devices nevertheless have the drawback of not ensuring the safety of the closure in case of chance forces, since the magnet attraction on its own is generally insufficient given the limited size which the devices must necessarily maintain.

In order to overcome this drawback, numerous solutions were developed which provide for a synergetic action between the magnetic attraction described above and a mechanical component obtainable with different kinematic mechanisms. For example, one of the most common solutions described in the patents US 5349725 and US 5311647 provides for the presence of a safety place, which projects from one of the two clasp elements and is susceptible to being elastically deformed so to be engaged or disengaged with respect to a corresponding seat provided in the other clasp element. In a similar manner, in accordance with a further embodiment of known type described for example in the patents US 7073232, US 6591462 the aforesaid plate is hinged to a clasp element and can rotate by moving between an open position, in which it is free from the other clasp element, and a closed position, in which it is mechanically fit- connected on the other clasp element.

Other embodiments of known type provide for supporting the magnetic attraction action by means of a mechanical action obtained with male-female coupling between the two clasp elements shaped in corresponding manner. Some of these solutions are for example described in the patents US 20060123845, US 20030229974, US 20040154143, US 20020116794, US 6640398, US 4901405. Furthermore, many other closure devices are known which employ both magnetic attraction and mechanical action so to removably retain the clasp elements placed at the end of a chain of an ornamental article.

Among these, the patent US 7207091 describes a device in which the clasp release of the end elements occurs with relative rotation, the patent US 6981391 provides that once the male element is inserted in the female element, the magnetic attraction determines a relative movement between the same elements in order to increase the safety of the connection.

The above-listed closure devices have in practice not proven to be free of drawbacks.

Indeed, if it is true that several devices of known type have proven to be particularly safe, this was obtained to the detriment of the ease of clasping and unclasping the two end elements. In other words, the mechanical seal between the two elements was obtained by negatively affecting the ease of use of the device.

Therefore, the closure devices of known type do not correctly consider the two needs of safety and ease of use, resulting either overly unsafe or overly complex to use.

This drawback can be traced to an imprecise design of the closure devices, which does not consider and duly comprehend the manual operations which would make the clasping and unclasping of the end elements easy and quick, as well as the main chance forces which the devices must confront, maintaining the two elements clasped together.

In practice, it is easy to find situations in which people who wear jewellery have difficulty taking them off and must be assisted, especially with necklaces or bracelets provided with particularly safe closure devices.

Such drawback is particularly serious when the chain is intended to make a bracelet, and thus the user has only one hand for separating the two magnets of the clasp device.

Presentation of the invention

In this situation, the main object of the present invention is that of providing a closure device for ornamental article chains that are capable of making a very safe connection, and at the same time are easily used.

Another object of the present invention is that of providing a closure device for ornamental article chains that does not negatively affect the aesthetic characteristics of the chain. A further object of the present invention is that of providing a closure device for

ornamental article chains which is easy and economical to make.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical characteristics of the invention, according to the aforesaid objects, are clearly described in the claims reported below and the advantages of the same will be more evident in the detailed following description, made with reference to the attached drawings, which represents a merely exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:

- Figure 1 shows an overall perspective view of the closure device, subject of the present invention, mounted on a piece of chain for making an ornamental article consisting of a necklace;

- Figure 2 represents a plan view of the device and piece of chain of the figure 1 ;

- Figure 3 represents a side view of the device and piece of chain of figure 1 ;

- Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section view and in closed position of the closure device, subject of the present invention, made along the trace A-A of figure 2, with several parts removed in order to better illustrate others;

- Figure 5 shows a perspective view of only the closure device for ornamental article chains represented in the preceding figures in open position and with some parts removed in order to better illustrate others;

- Figures 6, 7 show, in a perspective view and in a section view, an embodiment variant of the closure device, subject of the present invention, mounted on a piece of chain for making an ornamental article consisting of a necklace;

Detailed description

With reference to the drawing set, a closure device for ornamental article chains, subject of the present invention, is indicated with 1 in its entirety. Such device 1 is intended to be employed for opening and closing the chain 2 of a

jewellery article such as a bracelet or necklace (a portion thereof is illustrated in figures 1 -3 , 6, 7), or a similar article, it being nevertheless intended that, without departing from the protective scope of the present invention, the same device 1 can also be applied on other jewellery items or on articles of another type so long as they likewise employ a chain that requires a closure.

The chain 2 is composed in &per se traditional manner of a plurality of rings linked together with each other so to define a prevalent extension along its extension axis Y. Moreover, the chain 2 can be obtained in any one material, with link of any shape and size and can bear, associated thereto, any one jewellery piece or any one stone or ornamental element. Preferably, the device 1, subject of the present invention, was mainly conceived for a use in the jewellery field for the closure of chains 2 both of jewellery and composed of gold, silver or other precious or semi-precious metals or their alloys. The chain 2 of the ornamental article is intended to be worn in an entirely traditional manner around the neck or wrist and requires being advantageously opened or closed in order to be easily put on or taken off. In particular, it is normally required to open the chain 2 in order to easily take off the ornamental article and thus it is also requested the possibility to close the chain once it has been put on, achieving the two configurations of figures 5 and 4, respectively for opening and closing. hi accordance with the figures of the attached drawings, the device 1 comprises a first and a second clasp element, respectively indicated with the references 4 and 5, which are connected to the two ends 6 and 7 of the chain 2 and are susceptible to being removably coupled together in order to achieve the closed and open configurations. More in detail, each clasp element 4, 5 is provided with a visible face 8 and a coupling face 9.

According to the idea underlying the present invention, respectively associated to the coupling faces 9 of the first and second coupling element 4 and 5 are a first magnet 10 and a second magnet 11, which exert an attraction force along a coupling axis X orthogonal to the chain extension axis Y when said faces 9 face each other with the elements 4 and 5 in closed configuration.

For there to be magnetic attraction, it will suffice that only one of the two clasp elements 4 and 5 is composed of a magnet, the other element 5,4 being able to be composed by a single ferromagnetic element. Nevertheless, in order to ensure a greater attraction force which determines a more reliable closure, the two clasp elements 4, 5 will preferably both be composed of magnetic material, obviously with the opposite polarities intended to face each other. Furthermore, in addition to the aforesaid magnetic coupling, the two clasp elements 4, 5 are also provided with a mechanical coupling. For such purpose, the first and the second clasp element 4 and 5 are provided with a respective first 12 and second 13 engagement portion, which are counter-shaped to each other and with the elements 4 and 5 in closed configuration they are mechanically engaged with each other along the extension axis Y of the chain 2. The mechanical coupling between the two engagement portions 12 and 13 of the clasp elements 4 and 5 serves to block their separation with respect to forces operating along the chain's extension axis.

According to the invention, the device 1 also comprises a grip element 14 fixed to the visible face 8 of at least one of the two clasp elements 4 and 5. Through such grip element 14 it is possible to exert a manual traction along the coupling axis X in order to separate the clasp elements 4, 5, overcoming the only the mutual coupling force between the magnets 10, 11.

Advantageously, on one hand the two clasp elements 4 and 5 result bound together in a safe manner against possible chance forces, which are necessarily transmitted to the device along the extension axis Y of the chain 2, and on the other hand, the two clasp elements 4 and 5 are easy to separate, by operating with manual traction on the grip element 14 which must only overcome the elastic traction force, since in such direction the two elements 4 and 5 do not have a mechanical engagement. Therefore, functionally, the closed position is quickly and simply reached, bringing the two magnets close together, while the open position is also easily reached by pulling on the grip element, which is easily identifiable and drivable even with one single hand. The safety remains ensured by the fact that the forces responsible for the accidental opening of the chain 2 are developed along the longitudinal axis Y of the same chain 2 and do not cause the opening of the device due to the presence of the above-described mechanical coupling. In accordance with the preferential embodiment of the present invention described in the attached figures, the first and second clasp element 4 and 5 define a respective first and second containment cup, called 4' and 5', within which the respective first and second magnet 10 ₅ 11 are inserted.

The mechanical coupling is achieved as specified below. The first cup 4' is of greater size than the second 5' and extends with its first open edge 12, which makes the abovementioned first engagement portion, beyond the thickness of the first magnet 10 housed at its interior and in particular placed in abutment at the bottom of the cup.

Such first cup 4', in the closed configuration of the device 1 , houses the second cup 5' at its interior with fit coupling, such second cup 5' having a smaller size than the first for this purpose.

The second edge 13 of the second cup 5' inserted inside the first cup 4' is mechanically engaged at the first edge 12 of the first cup 4' in a retaining relationship along the extension axis Y of the chain 2.

Therefore, in such closed configuration illustrated in figure 4, the coupling faces 9 of the two clasp elements 4 and 5 face each other so to achieve the magnetic coupling along the

X axis, transverse to the chain 2, while the edges 12 and 13 of the two elements are mechanically bound so to make the mechanical coupling along the extension axis Y of the chain.

Advantageously, the clasp elements 4 and 5 comprise a first and a second connection ring, respectively indicated with 15 and 16, laterally and externally fixed to the respective first and second cup 4' and 5' and respectively clasped to an annular end element 2' of the chain 2.

The connection rings 15, 16 are preferably oriented aligned with the chain 2 when the two clasp elements 4 and 5 are in closed configuration. For such purpose, the cups 4', 5' can rotate freely with respect to each other, by only overcoming the friction force, around their revolution axis which coincides with the transverse axis X.

The rings 15 , 16 are integrally made, in particular via fusion, with the respective cups 4' ,

5'.

Advantageously, each connection ring 15, 16 extends from the attachment to the lateral face 17 of the respective cup 4', 5' along a plane D tilted an angle C in the range of 5° -

20° with respect to the plane B defined by the edge of the respective 4', 5' or to a plane

B' parallel to plane B. The slope of each connection ring 15 and 16 is such to orient the external portions, to which the first ring T of the chain 2 towards the cup 4', 5' is clasped, towards the cup 4', 5' to which the other connection ring is associated. More in particular, the extension of the connection rings 15 and 16 is preferably such to

bring the external portions, to which the first ring 2' of the chain 2 is clasped, to be substantially aligned along the extension axis Y of the chain 2. The slopes of the connection links 15 and 16 thus oriented determined the rise of moments adapted to compress or fix the cups 4', 5' against each other with traction forces exerted on the same by the chain 2.

The grip element 14, employable, according to the idea underlying the present invention, in order to separate the two clasp elements 4, 5 in a quick and simple manner, is preferably extended from the central zone of the visible face 8 of a clasp element 4, 5, preferably in a flexible and non-rigid manner, i.e. with constraint adapted to allow it a free orientation.

For such purpose, it is for example obtained with a cord fixed to a first end 27 of the visible face 8 of one of the two clasp elements and preferably to the visible face 8 of the second clasp element 5, the first being provided with a visible face 8 of greater size and thus better adapted to abut against the body of the user. Preferably, the cord 14' is obtained with a pendent chain formed from rings linked in succession, which are extended from the centre of the visible face 8 of the one of the two clasp elements 4, 5.

The aforesaid pendent chain 14' is preferably obtained with links of lesser size than those that form the chain of the article. On the other hand, the cord 14 can be made of any one continuous element, such as a cord that is always extended from the visible face of one of the two clasps 4 and 5. Advantageously, an enlarged body 19 is fixed to the free end 68 of the grip element 14 in order to facilitate the manual opening of the device, such body being identifiable by touching and can be easily operated with the finger. Such enlarged body 19 can consist of a plate with flat faces, in such case permitting the

insertion of marks or writing on one or both sides, or by a three-dimensional element, for example a little ball, in this case allowing an even easier grip thanks to the possibility of the fingers of one single hand to grip the little ball.

Such grip element 14 can have the ornamental obj ect of a pendent connected to the chain 2 provided with particular aesthetic quality and bearing, mounted, an ornamental element or a stone.

Preferably, the device 1, with the exception of magnets 10, 11, is obtained in a metal material, in particular precious or semi-precious metal material.

Functionally, the jewellery piece is put on with two clasp elements 4, 5 of the device 1 placed in open position, or spaced from each other, and then the two clasp elements 4 and 5 are easily connected by bringing one to the other so that the magnetic attraction causes their coupling.

The opening operation of the clasp device 1 is achieved in a manner that is just as easy and quick to achieve, simply by pulling the grip element 14, or preferably the enlarged body 19, until the two clasp elements 4 and 5 are separated.

The finding thus conceived therefore attains the pre-established objects.

Of course, it can also assume, in its practical achievement, shapes and configurations that are different from that illustrated above, without departing from the present protective scope. In addition, all details can be substituted with technically equivalent elements and the sizes, shapes and material used can be of any type according to requirements.