MAGNETIC CLOSING DEVICE FOR ORNAMENTAL CHAINS

Field of application

The present invention relates to a magnetic closing device for ornamental chains .

The device in question is classifiable within the industrial sector relating to the production of precious- metal articles .

The device according to the preamble of the main claim is an accessory for articles in the form of chains, such as bracelets or necklaces, having in particular the function of allowing the articles to be put on more easily around the neck or the wrist of the person who wishes to wear them. Background art

In the sector relating to the production of jewellery articles or their accessories for some time magnetic closing devices for ornamental chains of bracelets or necklaces have been used, said devices allowing the ring formed by the ornamental chain to be lengthened or shortened as required so that the latter may be put on or removed easily onto/form the wrist or neck of a person.

For this purpose, two magnets, which are usually lined with a layer of precious or semi-precious metal,

are mounted on the two ends of the chain.

When the two magnets are moved towards each other, the magnetic attraction causes closing of the chain in a ring-like manner around the wrist or neck of the user. A chain portion, preferably with a size smaller than the rest of the chain which forms the bracelet or necklace, is also usually provided between the two magnets, said portion having solely the function of ensuring that the ornamental article formed by the chain remains attached to the person who is wearing it also in the case of accidental opening of the magnets caused, for example, by unintentional knocks or the chain accidentally getting caught .

Therefore, below this chain portion will be referred by the term "safety cord".

The abovementioned closing system allows the article to be put on easily and then tightened so that the right fit thereof around the neck or wrist can be obtained. The main drawback of these chains for the production of articles of jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces or the like consists in the fact that the safety cord is not very attractive from an aesthetic point of view.

Moreover, once the article has been put on, it is difficult and awkward to move the two magnets towards each other in order to close the chain.

This difficulty is even greater when the chain is intended to form a bracelet and therefore the user has only one hand free in order to bring the two magnets into contact with each other. It should be pointed out that the magnets must be brought together in a fairly precise manner so as to allow the said magnets to exert a force of attraction sufficient to bring them into contact with each other.

Disclosure of the invention In this situation the main object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic closing device for ornamental chains which is able to provide an extremely easy and reliable adjusting system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for closing ornamental chains which does not adversely affect the aesthetic appearance of the chain.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for closing ornamental chains which is simple and inexpensive to produce.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical features of the invention, in accordance with the abovementioned objects, may be clearly determined from the contents of the claims indicated below and the advantages thereof will emerge

more clearly from the detailed description below, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a purely exemplary and non-limiting embodiment thereof and in which: - Figure 1 shows the magnetic closing device for ornamental chains according to the present invention in the open position;

, - Figure 2 shows the magnetic closing device for ornamental chains according to Figure 1 in the closed position.

Detailed description

With reference to the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes in its entirety a magnetic closing device according to the present invention for ornamental chains denoted overall by 2.

This device 1 is intended to be used in order to modify the size of the ring 3 formed by the chain 2 of an article of jewellery such as a bracelet B (as in the example of the Figures) or a necklace, or a similar article, it being understood, however, that, without departing from the scope of protection of the present patent, the same device 1 may also be applicable to other jewellery or to articles of another kind provided that they likewise use a chain which requires a closing device.

The chain 2 to be closed may be made of any material and have links of any form and size although preferably the device 1 according to the present invention has been mainly designed for use in the jewellery sector for closing chains which are both made of non-precious metals and comprise links made of gold, silver or other precious or semi-precious metals, or alloys thereof.

As is known, in fact, the ring 3 of the chains 2 intended to surround the neck or the wrist of the persons wearing the ornamental article B must advantageously be opened and closed so that it may be put on or removed. In particular it is normally required to be able to lengthen this ring 3 so as to be able to put on easily the article of jewellery B and therefore it is also necessary to be able to tighten the said ring 3 once the article of jewellery B is worn.

In accordance with the design shown in Figure 1, the device 1 comprises at least two fastening parts 4 and 5 which are fixed in two different positions along the chain 2 and are removably displaceable between an open position 6 (Figure 1), where the fastening parts 4 and 5 are separated from each other, and a closed position 7, where the fastening parts 4 and 5 are connected together as a result of the force of their magnetic attraction. Preferably, the fastening parts 4 and 5 are fixed to

the ends of the chain 2 or in the vicinity of the ends of the chain 2.

In order for there to be magnetic attraction it is sufficient for only one of the two parts 4 and 5 to be formed by a magnet, the other part in fact being able to consist of a simple ferromagnetic part.

However, in order to ensure a greater force of attraction which ensures more reliable closing, the two fastening parts will preferably both be made of magnetic material, obviously with the opposite poles intended to face each other.

A safety cord 8 is also envisaged, said cord connecting two points of the chain situated in the vicinity of the two fastening parts 4, 5 so as to form, together with the chain 2 (see Figure 2), a second closed ring 3 ' which is bigger than the first ring 3 when the fastening parts 4 and 5 are in the open position.

Preferably, for aesthetic reasons the cord 8 is also formed by a chain made of precious or semi-precious metal and has a size which is smaller than that of the chain 2. If the cord is the same size as the chain 2, the two fastening parts 4 and 5 will be arranged in distal positions corresponding to end positions of the ring formed by the chain in the closed condition. The cord 8 is advantageously fixed by means of its

ends to the chain 2 preferably to one of the last annular elements of the chain and advantageously to the last one to which the corresponding fastening part 4 or 5 is also fixed. According to the idea forming the basis of the present invention, the device comprises a gripping part 9 which is fixed in a middle position of the cord 8 so as to favour the movement together of the fastening parts 4 and 5, in particular when passing from the open position 6 into the closed position 7.

This gripping part 9 extends, branched off from the middle section of the cord 8, being connected to the cord in a single connecting position preferably in a non-rigid manner, but with a fastening such as to allow free orientation of the gripping part 9 while keeping it attached to the cord 8.

Advantageously, the cord 8 is also composed of a single chain formed by links which are joined together in succession and extending from the points of attachment to the chain 2 in the vicinity of the two fastening parts 4 and 5.

The gripping part 9 is fastened to the link situated halfway along the cord 8.

In particular, advantageously the chain of the cord has links which are smaller than those which form the

chain 2 .

Alternatively, the cord 8 may consist of a continuous part such as tie, again extending from the points of attachment to the chain 2 in the vicinity of the two fastening parts 4 and 5.

By means of the gripping part 9 it is possible to pull the cord 8 from a perfectly central position allowing the two fastening parts 4, 5 to be brought precisely together. This is favoured by the small size of the links which form the chain of the cord 8 and by the single freely directable attachment of the gripping part 9 to the middle position of the cord 8.

The gripping part 9 may be formed by a tag with flat surfaces, in this case allowing symbols or writing to be applied onto one or both sides, or by a three-dimensional part, such as a small ball for example, in this case allowing easy closing owing to the fact that the fingers of one hand are able to grip the ball.

This gripping part 9 may have the ornamental function of a pendant which is connected to the chain 2 and may be formed by a flat tag or a shaped body which is particularly attractive from an aesthetic point of view.

Each fastening part 4 and 5 is preferably lined for aesthetic reasons on the sides which are not intended to engage with the other fastening part 5, 4, with a metal

layer of precious or semi-precious metal.

Pendants or other ornamental elements of any kind may obviously be connected to the chain 2, these being indicated in the example of the accompanying figures by 10.

Operationally speaking, the article of jewellery B is put on with the two fastening parts 4, 5 of the device

1 which are arranged in the open position, i.e. spaced from each other, and then the two fastening parts 4, 5 are easily brought together by taking hold of the gripping part 9 using one hand and then pulling it such that the two parts 4 and 5 are made to move towards each other until the magnetic attraction produces firm fastening thereof. The cord 8 acts as a safety mechanism for ensuring that the chain 2 remains closed.

The invention this conceived therefore achieves the predefined objects.

Obviously, it may assume in its practical embodiment, also forms and configurations which are different from that illustrated above without thereby departing from the present scope of protection.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent parts, and the dimensions, the forms and the materials used may be of any nature according to requirements.