JP7533975B2 - Jewelry and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for magnetic necklaces, bracelets, pendants and other accessories, and fasteners used to open and close (attach and detach) both ends of the straps of the accessories.

There are many known fasteners for opening and closing both ends of straps on jewelry.

For example, JP 2007-82603 was filed by the same applicant. This fastener has a male member with a bulge at the tip, and a female member made of an elastic body with a mating part, at both ends of the strap. When connecting, the male and female members are held in each hand and butted head-on, and when separating, the opposite is done by tearing them apart.

In the above-mentioned JP 2007-82603, the male and female components of the fastener are made of metal and exposed to the outside, which is unsuitable for people with metal allergies. In this regard, there is also a known invention of a fastener in which the entire fastener, except for the protruding protrusion of the male component, is made of silicone resin (JP 2001-275725).

JP 2007-82603 A JP 2001-275725 A

The manufacturing method is not specified in JP 2001-275725, but judging from the drawings, it appears that the fastener is fixed by insert molding. In other words, the male and female components, which are inserts, are set in the mold, and resin is filled around them.

This insert molding is convenient when the strap length is predetermined, but inconvenient when it is not. In other words, it is convenient when a manufacturer mass produces straps of a specific length, but is often inflexible in other cases. With insert molding, for example, it is not possible for a retailer to make the strap a little longer or shorter in response to a customer's order.

The present invention aims to provide an accessory with an adjustable strap length and a method for manufacturing the accessory.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides an ornament 1 comprising a female member 3, a male member 4 joinable to the female member 3, and a strap 2 connecting these male and female members 3, 4, wherein the female member 3 has a female engagement portion 31 formed at its tip end and a space for joining with a strap end 21 provided at its rear end, the strap joining space comprising a first space 32 into which the strap end 21 is inserted and a second space 33 perpendicular to the first space 32, a metal ring 22 attached to the strap end 21, and the metal ring 22 of the strap end 21 is fixed in position in the second space 33 by a washer 5 which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw 52 and whose lower side 51 is notched to open it .

Preferably, the second space 33 has an opening 34 exposed to the outer surface of the female member 3.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an ornament 1 comprising a female member 3, a male member 4 joinable to the female member 3, and a strap 2 connecting the male and female members 3, 4, wherein the male member 4 has a male engaging portion 41 formed at its tip end and a space for joining with the strap end 21 at its rear end, the space for joining the strap comprises a third space 44 into which the strap end 21 is inserted and a fourth space 45 perpendicular to the third space 44, a metal ring 22 is attached to the strap end 21, and the metal ring 22 of the strap end 21 is fixed in position in the fourth space 45 by a washer 5 which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw 52 and whose lower side 51 is notched to be open .

Preferably, the fourth space 45 has an opening 46 exposed to the outer surface of the male member 4.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a manufacturing method for fixing an end 21 of a strap 2 to a female member 3 in an ornament comprising a female member 3, a male member 4 joined to the female member 3, and a strap 2 connecting the female and male members 3, 4, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of attaching a metal ring 22 to the strap end 21, inserting the strap end 21 into a first space 32 of the female member, and inserting a washer 5 , which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw 52 and whose lower side 51 is notched and open, into a second space 33 perpendicular to the first space 32, thereby fixing the metal ring 22 of the strap end 21 with the washer 5.

Preferably, the second space 33 has an opening 34 exposed to the outer surface of the female member 3, and the washer 5 is inserted through this opening 34.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method for fixing an end 21 of a strap 2 to a male member 4 in an ornament comprising a female member 3, a male member 4 joined to the female member 3, and a strap 2 connecting the female and male members 3, 4, the method comprising the steps of attaching a metal ring 22 to the strap end 21, inserting the strap end 21 into a third space 44 of the male member, and inserting a washer 5 , which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw 52 and whose lower side 51 is notched and open, into a fourth space 45 perpendicular to the third space 44, thereby fixing the metal ring 22 of the strap end 21 with the washer 5.

Preferably, the fourth space 45 has an opening 46 exposed to the outer surface of the male member 4, and the washer 5 is inserted through this opening 46.

According to the present invention, when fixing the end of the strap to the female or male member, it is sufficient to simply insert the washer 5 into the second space 32 of the female member 3 or into the third space 44 of the male member 4. Therefore, by selecting a strap of an appropriate length at a store or the like and fixing it to the male or female member, the length of the strap can be freely adjusted.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a necklace having a clasp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the female member of the fastener of Example 1; (a) is a front view; (b) is a front view; (c) is a left side view; (d) is a bottom view; (e) is a rear view; (f) is a right side view; and (g) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow in (a). FIG. 1 is a plan view, a front view, a left side view, a bottom view, an e view, a right side view, and a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow in FIG. 1, of a male member of a fastener according to a first embodiment. 1 is a process diagram showing in cross section the state in which the female member of the fastener of Example 1 and the end of the strap are joined together. 1 is a process diagram showing in cross section the state in which the male component of the fastener of Example 1 is joined to the end of the strap. FIG. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a washer used in the fastener of Example 1, (b) is a right side view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, (e) is a cross-sectional view of (c), and (f) is a bottom view. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a metal ring used in the fastener of Example 1, (b) is a right side view, (c) is a front view, (d) is a right side view, (e) is a cross-sectional view of (c), and (f) is a bottom view. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing a state in which the female and male members of the fastener of Example 1 are connected to each other, (a) showing the state before connection, and (b) showing the state after connection.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a body accessory (a magnetic necklace in this example) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A female member 3 or a male member 4 for connection is attached to both ends of a strap 2. In this example, the strap 2 is a slightly thick braided cord with a diameter of about 3 to 4 mm, and is made of polyester with an elastomer core. A magnet (not shown) is embedded in it to promote blood circulation in the wearer. Any other material or shape may be used, but it is best to avoid using metal where possible to avoid metal allergies.

Figure 2 shows the female component 3 of the fastener. It is made entirely of silicone resin (Shore hardness 50-60) and has an almost cylindrical appearance. Materials other than silicone resin and shapes other than cylindrical may also be used. To avoid metal allergies, it is best to avoid using metal where possible, and various synthetic resins can be used as long as they have the appropriate hardness.

The female member 3 has a female engagement portion 31 formed at the tip end and spaces 32, 33 for joining with the strap end 21 at the rear end.

The strap joining space consists of a cylindrical first space 32 that is approximately equal to the strap diameter, and a narrow second space 33 that is perpendicular to the first space 32. One end of the second space 33 is exposed to the surface and forms an opening 34.

Figure 3 shows the male component 4 of the fastener. It is made entirely of silicone resin (Shore hardness 50-60) and has an almost cylindrical appearance. Materials other than silicone resin and shapes other than cylindrical may also be used. To avoid metal allergies, it is best to avoid using metal where possible, and various synthetic resins can be used as long as they have the appropriate hardness.

The male component 4 has a male engagement portion 41 formed at the tip end and spaces 44, 45 for joining with the strap end at the rear end.

The male engagement part 41 is made of metal and has a bulging protrusion 42 and its base part 43. The male engagement part 41 is insert molded into the silicone resin.

The strap joining space consists of a cylindrical third space 44 that is approximately equal to the strap diameter, and a narrow fourth space 45 that is perpendicular to the third space 44. One end of the fourth space 45 is exposed to the surface and forms an opening 46.

Figure 4 is a process diagram showing in cross section the state in which the female component 3 of the fastener and the strap end 21 are joined. The process will be explained following the flow of the arrows.

First, a thin metal plate is wrapped around the strap end 21, spaced a few millimeters from the very end of the strap, to form a metal ring 22 (see Figure 7). In this state, the strap end 21 is inserted into the first space 32 of the female member. Next, the washer 5 (see Figure 4) is pushed into the second space 33 through the opening 34.

As shown in FIG. 6, the washer 5 is a plate-shaped metal ring 53 with a claw 52 and a notched underside 51 that is open. The open side of the washer 5 is inserted downward, so that the strap end 21 is tightly surrounded by the claw 52 of the washer 5.

At this time, care must be taken to position the washer 5 underneath the metal ring 22 so that it is in contact with it. By doing this, the washer 5 acts as a retainer and the strap end 21 with the metal ring 22 is fixed in place. Because the washer is small, once it enters the second space 33 it cannot be removed without a special tool, so the strap end 21 will not come off accidentally.

Figure 5 is a process diagram showing in cross section the state of joining the male component 4 of the fastener to the end 21 on the other end of the strap. The method is exactly the same as the method of joining the female component 3 to the strap end 21, so the explanation is omitted. For convenience of illustration and explanation, the strap end 21, metal ring 22, and washer 5 of the male component 4 are given the same reference numerals as the corresponding components of the female component 3.

The female and male components 3 and 4 joined to the strap ends 21 in this way can be connected or separated by joining the male and female engagement parts 31 and 41, as shown in Figure 8.

In the above embodiment, a single piece of jewelry is completed by implementing both the method of joining the female member 3 to the strap end 21 and the method of joining the male member 4 to the end 21 on the other end of the strap, but it is not essential to implement both methods, and it is also possible to implement only one of them. In other words, the method of the present invention is implemented on either the female member or the male member, and the other can be joined by a conventional method (for example, the insert molding method described at the beginning).

1. Jewelry (magnetic necklace)
2 Strap 21 Strap end 22 Metal ring 3 Female member 31 Female engagement portion 32 First space 33 Second space 34 Opening 4 Male member 41 Female engagement portion 42 Bulging protrusion 43 Base portion 44 Third space 45 Fourth space 46 Opening 5 Washer 51 Underside 52 Claw 53 Metal ring

Claims (8)

An accessory (1) comprising a female member (3), a male member (4) connectable to the female member (3), and a strap (2) connecting the male and female members (3, 4),
The female member (3) has a female engagement portion (31) formed at its front end and a space for joining with the strap end (21) at its rear end.
The strap joining space includes a first space (32) into which the strap end (21) is inserted, and a second space (33) perpendicular to the first space (32),
A metal ring (22) is attached to the end of the strap (21);
In the second space (33), the metal ring (22) of the strap end (21) is positioned and fixed by a washer (5) which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw (52) and a lower side (51) which is cut out and opened .
An ornament characterized by the above. The accessory according to claim 1, wherein the second space (33) has an opening (34) exposed to the outer surface of the female member (3). An accessory (1) comprising a female member (3), a male member (4) connectable to the female member (3), and a strap (2) connecting the male and female members (3, 4),
The male member (4) has a male engaging portion (41) formed at its front end and a space for joining with the strap end (21) at its rear end.
The strap joining space includes a third space (44) into which the strap end (21) is inserted, and a fourth space (45) perpendicular to the third space (44),
A metal ring (22) is attached to the end of the strap (21);
In the fourth space (45), the metal ring (22) of the strap end (21) is fixed in position by a washer (5) which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw (52) and a lower side (51) which is cut out and opened .
An ornament characterized by the above. The accessory according to claim 3, wherein the fourth space (45) has an opening (46) exposed to the outer surface of the male member (4). A manufacturing method for an accessory comprising a female member (3), a male member (4) joining the female member (3), and a strap (2) connecting the male and female members (3, 4), comprising the steps of: fixing a strap end (21) of the strap (2) to the female member (3),
Attaching a metal ring (22) to the strap end (21);
Inserting the strap end (21) into the first space (32) of the female member;
The method includes a step of inserting a washer (5) which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw (52) and a lower side (51) cut out and open into a second space (33) perpendicular to the first space (32) ,
Thus, the metal ring (22) at the end of the strap (21) is fixed in position by the washer (5). The method according to claim 5, wherein the second space (33) has an opening (34) exposed to the outer surface of the female member (3), and the washer (5) is inserted through this opening (34). A method for fastening an end (21) of the strap (2) to the male member (4) in an accessory comprising a female member (3), a male member (4) joining the female member (3), and a strap (2) connecting the male and female members (3, 4), comprising the steps of:
Attaching a metal ring (22) to the strap end (21);
Inserting the strap end (21) into the third space (44) of the male member;
The method includes a step of inserting a washer (5) which is a plate-shaped fixing piece with a claw (52) and a lower side (51) cut out and open into a fourth space (45) perpendicular to the third space (44) ,
Thus, the metal ring (22) at the end of the strap (21) is fixed in position by the washer (5). 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said fourth space (45) has an opening (46) exposed on an outer surface of said male member (4), and said washer (5) is inserted through said opening (46).

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