Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Including magnet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-15
2001-07-17
Cronin, Stephen K. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Including magnet
C224S251000, C224S901000, C024S003300, C206S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260749
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a small article holder, namely a first member including a magnetizable portion and means for securing small articles thereto, and a second member including a permanent magnet, for magnetically securing the first member to an article of clothing.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Millions of people wear eye glasses. However, many of them remove their eye glasses during the course of the day for various reasons. In some cases, the eye glasses are needed only for reading. In other cases, the eye glasses are needed only for seeing objects at a distance. In still other cases, individuals simply remove their eye glasses to perform other activities or simply to give their eyes a rest. In each case, the user requires a place to hold or store the eye glasses when they are not used.
Eyeglasses, when not worn, are often carried in a bulk case or a pouch for protection and may be placed in a pocket or handbag. However, when glasses are frequently put on and taken off, it is desirable to have them in a more easily and quickly accessible position. Thus, glasses may be hung in front of the user by an elastic cord encircling the neck and attached to the end portions of each temple piece. That arrangement is somewhat unsatisfactory because the eyeglasses remain open and rest against the chest of the wearer, and with an especially active person, the eyeglasses may swing about excessively and be damaged as well as interfere with or restrict a person's movement. More frequently, people tend to merely fold up their eyeglasses and slip them in a shirt or coat pocket where they may be scratched by other material carried in the pockets or fall out causing possible damage.
Chains or strings are commonly used which move about the head or neck of a user and hold the eye glasses when they are removed from the user's head. As chains are fully functional to hold eye glasses when not in use, they frequently suffer from practical or aesthetic shortcomings that limit their use. Individuals dressed in casual clothes may, for aesthetic reasons, prefer not to use eye glass chains. It is also well known to protect eyeglasses that are only worn part-time by attaching the ends of a flexible band to both temples and using the band to suspend the spectacles from the wearer's neck. Various improvisations may be made to hold and support eye glasses when not in use, though they frequently suffer from an inability to secure the eye glasses, or are aesthetically desirable to many users.
Men, in particular, prefer to use a case which can be conveniently carried in a shirt breast pocket. If such cases are not equipped with a clasp or clip of some sort, then the case is very likely to fall from the pocket, particularly when the owner bends over. Moreover, because eyeglass cases are relatively narrow, they are likely to fall askew in the pocket unless held.
In order to retain eyeglass cases and the like in a pocket, resilient clips are commonly used. These clips depend, for their effectiveness, on the gripping capability of the clip acting on the pocket material disposed between the clip and the case. If the resilience of the clip is too great, then the case cannot easily be withdrawn from the pocket with one hand, and if this is attempted, there is a tendency for the clip to drag or tear the pocket. Alternatively, if the clip resilience is insufficient, then the clip is ineffective. Further, each clip is normally designed to suit one thickness of pocket material and is not adaptable to a different thickness of material. Thus, a clip design for a shirt pocket is likely to be unsuitable for use with a jacket or vest pocket.
When users of eyewear remove the eyewear, they wish to keep it conveniently located to be readily replaced back on the face of the user when needed. Some users typically place their removed eyewear in their shirt pocket, in a container or purse, or lay the eyewear down on a convenient surface. Some hang eyewear from the neckline of their shirt or blouse by extending one of the temples inside the shirt or blouse, thereby hanging the eyewear on the front of the shirt or blouse.
Sunglasses that are not being worn on the user's face are often suspended from the front of an article of apparel (e.g., by inserting a temple of the sunglasses into the neckline of the garment).
Thus, it is seen that one of the most frequently misplaced articles in and about a home, office, or the like, are keys and glasses. Frequently upon entering a room, a person has glasses and keys in his or her hands and will place them on the nearest, most available location. Upon leaving the room or preparation for leaving the room, the person immediately recognizes the need for the glasses and the keys and immediately begins a search for them. Since each room is different and the location of a place for placement of the glasses and keys is different in each room, it frequently takes several minutes to locate the keys and or the glasses.
In the above-described solutions to this problem, the glasses may be hung in front of the user by an elastic cord encircling the neck and attached to the end portions of each temple piece. This is somewhat unsatisfactory for carrying the eyeglasses as they remain opened and rest against the chest of the wearer. Especially with a active person, the eyeglasses may swing about excessively and be damaged as well as interfere with or restrict a person's movements. More frequently, people tend to merely fold up their eyeglasses and slip them into a shirt or coat pocket. The loose eyeglasses thereupon may be scratched by other material carried in the pockets or may fall out and be broken.
Other known methods of retaining eyewear convenient to the user include suspending the eyewear from a cord looped around the neck of the user. Such methods include various means of attaching the ends of the cord to the earpieces of the eyewear. These devices are not easily removable from the eyewear and, therefore can become unsightly when the eyeglasses are worn by the user. That is, the cord often extends from the ears of the user where it is highly visible to others. Therefore, there is a need for a device for hanging a pair of eyeglasses about the neck of a user which can be readily disconnected from the eyeglasses when it is desired to use the eyeglasses.
One of the known devices in the prior art utilizes a form of magnetized clip or clasp to effectuate the holding action. However, in such device, the clip is structurally rigid and cannot be utilized as a strap to facilitate removal of the case. Further, the magnetic action provides a clamping function for an abrasive material provided on the underside of the clip, and in this sense, augments, rather than provides, the holding action.
It is known to secure sheets like objects as pads, drawings and the like to smooth panels of magnetizable material by clamping these objects beneath a magnetized piece to a all panel. With a convenient form, for example a hooked form, other kind of objects can also be attached to such panels. Furthermore objects such as coin receptacles, cigarette boxes and the like having an incorporated magnetized piece have been known for the same use.
The prior art is complete with patents which are directed to various ways for holding small articles, e.g., eyeglasses, sunglasses, keys, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 822,969 patented Jun. 12, 1906, by J. S. Martin et al., provided a combined badge and watch guard. Such device included a body having a rearwardly-extending marginal flange which was provided with a transverse recess at one point therein. A bar extended through the recess and was secured to the body. It had an eye at one end which extended beyond the body. A threaded pin extended rearwardly of the bar at its inner end. A clamp-nut engaged the eye.
Another such patent was U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,152, for a “Combined fountain Pen, Spectacles and Comb Case”. This device includes a pocket for holding the eyeglasses and pocket clip for securing the pocket to cloth
Cronin Stephen K.
Marcus Martin J.
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