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US 2002/0189284 A1Published application
Earring post and connector assembly
OwnerHoward Chenginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A post and connector assembly for an earring of the pierced-ear type utilizes a conventional straight post and a connector that includes a resilient surface that is biased into a groove in the post to establish a positive locking position, but which surface is manually deflectable to release the lock to facilitate both connection and removal of the post.
Claims18
An earring post and connector assembly comprising:
- a generally straight post having an ornamental end and a free opposite end provided with an annular groove;
- a unitary connector including spaced fixed surfaces defining a pair of aligned holes sized to receive the free end of the post;
- said connector including a resilient surface manually deflectable to a connecting position permitting free axial movement of the post in said pair of aligned holes, said resilient surface having an edge portion that exerts a radial bias against the post in a locking position when released from manual deflection;
- and,
- said edge portion or an edge of one of said fixed surfaces defining a hole being locked in said groove in said locking position.
2 more elements
An earring post and connector assembly comprising:
- a generally straight post having an ornamental end and a free opposite end provided with an annular groove;
- a unitary connector formed from sheet metal including spaced fixed surfaces defining a pair of aligned holes sized to receive the free end of the post;
- said connector including a deflectable resilient surface having a third hole sized to receive the post formed in a surface portion, said resilient surface being manually deflectable to a connecting position to bring said third hole into axial alignment with said pair of aligned holes to permit the post to be inserted through all holes, and said resilient surface operative to return to a locking position exerting a radial bias against the post and capturing an edge of one of said surfaces in said groove upon release from said connecting position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.