US 5,392,617 AGranted

Pierced earlobe shield

OwnerDianne K. Baldwininventor

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Abstract

A jewelry article comprising a sleeve having a groove at one end and a central bore hole going substantially therethrough the sleeve, and a face piece having at least one tongue and spring bias means, which when a tongue of the face piece is inserted into the groove of the sleeve secures the two together such that when an earring post is inserted into the borehole of the sleeve the tongue will, under the spring bias means, secure the earring post to the sleeve. The sleeve and face are made of inert materials. If the tongue is indented from the plane of the face piece then when the face piece is tilted away (i.e., at an acute angle to the axis of the central borehole from being perpendicular to the axis of the bore hole, then even larger diameter earring posts can be entered. The jewelry article will upon the above-described assembly prevent irritation and inflammation due to contact from non-hypo-allergenic and hygroscopic materials with the skin because the earring post never touches the skin due to the sleeve barrier.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A jewelry article to act as an effective shield against inflammation and irritation of an earlobe or other body part, having a post of an earring post therethrough, said article comprising:

(a) a sleeve, fabricated from an inert material and having a central borehole and two ends, said sleeve having an axis between said ends and adapted to be disposed in a body hole pierced through an earlobe or other body part having two sides, said sleeve comprising a tubular body having said central borehole extending substantially axially therethrough, and having a part-annular groove located near one end of said tubular body portion, said sleeve disposed in said body hole such that said groove end of said sleeve is positioned on a outer-facing side of said earlobe or body part, said sleeve is of sufficient length such that it is longer than the length of the post of the earring post to be used in association with said article to prevent any contact of said post with said earlobe or body part;
and
(b) a face piece fabricated from an inert material, having a plurality or inwardly-projecting radially-similar substantially resilient tongue-like elements, all of said elements joined together, two adjacent elements at a time except for one set of two adjacent elements, said face piece having one open entry path between said set of two adjacent elements which are not joined together, said path permitting access to a geometrically radially-central core aperture defined by and surrounded by said tongue-like elements, each of said elements are suitably dimensioned to, upon suitable positioning on said sleeve, permit one of said elements to enter said groove and substantially stay in the groove under a spring action of the other tongue-like elements putting pressure on a portion of the groove end of the sleeve, said portion not occupied by said groove but being substantially in a plane containing said groove, said plane being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said borehole, and wherein, after said face piece is mounted on said sleeve with one of said elements in said groove:
(i) upon suitable temporary tilting and associated pressure to said face piece having entered element in said groove, said tilting at an acute angle to the axis of said central bore hole and away from the plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said sleeve, the post of the earring post may be easily entered into said central bore hole of said sleeve, and
(ii) upon release of said pressure and return of said face piece to a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said sleeve, said earring post will be secured to said sleeve, and
(iii) upon a similar temporary retilting of said piece, said earring post may easily be released.

3 more elements

A jewelry article to act as an effective shield against inflammation and irritation of an earlobe or other body aperture, said earlobe or other body aperture having an outer-facing side and an inner-facing side, said inflammation usually caused by contact of a post of an earring post with said earlobe or other body aperture, said article comprising:

(a) a sleeve fabricated from an insert material, adapted to be disposed in said body aperture pierced through the earlobe or other body part, said sleeve comprising a tubular body portion having two ends and having a central bore hole having an inner diameter, said hole extending axially substantially therethrough, said post of said earring post having a diameter less than the inner diameter of said central bore hole, and said sleeve having at least one part-annular groove located near one end of said tubular body portion, said sleeve adapted to be disposed in said body aperture such that said groove end of said sleeve is on the outer-facing side of said earlobe or other body part, said sleeve having an outside diameter and of sufficient length that said central bore hole is longer than the length of said post of said earring post to be used in association with said article, and thus to prevent any contact of said post of said earring post with said earlobe or body part;
and
(b) a face piece fabricated from an inert material having an outer-radial portion substantially defining a plane and an inner-radial core portion, said core comprising at least one tongue and a spring bias means, said core substantially defining and surrounding a core aperture, whereby the diameter of said core aperture is no greater than the outside diameter of said sleeve, said face piece having one open entry path leading to said core aperture, whereby upon said sleeve and said face piece being moved with respect to each other such that said sleeve enters said open entry path and then said sleeve and face piece are moved with respect to each other such that a tongue of said core of said face piece enters and rests at least partially within a said groove of said sleeve and are mechanically secured to each other by said spring bias means, and whereby said post of said earring post inserted into said bore hole is secured by said tongue, said face piece optionally temporarily tilt able to permit entry of said post of said earring post.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.