US20150001778A1

US20150001778A1 - Wristlet Decorating Support Device

Info

Publication number: US20150001778A1
Application number: US14/230,057
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Barnes; Barbara Barnes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-06-28
Filing date: 2014-03-31
Publication date: 2015-01-01

Abstract

A corsage wristlet decorating support device is provided. The present wristlet decorating device securely holds a wristlet in place so that it can be easily decorated. The present wristlet support device comprises a horizontally-extending tubular support portion, an adjustable clamp portion, and a vertical, elongated body portion connecting the tubular portion and the clamp. The curvature of the walls of the tubular portion roughly conforms to the curvature of the inner arch of a wristlet so that the wristlet may be supported thereon. The body supports the tubular portion in a vertical, raised position that is comfortable to work from. The clamp is designed to be adjustable so that it can secure the device to a large range of support surfaces of varying thicknesses and configurations.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/840,925 filed on Jun. 28, 2013. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices for assisting in making decorative accessories. More specifically, the present invention relates to devices for holding corsage-type wristlets securely in place so that they may be decorated without undue movement.
Corsages are a common accessory for women for a wide variety of formal occasions. Florists and other similar decorators are often especially busy with decorating wristlet corsages around prom season. Unfortunately, decorating a wristlet corsage is generally a tedious and uncomfortable task that leaves decorators' backs in pain because they are forced to hunch over a table and make miniscule adjustments to a small accessory for long periods of time, especially when they need to decorate large numbers of the wristlets in succession. Furthermore, decorators are generally forced to recycle cylindrical cans, such as soda cans or spray cans, to support the arched body of the wristlets while they are decorating. Without any type of support device, it is exceedingly difficult to decorate a wristlet because its awkward shape does not permit it to be simply stood up, without any secondary support. However, such cylindrical articles are not ideally designed to support wristlets and are also not secured to the support surface in any way, meaning that they may shift or roll around during the decorating process. Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for a device that is specifically designed to support wristlets for decorating purposes and is capable of keeping said wristlets in a secured, raised position.
There is a large range of devices designed to support various accessories for decorating purposes, but few are specifically designed for supporting wristlets. Some devices are provided to removably support spools of ribbon and provide arms for providing assistance in making bows. The arms allow individuals to make complicated bow patterns without the assistance of a third party, which is normally required because multiple individuals are generally necessary to hold certain portions of the ribbon in place while other portions are folded. Other devices provide assistance to solo individuals decorating barrette accessories by providing a means for holding the barrette in place so the user can focus on using their hands to wrap, entwine, or otherwise decorate the accessory. None of these devices provide a means for easily supporting a corsage-type wristlet device for decorating for the purpose of decorating, however.
The present invention provides a novel means for supporting a wristlet so that it can be easily decorated. The present wristlet decorating support device has a tubular portion with walls having a curvature roughly corresponding to the curvature of a corsage-type wristlet so that the wristlet can be securely supported thereon. The present invention also comprises a clamp that can be used to removably, but securely, affix the present invention to a wide range of support surfaces. The clamp ensures that the device will be held in place when in use by the user, which is critical because any unsteadiness or movement during the decorating process can ruin the exacting detail of the decorating process. Furthermore, the body connecting the tubular portion and the clamp keeps the tubular portion in a comfortable raised position so that the user need not bend or hunch over an uncomfortable work station when decorating wristlets, which can be an exceedingly painful task when one is decorating multiple wristlets consecutively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to means for holding accessories securely in place while they are decorated. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to a means for holding the accessory to be decorated and clamping or securing means adapted to attach the device to a support surface. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device is U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,586 to Cavender, which discloses an apparatus for assisting in making a decorative bow. The apparatus consists of a spool holder so that ribbon can be easily be unwound therefrom and a base member defining an upper work area and two retaining members that are used to hold gathered bow fabrication material. The retaining members consists of parallel, spaced cylindrical rods that are capable of holding the bow fabrication material in the space between them. The present invention is designed to be used to assist in the decorating of corsage wristlets, not bows, and as such has a horizontally extending tubular structure so that the wristlet can be supported thereupon.
Another such device is U.S. Pat. No. 7,857,175 to Schorr, which discloses a device to assist in creating loop-fashioned bows from flexible ribbons. The device consists of a plurality of vertically extending rods that hold the ribbon spools in place and two horizontally extending rods that the user can use to assist him or herself in making loop-fashioned ribbons. The present invention also includes a horizontally extending cylindrical portion, but said cylindrical portion is adapted to hold a corsage wristlet thereupon so that it can be easily decorated and is not adapted to be used as a means for assisting in making ribbons.
U.S. Published Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0261302 to Karwowicz discloses a device that assists users in decorating barrettes. The device consists of a planar base portion that supports a means for holding a barrette in place and at least one holder having multiple slits to retain the ribbon being used to decorate the barrette. The present invention has a cylindrical means for securing the wristlet in position to be decorated, but does not utilize additional holding means for holding articles used to decorate the wristlet.
The present invention provides a means for securely and removably holding a wristlet in place in a position in which it is comfortable for a user to decorate said wristlet. Previously, there were no means readily available for individuals to decorate wristlets, making decorating wristlets a tedious and often extremely uncomfortable task. The present invention holds the cylindrical portion adapted to support a wristlet in a raised, horizontal position, making it extremely comfortable to rest a wristlet thereupon and decorate it. No longer is a decorator required to hunch over a table and strain his or her back adding miniscule decorative elements to a wristlet. The wristlet holder of the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing accessory decoration devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of decoration accessories now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new wristlet holder and decoration device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when decorating wristlets.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wristlet support decorating device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wristlet support decorating device that is able to provide a secure base to support a wristlet so that the wristlet may be decorated easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved wristlet support decorating device that can secure to a variety of support surfaces.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved wristlet support decorating device that is sturdy and will not fall over.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the present invention attached to a support surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the wristlet support decorating device. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for decorating a corsage wristlet. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the present invention. The present invention is provided in order to securely hold a wristlet in place before a user for ease of decorating said wristlet. The present wristlet decorating support device consists of an elongated body 12 having a first end and a second end. A tubular portion 11 is connected to the first end of the body 12 and the clamp 13 is connected to the second end of the body. The body 12 may be composed of any material suitable for supporting the weight of the tubular portion and a plurality of wristlets, such as plastic, metal, or ceramic material. Furthermore, the body 12 may be rectangular, cylindrical, or any other shape. No claim is made as to the specific shape of the body 12 and the disclosure should not be seen as limiting in any way as to the shape. An exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, wherein the body comprises a substantially planar surface adapted to be supported by the clamp 13 in a vertical orientation such that the tubular portion 11 is horizontal and substantially parallel to a table support 31.
The body 12 extends vertically from the clamp 13, thereby holding the tubular portion 11 in a raised position suitable for decorating purposes. The tubular portion 11 is held in a raised position, extending substantially perpendicularly from the body 12 in order to ideally position wristlets supported upon the tubular portion 11 in a comfortable decorating position. A raised position is more comfortable for users, especially when decorating a plurality of wristlets, because it allows decorators to decorate corsage wristlets without the need to hunch or lean over the wristlets. Decorating corsage-type wristlets requires a substantial investment of time and effort and decorators can become very uncomfortable and sore if they are forced to hold a contorted position for a significant length of time. In an alternate embodiment, the height of the body 12 may additionally be adjustable by a telescoping mechanism. The telescoping height-adjustment mechanism may comprise a plurality of apertures with a cam pin insertable therethrough to hold a pair of members that are slidably disposed relative to each other, a pair of slidably disposed members with flanges or tabs that engage with a plurality of complementary apertures, or any other such means.
The tubular portion 11 extends horizontally from the first end of the body 12 to support a wristlet. The curvature of the walls of the tubular portion 11 is roughly equivalent to the curvature of the inner arch of a wristlet, which allows the wristlet to comfortably rest thereon. The tubular portion 11 preferably comprises a cylindrical wall surrounding a hollow interior portion that is attached at one end to the body 12. Alternatively, the tubular portion 11 may comprise a solid cylinder. The tubular portion 11 may be composed of any material suitable for supporting wristlets thereon. The tubular portion 11 is permanently attached to the body 12 in any appropriate manner, such as by welding, in order to provide a stable base on which to decorate wristlets. The tubular portion 11 may further comprise a textured, roughened, or high-friction surface 14 to assist in holding a corsage wristlet in place on the tubular portion 11 to make it easier to decorate said corsage wristlet.
The clamp 13 is provided to removably affix the present invention to a variety of support surfaces of different configurations. As depicted, the clamp 13 comprises a G-clamp with upper and lower perpendicular surfaces 15, 16 and a swivel screw 17 with a bearing surface 18 disposed through a tapped aperture on the lower surface 16, but the clamp 13 of the present invention can comprise any type of clamp or fastening means that allows the present invention to be securely and removably affixed to different support surfaces. The clamp 13 must securely affix the present wristlet decorating support device to the support surface because the decorations being applied to the corsage wristlets often have very miniscule and precise details that could be ruined if the present invention moved during the decorating process. The depicted G-clamp of the present invention affixes to a support surface, such as a table, by sliding the throat of the G-clamp over the edge of the support surface and then tightening the screw 17 until the edge of the support surface is secured between the upper surface 15 and the bearing surface 18, which are disposed substantially parallel to each other.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the present invention affixed to a table. The clamp 13 of the present wristlet decorating support device is secured onto the edge of the table 31, securing the entire structure thereto. In the depicted embodiment, the tubular portion 11 and the clamp 13 are on opposing sides of the body 12, but they may be in any orientation with respect to each other, including being on the same side. The orientation of the tubular portion 11, with respect to the clamp 13, affects the whether the tubular portion 11 protrudes off the side of the support surface 31 or extends over the support surface 31. As shown in the depicted embodiment, when the tubular portion 11 and the clamp 13 are on opposite sides of the body 12, then the tubular portion 11 protrudes off the edge of the support surface 31.
The tubular portion 11 extends horizontally from the upper end of the vertically-extending body 12 so that it is comfortably positioned in front of the user for ease of use. The positioning of the wristlet support device allows decorators to decorate corsage wristlets 21 without the need to use a recycled, unsecured tubular device to place the wristlet around. Steadiness and comfort are key for users decorating corsage wristlets because it is such a precise process that demands dexterity and care from the user. The body 12 and the tubular portion 11 are preferably in a perpendicular relationship with respect to one another, wherein the body 12 is adapted to be supported from a horizontal support 31 via the clamp 13. Moreover, the clamp 13 is disposed in a perpendicular relationship with respect to the body 12 such that the support surface 31 is substantially parallel to the tubular portion 11, thereby elevating the tubular portion 11 from the support and allowing the same to be positioned away therefrom in an opportune position for decorating a wristlet 21.
In use an individual first secures the device to the support surface that he or she has chosen to use via the clamp. The device can be picked up and moved at will if the user wishes to store the present invention or change support surfaces simply by loosening the clamp. Once the clamp is secured, the user then slips the wristlet to be decorated around the tubular portion, comfortably supporting it thereon. The user is then free to decorate the corsage wristlet without any worry of the support device shifting during use. The user is able to direct all of his or her effort to simply decorating the wristlet, rather than being forced to divert effort to keeping the wristlet steady and in position.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A wristlet holder for holding a wristlet in place while it is being decorated, comprising:

a body having a first end and a second end;

a tubular portion extending horizontally from said first end, said tubular portion adapted to support a wristlet;

a clamp attached to said second end, said clamp adapted to secure to a support surface edge and support said body in an upright configuration.

2. The wristlet holder of claim 1, wherein said tubular portion has a textured surface.

3. The wristlet holder of claim 1, wherein said clamp comprises an upper surface disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to a lower surface and a swivel screw with a bearing surface disposed through a tapped aperture on said lower surface.

4. The wristlet holder of claim 1, wherein:

said body comprises an upstanding member supporting said tubular portion in perpendicular relationship thereto, wherein said body is adapted to be supported from a support via said clamp.

5. The wristlet holder of claim 1, wherein:

said body comprises an upstanding member supporting said tubular portion in perpendicular relationship thereto, wherein said body is adapted to be supported from a support via said clamp; and

said clamp is disposed in a perpendicular relationship with respect to said body such that said support is substantially parallel to said tubular portion.

6. The wristlet holder of claim 5, wherein said clamp comprises an upper surface disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to a lower surface and a swivel screw with a bearing surface disposed through a tapped aperture on said lower surface.