1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand held fastening aid for disengagingly coupling male and female members of a fastening unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to a jewelry piece fastening aid which enables hands-free engagement with a fully adaptable spring-clasp or spring-clamp member to aid a user in securing jewelry about a user's own body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jewelry, such as rings, brooches, necklaces and bracelets is widely used by women and men for ornamentation and particularly bracelets or ornamental bands or chains or strings are worn about a person's limbs. While bracelets are formed of many materials and applications are varied, it is quite common to understand that at the end of each bracelet or necklace or clasp there is some type of engagement mechanism. Such engagement mechanisms are alternatively referred to herein as clasps and have a first interlocking member and a second related interlocking member.
Typical clasps with first and second interlocking members often include spring biased interlocking members each of which is attached with (commonly) a slip lever and a receiving opening. Such bracelets are referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,327 to LaMacchia et al (entitled Bracelet Fastening Device) the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. The LaMacchia patent refers to a bracelet-fastening device having a hand held member in an end clasping assembly. The LaMacchia patent is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/400,024 filed Mar. 6, 1995, the entire contents of each of which are herein incorporated by reference.
In typical clasps either one of the receiving or mating members can be operated by hand to release the other. A mating member interlocks with a receiving member to connect the two ends of the bracelet together. Various configurations of releasable clasps have been devised for connecting the ends of bracelets and necklaces together and retain them around a person's limbs.
A major problem with a bracelet having a releasable spring clasp, and particularly spring ring and lobster type clasps is the effort required by a person to easily and quickly fasten a bracelet around their wrist. In manually fastening a bracelet around one's wrist an individual to exhibit great dexterity where there is no third hand or assistant available to engage and position the spring clasp, particularly where the user faces a physical disability that challenges dexterity.
For example, where there is no retaining assistant hand, first a user's hand adjoining the wrist upon which the bracelet is to be worn is often of no help manipulating the clasp and the person must instead solely use one hand opposite to the wrist from which the bracelet is to be worn to hold the first interlocking member in place while attempting to swing or position or juggle the second interlocking member into an advantageous spring lock engagement position while simultaneously actuating a lever-release for a spring-clasp. Frequently a person needs to try several times in order to successfully grasp the clasp of a bracelet when attempting to fasten it around their limb without the assistance of a third hand.
In particular the LaMacchia reference discloses in the figures an embodiment that includes a U-shaped claw ratting member that is springably engaged to bring two parallel surfaces into a gripping orientation. This gripping orientation is disclosed as engaging parallel flat sides of a female or male bracelet end.
During operation the LaMacchia patent teaches the grasping of the female parallel sided bracelet clasp and holding an engageable body member with the bracelet hand while using an alternative hand to laterally slide a male positioning member within the female clasp receiving cavity. As taught, the clamping assembly in the LaMacchia device is unable to retain spring clamps or lobster type clamps known in the prior art in an open and engageable position because it fails to engage the spring levers of the clasp type and simultaneously fails to retain the spring clamp clasp body relative to the spring lever, thereby forcing a user to employ their fingers and fingernails to maintain a delicate balance to hold the clip open.
As noted, it should be known to those familiar with spring clamp clasps that it is necessary to both simultaneously engage a spring clamp release lever, engage the lever, operate the lever against an internal spring bias and open a receiving slot, and stabilize and retain the spring clamp clasp body to enable relative motion of the spring clamp lever. The LaMacchia device fails to enable any of these requisite steps in engaging a “spring ring type clasp” or a “lobster claw type clasp”.
Similar problems are faced by a user attempting to button up a piece of his/her wardrobe. In particular, a person with impaired fine motor skills may experience difficulty while engaging a button in a loop, and may require the assistance of a mechanical device to aid the process.
Therefore there is a need for a jewelry fastening aid to enable the user to readily grasp and operate spring ring and lobster claw type clasp mechanisms for bracelets and other jewelry.