Accessory for decorating diverse articles of manufacture

Abstract

An accessory decorates diverse articles of manufacture, by being mounted on a flexible, elongated, support element, e.g., a wire of a headphone assembly, or a string of a bracelet assembly; or by being mounted on support surfaces of clothing, such as hats, shoes, pants and shirts, or other items, such as protective cases for mobile electronic devices, or sleeves supported by eyeglass frames. Multiple such decorative accessories are collected in a kit, and are mounted on any of such articles and interchanged, one with another.

1 . An accessory for decorating an article of manufacture having a flexible, elongated, support element, comprising:
 a first part having an outer decorative surface and a first inner surface;   a second part having a second outer surface and a second inner surface;   a pair of complementary fasteners at the first and second inner surfaces, for interconnecting the first and second parts in a closed state in which the outer decorative surface is visible; and   a groove formed in, and extending linearly along, at least one of the first and second inner surfaces, for at least partially receiving and capturing the support element between the first and second parts in the closed state.   
     
     
         2 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the second outer surface is decorative;
 wherein the first and second parts are respectively configured as a front and a back of a three-dimensional figurine; and wherein the first and second outer decorative surfaces are respectively configured to bear a front and a rear of a head of the figurine.   
     
     
         3 . The accessory of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second outer decorative surfaces are identical. 
     
     
         4 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second parts in the closed state extend along a longitudinal direction, and wherein the first and second parts are configured as a pair of sections of a three-dimensional figurine cut in a plane along the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         5 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein each part includes a pair of sections, and wherein each fastener is integral with a respective one of the sections. 
     
     
         6 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the complementary fasteners include male and female snaps mounted at the first and second inner surfaces, for interconnecting the first and second parts with a snap action in the closed state. 
     
     
         7 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the complementary fasteners include hermaphrodite snap fasteners mounted at the first and second inner surfaces, for interconnecting the first and second parts with a snap action in the closed state. 
     
     
         8 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second parts in the closed state extend along mutually perpendicular directions, and wherein the groove extends along one of the directions. 
     
     
         9 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the groove extends linearly along another of the first and second inner surfaces. 
     
     
         10 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second parts in the closed state extend along a longitudinal direction lengthwise of the support element, and a transverse direction that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and wherein the groove extends along the longitudinal direction; and further comprising another groove formed in at least one of the first and second inner surfaces, and extending linearly along the transverse direction. 
     
     
         11 . The accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the groove is configured to receive one of a flexible, elongated wire of a headphone assembly and a flexible, elongated string of a bracelet assembly. 
     
     
         12 . An accessory for decorating an article of manufacture having a support surface, comprising:
 a decorative part having an outer surface and an inner surface;   a pair of hermaphrodite fasteners, each having both male and female connectors, at the inner surface of the decorative part and the support surface of the article, for connecting the decorative part to the article in a mounted state in which the outer surface of the decorative part is visible.   
     
     
         13 . The accessory of  claim 12 , wherein the fastener on the decorative part extends away from the inner surface along a first axis, wherein a pair of the male connectors on the decorative part are spaced apart and are angularly offset in one circumferential direction away from the first axis, and wherein a pair of the female connectors on the decorative part are spaced apart and are angularly offset in an opposite circumferential direction away from the first axis. 
     
     
         14 . The accessory of  claim 13 , wherein the fastener on the article extends away from the support surface along a second axis, wherein a pair of the female connectors on the article are spaced apart and are angularly offset in one circumferential direction away from the second axis, and wherein a pair of the male connectors on the article are spaced apart and are angularly offset in an opposite circumferential direction away from the second axis. 
     
     
         15 . The accessory of  claim 12 , and further comprising another decorative part having an outer surface, and an inner surface; and further comprising a groove formed in, and extending linearly along, at least one of the inner surfaces, for at least partially receiving and capturing a flexible, elongated, support element between the decorative parts in the mounted state. 
     
     
         16 . A kit for decorating articles of manufacture, comprising:
 a plurality of accessories for interchangeable mounting on support surfaces of the articles, each accessory including a decorative part having an outer surface and an inner surface; and a pair of complementary fasteners at the inner surface of the decorative part and a respective support surface of a respective article, for interconnecting the decorative part to the article in a mounted state in which the outer surface of the decorative part is visible.   
     
     
         17 . The kit of  claim 16 , wherein the fasteners include a pair of hermaphrodite fasteners, each having both male and female connectors, at the inner surface of the decorative part and at the support surface of the article, 
     
     
         18 . The kit of  claim 16 , wherein each accessory has another decorative part having an outer surface, and an inner surface; and further comprising a groove formed in, and extending linearly along, at least one of the inner surfaces, for at least partially receiving and capturing a flexible, elongated, support element between the decorative parts in the mounted state.