Ergonomic Pierce-Free Weight-Bearing Earrings, Earring Components And Methods For Making And Fitting Same

Abstract

The present invention is directed to ergonomic pierce-free custom-fitted earring devices capable of bearing ornamentation weighing about 30 grams or more, and more safely and comfortably mounting the same onto the lowermost one-third of each ear without utilizing the lobule of the ear, wherein the fully latched front loop of the first end and the rear component on the second end comprise critical ear-contact-points that engage a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and rear of the ear with little to no perceived squeezing. Methods of making such earring devices comprise effective and efficient methods to ensure accuracy of fit of these earrings to within about 1 to about 3 millimeters for each of multiple critical ear-variable-dimensions (EVD) that taken in concert serve to fit individuals and/or segments of the population of potential and/or targeted wearers, wherein certain preferred embodiments of such methods comprise computer-implemented sizing and fitting processes that convert EVDs into individually grouped fit gauges that are correlated to any of thousands of circumscribed fit profiles, enabling the efficient fabrication of custom-fitted devices, the setting of the same with weighted jewelry ornamentation, and delivering of the same as finished.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A custom-fit fasten-on chiral earring base device for an individual's ear, the ear having an antitragus peak rise with adjacent dips; a concha with an inner conchal cavum pocket floor, a concha cavum wall, and a rear eminence of the concha; and a lobule, the base comprising:
 a frontal-display jewelry design fixture plate for placing heads and/or designs for setting precious gems and/or other jewelry;   a front loop comprising a steep diverging-banded upper nexus above the frontal-display fixture that is a bend-angled fastening mount shaped like a backward-bent clothoid loop, said front loop serving as a mounting latch that reaches up and over, and simultaneously flanks, the antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, while accommodating any relative differences in the height of each dip;   an end loop portion on the front loop that extends to and engages the depth of the inner conchal cavum pocket floor at multiple points and forms a fulcrum for the base;   a sharp curve at the device's lower-most portion that runs under and clears the longest tissue of the individual's ear lobule from front to back (about face) as disposed below the lower end of the frontal-display fixture location in front and joining with a lower rear-lobule portion in back;   the lower rear-lobule portion connects to the curving lower-most portion on the lower side and to a rear hinge on the higher side, skimming past the rear lobule;   the rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear-lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents;   an extended rear-fitter member that contacts the rear eminence of the concha at multiple points, and which is engaged and disposed at the rear hinge;   wherein the opening between the front loop and the extended rear-fitter member is defined by the amount of pressure imposed on a thickness of the concha cavum wall when in closed hinging position, which will not be more than about 32,361 Pascals of pressure; and   wherein the base when fastened into the conchal cavum pocket floor in front, clears the soft-tissue lobule at bottom, and is hinge-closed in rear such that the extended rear-fitter member spoons the rear eminence of the concha, and said base is coupled to the lower one-third of the ear including the area where traditional piercing earrings display décor.   
     
     
         2 . The base of  claim 1 , wherein the base is capable of safely and securely carrying adornments with weight levels up to and greater than about 30 grams per ear. 
     
     
         3 . The base of  claim 1 , further comprising an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed at the lowermost portion of the device onto which additional dangling décor may be onboarded. 
     
     
         4 . A method of making the base of  claim 1  for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
 (a) measuring at least five ear variable measurements, the five ear variable measurements comprising (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and 
 (b) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable measurements. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising a step before step (a) wherein the user (i) compares the ear to a plurality of prototype measurement guides that contain directions on taking measurements; (ii) selects the best match of the ear to one of the plurality of prototype measurement guides; and (iii) takes the measurements of step (a) according to the prototype measurement guide selected. 
     
     
         6 . A method of making the base of  claim 1  for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
 (a) obtaining at least two photographs of the ear, wherein at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear and at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe in place; 
 (b) identifying a plurality of registration points on the photographs; 
 (c) deriving at least five ear variable measurements from the registration points, the five ear variable measurements comprising (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and 
 (d) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable measurements. 
 
     
     
         7 . A method of making the base of  claim 1  for the individual's ear, the individual's ear having a concha cavum pocket-depth, an antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, an antitragus ridge decline slope angle, an ear length below the antitragus ridge, and an ear lobule height, the method comprising:
 (a) obtaining at least one photograph of the ear, wherein the at least one photograph is from the perspective of looking directly at the ear with a concha cavum pocket-depth probe in place; 
 (b) matching the ear from one or more of the photographs to one of a plurality of templates and obtaining an estimate of the measurement of the concha cavum pocket-depth from the template; 
 (c) detecting points on rail scales intersecting the antitragus ridge on at least one of the photographs to find the antitragus ridge decline slope with respect to vertical, estimated from the photograph; 
 (d) detecting points on one or more of the photographs corresponding to the (i) antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (ii) ear length below antitragus ridge, and (iii) ear lobule height; 
 (e) obtaining five ear variable dimension measurements from steps (b) through (d); and 
 (f) fabricating the base to conform to the five ear variable dimension measurements. 
 
     
     
         8 . An earring base device, said base being capable of being mounted on an ear that has an antitragus peak rise and adjacent dips, a thickness of concha cavum cartilage, a rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage, and an inner conchal cavum floor, the base comprising a first end oriented at least in part on the front of the base and a second end oriented at least in part on the rear of the base, said base further comprising:
 (a) a latch component on the first end, which is oriented on the front of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises portions that reach up and over and simultaneously flank the ear's antitragus peak rise at its adjacent dips, and which further comprises an end loop portion that extends to the depth of the inner conchal cavum floor and contacts it at multiple points;   (b) a rear component on the second end, which is oriented on the rear of the ear when the base is mounted, which comprises a rear-fitter member portion that contacts and spoons the rear eminence of the concha cavum cartilage at multiple points, and which when the base is mounted there are portions of the rear-fitter member portion that are anterior and higher in plane to the latch component in front;   (c) said base when mounted on the ear is mounted onto the lower portion of the ear without using any piercing of the ear and without clamping onto the lobule of the ear;   (d) said base when mounted on the ear engages a thickness of concha cavum cartilage at the front and the rear of the ear using the end loop portion of the latch component and the rear-fitter member portion of the rear component.   
     
     
         9 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , wherein the base further comprises a rear hinge selected from the group consisting of a click-back hinge, a stopgap hinge, a low-pressure hinge, a sway-to-snap hinge connected to the lower rear lobule portion, another hinge construction, or their equivalents, and said rear hinge is posterior to and it engages and disposes the rear-fitter member portion. 
     
     
         10 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display fixture attached to the base and adornments, wherein the adornments are attached to either the frontal-display fixture or to an onboarding adaptor that is attached to the frontal-display fixture. 
     
     
         11 . The earring base device of  claim 10 , wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises (a) a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps or (b) a slide-in socket for receiving T-bar backed adornments. 
     
     
         12 . The earring base device of  claim 10 , wherein the base further comprises a dangle onboarding bar or circle adaptor that is disposed at the center of the frontal-display fixture below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and onto which adornments may be onboarded. 
     
     
         13 . The earring base device of  claim 10  wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises sockets and tubes at the front. 
     
     
         14 . The earring base device of  claim 10  wherein the frontal-display fixture comprises a round plate, the plate comprising a center receiving socket for receiving decorative snap caps. 
     
     
         15 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , further comprising a closed-ended circular-shaped adaptor or an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed on the lowermost portion of the device, and onto which additional adornments may be onboarded. 
     
     
         16 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , further comprising an open-ended slide-on adaptor that is disposed on the upper front portion of the latch component, and onto which pierced and/or clip-on earring body adornments, and/or other adornments, maybe onboarded. 
     
     
         17 . The earring base device of  claim 8  wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display vertical fixture-wire band for attaching and displaying adornments on an onboarding upper slide-on adaptor, wherein the center of said band dips toward the lobule to clear adornments hanging from above the onboarding slide-on adaptor. 
     
     
         18 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , wherein the base further comprises permanently affixed onboarding adaptors at the middle and bottom of the device that, unlike slide-on adaptors, require a connector such as a spring or circular joiner to connect and onboard add-on décor. 
     
     
         19 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , wherein the base further comprises a frontal-display wire band and a tube, wherein the frontal-display wire band is attached to the front of the base, wherein the tube comprises an open-end that is disposed below and distal to the end loop portion of the latch component and which is also disposed at the center of the frontal-display wire band, wherein a brooch, pin or bent pierced-post earring may be inserted vertically into the tube. 
     
     
         20 . The earring base device of  claim 8  that is capable of displaying adornments that are attached to the base that weigh about 30 grams or more. 
     
     
         21 . The earring base device of  claim 8  further comprising adornments, wherein the adornments are removable and replaceable with other adornments. 
     
     
         22 . The earring base device of  claim 8 , wherein the base and/or adornments attached to the base, when the earring base device is worn on the ear, covers portions of the lobule of the ear that have been damaged, altered, or are otherwise not preferable. 
     
     
         23 . A method of making the earring base device of  claim 8  to fit an individual ear, said method comprising fitting the base to the ear, the fitting the base to the ear comprising:
 (a) measuring at least five variable dimensions of the ear to obtain at least five measurements, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; and 
 (b) fabricating and/or adjusting the base to match the at least five measurements. 
 
     
     
         24 . The method of making the earring devices of  claim 23 , said method further comprising (c) attaching ornamentation to the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems. 
     
     
         25 . A method of making the earring devices of  claim 8  to fit individual ears, said method comprising fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base, the fabricating individually grouped fit gauges of the base comprising:
 (a) measuring at least five ear-variable-dimensions of a population of potential and/or targeted wearers to obtain at least five measurements for each such wearer, wherein the five variable dimensions of the ear are (i) the concha cavum pocket-depth, (ii) the antitragus width mid-dip to mid-dip, (iii) the antitragus ridge decline slope angle, (iv) the ear length below the antitragus ridge, and (v) the ear lobule height; 
 (b) dividing the at least five measurements for each such wearer into groups that vary from one another by about 1 to about 3 millimeters for at least one of each of the five measurements; and 
 (c) fabricating and/or adjusting bases that fit one or more of the groups of step (b). 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of making the earring devices of  claim 25  further comprising a step (d) adjusting the fabricated bases of step (c) to individual ears. 
     
     
         27 . The method of making the earring devices of  claim 26  further comprising (e) attaching ornamentation onto the base, wherein the ornamentation is selected from the group consisting of precious metals and/or gems, and wherein step (e) can be performed before or after step (d). 
     
     
         28 . A method for predicting demand for individual fit profiles based on a prior anthropomorphic statistical data with new predictions being informed by measurement data from device orders, the method comprising establishing a probability distribution that predicts the likelihood of fit profiles that are used to size various dimension of devices manufactured that can be used to plan the design and production of devices in anticipation of customer demand.