Attachable ornament

Abstract

Selectively attachable ornaments are shown and described. The ornaments comprise a male and a female component which are attachable to one another from opposite sides of an opening through an article, such as a shoe, clothing, pursue, handbag, backpack, etc. In one example, the male component includes s a shaft with a beveled engagement portion, and the female component includes two spaced apart semi-cylindrical legs with a radially inward flange or lip that defines an opening into which the male component engagement portion is inserted during an attachment operation. The beveled engagement portion has at least one location where its diameter exceeds that of the opening between the radial inward flange/lip of each semi-cylindrical leg. In another example, the female component is a cylinder with one or more circumferential cut-out sections along a port of its length and an annular opening for receiving the male component's engagement portion. The male component has a beveled engagement portion with at least one section having a diameter greater than that of the annular opening. When the male component is snap-fittingly engaged to the female component, an audible “pop” sound is emitted by the elastic deformation and relaxation of the engagement portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A selectively attachable ornament, comprising:
 a decoration mounting member;   an attachment member;   a male snap-fit component attached to the decoration mounting member and comprising a shaft connected to an engagement portion; and   a female snap-fit component attached to the attachment member, the female snap-fit component comprising two legs that define an interior space, wherein the two legs are resiliently displaceable away from one another to receive the engagement portion of the male snap-fit component in the interior space.   
     
     
         2 . The attachable ornament of  claim 1 , wherein the shaft is attached to the decoration mounting member, and the engagement portion has a beveled shape. 
     
     
         3 . The attachable ornament of  claim 1 , wherein when the selectively attachable ornament is attached to an article, the decoration mounting member and the attachment member are spaced apart along a first axis, the two legs define an opening having a width between the two legs along a second axis, the engagement portion has a first width along the second axis, and the engagement portion width is greater than the width of the opening between the legs. 
     
     
         4 . The attachable ornament of  claim 3 , wherein the two legs are semicylindrical and comprise radially inward projecting, opposing flanges that define the opening between the two legs, the width between the two legs is a radial width between the two legs, and the first width of the engagement portion along the second axis is a first radial width. 
     
     
         5 . The attachable ornament of  claim 4 , wherein the engagement portion has a second radial width that is less than the first radial width at a location along the first axis that is farther from the shaft than a location of the first radial width along the first axis. 
     
     
         6 . A decorated article comprising:
 an article having an opening extending along a first axis, the opening having an article opening area orthogonal to the first axis; and   an attachable ornament attached to the article, the attachable ornament comprising:
 a decoration mounting member having a decoration mounting member area orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the decoration mounting member area is greater than the opening area, the decoration mounting member is not insertable into the opening, and the decoration mounting member is located closer to an outer surface of the article than to an inner surface of the article along the first axis; and 
 an attachment member having an attachment member area orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the attachment member is spaced apart from the decoration mounting member along the first axis, and the attachment member area is greater than the opening area, the attachment member is not insertable into the opening, and the attachment member is located closer to the inner surface of the article than to the outer surface of the article along the first axis. 
   
     
     
         7 . The decorated article of  claim 6 , wherein the attachable ornament comprises:
 a male snap-fit component attached to the decoration mounting member and comprising a shaft connected to an engagement portion; and   a female snap-fit component attached to the attachment member, the female snap-fit component comprising two legs that define an interior space, wherein the two legs are resiliently displaceable away from one another to receive the engagement portion of the male snap-fit component in the interior space.   
     
     
         8 . The decorated article of  claim 7 , wherein the shaft is attached to the decoration mounting member, and the engagement portion is beveled. 
     
     
         9 . The decorated article of  claim 7 , wherein the decoration mounting member and the attachment member are spaced apart along the first axis, the two legs define an opening having a width between the two legs along a second axis, the engagement portion has a first width along the second axis, and the engagement portion first width is greater than the width of the opening between the two legs. 
     
     
         10 . The decorated article of  claim 9 , wherein the two legs are semicylindrical and comprise radially inward projecting, opposing flanges that define the opening between the two legs, the width between the two lengths is a radial width between the two legs, and the first width of the engagement portion along the second axis is a first radial width. 
     
     
         11 . The decorated article of  claim 10 , wherein the engagement portion has a second radial width that is less than the first radial width at a location along the first axis that is farther from the shaft than a location of the first radial width along the first axis. 
     
     
         12 . The decorated article of  claim 9 , wherein the two legs define opposing inner surfaces, and the engagement portion is spaced part from each of the opposing inner surfaces along the second axis. 
     
     
         13 . A selectively attachable ornament, comprising:
 a decoration mounting member;   an attachment member;   a male snap-fit component attached to the decoration mounting member and comprising a shaft connected to an engagement portion, the engagement portion being spaced apart from the decoration mounting member along a first axis; and   a female snap-fit component attached to the attachment member, the female snap-fit component comprising a cylinder section with a face spaced apart from the attachment member along the first axis, the face comprising an annular opening, and the cylinder section comprising at least one circumferential opening extending around a portion of a circumference of the cylinder section.   
     
     
         14 . The selectively attachable ornament of  claim 13 , wherein the shaft is attached to the decoration mounting member, and the engagement portion has a beveled shape. 
     
     
         15 . The selectively attachable ornament of  claim 13 , wherein the engagement portion has a first radial width along a second axis at a first location along the first axis and a second radial width along the second axis at a second location along the first axis, the second radial width is less than the first radial width, and the second location is farther from the shaft along the first axis than is the first location. 
     
     
         16 . The selectively attachable ornament of  claim 15 , wherein the cylinder section has an inner surface, and when the attachable ornament is attached to an article, an outer surface of the engagement portion is spaced part from the cylinder section inner surface along the second axis. 
     
     
         17 . A decorated article comprising:
 an article having an opening extending along a first axis, the opening having an article opening area orthogonal to the first axis; and   an attachable ornament attached to the article, the attachable ornament comprising:
 a decoration mounting member having a decoration mounting member area orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the decoration mounting member area is greater than the article opening area, and the decoration mounting member is located closer to an outer surface of the article than to an inner surface of the article along the first axis; 
 an attachment member having an attachment member area orthogonal to the first axis, wherein the attachment member is spaced apart from the decoration mounting member along the first axis, and the attachment member area is greater than the article opening area, the attachment member is not insertable into the opening, and the decoration mounting member is not insertable into the opening, and the attachment member is located closer to the inner surface of the article than to the outer surface of the article along the first axis; 
 a male snap-fit component attached to the decoration mounting member and comprising a shaft connected to an engagement portion; 
 a female snap-fit component attached to the attachment member, the female snap-fit component comprising a cylinder section having a face defining an annular opening spaced apart from the decorative mounting member and the attachment member along the first axis, and at least one circumferential opening extending around a portion of a circumference of the cylinder section and along a portion of the length of the cylinder section along the first axis. 
   
     
     
         18 . The decorated article of  claim 17 , wherein the female snap-fit component is spaced apart from the decoration attachment member along the first axis. 
     
     
         19 . The decorated article of  claim 17 , wherein the female snap-fit component is spaced apart from an inner surface of the article which defines article opening. 
     
     
         20 . The decorated article of  claim 17 , wherein the attachment member has an inner surface, the decoration mounting member has an inner surface facing the attachment member inner surface, and the engagement portion of the male component is spaced apart from the inner surface of the attachment member along the first axis.