Universal cartridge

• US 5,913,869 A
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vladimir Reil
• Original Assignee: Vladimir Reil
• Inventors: Reil, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, TAN-UYEN THI
• Application Number:
  US09/042,491
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 606/167, 606/188, 606/182, 606/184, 606/185
• US Class Current: 606/188
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 7/001 Devices for piercing the ear-lobes

Abstract

The universal cartridge provides sterile conditions by which ears may be pierced by a variety of different stud gun types and models thereby decreasing the inventory which a merchant must maintain. A chassis slideably holds a carriage inside a cover that may be sealed for sterilization and to maintain sterile conditions. The carriage is especially constructed to have interlocking pieces that disengage upon completion of the ear piercing process. The chassis may be constructed such that the interlocking nature of the carriage is employed to both hold and release the pierced earring stud. The cover serves to provide means by which the cartridge and chassis may be manipulated without direct handling and also to provide means by which a removable seal may be used to provide and maintain sterile conditions. The universal cartridge of the present invention may be used in conjunction with a variety of models and types of stud guns not only to enhance the piercing procedure safety and accuracy but also such that earrings of all varieties and sorts may be used to pierce ears by a variety of different styles and types of stud guns.

Claims

1. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components consisting of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position; and

a transparent cover, said transparent cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage in a friction-fit manner, said cover overlying a top portion of said chassis and said carriage when said carriage is slidably engaged to said chassis and allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable from the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

2. The universal cartridge of claim 1, wherein said chassis further comprises:

a front upstanding portion capable of supporting said pierced earring nut in a fixed and freely disengageable position.

3. The universal cartridge of claim 2, wherein said chassis further comprises:

an alignment projection coupled to said front upstanding portion, said alignment projection aligning said front upstanding portion with a front portion of said stud gun when said universal cartridge is fitted to said stud gun.

4. The universal cartridge of claim 2, wherein said chassis further comprises:

a rear portion coupled to said front upstanding portion and having first and second oppositely opposed channel guides for slidably engaging said carriage.

9. The universal cartridge of claim 1, wherein said carriage further comprises:

first and second interlocking halves releasably entrapping said pierced earring stud in a pierced earring stud head holder.

10. The universal cartridge of claim 9, wherein said carriage further comprises:

first and second interlocking portions providing interlocking for said first and second interlocking halves, said first and second interlocking portions defining a stud gun pin aperture terminating in a stud gun pin stop, said first and second interlocking portions remaining interlocked if said stud gun pin aperture is obstructed as by a stud gun pin.

11. The universal cartridge of claim 9, wherein said carriage further comprises:

first and second oppositely opposed carriage channels, said carriage channels coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves and providing slidable engagement with said chassis.

5. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components consisting of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position; and

a cover, said cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

having a front upstanding portion capable of supporting said pierced earring nut in a fixed and freely disengageable position and having;

an alignment projection coupled to said front upstanding portion, said alignment projection aligning said front upstanding portion with a front portion of said stud gun when said universal cartridge is fitted to said stud gun;

said chassis further having a rear portion coupled to said front upstanding portion and having first and second oppositely opposed channel guides for slidably engaging said carriage;

and wherein said rear chassis portion further comprises;

first and second oppositely opposed flexible detents, said flexible detents corresponding to and extending forwardly from respective ones of said channel guides, said flexible detents preventing backward motion of said carriage once said carriage slides past forward ends of said detents, whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageble from the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

6. The universal cartridge of claim 5, wherein said rear chassis portion further comprises:

first and second inwardly extending tabs, said inwardly extending tabs corresponding to and extending inwardly from respective ones of said flexible detents, said extending tabs engaging said carriage and releasably fixing said carriage in place with respect to said chassis.

7. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position; and

a cover, said cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

said chassis further having a front upstanding portion capable of supporting said pierced earring nut in a fixed and freely disengageable position and having

an alignment projection coupled to said front upstanding portion, said alignment projection aligning said front upstanding portion with a front portion of said stud gun when said universal cartridge is fitted to said stud gun,

said chassis further having a rear portion coupled to said front upstanding portion and having first and second oppositely opposed channel guides for slidably engaging said carriage, and wherein said chassis further comprises;

a middle portion disposed between said rear and front portions, said middle portion having a rail flanked by first and second flat landing portions, said rail defining first and second gaps between said rail and said first flat landing portion and said rail and said second landing portion, respectively, said rail extending rearwardly from said front portion and having a free end adjacent said rear portion, whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable from the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

8. The universal cartridge of claim 7, wherein said middle chassis portion further comprises:

first and second oppositely opposed tabs, said tabs disposed beneath corresponding flat landing portions and slidably engaging said carriage;

whereby

said tabs urge said carriage to release said pierced earring stud.

12. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in aliment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position;

wherein said carriage further comprises;

first and second interlocking halves releasably entrapped said pierced earring stud in a pierced earring stud head holder, said carriage further comprising first and second oppositely opposed cartridge channels, said carriage channels coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves and providing slidable engagement with said chassis;

and wherein said first and second carriage channels respectively define first and second oppositely opposed carriage channel notches, said carriage channel notches capable of receiving inwardly-urged tabs to releasably lock said carriage in place with respect to said chassis; and

a cover, said cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable form the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

13. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position and having first and second interlocking halves releasably entrapping said pierced earring stud in a pierced carrying stud holder and wherein said carriage further comprises;

first and second oppositely opposed descending portions, said descending portions coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves, each of said descending portions defining a one-quarter cylindrical concavedly curved groove, said groove of said first descending portion matching said groove of said second descending portion to define a semi-cylindrical concavedly curved groove for accommodating a rail or the like;

a cover, said cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable form the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

14. The universal cartridge of claim 13, wherein said carriage further comprises:

first and second oppositely opposed descending tabs, said descending tabs coupled to corresponding ones of said descending portions, each of said descending tabs having a downwardly extending portion and an outwardly extending portion, said outwardly extending portions urging corresponding ones of said interlocking halves to separate outwardly generally along a longitudinal axis of said groove when said outwardly extending portions are urged inwardly towards one another.

15. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position, said first carriage having first and second interlocking halves releasably entrapping said pierced earring stud in a pierced carrying stud holder and having first and second oppositely opposed carriage channels, said carriage channels coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves and providing slidable engagement with said chassis and having a bridge, said bridge intermediating said first and second interlocking portions and said stud head holder, said bridge engageable by a U-shaped restraint support or the like;

a cover, said cover removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable form the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

16. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position,

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position; and

a cover, said cover generally conforms to and frictionally fits upon a top portion of said chassis and said carriage when said carriage is slidably engaged to said chassis removably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to cause said stud to pierce an intervening ear with said earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable form the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

17. The universal cartridge of claim 16, wherein said cover further comprises:

a U-shaped restraint support for engaging said carriage to maintain said carriage in a generally fixed position until said cover disengages said chassis and said carriage.

18. The universal cartridge of claim 17, wherein said cover further comprises:

a T-tab, said T-tab fitting into a slot present in said chassis, said slot allowing said chassis to engage said nut.

19. A universal cartridge for pierced earrings, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support a pierced earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying a pierced earring stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position;

a cover, said cover attachably detachably engaging said chassis and said carriage, said cover allowing handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage, said cover generally conforming to and frictionally fitting upon a top portion of said chassis and said carriage when said carriage is slidably engaged to said chassis;

said chassis having a front upstanding portion capable of supporting said pierced earring nut in a fixed and freely disengageable position;

said chassis having an alignment projection coupled to said front upstanding portion, said alignment projection aligning said front upstanding portion with a front portion of a stud gun when said universal cartridge is fitted to said stud gun;

said chassis having a rear portion coupled to said front upstanding portion and having first and second oppositely opposed channel guides for slidably engaging said carriage;

said rear chassis portion having first and second oppositely opposed flexible detents, said flexible detents corresponding to and extending forwardly from respective ones of said channel guides, said flexible detents preventing backward motion of said carriage once said carriage slides past forward ends of said detents;

said rear chassis portion having first and second inwardly extending tabs, said inwardly extending tabs corresponding to and extending inwardly from respective ones of said flexible detents, said extending tabs engaging said carriage and releasably fixing said carriage in place with respect to said chassis;

said chassis having a middle portion disposed between said rear and front portions, said middle portion having a rail flanked by first and second flat landing portions, said rail defining first and second gaps between said rail and said first flat landing portion and said rail and said second landing portion, respectively, said rail extending rearwardly from said front portion and having a free end adjacent said rear portion;

said middle chassis portion having first and second oppositely opposed tabs, said tabs disposed beneath corresponding flat landing portions and slidably engaging said carriage, whereby said tabs urge said carriage to release said pierced earring stud;

said carriage having first and second interlocking halves releasably entrapping said pierced earring stud in a pierced earring stud head holder;

said carriage having first and second interlocking portions providing interlocking for said first and second interlocking halves, said first and second interlocking portions defining a stud gun pin aperture terminating in a stud gun pin stop, said first and second interlocking portions remaining interlocked if said stud gun pin aperture is obstructed as by a stud gun pin;

said carriage having first and second oppositely opposed carriage channels, said carriage channels coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves and providing slidable engagement with said chassis upon said first and second channel guides, said first and second carriage channels respectively defining first and second oppositely opposed carriage channel notches, said carriage channel notches capable of receiving said inwardly extending tabs to releasably lock said carriage in place with respect to said chassis;

said carriage having first and second oppositely opposed descending portions, said descending portions coupled to corresponding ones of said interlocking halves, each of said descending portions defining a one-quarter cylindrical concavedly curved groove, said groove of said first descending portion matching said groove of said second descending portion to define a semi-cylindrical concavedly curved groove for accommodating said rail;

said carriage having first and second oppositely opposed descending tabs, said descending tabs coupled to corresponding ones of said descending portions, each of said descending tabs having a downwardly extending portion and an outwardly extending portion, said outwardly extending portions urging corresponding ones of said interlocking halves to separate outwardly generally along a longitudinal axis of said rail when said groove is upon said rail and said downwardly descending middle chassis portion tabs urge said outwardly extending portions of said descending tabs inwardly towards one another;

said carriage having a bridge, said bridge intermediating said first and second interlocking portions and said stud head holder;

said cover having a U-shaped restraint support for engaging said bridge to maintain said carriage in a generally fixed position until said cover disengages said chassis and said carriage; and

said cover having a T-tab, said T-tab fitting into a slot present in said front upstanding chassis portion, said slot allowing said chassis to engage said nut;

whereby

a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge may perform an ear-piercing procedure by driving said carriage toward said nut to pierce an intervening ear with said pierced earring stud, said stud and said nut freely disengageable from the universal cartridge upon completion of said ear-piercing procedure.

20. A universal cartridge for carrying pierced earrings components of a stud and nut, the universal cartridge fitting a plurality of pierced earring stud guns, the universal cartridge comprising:

a chassis, said chassis able to support said earring nut in a fixed position;

a carriage, said carriage being slidably engaged upon said chassis, said carriage releasably carrying said stud in alignment with said pierced earring nut at its fixed position; and

a transparent cover, said cover generally engaging said chassis and said carriage when said carriage is slidably engaged to said chassis in an overlying friction-fit manner, said cover having side interiorally directed, flexible walls having an interior contour conforming to the exterior contour of said chassis and carriage to allow handling of said chassis and said carriage without direct and contaminating contact with said chassis and said carriage;

whereby

a user of said universal cartridge may load and unload a stud gun receiving the universal cartridge in a facile and relatively sterile manner.