FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to body piercings, more specifically but not by way of limitation, a septum piercing (i.e. a nose ring) wherein the septum piercing of the present design provides alternative embodiments operable to inhibit lateral movement of the septum piercing.

BACKGROUND

The tradition of wearing septum piercings, particularly as nose rings can be traced back as far back as 44,000 BC wherein Aboriginal people of Australia wore crafted bone nose pieces through their nasal septums. Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry. There are different varieties of nose piercings with the nostril or septum piercing as most common. Nose piercing is the one of the most common variety of piercings that also includes earlobe piercing and tongue piercing.

There are different techniques of nose piercing and one technique is piercing the nasal septum The nasal septum is the cartilaginous dividing wall between the nostrils. During the septum piercing process, the cartilage itself is not pierced, but rather the small gap between the cartilage and the bottom of the nose. These piercings often heal within a month and a half to three months depending on the individual. Many types of jewelry generally are worn in a septum piercing, such as but not limited to captive beads. The conventional nose ring design for a septum piercing is a circular bar with beads that screw onto opposing ends. There are septum retainers available that are staple shaped and this type of piercing is easier to hide when desired, for example to comply with a dress code. One problem intrinsic to all designs of conventional nose ring is the inability to inhibit lateral movement thereof after piercing. As the designs generally utilize a uniform bar, the rings can often move laterally and as a result become unbalanced requiring that the wearer adjust the ring to be more centralized in position.

It is intended within the scope of the present invention to provide a nose ring having a design that provides the ability to inhibit lateral movement of the nose ring subsequent attachment to a wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a septum piercing for a human nose, comprising: a piercing element, the piercing element passing through the septum; a support element, the support element coupled to the piercing element and contacting both sides of the septum in a position wherein the contact is not visible from outside the nose; and a decorative element coupled to the support element, wherein the decorative element is visible from outside the nose, wherein the support element acts to restrict lateral movement of the piercing element and maintain the decorative element in a symmetrical position relative to the nose when the septum piercing is worn.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a septum piercing which may be formed as either a unitary piece or as separate parts. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a septum piercing with removable and/or replaceable decorative elements. The decorative element may comprise a pair of spherical elements each of the spherical elements secured to an end of the support element. As an alternative, the decorative element may comprise a single spherical element secured to two ends of the support element.

The contact point for the support element may be found and the peak of the inward curve.

In an alternative embodiment, the piercing element may have a reduced diameter as compared to the support element.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the present invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being a part of the present invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, embodiments of the invention, and how they may be carried into effect, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a septum piercing according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a transparent view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a decorative element according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a plan view of an externally threaded decorative element according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a plan view of an internally threaded decorative element according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4C is a plan view of a threadless decorative element according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative septum piercing according to an embodiment.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements within the separate Figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a septum piercing 100 as shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 3. The septum piercing 100 is designed to pass through the tissue at the distal end of the nasal septum, not the septum cartilage itself, with a portion of the septum piercing 100 extending out from the nostril cavity so as to be visible when viewing the wearer's face. As shown, the septum piercing 100 is formed such that a portion of the septum piercing rests against the surface of the septum to prevent lateral movement of the septum piercing when worn. This support also assists in ensuring that the exterior visible portion is maintained in a symmetrical position relative to the septum and nose.

The septum piercing 100 is comprised of three parts. The first part is the piercing element 110, which passes through the septum cartilage and holds the septum piercing 100 within the wearer's nose. The piercing element is preferably cylindrical, with a length slightly greater than the thickness of the septum tissue and a diameter in the 1 mm-3 mm range.

The second part is the support element 120, which is coupled to and extends from the piercing element 110 along the nostril. The support element 120 is comprised of a on either side of the piercing element 110 that contacts the septum inside the nostril. This contact with the septum holds the piercing element 110 in a fixed position within the septum tissue, and preserves the symmetry of the septum piercing 100 in both position and when viewed while worn. As shown, the support element 120 is comprised of an inwardly curved section, with the contact point preferably located at the peak of the inward curve. Variants in shape and type for the support element 120 are discussed in further detail below.

The third part is the decorative element 130, which is coupled to and extends from the support element 120 outside the nostril and forms the exterior, visible portion of the septum piercing 100. The decorative element 130 may take various shapes and sizes, with the most commonly used being a pair of spherical elements, although other shapes (cubic, pyramid) or even flat plugs known to be used. The decorative element 130 may be removeable, preferably using threaded couplings as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which shows an internal thread design, with the threads 150 externally located on the decorative element 130 and the mating threads 140 internally mounted within the support element as show in a transparent view in FIG. 2.

The alternative coupling designs are shown comparatively in FIGS. 4A-4C, with FIG. 4A showing an external thread 410 on the support element and a mating internal thread on the decorative element. FIG. 4B showing an internal thread design, with the external thread 440 on the decorative element and the mating internal thread 430 on the support element (as also shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). A threadless design is shown in FIG. 4C, which uses tension and friction to secure a pin 460 on the decorative element 130 in place within a cavity 450 in the support element.

Other variants may be contemplated for the separate parts. While in a preferred embodiment, the piercing element 110 and the support element 120 have the same diameter, the piercing element 110 may have a smaller diameter than the support element 120, to allow for greater ease in passing through the septum tissue or piercing hole within the septum tissue.

As discussed above, the piercing element 110, support element 120 and decorative element 130 may be formed as separate parts which are coupled together through threaded couplings or similar connectors as shown. Alternatively, the piercing element 110 and support element 120 may be formed as a unitary piece, and the decorative elements 130 then coupled to the unitary combined piercing element 110 and support element 120.

The piercing element 110, the support element 120 and the decorative element 130 may all be formed from similar materials or separate different materials. Preferably, the piercing element 110 is formed from a hypo-allergenic metal. Similarly, the support element 120 is also formed from, a hypo-allergenic metal. The decorative element 130 may be formed from various materials, either individually or in combination, such as hypo-allergenic metal, plastic or composites, and semi-precious or precious gemstones.

An alternative embodiment of the septum piercing 200 are shown in FIG. 5. This embodiment may be constructed as a unitary piece or as separate parts, as discussed above.

The alternative shown in FIG. 5 uses a single decorative element 230 which is coupled to both support elements 220. Accordingly, the visible portion of septum piercing 200 is a single spherical decorative element 230 (again, as discussed above, other shapes may be used). The support elements 220 are coupled to piercing element 210 as described above, however, after the contract point, the support elements have a reversed curve such that the two ends meet at the decorative element 230.

An embodiment of the present invention is discussed herein with reference to the figures submitted herewith. Those skilled in the art will understand that the detailed description herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes and that it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that alternative embodiments are plausible. By way of example but not by way of limitation, those having skill in the art in light of the present teachings of the present invention will recognize a plurality of alternate and suitable approaches dependent upon the needs of the particular application to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond that of the particular implementation choices in the embodiment described herein. Various modifications and embodiments are within the scope of the present invention.

It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials, uses and applications described herein, as these may vary. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “exemplary embodiments”, and the like may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure or characteristic.

In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention.