Bracelet charm with alignment

Abstract

A Brunnian link is a link formed from a closed loop doubled over itself to capture another closed loop to form a chain. One or more charms can be included with the links to add additional aesthetic options.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A charm comprising:
 a charm portion; and   a mount portion, the mount portion including a mount opening and at least one alignment portion for aligning the charm portion with a charm portion of an adjacent charm.   
     
     
         2 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the alignment portion is disposed on at least one side of the mount portion. 
     
     
         3 . The charm as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the alignment portion comprises a flat surface. 
     
     
         4 . The charm as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the flat surface is perpendicular to a front face of the mount portion. 
     
     
         5 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mount portion comprises a first side spaced apart from a second side and the alignment portion comprises a first flat surface on the first side and a second flat surface on the second side. 
     
     
         6 . The charm as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the first flat surface and the second flat surface are substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The charm as recited in  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first flat surface and the second flat surface is angled relative to each other. 
     
     
         8 . The charm as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the mount portion includes a mount width between the first flat side and the second flat side and the charm portion includes a charm width that is smaller than the mount width. 
     
     
         9 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mount portion and the charm portion are of a common thickness. 
     
     
         10 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mount opening includes straight sides and curvilinear top and bottom sides. 
     
     
         11 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mount opening comprises a circle. 
     
     
         12 . The charm as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the charm comprises a single continuous integrated part. 
     
     
         13 . A linked item including a charm comprising:
 a plurality of linked elastic bands; and   at least two charms linked into the plurality of elastic bands adjacent to each other, wherein each of the at least two charms includes a charm portion and a mount portion, the mount portion including a mount opening for receiving at least one of the plurality of elastic bands and at least one alignment portion for aligning the charm portion of one that at least two charms with another of the at least two charms linked into the plurality of elastic bands.   
     
     
         14 . The linked item as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the alignment portion comprises a flat surface on at least one side of the mount portion. 
     
     
         15 . The linked item as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the alignment portion comprises flat surfaces on each side of the mount portion that are substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
         16 . The linked item as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the mount portion is of a first width between first and second sides and the charm is of a second width that is less than the first width.