Jewelry – Gem setting – Detachable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-14
2002-05-07
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Jewelry
Gem setting
Detachable
C029S003000, C029S020000, C029S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06381985
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to jewelry, particularly to a jewelry apparatus that permits ornamental elements of the jewelry, such as beads, to be interchangeable so that a wide variety of ornamental elements may be used in conjunction with the basic component of the jewelry.
2. Background Art
Jewelry has always been considered an important element of a well-dressed individual, reflecting the personality and taste of the wearer. Due to the often significant expense involved in acquiring jewelry pieces, however, many individuals have necessarily limited their own collection to a few pieces. Such pieces may become outdated, or no longer coordinate with the wearer's wardrobe.
Another area that allows a person to express their individuality is the avocation of bead collecting. The increasing popularity of this field has led to the desire for novel ways to display beads. Jewelry is perfectly suited for display of beads, as the particular piece can often enhance the appearance of the selected bead. Interchangeability in such items of jewelry is very desirable in order to allow the wearer to change the particular bead or beads displayed, to color-coordinate or contrast with the wearer's garments, or to compliment the occasion, and the like.
Others in the past developed various jewelry pieces that allow for more than one displayed ornament or gem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,241, to Kohl, entitled Hinged Finger Ring; U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,974, to Shinohara, entitled Ornament; U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,608, to Berkowitz, entitled Multi-Use Jewelry Piece; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,200, to Carter, entitled Combination Ring Pendant; U.S. Pat. No. 1,792,534, to Germain, entitled Article of Jewelry; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,585,183 and 1,553,198, both to Stern and entitled Jewelry, all disclose a fixed pair or multiple gems or stones that can be interchangeably displayed, either via a hinged set of rings/pendants or a pivotal/reversible setting.
Other patents disclosed various items of jewelry with interchangeable gems or stones. These include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,317, to Hendricks, entitled Gem Changer Ring; U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,803, to Suzuki, entitled Jewelry Article with Selectively Visible Portions; U.S. Pat. No. 792,334, to Levy, entitled Finger Ring; U.S. Pat. No. 922,212, to Tropin, entitled Jewelry; U.S. Pat. No. 685,044, to Haussmann, entitled Jewelry; U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,757, to Mesica, entitled Jewelry with Rotatable Ornamentation; U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,882, to Johnson, entitled Jewelry with Interchangeable Elements; U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,176, to Lichtenstein, entitled Earring Assembly with Removable Ornaments; U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,869, to Zinni, entitled Pendant Frame with Retained Elements; U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,225, to Rogers, entitled Jewelry for Animals; U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,850, to Lalieu, entitled Earring with Selectable Decorative Element; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,710,734, to Johnson, entitled Pendant.
The prior art delineated above shares the common feature of lack of a stable and secure closure mechanism. The need for a mechanism that allows easy interchangeability, and yet guards against accidental loss of the interchangeable elements, but resists breakage due to forcing or overuse, prompted the development of the present invention.
The present invention is an apparatus for displaying the ornamental portion of jewelry, such as colored beads (whether artificial or of naturally occurring stone).
The invention successfully addresses the problems encountered with the wear and tear that results from repeatedly changing the ornament, through the use of a novel twisting and sliding catch mechanism. The construction of the present invention results in jewelry pieces that allow interchangeability of displayed ornamental elements, such as beads, in an attractive setting, while decreasing the risk of breakage of the holder and subsequent loss of the displayed ornament.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Broadly described, the inventive jewelry apparatus of the invention may function as practically any type of jewelry, but is well-suited to serve as a pendant or broach. The principal feature of the invention is that it permits the user to selectively change the jewelry's appearance by interchanging from a variety of different ornamental elements, such as beads or charms. The principal elements of the apparatus are a base piece, which is itself decorative, a slotted locking member upon the base piece, an attractive shaft that is removably connectable to the base piece by means of the slotted locking member, a pivotal pin and pin security catch combination on the base element for attaching the apparatus to a garment if desired, and decorative elements such as colorful beads(one or more) that are placed upon the shaft, preferably by sliding the shaft through a hole or loop in the ornamental element. The locking member preferably defines a loop with respect to the base piece, so that a necklace chain optionally may be passed there through to allow the apparatus to hang from the user's neck as a pendant.
Accordingly, the invention permits a user to change the ornamental elements by removing the shaft from the base piece and selectively interchanging the ornamental elements and then replacing the shaft upon the base piece. Alternatively, the entire shaft with ornamental elements thereon may be selectively replaced. In either case, a single base piece is used, allowing the user to change the overall appearance of the jewelry apparatus to customize it to occasion or apparel. Two security features are provided to assure that the shaft cannot accidentally be removed from the base piece to result in the loss of the ornamental elements. The first feature is a curved or undulating shape given to the slotted locking member, which discourages the shaft from accidentally sliding up and out of the slot in the locking member while the apparatus is in use. Secondly, the pin is closed while the apparatus is in use, placing the pin transverse across the locking member in a position which bars the shaft from sliding in the locking member to a point where it might accidentally be released from the base piece.
Thus, there is provided according to the invention an interchangeable ornament jewelry display apparatus comprising a base piece, the base piece having a locking member defining a slot therein, the slot having a narrow segment and a wide segment; a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; a small knob on the proximal end, comprising a dimension less than the width of the wide segment of the slot and greater than the width of the narrow segment of the slot, and at least one ornamental element disposable upon the shaft; wherein the small knob is insertable through the broad segment and the shaft is slidable from the broad segment of the slot into the narrow segment to engage the small knob with the narrow segment, thereby to removably attach the shaft to the locking member.
The apparatus preferably further includes a pin pivotally disposed upon the base and pivotable between an open position remote from the locking member and a closed position proximate to the locking member and transverse to the narrow segment of the slot, and means for temporarily securing the pin in the closed position. When the pin is in the closed position, the pin prevents the shaft from sliding in the slot from the narrow segment to the broad segment, thereby prohibiting the small knob from attaining the broad segment. The slot preferably is generally vertical, and the broad segment is above the narrow segment, but the slot alternatively may be horizontal.
The one or more ornamental elements may be permanently disposed upon the shaft, in which case the customization of the apparatus for a particular use is accomplished by exchanging one shaft for another bearing different ornamental elements. Preferably, the ornamental element is removably disposed upon the shaft, so that a single shaft can be re-used with a wide variety o
Baker Rod D.
Knight Anthony
Myers Jeffrey D.
Peacock Deborah A.
Pickard Alison K.
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