U.S. patent application number 09/834678 was filed with the patent office on 2002-10-17 for pendant having multiple gemstones on a rotatable wheel.
Invention is credited to Fernandes, Don.
Application Number | 20020148252 09/834678 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25267526 |
Filed Date | 2002-10-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020148252 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fernandes, Don |
October 17, 2002 |
Pendant having multiple gemstones on a rotatable wheel
Abstract
A jewelry piece having a selectable display of gemstones and/or
decorations is provided. The jewelry piece includes an integrated
selectable display of gemstone. In one embodiment, the jewelry
piece comprises a housing comprising a face plate and a back
support, the face plate having a display opening; a carousel
rotatably disposed between the face plate and the back support; a
plurality of decorations disposed on the carousel; and a handle
disposed through the housing and connected to rotate the carousel
to selectively position at least one of the plurality of
decorations in a viewable position through the display opening of
the face plate.
Inventors: |
Fernandes, Don; (Turlock,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Thomason, Moser & Patterson, L.L.P.
B. Todd Patterson
3040 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1500
Houston
TX
77056
US
|
Family ID: |
25267526 |
Appl. No.: |
09/834678 |
Filed: |
April 13, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
63/31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C 17/0266 20130101;
A44C 25/001 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
63/31 |
International
Class: |
A44C 017/02 |
Claims
1. A jewelry piece, comprising: a housing comprising a face plate
and a back support, the face plate having a display opening; a
carousel rotatably disposed between the face plate and the back
support; a plurality of decorations disposed on the carousel; and a
handle disposed through the housing and connected to rotate the
carousel to selectively position at least one of the plurality of
decorations in a viewable position through the display opening of
the face plate.
2. The jewelry piece of claim 1 wherein the handle includes a
decorative jewel.
3. The jewelry piece of claim 1 wherein the carousel comprises a
carousel plate having the plurality of decorations disposed on one
surface of the carousel plate.
4. The jewelry piece of claim 1, further comprising: an upper index
member disposed on the housing; and a lower index member disposed
on the carousel, wherein the upper index member is disposed in
selective mating engagement with the lower index member.
5. The jewelry piece of claim 4 wherein the upper index member and
the lower index member comprise corresponding saw tooth ends.
6. The jewelry piece of claim 4 wherein the upper index member and
the lower index member comprises corresponding bumps and
indentations.
7. The jewelry piece of claim 1 wherein the carousel includes a
plurality of index notches, and further comprising: a bail disposed
on a top portion of the housing, the bail having an index tip
disposed in selective mating engagement with one of the index
notches.
8. The jewelry piece of claim 1 wherein the carousel includes a
plurality of index notches, and further comprising: a bail disposed
on a top portion of the housing; and an index arm pivotly disposed
on the housing, the index arm having an index tip disposed in
selective mating engagement with one of the index notches.
9. The jewelry piece of claim 1 wherein the carousel includes a
plurality of index notches, and further comprising: an index arm
disposed on the housing, the index arm having an index tip disposed
in selective mating engagement with one of the index notches.
10. A jewelry piece, comprising: a housing means having a display
opening; a carousel means rotatably disposed in the housing means;
a plurality of decorative means disposed on the carousel; and a
handle means disposed through the housing means and connected to
rotate the carousel means to selectively position at least one of
the plurality of decorative means in a viewable position through
the display opening of the housing means.
11. The jewelry piece of claim 10 wherein the carousel means
comprises a carousel plate having the plurality of decorative means
disposed on one surface of the carousel plate.
12. The jewelry piece of claim 10, further comprising: an index
means for selectively indexing the carousel means.
13. The jewelry piece of claim 12 wherein the index means
comprises: an upper index member disposed on the housing means; and
a lower index member disposed on the carousel means, wherein the
upper index member is disposed in selective mating engagement with
the lower index member.
14. The jewelry piece of claim 13 wherein the upper index member
and the lower index member comprise corresponding saw tooth
ends.
15. The jewelry piece of claim 13 wherein the upper index member
and the lower index member comprise corresponding bumps and
indentations.
16. The jewelry piece of claim 12 wherein the indexing means
comprises: a plurality of index notches disposed on the carousel
means; and a bail disposed on a top portion of the housing means,
the bail having an index tip disposed in selective mating
engagement with one of the index notches.
17. The jewelry piece of claim 12 wherein the indexing means
comprises: a plurality of index notches disposed on the carousel
means; a bail disposed on a top portion of the housing means; and
an index arm pivotly disposed on the housing means, the index arm
having an index tip disposed in selective mating engagement with
one of the index notches.
18. The jewelry piece of claim 12 wherein the indexing means
comprises: a plurality of index notches disposed on the carousel
means; and an index arm disposed on the housing means, the index
arm having an index tip disposed in selective mating engagement
with one of the index notches. housing comprising a face plate and
a back support, the face plate having a display opening;
19. The jewelry piece of claim 10 wherein the housing means
comprises a face plate and a back support, the face plate having
the display opening.
20. The jewelry piece of claim 10 wherein the decorative means
comprises one or more decorations selected from gemstones, precious
metals, engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, and
combinations thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention generally relates to jewelry having selectable
display. More particularly, the invention relates to a jewelry
piece having a rotatable carousel for selectively displaying jewels
and/or other decorations, such as engravings, inlay designs,
photographs, enameled glass, and other decorative features.
[0003] 2. Background of the Related Art
[0004] Typical jewelry designs involve fixed gemstones and/or
precious metal decorations. For example, a typical pendent includes
a gemstone fixedly set on a decorated housing made from one or more
precious metals, such as platinum, gold, and/or silver, or from
other materials, such as bronze, brass and other costume metals.
When a particular gemstone color is desired, for example, to match
the color scheme of the clothing of a person wearing the jewelry
piece, a specific jewelry piece having the desired gemstone color
is selected to be worn. When a different gemstone color is desired,
another jewelry piece is selected to be worn.
[0005] Some jewelry designs provide a base jewelry piece with a
removable or exchangeable gemstone setting which allow a person to
selectively place the desired gemstone onto the base jewelry piece.
Thus, a person may be able to switch gemstone colors while wearing
the same base jewelry piece. However, the removable/exchangeable
gemstones may be easily misplaced or lost. Furthermore, a number of
removable/exchangeable gemstones must be taken along with the base
jewelry piece to provide the selection to the wearer whenever a
different gemstone color is desired.
[0006] Therefore, there remains a need for a jewelry piece having a
selectable display of gemstones and/or decorations. It would be
desirable for the selectable display of gemstone to be integrated
with the jewelry piece.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A jewelry piece having a selectable display of gemstones
and/or decorations is provided. The jewelry piece includes an
integrated selectable display.
[0008] In one embodiment, the jewelry piece comprises a housing
comprising a face plate and a back support, the face plate having a
display opening; a carousel rotatably disposed between the face
plate and the back support; a plurality of decorations disposed on
the carousel; and a handle disposed through the housing and
connected to rotate the carousel to selectively position at least
one of the plurality of decorations in a viewable position through
the display opening of the face plate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] So that the manner in which the above recited features,
advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and
can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the
invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the
embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended
drawings.
[0010] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings
illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are
therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the
invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a front view of a pendant according to one
embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a front view of a pendant showing a carousel in
phantom according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross section view of a pendant according to one
embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a pendent showing a
carousel according to another embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carousel and a back
support showing an index according to another embodiment of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carousel in phantom and a
back support showing an index according to another embodiment of
the invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a carousel and a back
support showing an index according to another embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 8A-C are front views of a carousel and a back support
showing alternative embodiments of an index according to the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front view of a pendant according to one
embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a pendant
showing a carousel in phantom according to one embodiment of the
invention. FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a pendant taken
along 3-3 of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the pendant 100 generally comprises a face
plate 102, a back support 104, and a carousel 106. The carousel 106
is disposed between the face plate 102 and the back support 104.
The faceplate 102 may be connected directly to the back support 104
at the peripheral portions. Alternatively, the face plate 102 may
be connected to the back support 104 through a side portion or side
wall 108 as shown in FIG. 3. The pendant 100 may also include a
bail 110 disposed at the top portion of the pendant which
facilitates hanging the pendant onto a chain or a strap. The
carousel 106 includes a front surface having a plurality of
jewel/decoration 112 disposed thereon. The jewel/decoration 112 may
include a variety of designs involving gemstones, precious metals,
engravings, inlay designs, photographs, enameled glass, other
decorative features, and combinations thereof. For the embodiment
shown in FIGS. 1-3, the carousel 106 includes four quadrants of
jewel/decoration 112, and each quadrant of jewel/decoration 112
includes four gemstone settings.
[0020] The carousel 106 is rotatably disposed between the face
plate 102 and the back support 104. A handle 114 is connected
centrally to a central portion of the carousel 106 through a handle
post 116. The handle post 116 extends through a centrally located
hole 118 on the face plate 102. The handle 114 facilitates manual
selection of the jewel/decoration 112 to be displayed through a
display opening 120 on the face plate 102. The handle 114 may be
decorated, for example, with a precious gemstone. The front surface
of the face plate 102 may also be decorated with various designs.
The side wall 108 and the bail 110 may also be decorated with
various designs.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, a support post 122 may be disposed
centrally on the back support 104, and a spring 124 may be disposed
around the support post 122. The carousel 106 includes a mounting
tube 126 disposed centrally. The mounting tube 126 includes a
hollowed central portion for receiving the support post 122 and
spring 124. An index 134 comprising an upper index member 128 and a
lower index member 130 is utilized to provide selectable
positioning of the carousel 106 and the jewel/decoration 112 to be
displayed through the display opening 122. The upper index member
128 may be disposed about the circumference of the hole 118 on the
interior surface of the face plate 102, and the corresponding lower
index member 130 may be disposed around the handle post 116 on the
carousel 106. The upper index member 128 is disposed in mating
engagement with the lower index member 130. For the embodiment
shown in FIG. 3, corresponding saw tooth ends 132 from the upper
and lower index members 128,130 form the mating engagement. For the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, four sets of corresponding saw tooth
ends 132 are disposed on the upper and lower index members 128 and
130. In one embodiment, the number of sets of saw tooth ends 132
corresponds to the number of selectable positions of the carousel
106 and the jewel/decoration 112.
[0022] The spring 124 provides the force required to keep the
carousel 106 and the lower index member 130 in contact against the
upper index member 128. To rotate the carousel 106 and select a
different jewel/decoration 112 to be displayed through the display
opening 120, the handle post 106 may be pressed toward the face
plate 102 to release the mating engagement between the lower index
member 130 and the upper index member 128. Then, the decorated
handle 114 may be rotated or turned to rotate the carousel 106.
Once the desired jewel/decoration 112 is being displayed in the
display opening 120, the user may release the handle 114, and the
spring 124 forces the lower index member 130 against the upper
index member 128 and retains the position of the carousel 106 and
the jewel/decoration 112 displayed through the display opening 120.
Alternatively, a user may simply manually rotate the handle 114
with sufficient force to cause the lower index member 130 to slide
against the upper index member 128. For the embodiment shown in
FIG. 3, sufficient clearance or space (shown as distance d.sub.1)
is provided between a lower surface of the handle 114 and the upper
surface of the face plate 102 to allow disengagement of the lower
index member 130 from the upper index member 128. Similarly, a
sufficient clearance or space (shown as distance d.sub.2) is
provided between a lower surface of the mounting tube 126 and an
interior surface of the back support 104. Also, a sufficient
clearance or space (shown as distance d.sub.3) is provided between
an inner surface of the mounting tube 126 and the support post 122,
and the spring provided sufficient resilience to force the lower
index member 130 against the upper index member 128.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a pendent showing a
carousel according to another embodiment of the invention. The
pendant 200 includes a face plate 202 having a display opening (not
shown) similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. A carousel 206 is
fixably attached to a back support 204. A mounting tube 226
connects a central portion of the carousel 206 to a central portion
of the back support 204. The carousel includes a centrally located
hole 218, and a mounting post 222 that is disposed through the
mounting hole 218 through the mounting tube 226 and is secured to a
back side of the front face plate 202, for example, by a threaded
end of the mounting post 222. The mounting post 222 may comprise of
a threaded bolt or other fasteners. A spring 224 may be disposed in
the mounting tube 226 against a flange 227 of the mounting post
222. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an index 232
comprising a lower index member 230 and an upper index 228 is
utilized to selectively display jewel/decoration through the
display opening. The lower index member 230 comprises four bumps
disposed peripherally on the carousel 206, and the upper index
member 228 comprises four indentations disposed correspondingly on
an inner surface of the face plate 202. The upper index member 228
and the lower index member 230 are disposed in mating engagement.
To rotate the carousel 206, a user may rotate the back support 204
relative to the face plate 202. A slight force may be required to
pull apart the mating engagement between the lower index member 230
and the upper index member 228. When the carousel 206 has been
rotated to the desired position the user may release the back
support and allow the lower index member 130 to engage or to become
disposed in mating engagement with the upper index member 230.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carousel and a back
support showing an index according to another embodiment of the
invention. In this embodiment, the index 300 comprises an index arm
302 disposed on a back support 304 and a plurality of index notches
306 disposed on a peripherally portion of a carousel 308. The
carousel 308 may be disposed between the back support and the face
plate similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3. The index arm
302 is flexibly pivoted on the back support 304. When a sufficient
force is applied to turn or rotate the carousel 308, the tip 303 of
the index arm 302 is disengaged from one of the index notch 306 and
contacts a peripheral edge 310 of the carousel 308 until another
index notch 306 is rotated into mating engagement with the tip 303
of the index arm 302.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carousel in phantom and a
back support showing an index according to another embodiment of
the invention. For this embodiment, an index 400 comprises an index
arm 402 disposed on a back support 404 and an index wheel 405
disposed on a lower surface of a carousel 408. The tip 403 of the
index arm 402 is disposed in mating engagement with one of the
index notches 406. The notches 406 are disposed on a peripheral
region of the index wheel 405. Operation of the index 400 is
similar to operation of the index 300 as shown in FIG. 5. As the
carousel 408 is rotated or turned by a sufficient force applied to
the handle attached to the carousel, the tip 403 of the index arm
402 becomes disengaged from one of the notches 406 and becomes in
contact with the peripheral edge 410 of the index wheel 405 until
the carousel has been rotated to the next position, and the tip 403
of the index arm 402 becomes engaged with another notch 406 on the
index wheel 405.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a carousel and a back
support showing an index according to another embodiment of the
invention. For this embodiment, an index 500 comprises a spring
loaded index arm 502 disposed on the back support 504. The tip 503
of the index arm 502 engages one of a plurality of indentations or
notches 506 disposed on a back surface of the carousel 508. When a
sufficient force is applied to turn the carousel 508, the index arm
502 disengages a notch 506 and becomes in contact with the back
surface of the carousel 508 until the carousel 508 has been rotated
sufficiently for the tip 503 of the index arm 502 to engage another
notch 506.
[0027] FIG. 8A-C are front views of a carousel and a back support
showing additional alternative embodiments of an index according to
the invention. For the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, the
carousel 608 is rotatably disposed between the back support 604 and
a face plate (not shown). The carousel 608 includes a plurality of
index notches 606 disposed on a peripheral edge 612 of the carousel
608. An index 600A-C comprises an index bail 610A-C and the index
notches 606.
[0028] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, a bail 610A is threaded
and screwed into position on a top portion of the pendent and a tip
611 A of the bail 610A is disposed in mating engagement with one of
the notches 606 on the carousel 608. To rotate the carousel, the
bail 610A is unscrewed partially to free movement of the carousel
608. The carousel 608 is then rotated to the next desired position,
and the bail 610A may be tightened against an index notch 606 to
secure the carousel 608 in position.
[0029] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 8B, the bail 610B is spring
loaded with a spring 613 such that the bail can be pulled away to
release the carousel 608. After the carousel 608 has been rotated
into the next desired position, the tip 611 B of the bail 610B may
be released to become in mating engagement with one of notches 606
on the peripheral edge 612 of the carousel 608 to secure the
position of the carousel 608.
[0030] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 8C, the bail 610C is
connected to an index arm 614. The index arm 614 may be pivotally
mounted at a central portion of the index arm to a peripheral
portion of the back support 604. A spring 616 may be disposed
between a tip 618 of the index arm 614 and an edge or side portion
of the housing. The spring 616 provides a resilient force to the
tip 618 to engage an index notch 606 on the peripheral edge 612 of
the carousel 608 to secure the position of the carousel 608. When a
sufficient rotational force is applied to the handle to turn the
carousel 608, the tip 618 becomes disengaged with the notch 606 and
contact the peripheral edge 612 until the carousel 608 has been
turn to the next position, at which the tip 618 becomes in mating
engagement with the next notch 606. Alternatively, the bail 610C
may be pressed to release the tip 618 from the index notch 606, and
the carousel 608 may be rotated to the desired position.
[0031] Although the above-described embodiments relate to a pendent
having a selectable display, other jewelry pieces contemplated by
the inventor includes, but not limited to, rings, earrings, broach,
pins, lockets, cuff-links, key chains and necklaces with integrated
pendant having selectable display.
[0032] While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment
of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the
invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope
thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that
follow.
* * * * *