Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HINGED FINGER RING
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a finger ring and, in particular, a finger
ring that has
two toroidal members that are latched together to form a ring having a unitary
appearance.
2. Scone of the Prior Art
Finger rings have long been worn by both men and women as decorative jewelry.
These finger rings come in many different styles. Some have engraving on the
inner and outer
surfaces of the ring, and other hold gemstones of various sizes and shapes.
Often forger rings are given as presents or gifts from one person to another.
In a typical
courtship, a man will give an engagement ring when asking a women to marry
him. At the
actual wedding, the man and woman exchange rings. Frequently, the man and the
woman will
exchange finger rings having an identical appearance. To commemorate the
occasion, the
finger rings may be engraved on the inner surface of the ring with the name of
the betrothed
and the date of the marriage. These wedding rings can also have gemstones on
the outer
surface. In addition to the man and woman's wedding rings being identical, the
woman's
engagement ring and wedding ring can have a similar style and fit together to
form a set.
Of the many different styles of finger rings available, one such style is a
multi-part ring.
Some of these mufti-part rings have at least two ring parts that are connected
together using a
hinge. These hinged rings can form one ring or can surround another ring as a
guard. These
hinged rings can use one or two hinges and the various parts can be rotated
relative to one
another in various directions In addition, some of these hinged rings include
a catch that
secures the two parts together.
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One such hinged two-part finger ring is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,307,375
to Estrin
et ai. The ring disclosed are connected at one point by a hinge. At a point on
the ring
diametrically opposite the hinge, a latch holds the two parts together. The
latch is connected to
one ring part and has a flexible tongue extending at an angled end. The other
ring part includes
a slot which removably connects the angled end of the latch thereby holding
the two ring parts
together. When the two parts are rotated together about the hinge, the tongue
flexes when it
meets the opposing ring part so that the angled end will fit into the slot.
The ring also includes
an overlay which covers the hinge and the latch to give the ring an aesthetic
appearance. In
this embodiment of the prior art, the hinge is arranged on the finger ring
near the palm of the
hand so that it is not normally visible.
In view of the prior art, what is needed is a ring that has at least two parts
that are
hinged together and has a unitary appearance with the hinge an integral part
of the ring. What
is also required is a finger ring that can have both engraving and gemstones
on various surfaces
of the ring.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a forger ring that has at
least two
portions that are connected by a hinge at a point along the ring.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a finger ring that
has at least two
connected portions and has a unitary appearance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a forger ring that
has a clasp to
hold at least two portions of the finger ring together in a unitary
appearance.
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It is still another object of the invention to provide a finger ring that has
a clasp and
catch whereby the clasp engages with the catch to form a ring having a unitary
appearance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a finger ring that has at
least two
portions hingably connected together and that provides a mating surface for
informational and
decorative indicia.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a finger ring that has
at least two
portions where the inner mating surfaces of the portions are generally planar
and provide
surfaces of informational and decorative indicia.
The present invention comprises of a finger ring that has at least two
toroidal members
that are connected to one another in an axial adjacent relationship by a
hinge. One end of the
hinge is connected to the first of the at least two toroidal members, and the
other end of the
I 5 hinge is connected to the second of the at least two toroidal members.
Diametrically opposite
the hinge, a clasp is movably connected to the first member. At a point
diametrically opposite
the hinge point, a catch is provided on the second member. The end of the
clasp opposite the
hinged end can be removably connected to the catch. When the clasp is
connected to the catch,
the members form a finger ring having a unitary appearance. Once the clasp is
removed from
the catch, the two toroidal members can rotate about the ring hinge.
The mating surfaces of the two toroidal surfaces are preferably disc shaped
and planar.
These generally planars surface can have informative indicia etched onto the
surfaces or that
can have decorative indicia placed into the surfaces. The informative indicia
can include a
name or a date. The decorative indicia can include gemstones and enamel. The
outer surface of
the toroidal members can also have informative and decorative indicia. In
addition, the
surfaces of the clasp can have indicia.
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These and numerous other features and advantages of the present invention will
become
readily apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and
the appended
claims.
S
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH . nR A WINr S
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a finger ring in the closed position made in
accordance
with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the hinge connecting the first and second
members and
with the members in the closed position;
FIG. 3 is on a exploded perspective view of the finger ring in the open
position;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially in the plane of
line 4-4 in
FIG. 1 and showing the clasp and the catch of the present invention with the
clasp and the
members in the closed position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of an alternate form of the clasp; and
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the clasp in the closed position with decorative
indicia on
the outer surface.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PI?,FFERRED EMBODIMENT
In FIGS. 1 and 3, illustrations of a finger ring 10 made in accordance with
the
principles of the present invention are shown in two different positions. In
particular, FIG. 1
illustrates the finger ring 10 with the ring elements in their closed
position, and FIG. 3
S illustrates the finger ring 10 with the ring elements in their open
position. In the preferred
embodiment, the finger ring has a first toroidal member 12 and a second
toroidal member 14
that are arranged, when closed, in an adjacent and axial relationship to one
another. The
principles of the present invention encompass a finger ring having more than
two members as
well as members that are oval, square or any other shape suitable for a finger
ring.
In the preferred embodiment, the first and second members 12, 14 are toroidal
in shape
having a circular inner surface 16, mating surfaces 18, 19 and outer surface
20. The mating
surfaces 18, 19 of both members are generally disc shaped and planar. The
planer arrangement
permits the two disc shaped mating surfaces 18, 19 to be closely adjacent each
other when the
finger ring 10 is in its closed position without presenting any gaps or spaces
around the outer
surface 20 of the finger ring. Likewise, the generally planar mating surfaces
18, 19 form an
inner surface 16 to the ring 10 without any gaps or spaces. Thus, the finger
ring 10 has a
unitary appearance in the closed position. The outer surfaces 20 of each of
the toroidal
members can be of any shape. For the comfort of the ring wearer, the inner and
outer surfaces
16, 20 are slightly beveled, rounded and smooth.
As seen in FIG. 2, the first toroidal member 12 is movably connected to the
second
toroidal member 14 at a point on each member by a hinge 25. At the hinge point
of the ring
10, the first toroidal member 12 includes two protrusions 27 extending from
the mating surface
18 and separated from one another by a gap 29. The outer surfaces of the
protrusions 27 are
rounded. Through the longitudinal center of each rounded protrusion 27, a pin
hole 31 is
provided. In the gap 29 of the first toroidal member 12, an indent 33 is
provided into the
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mating surface 18. The combination of the protrusions 27 and the indent 33
creates a generally
U-shaped cross-section, as seen in FIG. 2.
At the hinge point of the second toroidal member 14, two reliefs 40 are
provided into
the mating surface 19 that are generally the same dimensions as the rounded
protrusions 27.
The reliefs 40 are separated by a space generally equal to the gap 29 of the
first toroidal
member 12. The surfaces of the reliefs 40 are also rounded. Between the
reliefs 40, the second
toroidal member includes a rounded elevated portion 42. Through longitudinal
center of the
elevated portion 42, a pin hole 44 is provided.
To form the hinge 25, the elevated portion 42 of the second member fits into
the indent
33 of the first member 12, and the rounded protrusions 27 of the first member
12 fits into the
reliefs 40 of the second member 14. In this arrangement, the pin holes 31 of
the protrusions 27
align with the pin hole 44 of the elevated portion 42 so that a pin 46 can be
inserted through the
holes 31, 44. With the pin 46 in the holes 31, 44, the first and second
toroidal members 12, 14
are secured together in an adjacent and axial alignment. As each surface of
the hinge elements
are rounded, the first and second toroidal members 12, 14 easily rotate about
the pin 46 to form
the hinge 25.
At a point on the finger ring 10 opposite the hinge 25, a clasp 50 is
provided. As seen
in FIGS. 3-6 the clasp 50 has a generally C-shaped cross section. One end of
the clasp has a
hole 52 oriented longitudinally. In the preferred embodiment of the clasp 50,
the other end has
a generally reversed S-shape. The first toroidal member 12 has a gap 54
provided into the
outer surface diametrically opposite the hinge 25. The size of the gap 12 is
generally the size
of the clasp's width so that the pin end of the clasp 50 fits into the gap 54.
Into the internal
surfaces of the first toroidal member created by the gap 54, holes 56 are
provided. When the
pin end of the clasp SO is positioned into the gap 54, the hole 52 of the
clasp 50 aligns with the
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holes 56 in the internal surfaces as the first toroidal member 12. A pin 58 is
positioned within
the holes 52, 56 so that the clasp 50 is journaled to the first toroidal
member 12 forming a clasp
hinge. Thus, the clasp 50 rotates about the pin 58 between a closed (FIG. 4)
and an open
position (FIG 5).
A catch 61 is provided in the second toroidal member 14. An indent 63 is
positioned in
the outer surface of the second toroidal member 14 at a point diametrically
opposite the hinge
25. As seen in the FIGS. 4 and 5, the bottom surface 65 of the catch 61 is
angled from the
outer surface into the inner surface of second member 14. When the first and
second toroidal
members 12, 14 are placed in the closed position, the clasp 50 can be rotated
from the open
position (FIG. 4) to the closed position (FIG. 5) so that the reversible S-
shaped end abuts and
tightly engages the angled surface 65 of the catch 50. The S-shaped end of the
clasp is flexible
due to its shape so that the clasp 50 can slide over the catch as it is closed
and opened. Because
of the angled surface 65, the clasp 50 is secured in the closed position.
In the preferred embodiment of the catch 61 shown in the drawings, the catch
61
includes a gap 67 in the mating surface 20 of the second toroidal member 14.
The mating
surface of the first toroidal member 12 has a guide block 69 extending out
from a point
opposite the hinge 25. The guide block 69 is generally the same size as the
gap 67 on the
mating surface of the second toroidal member 14 so that the guide block 69
fits into the gap 67
when the first and second members 12, 14 are in the closed position. This
arrangement adds
rigidity to the clasp 50 and catch 61 configuration.
Referring back to FIG. 3, the planar mating surfaces 18, 19 of the first and
second
toroidal members 12, 14 can have informational 70 or decorative 72 indicia on
them. For the
informational indicia 70, the planar surface has letters and numbers etched
into the surface to
form words and dates. For the decorative indicia 72, gemstones and the like
can be set into the
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mating surface 20 by known methods. In addition, the mating surfaces 18, 19
can have enamel
inlaid into the surface. For the decorative indicia 72, the gemstones or
enamel must be set and
inlaid into the mating surface so that when the first and second toroidal
members 12, 14 are in
the closed position the indicia 70, 72 does not inhibit the members 12, 14
from being adjacent
to one another and the finger ring I 0 having a unitary appearance.
The finger ring 10 can also have informational and decorative indicia on the
outer
surfaces 20 of the first and second member 12, 14. For gemstones 74 and the
like, the stones
will be set into or onto the outer surface by known methods. One such
embodiment is shown
in FIG. 6 where gemstones 74 are set into the clasp 61. In this embodiment,
the clasp 61 is
sized so that in its closed position, the outer surface of the clasp 61 is
raised above the outer
surface 20 of the first and second members 12, 14 without obscuring the
unitary appearance of
the finger ring.
Of course, various changes and modifications of the preferred and alternative
embodiments described will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Such changes
can be made
without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention and without
diminishing its
attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and
modifications be covered
by the appended claims.
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