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Patent Abstract
A method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which includes
the steps of applying a lubricating oil to a fingertip and providing
an amount of precious metal clay sufficient to generally cover at
least a portion of a fingertip. The amount of precious metal clay
is then formed into a fingerprint-receiving shape such as a generally
flat disk or plate and a fingertip is then pressed into the precious
metal clay such that a fingerprint of the fingertip is formed and
retained on and within the amount of precious metal clay. The amount
of precious metal clay is then air-dried to initially set and retain
the fingerprint and then is fired within a kiln to ablate substantially
all of the organic binding material within the precious metal clay
thereby leaving only the precious metal having the fingerprint formed
thereon which is thus available for use as a piece of jewelry.
Patent Claims
I claim:
1. A method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry comprising
the steps: applying an amount of a lubricating liquid to a fingertip;
providing an amount of precious metal clay, said amount of precious
metal clay including a quantity of a precious metal and a quantity
of a binding material in a generally homogenous mixture, said amount
of precious metal clay sufficient to generally cover at least a
portion of a fingertip; forming said amount of precious metal clay
into a fingerprint-receiving shape; pressing a fingertip into said
fingerprint-receiving shape of said amount of precious metal clay
such that a fingerprint of the fingertip corresponding to the fingerprint
on the fingertip is formed and retained on and within said amount
of precious metal clay; drying said amount of precious metal clay
for a time period sufficient to initially set and retain said fingerprint
in said amount of precious metal clay; firing said amount of precious
metal clay with said fingerprint thereon within a kiln for a length
of time and at a temperature sufficient to ablate substantially
all of said organic binding material within said amount of precious
metal clay thereby leaving only said precious metal having said
fingerprint formed thereon; and removing said precious metal having
said fingerprint formed thereon from said kiln and using said precious
metal having said fingerprint formed thereon as a piece of jewelry.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of applying an amount
of a lubricating liquid to a fingertip comprises applying a lubricating
oil.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing an amount
of precious metal clay including a quantity of a precious metal
comprises providing a precious metal selected from the group consisting
of gold, silver, copper, brass, steel, platinum, palladium and rhodium.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing an amount
of precious metal clay including a quantity of a binding material
comprises providing an organic binding material.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of firing said amount
of precious metal clay with said fingerprint thereon within a kiln
comprises firing said amount of precious metal clay with said fingerprint
thereon at a temperature between 600.degree. F. and 1650.degree.
F. until substantially all of said binder material is ablated away.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of removing said precious
metal having said fingerprint formed thereon from said kiln and
using said precious metal having said fingerprint formed thereon
as a piece of jewelry further comprises forming at least one mounting
hole therethrough through which a connective piece of jewelry is
extendable for connection of said precious metal having said fingerprint
formed thereon to a necklace chain thereby facilitating the wear
and display of said precious metal having said fingerprint formed
thereon.
7. A method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry comprising
the steps: applying an amount of a lubricating oil to a fingertip;
providing an amount of precious metal clay, said amount of precious
metal clay including a quantity of a precious metal and a quantity
of a binding material in a generally homogenous mixture, said amount
of precious metal clay sufficient to generally cover at least a
portion of a fingertip; rolling said amount of precious metal clay
into a generally spherical ball; placing said generally spherical
ball of said amount of precious metal clay on a generally hard,
clean, smooth surface; forming said amount of precious metal clay
into a fingerprint-receiving generally circular disk on said generally
hard, clean, smooth surface; pressing a fingertip having a coating
of said amount of a lubricating oil into said fingerprint-receiving
generally circular disk of said amount of precious metal clay such
that a fingerprint of the fingertip corresponding to the fingerprint
on the fingertip is formed and retained on and within said amount
of precious metal clay; drying said amount of precious metal clay
for a time period sufficient to initially set and retain said fingerprint
in said amount of precious metal clay; firing said amount of precious
metal clay with said fingerprint thereon within a kiln for a length
of time and at a temperature sufficient to ablate substantially
all of said organic binding material within said amount of precious
metal clay thereby leaving only said precious metal having said
fingerprint formed thereon; and removing said precious metal having
said fingerprint formed thereon from said kiln and using said precious
metal having said fingerprint formed thereon as a piece of jewelry.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing an amount
of precious metal clay including a quantity of a precious metal
comprises providing a precious metal selected from the group consisting
of gold, silver, copper, brass, steel, platinum, palladium and rhodium.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing an amount
of precious metal clay including a quantity of a binding material
comprises providing an organic binding material.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of firing said amount
of precious metal clay with said fingerprint thereon within a kiln
comprises firing said amount of precious metal clay with said fingerprint
thereon at a temperature between 600.degree. F. and 1650.degree.
F. until substantially all of said binder material is ablated away.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of removing said precious
metal having said fingerprint formed thereon from said kiln and
using said precious metal having said fingerprint formed thereon
as a piece of jewelry further comprises forming at least one mounting
hole therethrough through which a connective piece of jewelry is
extendable for connection of said precious metal having said fingerprint
formed thereon to a necklace chain thereby facilitating the wear
and display of said precious metal having said fingerprint formed
thereon.
Patent Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PROVISIONAL PATENT
[0001] This application claims priority based on a provisional
patent, specifically on the Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 60/544,058 filed Feb. 12, 2004.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to jewelry and, more particularly,
to a method of making fingerprint imprinted precious metal jewelry
which includes the steps of applying a small amount of lubricant
to the finger providing the fingerprint impression, providing a
small amount of precious metal clay (PMC), forming a generally spherical
ball with the PMC, rolling or pressing the ball out to form a generally
flat plate of PMC, pressing the lubricated finger into the clay,
permitting the PMC to air dry, then firing the PMC in a kiln to
ablate the binding materials in the PMC, thus leaving only the precious
metal having the fingerprint formed therein to form the fingerprint
imprinted precious metal jewelry.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] There are virtually an unlimited number of different types
of jewelry which are manufactured or produced in the world today.
These include variations ranging from the least expensive cubic
zirconia piece on up to the intricate and amazing jewelry creations
of such respected craftsman as Borsheim's and Tiffany. However,
regardless of the type and cost of the piece of jewelry, one thing
that the majority of purchasers have in common in their desires
for their jewelry is that the jewelry should be as unique, striking,
and attractive as possible, which will thus attract the interest
of viewers of the jewelry and enhance the appearance of the wearer
of the jewelry. Obviously, the chance for a piece of jewelry to
be unique increases with the cost of the piece and the number and
types of precious stones and metals used in connection with the
piece of jewelry, but it is also clear that very few people can
afford this type of personalization of their jewelry. Furthermore,
the mere addition or substitution of various types of gems and/or
metals in a piece of jewelry will not always result in the type
of personalization which the owner of the piece of jewelry wants.
For example, for jewelry given or received in connection with a
particular event or from a particular person, there is naturally
the desire to have the piece of jewelry reflect in some way the
person or event with which the jewelry is related. Although this
can be done by engraving, it is far preferable to have the piece
of jewelry include as a designed feature a personalization which
will have significance to the owner of the piece of jewelry. There
is therefore a need for an easy-to-use method by which the personalization
of a piece of jewelry may be performed and thus the uniqueness of
the piece of jewelry may be enhanced.
[0006] There are some types of jewelry currently being produced
which include the fingerprint of the individual or a loved one on
a plate or disk of precious metal, and the popularity of these types
of jewelry is increasing. However, the methods of production for
these pieces of jewelry are laborious and often don't produce the
quality of result necessary to ensure that the resulting piece of
jewelry is usable by the purchaser. The common way to transfer the
fingerprint is to use the lost wax method of transfer, where the
purchaser would imprint a wax block with the fingerprint to be transferred,
and the jewelry manufacturer would then use that wax block to create
the jewelry piece by adding the molten metal to the wax block to
get the imprint on the metal. It should be clear that this method
includes many different opportunities for the process to break down
and produce an inferior product, including obtaining an off-center
imprint in the wax, obtaining a poor or blurred imprint in the wax
due to the inexperience of the purchaser in imprinting the wax or
adding the molten metal too quickly to destroy the imprint in the
wax prior to transfer. There is therefore a need for an improved
method by which fingerprints may be transferred to or imprinted
on jewelry.
[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide
an improved method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which
is easy to use and will produce quality results even with little
training in use of the method.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which
produces a finished product which is attractive and decorative and
can be used as a jewelry item by a purchaser of the end product.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which
may be used by many different individuals of vastly different experience
levels yet will consistently produce excellent results.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which
uses precious metal clay to quickly and easily obtain the fingerprint
imprint and transfer the imprint to the finished jewelry product.
[0012] Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide
a method of creating fingerprint-imprinted jewelry thereof which
is relatively simple, safe and efficient in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention provides a method of creating fingerprint-imprinted
jewelry which includes the steps of applying an amount of a lubricating
liquid to a fingertip and also providing an amount of precious metal
clay. The amount of precious metal clay includes a quantity of a
precious metal and a quantity of a binding material in a generally
homogenous mixture, the amount of precious metal clay sufficient
to generally cover at least a portion of a fingertip. The amount
of precious metal clay is then formed into a fingerprint-receiving
shape such as a generally flat disk or plate and a fingertip is
then pressed into the fingerprint-receiving shape of the amount
of precious metal clay such that a fingerprint of the fingertip
corresponding to the fingerprint on the fingertip is formed and
retained on and within the amount of precious metal clay. The amount
of precious metal clay is then air-dried for a time period sufficient
to initially set and retain the fingerprint in the amount of precious
metal clay, and then the amount of precious metal clay with the
fingerprint thereon is fired within a kiln for a length of time
and at a temperature sufficient to ablate substantially all of the
organic binding material within the amount of precious metal clay
thereby leaving only the precious metal having the fingerprint formed
thereon. The precious metal having the fingerprint formed thereon
is then removed from the kiln and is thus available for use as a
piece of jewelry.
[0014] The present invention thus provides a method of creating
fingerprint-imprinted jewelry which is not found in the prior art.
For example, all uses of PMC which are currently found in the art
use a "lost-wax" or other such process to transfer identifying
indicia to the PMC, and the inventor is unaware of any other process
used which transfers fingerprints or the like. Furthermore, because
the present method can be used by many different individuals up
until the firing step, it is possible to send the PMC to the purchaser
to get their fingerprint(s) instead of requiring them to come to
the jewelry manufacturer. With the present invention, however, once
the fingerprint is inserted into the PMC by the purchaser, the imprinted
PMC can be returned to the manufacturer for firing thereof, thus
streamlining the process and permitting expanded use of the method
of the present invention. Finally, because the method of creating
fingerprint-imprinted jewelry of the present invention does not
result in nearly the same amount of waste of PMC when compared to
those methods found in the prior art of using PMC, the present method
is far more cost-efficient and thus is superior to those methods.
It is therefore seen that the present invention provides a substantial
improvement over the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fingerprinted-imprinted
jewelry piece formed using the method of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates the first step of manufacture of the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates the rolling-out step of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates the indentation formation step of the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates the air-drying step of the present invention;
and
[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates the kiln-fired completed jewelry piece
having the fingerprint indentation formed therein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] The method of forming the fingerprint display jewelry 10
of the present invention is shown best in FIGS. 1-6 as including
the following steps. The user of the present method would first
apply a slight amount of a lubricating oil such as olive oil 12
to his or her fingertips 14, as shown best in FIG. 2. Olive oil
12 is suggested for use with the method of the present invention
due to its widespread availability, but is should be noted that
many different types of lubricating liquids may be used with the
present invention so long as they do not interact poorly with the
precious metal clay or obscure the fingerprints 16 on the fingertips
14 of the individual using the present invention.
[0022] The user of the method of the present invention would then
take a small amount of precious metal clay (PMC) and form a generally
spherical ball 20, as shown in FIG. 2. Precious metal clay or PMC
is a commercially available clay-based material which includes an
amount of precious metal, usually either fine silver or fine gold
which is unalloyed. When the PMC is placed within a kiln, the organic
binding material, i.e. the clay, burns away and, when fired at the
appropriate temperature for the correct length of time, an object
fashioned from PMC will emerge from the kiln as solid metal. Generally,
the temperature of the kiln should be below 1650.degree. F. for
silver and gold PMC, and the length of the firing will vary with
the size of the piece being fired. The use of PMC is becoming more
widespread and is now currently being used to fashion some types
of jewelry, but the use of PMC to record and imprint a fingerprint
has heretofore been undisclosed and untaught in the prior art.
[0023] Once the generally spherical ball 20 of PMC is formed, the
ball is then placed on a hard, clean, smooth surface, such as a
tabletop or other such surface, and rolled out slightly with a smooth
object such as a metal cylinder or pressed out with a finger or
other blunt instrument to form a generally circular or rectangular
plate such as that shown in FIG. 3. The oiled fingertip 14 having
the fingerprint 16 to be imprinted is then pressed into the rolled-out
PMC such that the fingerprint, shown best in FIG. 5, is formed and
retained on and within the PMC.
[0024] The PMC with the fingerprint formed therein is then allowed
to dry on the tabletop surface 30 for a period of approximately
twelve to twenty-four hours at which time the PMC is removed and
placed within a kiln for firing thereof. Once the PMC is placed
within the kiln (not shown), it is fired for an appropriate length
of time at the appropriate temperature to ablate the organic binding
material within the PMC, thus leaving only the precious metal, as
shown best in FIG. 6. The resulting precious metal includes the
fingerprint originally placed therein and, as the fingerprint is
now imprinted in solid precious metal, with reasonable care the
fingerprint may be expected to last for many years and provide much
enjoyment for the owner and wearer of the jewelry piece. The resulting
fingerprint display jewelry 10 may include a mounting hole 32 through
which a clasp 34 or other such connective piece of jewelry may be
extended for connection of the fingerprint display jewelry 10 to
a necklace chain 36 or the like, thus allowing the fingerprint display
jewelry 10 to be worn by the owner thereof.
[0025] Of course, it should be noted that numerous additions, modifications,
and substitutions may be made to the fingerprint display jewelry
10 and method of forming same of the present invention which fall
within the intended broad scope of the above description. For example,
a plurality of fingerprint display jewelry pieces may be affixed
to a single necklace or bracelet, thus displaying several different
fingerprints. Such a piece of jewelry may be particularly desirable
when the fingerprints of a number of children or loved ones are
to be displayed at the same time, as would be done by a proud mother,
father or grandparent of the children. Furthermore, although currently
precious metal clay is available only in gold or silver, it is expected
that advances in technology will result in additional types of precious
metal clay being developed, and the use of such newly developed
precious metal clay materials is understood to be a part of this
disclosure. Finally, the precise steps in the above-described method
may be slightly modified or changed depending on the appearance
and fingerprint design desired to be imprinted into the precious
metal clay, any of which would be understood by one versed in this
disclosure.
[0026] There has therefore been shown and described a method for
making fingerprint display jewelry which accomplishes at least all
of its intended purposes. |