Personalized jewelry item including information pertaining to birth

Patent Abstract
A personalized jewelry item comprising a pendant containing information pertaining to one's birth is provided. The pendant includes a base and a cover hinged to the base so that the cover is movable relative to the base between a swung open position and a swung closed position. The pendant has one's birthstone on one side and another stone on the other side. In a preferred embodiment, the pendant has an outwardly projecting eyelet, an aperture and a spike projecting into the aperture. The spike is being configured so that as an eyelet of an identical pendant is inserted into the aperture, and the spike fits into a hollow of the eyelet of the identical pendant to retain the identical pendant in a hanging manner.

2. The jewelry item of claim 1 wherein the cover is hinged to the base so that the cover is swung relative to the base between the open position and the closed position.

3. The jewelry item of claim 1 wherein the aperture is configured to provide insufficient clearance for the eyelet of the identical pendant to be jostled off the spike as long as the cover remains in the closed position.

4. The jewelry item of claim 1 wherein the spike includes a body and an attachment fitted onto the body to provide less clearance within the internal cavity for the eyelet of the identical pendant within internal cavity than where the attachment is off the body and outside the internal cavity.

5. A jewelry item comprising: a pendant that includes: a base and a cover movable relative to each other between an open position and a closed position, the base and the cover defining an internal cavity in the closed position, one of the base and the cover being configured to hold a precious stone or simulated precious stone and the other of the base and cover being configured to hold a birthstone.

5. The jewelry item of claim 4 wherein the cover is hinged to the base so that the cover is swung relative to the base between the open position and the closed position.

6. The jewelry item of claim 4 wherein the cover includes a setting for holding the precious stone or simulated precious stone or the birthstone.

7. The jewelry item of claim 4, further comprising an inscription on the one of the base and the cover.

8. The jewelry item of claim 7 wherein the jewelry item is placed in a package together with a certificate identifying information pertaining to birth of a person, the inscription including the information pertaining to the birth of the person, the birthstone being selected from one of twelve birthstones associated with respective months of a year and further corresponding to the respective month that the person was born.

9. A method for providing a jewelry item comprising: receiving an order for the jewelry item, the order including information pertaining to a person's birth, selecting a jewelry item having an appropriate birthstone corresponding to the information, inscribing the information pertaining to the person's birth on the jewelry item, and providing the jewelry item with capability to interlock so as to enable identical ones of the jewelry items to hang from each other in succession.

10. The method of claim 9 further including providing a certificate with the jewelry item, the certificate indicating at least a portion of the information pertaining to the person's birth.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising retaining a stone to the jewelry item, selecting the stone from the group consisting of a birthstone, a precious stone and a simulated precious stone.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising assembling the jewelry item as a pendant that includes: hinging a cover of the jewelry item to a base, and retaining a stone to one of the base and the cover and retaining the birthstone to the other of the base and cover.

Patent Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to jewelry generally, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a personalized jewelry item such as a pendant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Various types of jewelry are presented as gifts for occasions. U.S. patent publication No. 2005/0138962, for instance, discloses a pedigree jewelry pendant that represents a family with multiple children and/or multiple generations. This type of jewelry tells a story of the family and denotes the pride of parenthood. Conventional jewelry also includes the "Mother's ring" containing the birthstones of each child, which likewise displays a story of the family and denotes the pride of parenthood.

[0003] While conventional jewelry that tells a story and denotes the pride of parenthood has its attributes, the jeweler may need to spend time to modify the jewelry at a later time to reflect the addition of further lineage indication. Thus, the jewelry owner gives up possession of jewelry to the jeweler for a period of time until the jeweler finishes the alteration. In the interim, the jeweler needs to separately identify the jewelry entrusted to the jeweler's care so that the jeweler can identify it when it comes time to make the alteration and to return it to the owner when done. Further, the jewelry owner is without the jewelry for the period of time that the jewelry is left in the care of the jeweler--not because the jewelry item needs to be repaired, but rather because a further lineage indication is to be added.

[0004] It is desirable to have a pendant that not only tells a story of the family and denotes the pride of parenthood, but which does not need to be altered or modified by the jeweler to show a further lineage indication. It is also preferable to process an order for further lineage indication without the need to leave an original jewelry item with a jeweler to alter or modify it to reflect the further lineage indication. It is also desirable to provide a pendant with a precious stone on one side and birth related information, such as a birthstone, on the other.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a jewelry item comprises receiving an order for the jewelry item, the order including information pertaining to a person's birth, selecting a jewelry item having an appropriate birthstone corresponding to the information, inscribing the information pertaining to the person's birth on the jewelry item, and providing the jewelry item with capability to interlock so as to enable identical ones of the jewelry items to hang from each other in succession.

[0006] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a jewelry item comprises a pendant that includes a base and a cover movable relative to each other between open and closed positions. One of the base and the cover is configured to hold a precious stone or simulated precious stone and the other of the base and cover is configured to hold a birthstone.

[0007] Further, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a jewelry item comprises a pendant that includes a base and a cover movable relative to each other between the open and closed position. The pendant has an outwardly projecting eyelet, an aperture and a spike projecting into the aperture. The spike is configured so that as an eyelet of an identical pendant is inserted into the aperture, the eyelet of the identical pendant may be positioned to allow the spike to fit into a hollow of the eyelet of the identical pendant to retain the identical pendant in a hanging manner.

[0008] As can be appreciated, the present invention has novel features with respect to an interlocking mechanism of a jewelry item such as a pendant, the stone placement on the pendant, the inscription of information pertaining to a birth on the jewelry item, personalizing the jewelry pertaining to the birth, and enabling multiple pendants to be hung one after another with each pendant pertaining to a birth of a newborn or a pet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings, while the scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a pendant with its cover being closed, in accordance with the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of the pendant of FIG. 1 with the cover being open.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a bottom isometric view of the pendant of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a side isometric view of the pendant of FIG. 1 interconnecting to another pendant in accordance with the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front isometric view of the pendant of FIG. 1 interconnecting to another pendant.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the pendant of FIG. 1 attached to another pendant of FIG. 5 in a hanging manner.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing steps in a method for providing a jewelry item in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Now turning to FIG. 1, a pendant 10 includes a base 12, a cover 14 hinged to the base 12 and an outwardly projecting eyelet 16. The cover 14 is movable about a hinge 17 and thereby movable relative to the base 12 between a swung open position and a swung closed position. The base 12 has an aperture 18 which defines an upright hook or spike 20 for connecting to an eyelet of another pendant. The spike of one pendant and an eyelet of another may be considered an interlocking mechanism. The cover 14 has a setting in the form of bars 22 for securing a stone 24, which may be exemplified by a precious stone, a simulated precious stone or a birthstone. It should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that settings of alternate conventional constructions that do not employ the bars 22 can be used for holding a stone or stones.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows the pendant 10 with the cover 14 being in a partially open position. Within the bottom of the base 12 are both a birthstone 30, which fits in an opening 32, and a star-shape opening 34. Projecting from the bottom of the base 12 toward the cover is a metal wire 36, which may be bent towards the aperture 20 to further secure an eyelet of a different pendant that is retained on the spike 20. The cover 14 has a recessed area 38 that provides a clearance for a eyelet hooked by the spike 20 when the cover is in a closed position. The indented or recessed portions 40 of the cover 14 are positioned to align with protrusions 42 extending inwardly on the base 12 so that the cover 14 and the base 12 can be locked together when the cover 14 is swung down in the closed position.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows the underside of the base 12 with a birthstone 30 fitting in the opening 32 and with a star-shape opening 34. The birthstone 30 is selected from one of twelve birthstones associated with respective month of a year and further corresponds to the respective month that a person was born. Various conventional ways for securing the birthstone 30 can be used. For example, the birthstone 30 can be held by a bezel setting. This involves creating a hole in the metal mechanically, placing the stone in the hole, and pushing back some of the surrounding metal at the periphery to secure the stone in position in the hole.

[0020] The star-shape opening 34 may alternatively be eliminated or be changed into a different geometric shape. If desired, additional stones, whether precious, semi-precious or simulated, may be added to the pendant. Furthermore, the name and birth date of a person such as a newborn baby or the name of a pet can be inscribed on the underside of the base 12. Other personalized information may be inscribed on the base 12 or other part of the pendant.

[0021] FIGS. 4 and 5 show interconnecting the pendant 10 to another pendant 60. Referring to FIG. 4, the pendant 10 is swung to a partially open position with the hinge 17. It can be seen through the portion representing the broken view of the base 12 that the eyelet 62 of the pendant 60 is inserted into the aperture (not shown due to the broken portion). The spike 20 of the pendant 10 fits into the hollow of the eyelet 62 of the pendant 60 to retain the pendant 60 in a hanging manner. The clearance provided by the open cover 14 allows the hollow of the eyelet 62 to position over the spike 20. When the cover 14 is in a closed position, the aperture 18 is configured to provide insufficient clearance for the eyelet 62 to be jostled off the spike 20.

[0022] The height of the spike 20 may exceed the height of the upper edge of the aperture 18 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, interlocking an eyelet 62 over a spike necessitates the cover 14 being open. Alternatively, the height of the spike 20 may be shorter than the height of the upper edge of the aperture 18 to provide a clearance that allows the eyelet to position over the spike 20 as the cover 14 remains in a closed position.

[0023] The recessed area 38 of the cover 14 provides a clearance for the eyelet 62 held by the spike 20 as the cover 14 is swung down into a closed position. The wire 36 is configured of metal to be bent towards the aperture 18 to further secure the eyelet 62 after the eyelet 62 is held in a retaining manner by the spike 20. The wire 36 may be bent so that its free end blocks the eyelet 62 from falling off the spike 20 or, if long enough, may be bent to hook onto the free end of the spike 20. It should be appreciated, however, that interlocking a pendant to another pendant may be achieved without using the wire 36.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows the pendant 10 connected to another pendant 60 in a hanging manner. In addition to the birthstone and the star-shape opening, personalized text pertaining to each of two individuals are inscribed on the pendants 10 and 60, respectively. As should be appreciated from FIG. 1-6, the manner of securing one pendant in succession to another does not require the skill of a jeweler. The customer could secure without further assistance, although it is envisioned that a jewelry sales clerk would secure the additional pendant to one owned by the customer already.

[0025] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a method to process ordering of a jewelry item. In step 100, an order for a jewelry item is received. The order can be received directly in a store, or by telephone or over the Internet. The purchaser is requested to provide personalized information to be used on the jewelry item. Preferably, the personalized information may include the name and/or birth date of an individual or a pet. In step 120, a jewelry item with an appropriate birthstone based on the personalized information is selected. In step 140, the order is processed by inscribing the personalized information pertaining to one's birth on the jewelry item having the appropriate birthstone. The jewelry item has the interlocking mechanism to enable identical ones of the jewelry items to hang from each other in succession. There is no need for the customer to entrust an existing jewelry item in the care of a jeweler for a period of time, because there is no need to alter the existing jewelry to provide a further lineage indication.

[0026] Indeed, because of the novel interlocking feature, the present invention allows a customer to add a new jewelry item easily (e.g., that makes a further lineage indication beyond that of the lineage indication of the customer's existing jewelry) without the need to alter the customer's existing jewelry. Indeed, successive pendants may be joined to ultimately represent a family with multiple children, without assistance of a jeweler.

[0027] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a certificate indicating personalized information may be provided to accompany the jewelry item. For example, the certificate may have information pertaining to one's birth, which corresponds to the information inscribed on the jewelry item. The certificate may be placed in a package together with the jewelry item or may be provided separately from the delivery of the jewelry item.

[0028] It can be appreciated that conventional process of manufacturing jewelry can be used for making the jewelry item according to the present invention.

[0029] The pendant may house personal items, such as hair, a picture, or mementos from the birth.

[0030] Example embodiments of the methods, and components of the present invention have been described herein. These example embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes only, and are not limiting. For example, as an alternative to the use of a hinge 17, it is possible to dispense with the hinge 17 by using a series of recessed portions 40 of the cover 14 together with protrusions 42 on the base 12 that allow the base 12 and the cover 14 to retain themselves to each other. With such a construction, the base 12 and the cover 14 would still be movable relative to each between open and closed positions, but they need not swing to reach those positions.

[0031] While the invention envisions hanging a succession of substantially identical pendants one from the other, the pendants themselves need not be substantially identical. By "substantially identical", the intent is that, with the exception of the choice of birthstone perhaps and the inscription, the outward appearance of each pendant looks identical. However, as long a series of pendants, substantially identical to each other or not, can be interlocked by retaining an eyelet of one on a spike of another, the body of each pendant may differ as to shape and size.

[0032] While the foregoing description and drawings represent exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the claims and their equivalents.