US2963149A - Jewelry display device - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 6, 1960 G. G. BERGH ETAL JEWELRY DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 19, 1958 IN VEN TORS g6 GOGE G. EEEGH 505587 6, BEE-6,4

United States Patfit JEWELRY DISPLAY DEVICE George G. Bergh and Robert G. Bergh, Attleboro Falls, Mass., assignors to Bergh Bros. Co., Inc., Attleboro, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 19, 1958, Ser. No. 736,217

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-76) This invention relates to a jewelry display device, and more particularly to an adjustable ring holder.

It is common in jewelry displays to see ring holders which can hold upright and display rings for various finger sizes. The common fault with all such holders, however, is that they are not usable for rings of various shank widths. That is to say, narrow rings, such as wedding bands, cannot be placed in holders designed for wide rings, such as mens class rings, and vice versa. An additional fault with conventional ring holders is that they do not show the entire ring. Particularly in the case of mens rings, parts of the shank may contain engraving and relief work which is hidden by an ordinary ring holder.

It is an object of my invention to provide a ring holder which can be used for a ring of any finger size and any shank size. It is a further object of my invention to provide a ring holder which will display the entire ring.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a ring holder which will keep a ring securely in place under the most adverse shipping and handling conditions. Since conventional ring holders all have considerable amounts of padding, etc., which take up more space than is necessary for simply enclosing a ring, another object is to provide a ring holder which will occupy a smaller volume than conventional types, with resultant savings in storage and shipping costs.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a ring holder which will display a ring at some angle other than straight up and down, which ordinary ring holders are limited to. Another object is to provide for an adjustable angle of display, so that the angle will be suited to the particular characteristics of the ring.

Other objects of my invention are to provide artistic backgrounds for ring display and to provide a basic holder suited .for use with any type of cloth desired as a background.

In the accomplishment of these and other objects of my invention, I employ a flat plate as a base element, a narrow strip of a resiliently flexible material rising from said base as a support element, and a channel-shaped strip of a resiliently flexible material, supported by the support element, as a holder for a ring. Viewed from above, the channel shaped strip presents, in cross section, the shape of a letter C turned on its back.

It is a feature of my invention that a ring of any finger size and any shank size may be placed around the channel shaped holder. The resiliency of the strip will then hold it securely in place, since the diameter of the channel is initially made as large as the largest finger size for which the holder will be used. Another feature is that the entire ring will be visible when placed on my holder. Ordinarily, the holder will be covered with a suitable decorative cloth and placed in a box. It is an additional feature of my invention that the entire holder, cloth and ring can be placed in a substantially smaller box than 2,963,149 Patented Dec. 6, 196Q any conventional ring holder. 'Ihis results from the absence of padding and from the fact that the ring will ordinarily be held in a nearly horizontal position, which permits the use of a smaller but still pleasingly proportioned box.

A further feature of my invention is that the nearly horizontal angle at which the ring is held permits a more striking display than the conventional vertical position. Still another feature is that the angle of display may be varied simply by bending the support element.

Additional features are that any type or thickness of cloth may be draped around the holder, since it is adjustable to any finger size and automatically compensates for added cloth thickness. Also, the fact that cloth is draped adds to the pleasing background appearance of the holder.

These and other objects and features of my invention will best be understood and appreciated from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a jewelry box in which a ring holder is mounted. The ring holder is shown with a cloth and a ring in place;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a ring holder;

Figure 3 is a view of a ring holder from above;

Figure 4 is a view of a ring holder in side elevation shown in cross section along line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a view of a stamping from a flat piece of material from which a ring holder will be formed.

The preferred embodiment of my invention herein shown, comprises a base element 10, a support element 12, and a channel shaped strip 14. In Figure 1, the ring holder is shown mounted in a box 16 and covered with a cloth 18. A ring 20 is indicated in position on the holder. In Figures 2, 3 and 4 the base element 10 is shown mounted on a larger base element 22, which is suitable for positioning the holder within a box 16. An inwardly curled lip 24 extends around the upper edge of the strip 14 and serves as a stiffening flange which helps the strip 14 maintain a given position of adjustment, which protects the cloth 18 from being cut by sharp edges, and which also aids in guiding a ring 20 into the holder.

Figure 5 shows a ring holder in the process of manufacture. The base 10, support element 12, and channel shaped strip 14 can all be conveniently stamped in one operation from a single flat sheet of a suitable resiliently flexible material. In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have employed a relatively soft but resilient metal, which permits the diameter of the channel shaped strip 14 to be enlarged or diminished at will, although still retaining its resilient properties.

In Figures 4 and 5, it will be noted that the side portions 26 of the channel shaped strip 14 are narrower than the central portion of the strip 14. As is shown in Figure 4, this permits the strip 14 to be bent back at a sharper angle than would be possible if the strip 14 were rectangular in shape. A ring 20 is shown in shadow form in Figure 4, demonstrating the minimum volume taken up by the ring 20 and holder when the side portions 26 of the strip 14 are pressed downward to the base 10.

Certain minor variations of this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, metal is not the only material which can be used. Many plastics of suitable resiliency could be used for the entire holder or for parts of it. Also, the base could be made from plastic and the rest of the holder from metal, or vice versa. Therefore, it is not my intention to confine the invention to the precise form herein shown, but rather to limit it in terms of the appended claim.

Having thus described and disclosed a preferred em- 7 bodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A display holderfor a ring comprising: a base, means integral with said base for holding aring including 'a strip of relatively soft but yetresilient metal bent to form an open sided cylinder connected at itslower end to said base, a flange on said open cylinder extending around the upper edge of said open cylinder and disposed inwardly thereof, and a fabric covering over said ring holding means and flange, whereby said flange serves the dual purpose of yieldingly buttressing said cylinder against References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 542,751 Boyden July 16, 1895 608,946 Adams Aug. 9, 1898 1,579,221 Lumbeck Apr. 6, 1926 1,636,251 Shields July 19, 1927 1,907,681 Sundee May 9, 1933 2,384,112 Meyer Sept. 4, 1945 Gialanella May 5, 1953

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