CA1289761C - Fine jewelry rope chain - Google Patents
Fine jewelry rope chainInfo
- Publication number
- CA1289761C CA1289761C CA000597454A CA597454A CA1289761C CA 1289761 C CA1289761 C CA 1289761C CA 000597454 A CA000597454 A CA 000597454A CA 597454 A CA597454 A CA 597454A CA 1289761 C CA1289761 C CA 1289761C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- rings
- ring
- assembly
- gap
- rope chain
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
- A44C11/00—Watch chains; Ornamental chains
Landscapes
- Adornments (AREA)
- Wire Processing (AREA)
- Braiding, Manufacturing Of Bobbin-Net Or Lace, And Manufacturing Of Nets By Knotting (AREA)
- Ropes Or Cables (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A rope chain and a method for making same from precious metals, having tightly interfitting rings of a given cross-section diameter, each ring having a small gap slightly larger than its cross-section diameter to permit one ring to pass through the gap of a second ring, each of said rings having an inner diameter equal to just over X
times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X
is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each assembly comprising X+1 rings, each ring of said assembly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180° removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each assembly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each of said at least one group of two or more adjcent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180° removed with respect of the gaps of the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assembly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
A rope chain and a method for making same from precious metals, having tightly interfitting rings of a given cross-section diameter, each ring having a small gap slightly larger than its cross-section diameter to permit one ring to pass through the gap of a second ring, each of said rings having an inner diameter equal to just over X
times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X
is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each assembly comprising X+1 rings, each ring of said assembly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180° removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each assembly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each of said at least one group of two or more adjcent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180° removed with respect of the gaps of the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assembly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
Description
~x~
IIELD OF r1HE l~ )t-l This invention relat~s to a novel construction for hand-~nade chains, specifically jewelry chains of tlle ty~e known as rope chains, anl to a method for malincJ same.
I-3~CKGROUND OF T~E INV~NI'ION
Rope chains made from preeious metals have, for decades, been macle largely hy hand. 1'he method of making such chains until th;s very lay will now he describe(l in letail with reference to Figllres A-D~ The hasic cvnstruction elernent, or componellt, of such rope chains is a ring formed of a solid or hollow wire, usually oE precious metal, e.g. 14 karat gold. 'rhe ring 1 shown in Figure A has an opening or gap 2 ~orme-l thereirl. This gap 2 has a narrow limension 3 at its inner ~liallleter and a wider dilllension at its outer ,1 iallleter .
The so]icl wire fornling the rincJ (Figure B) usually has flattened sicles 4 ancl rounded ends 5 ~llicll give the rinc3 1 a major dialneter (--lw~ 6 ancl a Inil-lor dialneter 7.- The eross-section of the wire formin-3 the ring 1 may also be of generally circular cross-section. rhe gap 2 Or ring 1 is substantially larger than the minor diameter 7 and is slightly larger than the major diameter dw at its narrowest dimension 3.
A multiplicity of such rings 1 are intertwined to form, in outward appearance, a double helix, as shown in Figure C, 39~
:. ~
wh].Ch i S the ~orlnat for a stan~lar~1 rope C17~ 1. These tiyhtly interfitting ring roye chains are lland-l~ade as follows, hased on the prior art teachin-Js.
'1'he ring 1 use~1 ~or the chain s~louL-I h.1ve an inller dlameter (~li) sligl-1tly Inore than X tilnes greater thal1 the In~ jor ,/ire dialneter ~lw 6, and X equals 3 or an o-l(3 nulnber greater than 3, e.g. 3.4. See U.S. Patent 4,651,517 for a detaile-l discussion. Referring now to Figures D1 4, the fir~t ring forming the rope chain will he terme~:l herein the a ring. It is the first ~1' a series o~ ~o~lr rirlgs for;lling a ring assselnbly. In tl-le example of Figllr--?s Dl 4 v~ equals 3.
The relative orientation of the rings forming ti~e rope chain is importal-t. Tl~e a ring is initially oriented (Inanually) so that its g~p, designated 20a, lies in a predetermined direction, e.g. facing generally up~aL(lly, as in Figure D1.
The second ring of this assembly, designated the b ring, is passed througl- the gap 20a oE the a ring, with the gap 20b oE the h ring facing downwardly at about 180 removed from the a ring gap 20a, as shown in Figure D2. 'rhe a and b rings are juxtaposed and intertwined so that they lay against each other, with the periphery of the h ring lying against the periphery of the a ring, to the greatest extent possihle, thereby creating a relatively large central opening 30 with the pair of intertwined abutting a and b rings. The plane of the a ring lies in parallel to the plane of the paper, and the plane of the b ring is slightly skewed frolll the a plane.
The gap ~Oc of thr third ring c is the~n passed through the yap 20~) of the b ring and over the Ininor dialne~eL of th~ a ring and laid ~1gularly against the a and b rings, the ga~
20c of the c ring lying in the saslle~ orientatiorl as the gap 20a oE the a rin~3, and as shot~n in Eigure V3, nut ,1ith its plane n1ore greatly skewed than the a an(l b rings. ~ central vpenil1g 30a still relnains within the now three intert~ined rings a, ~ and c. The planes o~ eaci1 of the rings differ Froll1 e(i~h other by perhaps about 2() hecauc;e of their angular abutn)el1t. In the case "here ~ equals 5, the planes Oe the rings woulrl differ frorn each otl1er by about 15.
Turnil1c3 now to Figure D4, the gap 20d of a fourth riny d is now passed over the a, b and c ringC~ through the central openil1g 30b, and thereby envelopes l:he a, h ar1d c rings.
rhe c rin(l is laid against the otl-1er rings (a-c) and its plane lies appr~oxinlately 20 Eroln the plane of the c ring.
The gap 20d o~ the d ring is (1isposed in the same orientatiol1 as the gap 20c of the d rinc3.
'l'he jnst-c1escri~e1 intertwining ar1(1 or-ier1tatior1 of a-d rings permits the continuation of the intertwil1ing of additional assem~lies of rings (o four rinc3s each, where X = 3, or six rings each when X = 5 etc.) to create a "douhle helix" rope chain of a desired length. The adding on of an additional assembly of four rings is a repetition of the orientation previously descri~ed with reference to the a-d series, hut the planes of this second asseln~ly lie at appro~imately 90 to the planes of the respective rings in the first assem~ly .
~ 8!~7 ~l It is to ~e notec1 that the gaps of thQ first arld thirc~ ring additions oE a second ring asselnbly abut the previous firs~
and third rinqs, and the second and fourth rings pass through the gaps of the previous second and fourth rings and that the relative orientations of the gaps of the rinys alternate bets1~en atljacent rings a~out 1f30. lrhu5~ as far as the operalor is concerned, he or sh- is al~ays alternatilly the gap orientation whiLe intert~ining each adciitiol1al ring.
~fter ~uildinc3 ~Ip tl~e rings in tile Inanner just descri~ed, to forlll tl~e louhle l1elix rope chaLIl (Fig~lres D1 ~)~ the rings are he](1 in the c1esired juxtapositic~n temporari]y by thin metal ~7ire 25 "rappec-l about the rinys (Figure C~. Then solder , is intermittently applied, e.gO to every pair of acljacent rings usually at t~o points of the e~ternal periphery thereof. The wire 25 i; thell rellloved. The int~rm.ittc?llt sol(leri.ny S resnltcs ;.11 a rope c~lain wherein every rinc~ pair is slightly Inova'~le, w;th re;pect to its adjacent ring pairs, and resu1ts in a Chaill having the c1esire(l Elexil~ility Eor Eorming a necl;Lace or bracelet.
I'ope ChClillS havirlg ring diameter ratic)s ~ith .Y heirlcJ arl odd number greater than 3 were d1SC1OSQ(j in U.S. Patent No. 4,651,517, ~hicil disclosure is incorporatecl herewith by reEeLence . ' ~s is apparent from the above description, the Eormation of such tigi)t fitting rope chains is extrelllely complex and until no:~ they have been manuEactllred allllost entirely by ~2~
hand, particularly by skilled and expert workmen.
Because of the extremely small size of these rings, the linking of the open rings requires great dexterity and manual agility and continuous concentration on the part of ~he workmen. Since the rings must be overturned alternately through 180 and simultaneously located so as to embrace a plurality of preceding rings, errors in the manual formation are far from infrequent. Thus the production of these chains by hand involves long periods of time and consequ~ntly is very labour-intensive which adds significantly to the selling price.
It is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a fine jewelry rope chain produced manually with significant time saving.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a method for hand manufacturing a greater variety of fine jewelry rope chains with standard open rings than has been possible heretofore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objectives are achieved by providing a rope chain made from precious metals, having tightly interfitting rings of a given cross-section diameter, each ring having a small gap slightly larger than its cross-section diameter to permit one ring to pass through the gap of a second ring, each of said rings having an inner diameter equal to just over X times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each ass mbly comprising X + 1 rings, ~ach ring of said asse~bly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180 ~2~397~;~
removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each ass~mbly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each o~ said at least one group of two or more adjacent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180 removed with respect of the gaps o~ the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assemhly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
In the conventional method of manufacturing tightly fitting intertwined rope chains, thP major labour cost involves the assembling of the rings in their proper orientation within each other. This assembling operation can account for between 80-90% of the labour cost. As was stated earlier, the workman has to take special care to introduce one ring within the other rings in proper orientation, i.e., each ring must be with its gap turned 180 with respect of the adjacent ring gap. Thus such an operation involves inserting one ring within another or within a group of rings and turning the ring to its proper gap orientation. We have ~i.
7~L
... -- 1 --discc)v~ LC''I tl! l i i t is possi~Lc~ ~:o ~ rlllf~clur-~ ~OjJ2 C~ irl';
Witil tightly fittincJ intertTlined rings i~y usiillg Inultiple adjacellt rings oriented "ith their gaps in the saine directic7l-~ hi~i produces a lahour saving for e~ery ring whicll is introduced into a ring asselnbLy, that ~loes not have to be turned 1'3(). This novel and var;able arrarl3ement of ring orientations permits the Inlnuflclure of rope chains havirlg varia~le ring assemblies o~ botll ev~n and o.rl~l nulllbe~s, i.e. ~rhere the ratio o the inner dia!lleter of the ring to its cross-section, X, can 1~2 any even or od~l nulnber from 3 and abov~.
Manufacturirlg rope chains accorcliny to this invention with ring assenlb1ies having at least olle group oE two or more acljacellt intertwined rings oriel-lted with their gaps in the salne clirection is made possihle by fixiny the similarly orientecl adjacellt rings to one another, so that each group of such silnilarly oriented rings can be considered ancl treate(:l as if it were a singLe ring witll a single ga2.
'I'he precious Inetals for fine jewelry rope chaills of this invention Inay he gold, platinum, silver and their alloys.
~ F I~ESCRIPrl'IOt'l Oi '1'll1. I~R~INGS
The inv2ntion will now he discusse(l with reference to- the drawirlgs, in wh ich -L~igure ~ is a plall view of an or7erl ring used for Illa!~ing ro~7echains;
~97~i~
Eigure ~ is a cross-section of the prior art "ire forlniny the ring oE FiJure ~ taken along the lines ~-2;
Fi.gure C is a side elevation showlng a se~ctiorl of a prior art finished rope chain;
Eigures 01-V,~ show, in sequerlce an-l in per;pective, the bu:ild-up of pr;or art rope chains from opcn rings;
Figur.e 1 i~ a schelllatic representatioll of a section of rope chairl with the ring gap orientation alternatirlc3 1~0 as in the prior art, and wherein di is slightly greater than 3 times the ring cross-section. dw;
Fiyure 2 is a schematic represc-~ntati.orl of a section of rope chairl in accorc~ance with the invetltiorl, a:lso l]aviny a 3 :1 r.ing diameter to cross-section ratio as in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a schelnatic representation of a section of rope cllai.tl according to the invention having a ri~-lg cliameter to cross-section rat:io of 4+:1;
Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a section of rope chain in accordance with the invention, wherein the ring diameter to cross-section is 5~
Figure 5 illustrates schematically a section of another preferred rope chain in accordance with the invention having a ring diameter to cross-section ratio o.E 5~:1; ancl Figure 5 illustr~tes schematica]ly tll inve]ltiorl ~Jith rillgs haviny ~ 6~:l rirlg diameter to cross-seetion ratio.
Turnirlg now to Eiyure 1, this shows schelncltieall~ two ring assem~-)lies in series irl accorclarlce witll tlle pr;or .Irt~ ~,rhere ~ = 3, i.e. three rings a, b an-l c ~E the firsl: asse~ )ly al~d aa, bb and cc of the seeond assemhly are intert~,7ined with alternating gap orientations of 1~0 and the fourth ring d ar-d dd oE ti-e first and seeon-l assemblies respeetively is loope-l 50, 51 through the first thxee rings. Thus rings a, c, aa and cc have their gaps 40a, 40c, 4()aa ancl 40ee, respectively turnt_d 180 with respect of the gaps of rings b, cl, hh and dt-l. Rings d and ~d envelop (50, 51) the previous three rings of their respective asst_mblies. Each pair of alternating rings is soldered together S1 leaving rooln for movemerlt between pairs of rings a-h, e-d, aa-bh and cc-t:lcl. Because of this alternating ring gap orientation, all the rings exeeE~t ring a must be inserted into tne group of rincJs b~ turning 180 with respect of the previous ring, thus requiriny additional time eonsuming manipulation.
Let us now eolnpare this prior art ring assembly with the invention as illustratec1 in Figure 2. Ilere we see two ring asselnhLies, a to d and aa to dd, eaeh having one group of three adjeent rings b-e-d an-l bh-ee-dcl with the same gap orientatiorl and or-ly two rings, a and aa, witll gaps oriented 180 with respect of these groups of rings. The rings d and dd envelop (52, 53) the previous rings of their respective ring assemblies. This arrangelllent of rings requires that the yroups (~f rings, b-c-d- an(l ~ -ce-d-l, be soldered S
together to Forln single urlits~ Tl)e last rin(J ~l atld dd o~
~ 7~
each assembly is, in this case, soldered S1 to ~he ~irs~
ring aa, ee of the ne~t assembly. In this exarnple, the number or rinys whieh must h~ manipulated for eaeh assernbl~
and turned 180 ,lith respeet to the previous ring is only one, which is a 2/3 saving of time for this type of manipulationO Overall, this arrangement ean save approximately 18-20~ of la~ollr costs in the manufacture of such a rope ehain. ~s ~ill become apparent, this labour saving inereases relative t-> the prior art method as the number of adjaeent rings havirlg the same gap orientation in a group increases.
It is to be understood that Figures 1-6 represent only sehematie illustrations of tl~e gap orientation of the rings.
In reality the rings are aetually laid angularly against one another, being intertwined, with the plane oE eaeh ring differing from its adjacent ring as illustrated in Figure D4 for assemblies in which X = 3.
Referring now to Flgure 3, this schematically iLlustrates a seetion of rope chain having a ring diameter to eross-section ratio o 4+:1. Each ring assembly comprises 5 rings. In this case, rlngs a, d, aa and dd have their gaps in one orientation and rings b, c, e, bb, ce and ee in the opposite orientation. Rings b and e form one group and rings bb and ce form another group of adjacent rings having similar gap orientations. In this type of assembly, the rings in each group, b-c and bb-ee, are solclered to each other S, and the groups are soldered S1 respectively to rings d ancl dd, ,~hieh have their gaps oriented 1~0 from the ~8~317~
"
rings lr~ the gl-OUpS. Rings e anc1 ee envelop the yreceding rings (54, 55) of their respeetive ring assem}~lies.
A jewelry rope chain as illustrated in Figure 3 based on X = 4~ has never been thought to ~e possible.
Referrinc~ now to Figure 4, this seheltlatieally illustrates a seetion oE rope ehain having a ring (liameter to eross-section ratio a little over 5~ aeh riny assembly eomprises 5 rings. In this arr~ngelllerlt, rings a, c1, aa and dcl have their ~aps in one or-~entation and rings ~, e, e, f, bb~ cc, ee ancl Ef in the opposite orientation. The groups of adjaeent rings b-e, e-f, bb-ec anc1 ee-ff have similar gap orientations. In this arrangement, the rings oE eaeh group are soldered S together and the yroups in turn are soldered S1 to rings d, aa and cld respectively, irrhich ha~e their gaps orientec1 1~0 from the groups. I~ill(3s E ai1c1 f~ el1velop their respective rinc3 assemblies (56, 57). This arrangement of rings provides a beautiful rope chain with less labour eost than is possible ~ith the arrangemel1t diselosed in U~S.
Patent 4,G51,517.
Figure 5 illustrates another variation in the orientation of the rings in an assembly having an inside ring diameter to eross-section ratio of just over 5:1. In this arrangement there are groups of three adjaeent rings (b-e-d and bb-ee-dd) having the gap in the same orientation for each ring assembly. These rings are sok1erec1 to~ether S and the groups b-e-d anc1 bb-ee-c1d are solderecl S1 to arlother ring e 7~3L
and f respectively in the assemhly lJavirlg ;Iri opposite gap orientation. Rir1gs f and EE envelop (5 3, 59) their respective rin~3 assembly.
Figure 5 illustrates a ring arrangemerlt haviny an inside ring clialneter to cross-section of jllSt over ~ :1 colnprising 7 rings in each assembly. rrhis arearlgelllent lllustrates two ring assemblies, each with a group of four a~3jacent rings, b, c, d, e and bb, cc, dd, ee, having the same ring gap orientatlon soldered S together. Tl1ese yroups are further soldered S1 to rings having opposite gap orientations f and ff respectively. The time saving with respect of ring manipulatiorl in this arrangement is even greater than in the prevlous illustrations.
It shoulc1 also be noted that Figures 4 and 6 illustrate fine jewelry rope chain configurations that were not contemplated nor achievable according to the prior art, where only odd number ratios X of ring diameter to cross-section were considerecl .
This invention makes it possihle to InanuEacture fine jewelry rope chains with assemblies where X may be an even or odd number having from two to X nurnber oE adjacent rings with the same gap or ientation .
The ratio of the ring inner diameter to ring cross-section i5 preferably X.1 to X.X and Inost preferably X.1 to X.7 wherein X is a number equal to 3 or more. Preferably X
equa l s ~ to 7 .
~97~
It is of course understood that hollo~" rin~l~; can also De used to provide further cost savin~J, sir)ce ~ess precious Inetal :is thell used.
IIELD OF r1HE l~ )t-l This invention relat~s to a novel construction for hand-~nade chains, specifically jewelry chains of tlle ty~e known as rope chains, anl to a method for malincJ same.
I-3~CKGROUND OF T~E INV~NI'ION
Rope chains made from preeious metals have, for decades, been macle largely hy hand. 1'he method of making such chains until th;s very lay will now he describe(l in letail with reference to Figllres A-D~ The hasic cvnstruction elernent, or componellt, of such rope chains is a ring formed of a solid or hollow wire, usually oE precious metal, e.g. 14 karat gold. 'rhe ring 1 shown in Figure A has an opening or gap 2 ~orme-l thereirl. This gap 2 has a narrow limension 3 at its inner ~liallleter and a wider dilllension at its outer ,1 iallleter .
The so]icl wire fornling the rincJ (Figure B) usually has flattened sicles 4 ancl rounded ends 5 ~llicll give the rinc3 1 a major dialneter (--lw~ 6 ancl a Inil-lor dialneter 7.- The eross-section of the wire formin-3 the ring 1 may also be of generally circular cross-section. rhe gap 2 Or ring 1 is substantially larger than the minor diameter 7 and is slightly larger than the major diameter dw at its narrowest dimension 3.
A multiplicity of such rings 1 are intertwined to form, in outward appearance, a double helix, as shown in Figure C, 39~
:. ~
wh].Ch i S the ~orlnat for a stan~lar~1 rope C17~ 1. These tiyhtly interfitting ring roye chains are lland-l~ade as follows, hased on the prior art teachin-Js.
'1'he ring 1 use~1 ~or the chain s~louL-I h.1ve an inller dlameter (~li) sligl-1tly Inore than X tilnes greater thal1 the In~ jor ,/ire dialneter ~lw 6, and X equals 3 or an o-l(3 nulnber greater than 3, e.g. 3.4. See U.S. Patent 4,651,517 for a detaile-l discussion. Referring now to Figures D1 4, the fir~t ring forming the rope chain will he terme~:l herein the a ring. It is the first ~1' a series o~ ~o~lr rirlgs for;lling a ring assselnbly. In tl-le example of Figllr--?s Dl 4 v~ equals 3.
The relative orientation of the rings forming ti~e rope chain is importal-t. Tl~e a ring is initially oriented (Inanually) so that its g~p, designated 20a, lies in a predetermined direction, e.g. facing generally up~aL(lly, as in Figure D1.
The second ring of this assembly, designated the b ring, is passed througl- the gap 20a oE the a ring, with the gap 20b oE the h ring facing downwardly at about 180 removed from the a ring gap 20a, as shown in Figure D2. 'rhe a and b rings are juxtaposed and intertwined so that they lay against each other, with the periphery of the h ring lying against the periphery of the a ring, to the greatest extent possihle, thereby creating a relatively large central opening 30 with the pair of intertwined abutting a and b rings. The plane of the a ring lies in parallel to the plane of the paper, and the plane of the b ring is slightly skewed frolll the a plane.
The gap ~Oc of thr third ring c is the~n passed through the yap 20~) of the b ring and over the Ininor dialne~eL of th~ a ring and laid ~1gularly against the a and b rings, the ga~
20c of the c ring lying in the saslle~ orientatiorl as the gap 20a oE the a rin~3, and as shot~n in Eigure V3, nut ,1ith its plane n1ore greatly skewed than the a an(l b rings. ~ central vpenil1g 30a still relnains within the now three intert~ined rings a, ~ and c. The planes o~ eaci1 of the rings differ Froll1 e(i~h other by perhaps about 2() hecauc;e of their angular abutn)el1t. In the case "here ~ equals 5, the planes Oe the rings woulrl differ frorn each otl1er by about 15.
Turnil1c3 now to Figure D4, the gap 20d of a fourth riny d is now passed over the a, b and c ringC~ through the central openil1g 30b, and thereby envelopes l:he a, h ar1d c rings.
rhe c rin(l is laid against the otl-1er rings (a-c) and its plane lies appr~oxinlately 20 Eroln the plane of the c ring.
The gap 20d o~ the d ring is (1isposed in the same orientatiol1 as the gap 20c of the d rinc3.
'l'he jnst-c1escri~e1 intertwining ar1(1 or-ier1tatior1 of a-d rings permits the continuation of the intertwil1ing of additional assem~lies of rings (o four rinc3s each, where X = 3, or six rings each when X = 5 etc.) to create a "douhle helix" rope chain of a desired length. The adding on of an additional assembly of four rings is a repetition of the orientation previously descri~ed with reference to the a-d series, hut the planes of this second asseln~ly lie at appro~imately 90 to the planes of the respective rings in the first assem~ly .
~ 8!~7 ~l It is to ~e notec1 that the gaps of thQ first arld thirc~ ring additions oE a second ring asselnbly abut the previous firs~
and third rinqs, and the second and fourth rings pass through the gaps of the previous second and fourth rings and that the relative orientations of the gaps of the rinys alternate bets1~en atljacent rings a~out 1f30. lrhu5~ as far as the operalor is concerned, he or sh- is al~ays alternatilly the gap orientation whiLe intert~ining each adciitiol1al ring.
~fter ~uildinc3 ~Ip tl~e rings in tile Inanner just descri~ed, to forlll tl~e louhle l1elix rope chaLIl (Fig~lres D1 ~)~ the rings are he](1 in the c1esired juxtapositic~n temporari]y by thin metal ~7ire 25 "rappec-l about the rinys (Figure C~. Then solder , is intermittently applied, e.gO to every pair of acljacent rings usually at t~o points of the e~ternal periphery thereof. The wire 25 i; thell rellloved. The int~rm.ittc?llt sol(leri.ny S resnltcs ;.11 a rope c~lain wherein every rinc~ pair is slightly Inova'~le, w;th re;pect to its adjacent ring pairs, and resu1ts in a Chaill having the c1esire(l Elexil~ility Eor Eorming a necl;Lace or bracelet.
I'ope ChClillS havirlg ring diameter ratic)s ~ith .Y heirlcJ arl odd number greater than 3 were d1SC1OSQ(j in U.S. Patent No. 4,651,517, ~hicil disclosure is incorporatecl herewith by reEeLence . ' ~s is apparent from the above description, the Eormation of such tigi)t fitting rope chains is extrelllely complex and until no:~ they have been manuEactllred allllost entirely by ~2~
hand, particularly by skilled and expert workmen.
Because of the extremely small size of these rings, the linking of the open rings requires great dexterity and manual agility and continuous concentration on the part of ~he workmen. Since the rings must be overturned alternately through 180 and simultaneously located so as to embrace a plurality of preceding rings, errors in the manual formation are far from infrequent. Thus the production of these chains by hand involves long periods of time and consequ~ntly is very labour-intensive which adds significantly to the selling price.
It is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a fine jewelry rope chain produced manually with significant time saving.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a method for hand manufacturing a greater variety of fine jewelry rope chains with standard open rings than has been possible heretofore.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objectives are achieved by providing a rope chain made from precious metals, having tightly interfitting rings of a given cross-section diameter, each ring having a small gap slightly larger than its cross-section diameter to permit one ring to pass through the gap of a second ring, each of said rings having an inner diameter equal to just over X times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each ass mbly comprising X + 1 rings, ~ach ring of said asse~bly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180 ~2~397~;~
removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each ass~mbly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each o~ said at least one group of two or more adjacent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180 removed with respect of the gaps o~ the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assemhly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
In the conventional method of manufacturing tightly fitting intertwined rope chains, thP major labour cost involves the assembling of the rings in their proper orientation within each other. This assembling operation can account for between 80-90% of the labour cost. As was stated earlier, the workman has to take special care to introduce one ring within the other rings in proper orientation, i.e., each ring must be with its gap turned 180 with respect of the adjacent ring gap. Thus such an operation involves inserting one ring within another or within a group of rings and turning the ring to its proper gap orientation. We have ~i.
7~L
... -- 1 --discc)v~ LC''I tl! l i i t is possi~Lc~ ~:o ~ rlllf~clur-~ ~OjJ2 C~ irl';
Witil tightly fittincJ intertTlined rings i~y usiillg Inultiple adjacellt rings oriented "ith their gaps in the saine directic7l-~ hi~i produces a lahour saving for e~ery ring whicll is introduced into a ring asselnbLy, that ~loes not have to be turned 1'3(). This novel and var;able arrarl3ement of ring orientations permits the Inlnuflclure of rope chains havirlg varia~le ring assemblies o~ botll ev~n and o.rl~l nulllbe~s, i.e. ~rhere the ratio o the inner dia!lleter of the ring to its cross-section, X, can 1~2 any even or od~l nulnber from 3 and abov~.
Manufacturirlg rope chains accorcliny to this invention with ring assenlb1ies having at least olle group oE two or more acljacellt intertwined rings oriel-lted with their gaps in the salne clirection is made possihle by fixiny the similarly orientecl adjacellt rings to one another, so that each group of such silnilarly oriented rings can be considered ancl treate(:l as if it were a singLe ring witll a single ga2.
'I'he precious Inetals for fine jewelry rope chaills of this invention Inay he gold, platinum, silver and their alloys.
~ F I~ESCRIPrl'IOt'l Oi '1'll1. I~R~INGS
The inv2ntion will now he discusse(l with reference to- the drawirlgs, in wh ich -L~igure ~ is a plall view of an or7erl ring used for Illa!~ing ro~7echains;
~97~i~
Eigure ~ is a cross-section of the prior art "ire forlniny the ring oE FiJure ~ taken along the lines ~-2;
Fi.gure C is a side elevation showlng a se~ctiorl of a prior art finished rope chain;
Eigures 01-V,~ show, in sequerlce an-l in per;pective, the bu:ild-up of pr;or art rope chains from opcn rings;
Figur.e 1 i~ a schelllatic representatioll of a section of rope chairl with the ring gap orientation alternatirlc3 1~0 as in the prior art, and wherein di is slightly greater than 3 times the ring cross-section. dw;
Fiyure 2 is a schematic represc-~ntati.orl of a section of rope chairl in accorc~ance with the invetltiorl, a:lso l]aviny a 3 :1 r.ing diameter to cross-section ratio as in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a schelnatic representation of a section of rope cllai.tl according to the invention having a ri~-lg cliameter to cross-section rat:io of 4+:1;
Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a section of rope chain in accordance with the invention, wherein the ring diameter to cross-section is 5~
Figure 5 illustrates schematically a section of another preferred rope chain in accordance with the invention having a ring diameter to cross-section ratio o.E 5~:1; ancl Figure 5 illustr~tes schematica]ly tll inve]ltiorl ~Jith rillgs haviny ~ 6~:l rirlg diameter to cross-seetion ratio.
Turnirlg now to Eiyure 1, this shows schelncltieall~ two ring assem~-)lies in series irl accorclarlce witll tlle pr;or .Irt~ ~,rhere ~ = 3, i.e. three rings a, b an-l c ~E the firsl: asse~ )ly al~d aa, bb and cc of the seeond assemhly are intert~,7ined with alternating gap orientations of 1~0 and the fourth ring d ar-d dd oE ti-e first and seeon-l assemblies respeetively is loope-l 50, 51 through the first thxee rings. Thus rings a, c, aa and cc have their gaps 40a, 40c, 4()aa ancl 40ee, respectively turnt_d 180 with respect of the gaps of rings b, cl, hh and dt-l. Rings d and ~d envelop (50, 51) the previous three rings of their respective asst_mblies. Each pair of alternating rings is soldered together S1 leaving rooln for movemerlt between pairs of rings a-h, e-d, aa-bh and cc-t:lcl. Because of this alternating ring gap orientation, all the rings exeeE~t ring a must be inserted into tne group of rincJs b~ turning 180 with respect of the previous ring, thus requiriny additional time eonsuming manipulation.
Let us now eolnpare this prior art ring assembly with the invention as illustratec1 in Figure 2. Ilere we see two ring asselnhLies, a to d and aa to dd, eaeh having one group of three adjeent rings b-e-d an-l bh-ee-dcl with the same gap orientatiorl and or-ly two rings, a and aa, witll gaps oriented 180 with respect of these groups of rings. The rings d and dd envelop (52, 53) the previous rings of their respective ring assemblies. This arrangelllent of rings requires that the yroups (~f rings, b-c-d- an(l ~ -ce-d-l, be soldered S
together to Forln single urlits~ Tl)e last rin(J ~l atld dd o~
~ 7~
each assembly is, in this case, soldered S1 to ~he ~irs~
ring aa, ee of the ne~t assembly. In this exarnple, the number or rinys whieh must h~ manipulated for eaeh assernbl~
and turned 180 ,lith respeet to the previous ring is only one, which is a 2/3 saving of time for this type of manipulationO Overall, this arrangement ean save approximately 18-20~ of la~ollr costs in the manufacture of such a rope ehain. ~s ~ill become apparent, this labour saving inereases relative t-> the prior art method as the number of adjaeent rings havirlg the same gap orientation in a group increases.
It is to be understood that Figures 1-6 represent only sehematie illustrations of tl~e gap orientation of the rings.
In reality the rings are aetually laid angularly against one another, being intertwined, with the plane oE eaeh ring differing from its adjacent ring as illustrated in Figure D4 for assemblies in which X = 3.
Referring now to Flgure 3, this schematically iLlustrates a seetion of rope chain having a ring diameter to eross-section ratio o 4+:1. Each ring assembly comprises 5 rings. In this case, rlngs a, d, aa and dd have their gaps in one orientation and rings b, c, e, bb, ce and ee in the opposite orientation. Rings b and e form one group and rings bb and ce form another group of adjacent rings having similar gap orientations. In this type of assembly, the rings in each group, b-c and bb-ee, are solclered to each other S, and the groups are soldered S1 respectively to rings d ancl dd, ,~hieh have their gaps oriented 1~0 from the ~8~317~
"
rings lr~ the gl-OUpS. Rings e anc1 ee envelop the yreceding rings (54, 55) of their respeetive ring assem}~lies.
A jewelry rope chain as illustrated in Figure 3 based on X = 4~ has never been thought to ~e possible.
Referrinc~ now to Figure 4, this seheltlatieally illustrates a seetion oE rope ehain having a ring (liameter to eross-section ratio a little over 5~ aeh riny assembly eomprises 5 rings. In this arr~ngelllerlt, rings a, c1, aa and dcl have their ~aps in one or-~entation and rings ~, e, e, f, bb~ cc, ee ancl Ef in the opposite orientation. The groups of adjaeent rings b-e, e-f, bb-ec anc1 ee-ff have similar gap orientations. In this arrangement, the rings oE eaeh group are soldered S together and the yroups in turn are soldered S1 to rings d, aa and cld respectively, irrhich ha~e their gaps orientec1 1~0 from the groups. I~ill(3s E ai1c1 f~ el1velop their respective rinc3 assemblies (56, 57). This arrangement of rings provides a beautiful rope chain with less labour eost than is possible ~ith the arrangemel1t diselosed in U~S.
Patent 4,G51,517.
Figure 5 illustrates another variation in the orientation of the rings in an assembly having an inside ring diameter to eross-section ratio of just over 5:1. In this arrangement there are groups of three adjaeent rings (b-e-d and bb-ee-dd) having the gap in the same orientation for each ring assembly. These rings are sok1erec1 to~ether S and the groups b-e-d anc1 bb-ee-c1d are solderecl S1 to arlother ring e 7~3L
and f respectively in the assemhly lJavirlg ;Iri opposite gap orientation. Rir1gs f and EE envelop (5 3, 59) their respective rin~3 assembly.
Figure 5 illustrates a ring arrangemerlt haviny an inside ring clialneter to cross-section of jllSt over ~ :1 colnprising 7 rings in each assembly. rrhis arearlgelllent lllustrates two ring assemblies, each with a group of four a~3jacent rings, b, c, d, e and bb, cc, dd, ee, having the same ring gap orientatlon soldered S together. Tl1ese yroups are further soldered S1 to rings having opposite gap orientations f and ff respectively. The time saving with respect of ring manipulatiorl in this arrangement is even greater than in the prevlous illustrations.
It shoulc1 also be noted that Figures 4 and 6 illustrate fine jewelry rope chain configurations that were not contemplated nor achievable according to the prior art, where only odd number ratios X of ring diameter to cross-section were considerecl .
This invention makes it possihle to InanuEacture fine jewelry rope chains with assemblies where X may be an even or odd number having from two to X nurnber oE adjacent rings with the same gap or ientation .
The ratio of the ring inner diameter to ring cross-section i5 preferably X.1 to X.X and Inost preferably X.1 to X.7 wherein X is a number equal to 3 or more. Preferably X
equa l s ~ to 7 .
~97~
It is of course understood that hollo~" rin~l~; can also De used to provide further cost savin~J, sir)ce ~ess precious Inetal :is thell used.
Claims (11)
1. A rope chain made from precious metals, having tightly interfitting rings of a given cross-section diameter, each ring having a small gap slightly larger than its cross-section diameter to permit one ring to pass through the gap of a second ring, each of said rings having an inner diameter equal to just over X
times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each assembly comprising X + 1 rings, each ring of said assembly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180° removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each assembly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each of said at least one group of two or more adjacent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180° removed with respect of the gaps of the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assembly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
times greater than the ring cross-section diameter, where X is a number equal to or greater than 3, said rope chain being formed by a plurality of assemblies of said rings, in series, each assembly comprising X + 1 rings, each ring of said assembly being angularly intertwined with an adjacent ring, each said assembly of rings comprising at least one ring oriented with its gap about 180° removed with respect of the gap of at least one other ring within said assembly, characterized in that each assembly of rings comprises at least one group of two or more adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation, said at least two or more adjacent rings being fixedly attached to each other, each of said at least one group of two or more adjacent rings being also fixedly attached to another ring having a gap orientation about 180° removed with respect of the gaps of the rings of said group of two or more adjacent rings, and the end ring of each assembly in the series envelops the other rings of said assembly.
2. A rope chain of claim 1, wherein the said group of at least two adjacent rings having their gaps in about the same orientation are held fixedly together by solder.
3. A rope chain of claim 1, wherein X = 3 and each assembly of rings comprises from two to three adjacent rings having the same gap orientation.
4. A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein X = 4 and each assembly of rings comprises from two to four adjacent rings having their gaps in the same orientation.
5. A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein X = 5 and each ring assembly comprises from two to five adjacent rings having the same gap orientation.
6, A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein X = 5 and each ring assembly comprises two groups of two adjacent rings with the same gap orientation.
7. A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein X = 6 and each ring assembly comprises a group of from two to six adjacent rings having the same gap orientation.
8. A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein X = 7 and each ring assembly comprises a group of from two to seven adjacent rings having the same gap orientation.
9. A rope chain in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rings are made of precious metals selected from gold, platinum and silver or their alloys.
10. A chain as in claim 1, wherein the rings have hollow cores.
11. A chain as in claim 1 having a ratio of inner ring diameter to ring cross-section diameter ranging from X.1 to X.7, where X equals any number of 3 and above.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL88356 | 1988-11-10 | ||
| IL88356A IL88356A (en) | 1988-11-10 | 1988-11-10 | Fine jewelry rope chain |
| US07/286,657 US4934135A (en) | 1988-11-10 | 1988-12-19 | Fine jewelry rope chain |
| US286,657 | 1988-12-19 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1289761C true CA1289761C (en) | 1991-10-01 |
Family
ID=26321865
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000597454A Expired - Lifetime CA1289761C (en) | 1988-11-10 | 1989-04-21 | Fine jewelry rope chain |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0367367B1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU612050B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1289761C (en) |
| DE (1) | DE68909369T2 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES2046468T3 (en) |
| HU (1) | HU209999B (en) |
| PT (1) | PT90404B (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL92607A (en) * | 1989-12-08 | 1991-09-16 | Rozenwasser David | Fine jewelry rope chain |
| FR2668424B1 (en) * | 1990-10-24 | 1995-06-23 | Cartier Int Bv | ORNAMENT AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD. |
| AT401998B (en) * | 1994-04-07 | 1997-01-27 | Alexander Kuebeck | LINK CHAIN |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE211716C (en) * | ||||
| US4503664A (en) * | 1983-01-18 | 1985-03-12 | Morris Jaeger | Rope chain machine |
| US4651517A (en) * | 1985-08-15 | 1987-03-24 | Oroamerica, Inc. | Jewelry rope chain |
| IL88356A (en) * | 1988-11-10 | 1990-11-05 | Rozenwasser David | Fine jewelry rope chain |
-
1989
- 1989-04-12 ES ES89303596T patent/ES2046468T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-04-12 DE DE1989609369 patent/DE68909369T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1989-04-12 EP EP19890303596 patent/EP0367367B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-04-21 CA CA000597454A patent/CA1289761C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1989-04-28 PT PT9040489A patent/PT90404B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1989-07-13 AU AU38090/89A patent/AU612050B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1989-11-07 HU HU581389A patent/HU209999B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0367367A3 (en) | 1991-02-13 |
| ES2046468T3 (en) | 1994-02-01 |
| HU209999B (en) | 1995-01-30 |
| HU895813D0 (en) | 1990-02-28 |
| PT90404B (en) | 1995-06-30 |
| DE68909369D1 (en) | 1993-10-28 |
| EP0367367A2 (en) | 1990-05-09 |
| HUT56257A (en) | 1991-08-28 |
| DE68909369T2 (en) | 1994-01-27 |
| PT90404A (en) | 1990-05-31 |
| EP0367367B1 (en) | 1993-09-22 |
| AU612050B2 (en) | 1991-06-27 |
| AU3809089A (en) | 1990-05-17 |
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