US2181507A

US2181507A - Ornamental ring

Info

Publication number: US2181507A
Application number: US218331A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chickering Louis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-07-09
Filing date: 1938-07-09
Publication date: 1939-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1956-11-28

Description

Nov. 28, 1939.

L. CHICKERING ORNAMENTAL RING Filed July 9, 1938 I INVENTOR.

Wow WM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 2,181,507 ORNAMENTALRINGV Louis Chickering, Cincinnati, ohio Application July 9, 1928, Serial No. 218,331

2 Claims. (01. 63-15) 1 This invention relates to finger rings and other similar articles of personal ornamentation and has particular reference to a ring or the like, in which a photograph is utilized as one of the principal ornamental features.

Although the invention is equally applicable to various other articles such as brooches, pins, badges, umbrella heads, or the like, the preferred embodiment is concerned with finger rings and is so illustrated in the attached drawing and cle scribed in the ensuing specification.

In the manufacture-of rings utilizing a photograph as the principal element of ornamentation there have been two distinct methods of manufacture, due to the fact that such rings are at times sold by mail order through the medium of advertisements and catalogues and the manufacturer has a substantial period of time within which to fabricate thering for the particular customer after the order has been received. A ring construction of this type is disclosed in the patent to Lesmeister, No. 2,003,376. Rings of this general type are also sold at five and tencent stores, or sidewalk booths at fairs, expositions, and the like. In order to sell the rings under these circumstances, it is necessary to provide a structure which can be completely fabricated within a space of a few minutes. A construction of this type is illustrated in the patent to Grant, No. 2,057,484.

The construction of the present invention lends itself equally well to either of the above methods of selling. Rings embodying the present inventions may be manufactured at leisure by the use of one method, or within the space of but a few minutes by the use of a second method, both methods being hereinafter described and illustrated. Regardless of which method of manufacture is employed, the resulting products are substantially identical with one another.

One of the objectives of the present invention has been to provide a ring in which a photograph is positioned below an inexpensive but effective lens at substantially the focal point of rays passing through the lens. 4

A second object has been to provide a ring of the type described in which the photograph is positioned substantially below the outer surface of the ring and is completely protected by a frame of a depth which is substantial in relation to the size of the photograph, thereby giving depth to the visual appearance of the photograph by the exclusion of rays of light which would normally enter from the sides.

A third object has been to provode a photographic ring in which the appearance of the NE'E'ED photograph is enhanced by its positioning at sub- 1 stantially the focal point of rays of light passing through a piano convex lens which is placed substantially above the photograph. Otherwise stated," the object has been to provide a photographic ring in which the photograph has been given depth and perspective by a positioning beneath a lens and at the rear of a frame enclosure.

A further object of the invention has been to provide a ring of the type indicated whichmay be quickly and inexpensively manufactured by one of two different methods, dependingon the circumstances underwhich it is contemplated the ring will. be sold.

A fifth object'has been to provide methods of manufacturefwhich will produce improved rings of the type of the inventionquickly and inexpensively. I

ther purposes and objects will be apparent from the ensuing description when considered in conjunction with. the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a completed ringof the type of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation in which the various elements utilized in one of the preferred methods of manufacture are individually illustrated.

Figures 3, 4, and 5 illustrate successive steps of the same method illustrated in Figure 2 Figure (iisv a front elevation of a ring blank necessary to the practice of the second preferred method of the invention.

Figure 7-is a cross-section taken on line ll of Figure 6 and is a viewsimilar to Figure 2, except that the elementsillustrated in Figure '7 are ap lustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, the ring is made up of the following parts. i

A ring blank manufactured from Celluloid,

hardrubber, or practically any type of plastic the exact size of the photograph provides a covering for the photograph.

The frame indicated at 5 may be formed of cover 4, provides a closure member for the entire assembly when the parts are secured together, as described in the following paragraphs.

In the manufacture of a ring of the type of the invention in accordance with the method illustrated in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, the photograph 2 is first secured to the ring blank I at a central point on the broad flat surface 3. This may be done by any desired type of adhesive. The cover 4 is then lightly placed on top of the 30 photograph so that it completely covers the same,

and the frame 5 is then adhesively secured to the surface 3, so that it will encircle the photograph and cover 4. It may also be adhesively secured to the cover 4, which completely fills the frame opening. The covershould preferably be identical in size with the frame opening, so that when the frame is placed over it, it will adhere by friction to the inner surface of the sides of the frame opening. The purpose of the cover 4 is to protect the photograph from the spread of adhesive used in securing the photograph and the frame to the ring blank. In the actual practice of this method a slight amount of adhesive will usually adhere to the sides of the cover, thus aiding in the securance of the cover to the inner sides of the cut-out portion of the frame. The transparent outer covering 6 is then adhesively secured to the upper surface of the frame and the entire structure at this point in the manufacture appears as indicated in Figure 3. Next, the adhesive is permitted to dry and the edges of the frame are buffed and polished, as indicated in Figure 4, to form a lens of plano convex structure, for example, on the outer surface of the finished article. If the frame is formed from a laminated plastic such as that illustrated, in the finished structure after the buffing and polishing an outline of color contrasting with that of the upper surface will appear and will effectively set off the picture in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

In the completed structure, as illustrated in the sectional view, Figure 5, the photograph 2 is positioned below, and spaced from the lens. This lens is formed from the transparent covering member 6 so that the lens functions both as a covering over, and a magnifier of the picture. By virtue of this construction the lens also acts to collect light and focus it upon the photograph so that the effect of an illuminated photograph is obtained. In this manner, although the photograph is recessed below the lens, the details are sharp and distinct. Moreover, by virtue of the spacing of the lens from the picture, the details of the photograph appear in truer perspective and a pleasing three dimensional effect is obtained. Thus, the cover over the picture is so arranged in respect to it that the picture is protected. The configuration of the cover provides a pleasing appearance in the ring structure, and

7 might be desired in an article of this sort.

the lens configuration accentuates the lighting of the photograph.

The air space 8 is not absolutely necessary to the invention, but it has been found that a substantial depth of a plastic such as Celluloid, made in accordance with present methods of manufacture, is not as clearly transparent as The cover 4 may also be omitted, provided great care is used in the handling of the adhesive, although it has been found to be a very useful adjunct in the case of quantity manufacture.

In the practice of the second preferred method illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8, it is necessary for the retail outlet disposing of the rings to have on hand, already prepared, a quantity of ring blanks of the type illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. ,Such blanks should have a rear opening 9 in the periphery of the ring of substantially the same size as the photograph which is to be inserted. The photograph is taken, developed, and reduced to size within a few minutes, and the cover 4, photograph 2, and the plate I0 are then successively inserted in the preformed blank through the rear opening 9. If desired, the picture may have been first adhesively secured to the inner surface of the plate and the sides of the cover and the plate may also be adhesively secured to the sides of the respective openings in the frame and the ring periphery.

The completed structure, as shown in Figure 8, is a substantial duplicate of that illustrated in Figure 5.

Although the description throughout has dealt only with photographs, it is, of course, obvious that the invention is equally applicable to other ornamental designs such as lodge emblems, fanciful designs or the like.

Having fully described my invention, I desire to be limited only by the ensuing claims:

1. A finger ring comprising a ring blank having a flattened portion on the outer surface thereof, a photograph superimposed above said flattened portion, a transparent cover positioned on the photograph, a frame portion confining said photograph and cover and a lens secured to the frame portion and positioned above the photograph and the outer surface of the cover.

2. The method of making a finger ring which comprises mounting a photograph or other orna- 1 mental design on the outer surface of a preformed ring blank, affixing a frame portion to the ring blank around the photograph, securing a piece of transparent plastic cover material to the outer surface of the frame portion and grinding the surface of said transparent material to form a piano-convex lens.

3. The method of making a photographic ring, said method comprising, mounting a photograph on a flattened surface on a ring blank preformed from a mouldable material, placing a transparent cover over the photograph, encircling the photograph and cover with a frame, affixing the frame to the ring blank, securing a transparent plastic sheet to the outer surface of the frame, grinding the transparent sheet to form a lens above the photograph.

LOUIS CHICKERING.