Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a capsule bead for containing selected material which forms part of an item of jewellery. The capsule bead is arranged in use on a line such as a necklace or bracelet and the capsule bead is filled with a material a user chooses which may reflect a person, place or memory.

Background

People often like to keep a memory or memento of a person, place or moment in time.

Increasing numbers of people are able to enjoy travel, either locally or in foreign countries, as a result of reduced air and land travel costs. For many people, this can be an eye-opening, transformative and highly memorable experience.

Photographs and videos can be efficient at revisiting memories but are tied to the physical or digital medium in which they exist, and so may be difficult to keep to hand as a memory prompt.

Souvenirs are also typically large and cumbersome and not likely to be on hand when a user is going about everyday life. As a result, memories of holidays or experiences can be liable to pass quickly.

Prior Art

DE 202 012 010 162 (BOSCHEINEN) discloses non-liquid and storage beads, characterized in, that the beads, and a core of the outer fluid are elastically, and/or soft.

US 8 496 483 (WALTERS) discloses an educational toy with interchangeable spheres for teaching the user to produce words, progressions, mathematics, patterns and other educational arrangements and sequences. US 5 390 510 (TIRIO-CLOONAN) discloses a pendant which is defined by a generally heart-shaped housing having an interior cavity formed therein and an internal heart-shaped aperture at its centre.

USD672465S (SHERMAN) discloses an ornamental design for a bead-shaped container.

US2002/0089859 (JACKSON et al) discloses a light emitting beaded necklace. GB383389 (HEATH) discloses a bead for diffusing perfume.

WO2013/078331 (BUSBEE) discloses scented jewellery with a bead that releases scent.

The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a capsule bead for receiving and storing material; the capsule bead comprising: a housing that defines a sealed cavity for receiving and storing material; a channel passing through the housing for receiving a line; opening through which material is added to the cavity; and a bung which closes the opening; wherein the bung includes a closure portion for sealing the opening and a cover portion that in use extends over the sealed opening and across part of an external surface of the capsule.

In this way the capsule bead forms part of an item of jewellery or is trinket on an item such as a keyring that can be worn or carried by a user, for example as a bracelet, necklace, anklet, belly-chain, earrings, keyring or hairclip.

The material used to fill the capsule bead allows a user to select a material (solid or liquid) of their choice that reflects a person, moment or place. Preferably the bung is fitted to seal permanently the opening, such that once the capsule bead is filled it cannot be opened again.

In some embodiments the bung is displaceable so as to allow a user to fill and empty the contents of the cavity of the capsule bead. In this way material can be added to and remove from the capsule bead through the opening.

The bung has a closure portion to seal the opening in the housing and the closure portion is arranged on a cover.

The closure portion is shaped and dimensioned to fit the opening. It is appreciated that the closure portion may engage with the opening in a variety of different ways in order to close and seal the opening to the cavity.

The closure portion is preferably resiliently deformable so as to form a seal with the opening. For example, the closure portion may be formed from silicone or a synthetic plastics material, so as to be suitable for being deformed and recovering when urged through the opening in order to form a watertight seal so as to prevent escape of solid or liquid materials contained within the cavity through the opening in the capsule bead.

Advantageously the closure portion may also be shaped so as to restrict or completely prevent displacement, for example so that the closure portion is deformed to fit through the opening and then returns to its original shape thereby rendering removal more difficult or impossible.

In some embodiments the closure portion has a screw threaded portion that corresponds to a screw threaded opening so that the closure portion screws into the opening to close and seal the opening.

In other embodiments the closure portion may fit by an interference fit, snap fit or interlocking means.

An explained above, the closure portion is preferably permanently fixed in position once fitted, so that a user cannot remove the bung from the bead, thus encasing the contents forever. Optionally an adhesive may also be used to bond the closure portion in position.

In some embodiments the closure portion is removable so that the contents can be changed, for example by unscrewing a threaded closure portion from the opening or deforming a resiliently deformable closure portion to remove it from the opening.

The closure portion may be provided on an inner face of the cover so as to engage with the opening in use and so that the opening is covered.

Advantageously the cover is larger than the closure portion making it easier and less fiddly for the bung to be handled. The user can therefore insert more easily the bung once the cavity has been filled with material.

Furthermore the larger size of the cover portion relative to the closure portion ensures that the opening is closed and protected, thus reducing the likelihood of damage to the opening that may lead to leakage of contents of the capsule bead.

Additionally the cover may be covered with a decorative element or pattern. This may be provided on an external surface that may include text or images, or it may be provided in different colours or textures, or it may be formed from or in part from various different materials to alter the appearance of the cover. For example the cover may include a name or place embossed on its surface.

In preferred embodiments the housing includes a recess for receiving the cover so that the cover is flush (at the same level with) with the outer surface of the housing. In this way the cover appears to be part of the bead.

In some preferred embodiments the cover may be formed from layers of material and the outer layer may be interchangeable to allow a user to change the appearance of the capsule bead. For example the external layer of the cover may connect to an inner layer of the cover by an attachment means such as by an interference fit or interlocking parts.

The size and shape of the opening may be variable to receive different materials. For example the size of the capsule bead may be different for solids or liquids. Additionally or alternatively a bead intended to receive liquid may have a smaller opening than a bead intended to receive solid material. However, it is appreciated that a standard size bead and/or opening may be provided that is suitable for both solid and liquid materials.

In some embodiments the opening may be tapered or fluted so as to guide material into the capsule and to allow material to be easily poured in and out of the capsule.

In some embodiments the capsule bead may be provided with a tool to assist with filling the cavity with material. For example the capsule bead may be provided with a pipette, funnel or spoon.

It is appreciated that the tool may be adapted to correspond to the opening to the cavity so that material can be accurately poured into the cavity. For example a pipette, funnel or spoon may have a shaped filling tip that matches the shape of the opening, this allowing the tip to be partially inserted to provide a continuous channel to the cavity by means of the funnel or pipette.

In a preferred embodiment the housing is substantially spherical, or it may be ovaloid or it may be obloid.

In a preferred embodiment the cover is a substantially rectangular, curved plate or band that wraps about at least part of a mid-section of the spherical housing. In this way the cover is a distinctive part of the bead that may be personalised for a user as well as being a functional part of the bead.

In some embodiments the cover may wrap fully around the circumference of a capsule bead. Advantageously the cover may also serve to conceal part of the housing, for example to conceal regions where parts of the cover or band have been joined to form the housing.

The cover may be provided in a variety of alternative shapes, sizes, colours and materials that corresponding to the shape of the housing and/or the selected appearance. In this way each bead can be further personalised. Optionally the capsule bead may include a fluorescent or luminescent material which may be coloured so as to enhance its eye appeal.

It is appreciated that the capsule bead may be manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes, for example the capsule may be cuboid, toroid, heart or star shaped. The capsule bead may be manufactured in any shape that permits a cavity to be formed.

The capsule bead may be manufactured in a variety of ways depending on the material used. The housing may be formed by injection moulding or blow moulding.

For embodiments formed from two or more parts the parts may be joined by ultrasonic welding to ensure that the join is barely visible.

A channel or slot is provided through the bead to enable a line such as chain, cord, wire, band, ring or another elongate carrier to pass through the bead such that it can be suspended therefrom. The line may be formed from various different materials such as metal, synthetic plastics such as silicone, leather, rubber. In some embodiments the line may be elastic.

In some embodiments the line has a connector to join ends of the line. The connector may be any means that permits the joining of two ends so that capsule beads and other beads such as spacer or identification beads, can be added or removed. For example the connector may be a clasp or clip to separate the line and allow a capsule bead or plurality of beads to be added or removed from the line. For example a bracelet may be a simple band holding at least one capsule bead with a magnetic clasp to connect the line to form a continuous loop.

In other embodiments the capsule bead accepts the line and the line is used to connect the bead to another item. For example the bead may be threaded on to a ring and the ring may be connected to a bracelet so that the capsule bead is a charm.

In some embodiments the connector may be an end bead that serves as a connector to join two ends of the line to form a loop. The line ends may be adapted to be received by the connector so that the ends can be displaced from the bead in order to separate the line and accept capsule beads or other beads.

In another embodiment one end of the line is configured to be integrated with the connector. In this way either only one end of the line is displaceable from the end bead, so that a capsule bead can be added or removed, and the line then reconnected to the connector.

The channel is preferably arranged through the centre of the bead, although it is appreciated that in some embodiments the channel may be offset from the centre, for example to allow the bead to always have in a particular orientation or to permit fitting to a particular item of jewellery, for example as a charm for a bracelet.

In some embodiments the channel may be reinforced to reduce the effects of wear from the bead on the line. For example the channel may be lined with a stronger durable material, for example by having a metal or metal alloy liner. Additionally the lining of the channel may further decorate the bead making the channel and/or channel ends more visible when worn.

In some embodiments the capsule bead may be adapted to receive an end cap that is inserted into the channel. The end cap lines all or part of the channel providing additional strength to the channel whilst still permitting passage of the line through the channel.

The outer portion of the end cap may also be visible as the channel ends may be a decorative feature of the capsule bead, for example end caps may be coloured, formed of a different material, such as metal, and/or decorated with text, images or patterns.

Advantageously the end caps may be interchangeable, thus allowing a user to readily personalise the capsule bead and to replace the end cap if it becomes damaged or worn. The housing may be formed from two or more parts that is the housing is bipartite. The two parts join to form the sealed capsule bead. Preferably the housing includes at least one sealing member to ensure that the parts form a seal when connected.

The sealing members may be resiliently deformable portions about the connecting edges of the parts.

For example, the housing may comprise two hollow halves which fit together to encase matter or substance from a place or time, such as sand or water, within the cavity defined by the two halves of the housing.

In some embodiments the parts may fit together with a sealing mechanism, which may be envisaged to be single-use or non-reversible, for example comprising a resilient friction fitting.

In some embodiments the sealing mechanism may be provided with sealing members or parts to ensure that once the parts are connected there is a watertight seal.

In another embodiment the two parts may be connected by a screw fit, interference fit such as a detent mechanism or snap fit, by magnetic connectors or by interlocking parts.

The outer surface of the housing may be smooth, textured or decorated to enable beads to have different appearances or feel.

In some embodiments the decoration may be applied on an inner surface of the housing, or decoration may be integrated with the housing material such as being combined with the material of the housing. For example decoration may form part of the housing material or it may be sandwiched between layers of the material that form the housing.

In a preferred embodiment at least part of the housing is transparent or translucent to allow the contents of the capsule to be visible when worn. In some embodiments an internal face of the cavity may include raised sections to catch the material contents within the cavity thereby ensuring it is visible in clear or translucent capsules.

Preferably the housing is made of high quality and robust material such as synthetic plastics such as acrylic.

The capsule beads may be arranged on a line with identification or spacer beads, which may be used concurrently with the capsule beads to identify objects or substances within the cavity of the capsule, or purpose of the cavity. For example the identification beads may spell out the name of a place or person or include a symbol such as flag to indicate the contents of the capsule.

In an embodiment miniature light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be included in the capsule beads. Optionally miniature batteries or rechargeable cells may be provided in the capsule beads. Recharging may be performed by way of inductive connection to a changing source.

The identification or spacer beads may be formed from the same material as the capsule bead, or may formed from different materials including, but not limited to; precious stones, semi-precious stones, phosphorescent material, rubber, silicone, crystal, gemstones, metal, metal alloy, synthetic plastics or wood.

In this way it may be envisaged that a user may purchase a capsule bead or multiple capsule beads and fill them with material (solid or liquid), sand for example, from somewhere they have been travelling; a sparkling drink, such as Champagne, consumed at a special occasion, or a phosphorescent or fluorescent material to enable the bead to glow in the dark.

In use the bead is threaded onto a line such as a bracelet or necklace and kept as a memento. In this way the user can take away a special memento, for example from a holiday that is personal to them. The capsule bead therefore become a unique souvenir specific to the owner or recipient.

In some embodiments the capsule beads comprise clear glossy beads that have a sealable cavity or reservoir for filling up with memorable holiday things such as sand, water, ashes or earth. Each capsule bead may be arranged to cooperate with another bead that displays indicative information such as an emblem, logo or flag. The user may therefore wear a bracelet and buy beads separately to fill up when travelling on holiday at such a destination.

A kit of parts may be provided including at least one capsule bead and a line.

A kit of parts may also be provided including at least one capsule bead and a tool for filling the cavity.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a first embodiment of a capsule bead;

Figure 2 shows a reverse isometric view of the first embodiment of the capsule bead;

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the first embodiment of the capsule bead viewed from above;

Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the first embodiment of the capsule bead viewed from below;

Figure 5 shows an isometric view of a second embodiment of a capsule bead;

Figure 6 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 in a second open position;

Figure 8 shows a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 in a first sealed position; Figures 9A and 9B shows an isometric view of an item of jewellery including capsule beads;

Figures 10A and 10B shows an isometric view of an item of jewellery including capsule beads; and

Figure 1 1A and 11 B shows an isometric view of an item of jewellery including capsule beads.

Detailed Description of Figures

Figures 1 to 4 show a preferred embodiment of the capsule bead 100. The capsule bead 100 is formed from two parts 10A, 10B that are connected together to form the housing 10. The housing 10 is spherical and is shaped to define a sealed cavity in which material is held and also to define a channel 20 through which a line 200 can pass.

The two parts, 10A, 10B, may be fused, bonded or connected during manufacture so that the parts cannot be separated. In some other embodiments the parts 10A, 10B are separable, being displaceably connected.

Each end of the channel 20 has an end cap 60. The end cap has a cylindrical portion 61 that is inserted to the channel 20 to line the channel and has an end plate 62 that corresponds to the shape of the housing 10.

The housing 10 has an opening 15 through which material can be added and removed from the capsule bead 100. The opening is closed by a bung 50. The bung has a closure portion 51 and a cover portion 52 (see Figures 3 and 4).

The closure portion 51 is resiliently deformable and shaped and dimensioned to correspond to the opening 15, such that when the closure portion 51 is inserted into the closure it is sealed closed prevent the escape of any material from the cavity 30.

The closure portion 51 is mounted on an inner face of the cover 52. The cover 52 is an arched plate that wraps around part of the housing. The cover 52 extends beyond the closure portion 51 , thus completely concealing the closure portion in use. The housing 10 has a recess 16 into which the cover 52 fits once the closure portion 51 is fully inserted into the opening 15, such that the cover 52 is fitted flush with the housing 10.

The cover 52 is formed from two layers 52A, 52B, the outer layer 52 being a layer of metal etched with lettering.

With reference generally to Figures 5 to 8 there is shown a second embodiment of a capsule bead 100 for an elongate carrier 200 that together form a kit of parts 300.

The capsule bead 100 has a housing 10 defining a cavity 30 and a channel 20. The housing 10 is formed from two parts 10A and 10B that are displaceable from one another. A first sealed position sealing the cavity 30 is shown in Figure 6 to a second open position as shown in Figure 5 for filling the container. The channel 20 is a central bore passing through the outer housing 10.

In the second embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 8 the channel 20 is fully formed by concentrically mating open-ended cylinders 40A, 40B which utilise small bump fittings 41 and a channel 42 to lock the two parts 10A, 10B together when clipped together.

The capsule bead 100 has an outer manufactured in two half parts 10A, 10B, enabling the user to fill the cavity 30 with contents and then clip the housing parts 10, 10B together.

Both halves are manufactured from clear acrylic. The housing may be decorated for example with world detailing pad printed or laser etched onto the surface.

A rubber gasket 12 is embedded into the base of the female half part 40B creates a seal when the male part 40A is clipped in. Similarly, on the edge of the male part 40A is a silicon overmoulded rim 6 (see Figure 5), this compresses when joined, creating a seal where the parts meet. In both the first and second embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8 the housing 10 is spherical formed of two hemispherical parts 10A, 10B with a geometrically central bore 20.

The capsule bead of the pictured embodiment may be provided as a clear glossy bead with painted stain glass effect‘World’ detailing and having a mechanism for opening and securely closing when filled, wherein the sealing mechanism may be permanently locked when in the closed position.

The capsule beads may for part of a kit of parts as shown in Figures 9 to 1 1. The capsule beads 100 are located on a line 200 to from an item of jewellery 300. The capsule beads are interspersed with cooperating identification beads 101 , to form a bracelet.

The identification or spacer beads 101 are small rounded beads manufactured from the same polished metal as the end bead and plated in the same manner.

In the second and third embodiments of items of jewellery a solid metal bead 400 is used to join each end of the bracelet, this has similar world detailing etched onto it.

One end of the bracelet screws halfway into this bead. Magnets in both ends can then be used to join the bracelet together.

In the pictured embodiment one end may be wider or larger than the other so that it is possible to only add beads at one end.

The bracelet comprises a threaded end and a non-threaded end.

Feeding a non-threaded end into the other side allows the user to join the bracelet wherein the threaded end is flush with the band so beads can be added. The opposing unthreaded end is thicker to prevent beads sliding off in the event the bracelet is undone.

It is appreciated that the connector used may be changed, further allowing a user to personalise the display of their capsule bead. The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of protection as defined by the claims.