INTO TIMES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to jewelry designs and, more particularly, to customized jewelry such as pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings, in which a specific calendar date is transposed onto the jewelry in order to show the date as time on a clock.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Jewelry design is one of civilization’s earliest forms of decoration, dating back at least 7,000 years to the oldest known societies in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Beyond being worn for personal adornment, jewelry bought as a gift can possess meaning and sentimental value that far transcends its monetary value, as it can represent love and commitment to a relationship, a rite of passage in a person’s life, or be passed down as an ancestral legacy from one generation to the next. Customization of jewelry as a gift to someone to commemorate a specific day, time or event has always been popular, such as engraving special words or names, or buying charms for a charm bracelet. The present invention provides an even more unique and memorable way to customize a particular piece of jewelry in order to commemorate a special day or a special time in one’s life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention fulfills this need by providing a unique customized jewelry design in which one or more specific calendar dates (i.e., month and day) are transposed onto a base element as if the one or more dates were shown as time on a clock. One or more specific times also may be placed on the base element. The dates and times placed on the base element may be chosen to commemorate a special occasion, such as a birthday, the day and time of a child’s birth, anniversary date, graduation date or any other occasion or event that contains meaning.

[0004] In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a customized jewelry design comprised of a base element that can be divided into sixty segments so as to represent a clock; and one or more sets of two design elements. The first design element of the one or more sets is positioned on the base element at one of the sixty segments and represents an hour hand of a clock. The second design element of the one or more sets also is positioned on the base element at one of the sixty segments and represents a minute hand of a clock.

The placement of each of the one or more sets of design elements may represent one or more specific times, or the one or more specific times may represent one or more calendar days, i.e., the number of the month and the number of the day, which has been transposed into one or more specific times on the clock.

[0005] In an embodiment, the base element can have a front surface, a back surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface, and the first and second design elements are positioned on the front surface of the base element. In this embodiment, the base element is any piece of jewelry including, without limitation, a pendant or a pair of earrings.

[0006] In another embodiment of the invention, the base element can have a front surface, a back surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface, and the first and second design elements are positioned on the outer surface of the base element. In this embodiment, the base element may be a piece of jewelry including, without limitation, a bracelet or a ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] A fuller understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, which illustrate some, but not the only and exclusive, examples of embodiments of the invention and, as such, the figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. In the drawings:

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the base element, showing one set of design elements positioned on the front surface of the base element to indicate the time “9: 15”, or to indicate the calendar date September 15, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0009] Fig. 2 is a front view of the base element and the one set of design elements of Fig.

1, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0010] Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the front view of Fig. 2 taken at 3-3, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; [0011] Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0012] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the base element, showing one set of design elements positioned on the front surface of the base element to indicate the time “12:01”, or to indicate the calendar date December 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0013] Fig. 6 is a front view of the base element and the one set of design elements of Fig.

5, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0014] Fig. 7 is a cross-section of the front view of Fig. 6 taken at 7-7, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0015] Fig. 8 is atop plan view of Fig. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0016] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the base element, showing two sets of design elements positioned on the front surface of the base element to indicate the times “9:30” and “8:10,” or to indicate the calendar dates September 30 and August 10, respectively, or a combination of a time and a calendar date, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0017] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the base element, showing two sets of design elements positioned on the front surface of the base element to indicate the times “1:05” and “7 : 11,” or to indicate the calendar dates January 5 and July 11, respectively, or a combination of a time and a calendar date, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0018] Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the base element, showing two sets of design elements positioned on the front surface of the base element to indicate the times “12:01” and “1:05,” or to indicate the calendar dates December 1 and January 5, respectively, or a combination of a time and a calendar date, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0019] Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the base element, showing one set of design elements positioned on the outer surface of the base element to indicate the time “9:15”, or to indicate the calendar date September 15, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; [0020] Fig. 13 is a front view of the base element and the one set of design elements of Fig. 12, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0021] Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the base element, showing one set of design elements positioned on the outer surface of the base element to indicate the time “3:15”, or to indicate the calendar date March 15, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0022] Fig. 15 is a front view of the base element and the one set of design elements of Fig. 14, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0023] Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the base element, showing two sets of design elements positioned on the outer surface of the base element to indicate the times “10: 10” and “12:01”, or to indicate the calendar dates October 10 and December 1, respectively, or a combination of a time and a calendar date, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

[0024] Fig. 17 is a front view of the base element and the two sets of design elements of Fig. 16, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] As used herein, the terms “transpose” or “transposition” are defined as transferring from one context to another context, such as transferring numbers that relate to a specific calendar date to numbers that relate to a specific time.

[0026] As used herein, the term “invisible” is defined as not being visible on a particular substrate, such as on a piece of jewelry.

[0027] A complete understanding of the present invention will be obtained from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which is intended to be illustrative only, as numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0028] Referring now to Figs. 1-11, in one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, there is provided a customized jewelry design 100 comprised of a base element 102 having a front surface 112, a back surface 114, an inner surface 108, an outer surface 110, and an opening 106 defined by the inner surface 108; and one or more sets of two design elements, in which the first design element (shown as 104 or 104') of the one or more sets is positioned on the front surface of the base element 102 to represent an hour hand of a clock, and the second design element (shown as 105 or 105') of the one or more sets is positioned on the front surface of the base element to represent a minute hand of a clock. Placement of the one or more sets of design elements represents one or more specific calendar dates, one or more specific times, or any combination of specific calendar dates or specific times. With dates or times that occupy substantially the same position on a clock, the design elements are positioned adjacent to one another in a stacked or staggered configuration.

[0029] In this embodiment, which may include pieces of jewelry such as, without limitation, pendants and earrings, each surface 112, 114, 108, 110 of the base element 102 is planar and is positioned at right angles from its adjacent surface, with all of the surfaces being substantially the same width. However, the invention contemplates base elements with decorative shapes that are circular, ovoid, elliptical, rectangular, square, or multi-sided. Further, the base element may be a solid that is irregularly-shaped, a closed loop, an open loop, a flat plane, or three-dimensional.

[0030] In order to accurately position the hour hand design element 104 and the minute hand design element 105 on the base element 102, the front surface 112 of the base element 102 is divided into sixty invisible segments (shown on the figures in five minute increments) which correspond to sixty minutes on a clock.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 1-4, in one non-limiting example of this embodiment, the one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed separate from one another on the front surface 112 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the time “9: 15.” This placement can correspond to the calendar date “September 15” by transposing the number 9 for the 9th month and the number 15 for the 15 ^th day on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate this specific date, or it can correspond to the time “9:15” if one wants to commemorate this specific time.

[0032] As shown in Figs. 5-8, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, the one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed adjacent to one another on the front surface 112 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the time “12:01.” This placement can correspond to the calendar date December 1 by transposing the number 12 for the 12 ^th month and the number 1 for the 1 ^st day on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate this specific date, or it can correspond to the time “12:01” if one wants to commemorate this specific time.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 9, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105 and a second set of two design elements 104', 105' each are placed separate from one another on the front surface 112 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the times “9:30” and “8:10,” respectively. These placements can correspond to the calendar dates “September 30” and “August 10” by transposing the numbers 9 and 8 for the 9 ^th month and the 8 ^th month, respectively, and the numbers 30 and 10 for the 30 ^th day and the 10 ^th day, respectively, on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate these specific dates, it can correspond to the times “9:30” and “8:10” if one wants to commemorate these specific times, or one set of design elements can correspond to a specific calendar date and the other set of design elements can correspond to a specific time.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 10, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed adjacent to one another and a second set of two design elements 104', 105' are placed separate from one another on the front surface 112 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the times “1:05” and “7:11,” respectively. These placements can correspond to the calendar dates “January 5” and “July 11” by transposing the numbers 1 and 7 for the 1 ^st month and the 7 ^th month, respectively, and the numbers 5 and 11 for the 5 ^th day and the 11 ^th day, respectively, on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate these specific dates, it can correspond to the times “1:05” and “7 : 11” if one wants to commemorate these specific times, or one set of design elements can correspond to a specific calendar date and the other set of design elements can correspond to a specific time.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 11, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed adjacent to one another and a second set of two design elements 104', 105' are placed adjacent to one another on the front surface 112 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the times “12:01” and “1:05,” respectively. These placements can correspond to the calendar dates “December 1” and “January 5” by transposing the numbers 12 and 1 for the 12 ^th month and the 1 ^st month, respectively, and the numbers 1 and 5 for the 1 ^st day and the 5 ^th day, respectively, on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate these specific dates, it can correspond to the times “12:01” and “1:05” if one wants to commemorate these specific times, or one set of design elements can correspond to a specific calendar date and the other set of design elements can correspond to a specific time.

[0036] In another non-limiting embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figs. 12-17, there is provided a customized jewelry design 100 comprised of a base element 102 having a front surface 112, a back surface 114, an inner surface 108, an outer surface 110, and an opening 106 defined by the inner surface 108; and one or more sets of two design elements, in which the first design element (shown as 104 or 104') of the one or more sets is positioned on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 to represent an hour hand of a clock, and the second design element (shown as 105 or 105') of the one or more sets is positioned on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 to represent a minute hand of a clock.

[0037] In this embodiment, which may include pieces of jewelry such as, without limitation, bracelets and rings, the outer surface 110 and the inner surface 108 of the base element 102 is rounded and the front surface 112 and the back surface 114 of the base element 102 is planar. The width of the outer 110 and inner 108 surfaces can be about 3 to about 6 times the width of the front 112 and the back 114 surfaces. However, the invention contemplates base elements having decorative shapes that are circular, ovoid, elliptical, rectangular, square, or multi-sided.

[0038] In addition, as in the first embodiment, placement of the one or more sets of design elements on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 may represent one or more specific calendar dates, one or more specific times, or any combination of specific calendar dates or specific times; the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 is divided into sixty invisible segments (shown on the figures in five minute increments) corresponding to sixty minutes on a clock; and with dates or times that occupy substantially the same position on a clock, the design elements are positioned adjacent to one another in a stacked or staggered configuration.

[0039] As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, in one non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed separate from one another on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the time “9: 15.” This placement can correspond to the calendar date “September 15” by transposing the number 9 for the 9 ^th month and the number 15 for the 15 ^th day on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate this specific date, or it can correspond to the time “9: 15” if one wants to commemorate this specific time.

[0040] As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105, corresponding to the hour hand and the minute hand, respectively, are placed adjacent to one another on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the time “3:15.” This placement can correspond to the calendar date “March 15” by transposing the number 3 for the 3 ^rd month and the number 15 for the 15 ^th day on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate this specific date, or it can correspond to the time “3:15” if one wants to commemorate this specific time.

[0041] As shown in Figs. 16 and 17, in another non-limiting example of this embodiment, one set of two design elements 104, 105 are placed adjacent to one another and a second set of two design elements 104', 105' are placed separate from one another on the outer surface 110 of the base element 102 at positions corresponding to the times “12:01” and “10:10,” respectively. These placements can correspond to the calendar dates “December 1” and “October 10” by transposing the numbers 12 and 10 for the 12 ^th month and the 10 ^th month, respectively, and the numbers 1 and 10 for the 1 ^st day and the 10 ^th day, respectively, on the base element 102 if one wants to commemorate these specific dates, it can correspond to the times “12:01” and “10:10” if one wants to commemorate these specific times, or one set of design elements can correspond to a specific calendar date and the other set of design elements can correspond to a specific time.

[0042] The invention contemplates that any suitable material may be used to fabricate the base element of the invention, including, without limitation, natural or artificial gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, titanium, palladium, rhodium, tungsten, iridium, cobalt, ruthenium, niobium, osmium, zirconium, rhenium, wood, plastic, other natural or artificial materials, or combinations thereof.

[0043] Design elements that may be used in the invention comprise ornamental stones of any size and shape and may include, without limitation, natural or artificial agate, amethyst, aquamarine, beryl, bloodstone, camelian, citrine, diamond, emerald, onyx, opal, garnet, lolite, lapis lazuli, onyx, opal, pearl, peridot, quartz, ruby, sapphire, turquoise, topaz, tanzanite, tourmaline, any other stone, mineral, or jewel. [0044] Alternatively, the design elements may be comprised of decorative elements fabricated from the same material as the base element or from a different material that aesthetically complements or contrasts with the base element.

[0045] While specific embodiments have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the customized jewelry design described herein, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.

[0046] What is claimed is: