Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to printing devices and items which can be printed upon.

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Plastic jewelry charms are typically constructed from large sheets of molded plastic which are cut into a desired shape and have a unitary construction. The charms are then typically covered with an adhesive-backed sheet of material containing some type of decorative element such as various colors, shapes or images, for example. Owing to the high cost of the machinery involved in producing such items, it is not cost effective to produce smaller batches of charms having different and/or user-specified decorative elements displayed thereon.

Owing to recent advancements in ink and printing technology, the inventor has discovered various methods of printing decorative elements directly onto plastic charms of various shapes and sizes utilizing commercially available ink jet printers. To this end, as such printers are only capable of printing along a single plane, it is necessary for the printer to be able to access the front and back sides of a charm simultaneously, in order to impart a custom and/or user-provided decorative element onto the charm. The present invention, for a direct printed jewelry charm and method of making, differs from the conventional art in a number of aspects. The manner by which will become more apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a direct printed jewelry charm. One embodiment of the present invention can include a pair of identically shaped main body sections, each including an inside facing surface and an outside facing surface. Each main body section further including a centrally located protrusion, a centrally located indentation, a continuous channel, a continuous lip, and a T-shaped channel.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a connector for securing the charm to a piece of jewelry. The connector including a T-shaped member that is connected to a bail via a pivotal coupler.

When the two main body sections are secured together, the continuous lip provides a centrally located gap into which a bonding agent resides. The central protrusions and indentations are configured to engage, and the continuous indentation provides a channel for capturing excess bonding agent.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Brief Description of the Drawings

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is an exploded parts view of a direct printed jewelry charm that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside facing surface of the direct printed jewelry charm, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector of the direct printed jewelry charm, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an assembled direct printed jewelry charm, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a method of making a direct printed jewelry charm, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

As described throughout this document, the term "complementary shape," and "complementary dimension," shall be used to describe a shape and size of a component that is identical to, or substantially identical to the shape and size of another identified component.

As described throughout this document, the term "decorative elements" can include any number and type of different colors, markings, words, shapes, symbols, logos, designs, patterns, images, lithographs and/or photographs, for example. These elements can be secured onto and/or into the identified portion of the main body in accordance with known techniques.

FIGS. 1-5 illustrate one embodiment of a direct printed jewelry charm 10 that are useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. In each of the drawings, identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms "upper," "bottom," "right," "left," "front," "vertical," "horizontal," and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is an exploded parts view of the charm 10 that includes, essentially, front and rear main body sections 11, and a connector 30.

As described herein, the pair of main body sections 11 can be constructed from identical pieces of lightweight polymeric materials such as injection molded plastic, for example, and can each include a smooth outside facing surface 12, and an inside facing surface 13.

As will be described below, both main body sections can be joined together to form front and back halves of a single decoratively shaped charm, such as the illustrated heart, for example. Of course, the shape of the charm is not limited to a heart, as any number of other shapes (e.g., oval, triangular, square, polygonal) are also contemplated. Despite each main body section including identical structural elements, it is contemplated that each member can include unique and/or different decorative elements along the outside facing surface. Although the process and methodology of imprinting onto the main body members is outside the scope of the present description, it is contemplated that each of the outside facing surfaces will initially include decorative elements that have been imprinted thereon.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inside facing surface 13 of each of the main body sections 11 can include a centrally located protrusion 21 and indentation 22. The centrally located protrusion 21 can include a cylindrical shaped member projecting outward from the surface, whereas the indentation 22 can include cylindrical shaped indentation having a complementary dimension to the protrusion. The protrusion and indentation are positioned side by side, and are oriented so as to be engaged by a corresponding indentation and protrusion of the second main body section when forming a finished charm. Such components ensure the two main body sections are properly aligned when joined together.

As will be described below, during assembly of the charm, a measured amount of bonding agent 15 such as glue or resin, for example, can be positioned along a portion or an entirety of the central portion of the inside facing surface 13. Because the outer surface 12 has been imprinted with a decorative element, it is critical to ensure that the bonding agent does not leak from the outer edges of the two halves during assembly and make contact with the finished front surfaces 12. Owing to the chemical makeup of bonding agents, such a situation would ruin the decorative elements that have been printed on the outside surface of the charm.

In order to prevent leakage of the bonding agent, one preferred embodiment includes an elongated continuous indentation 23 that is positioned a first distance from the outer edge of the main body sections 11. The purpose of the indentation 23 is to provide a cavity extending along an entirety of the main body into which any excess bonding agent that would typically escape can be contained.

In one embodiment, the inside surface 13 can include a continuous lip 24 along the outer periphery of the body section. The lip forming a raised edge section that serves two functions. First, the edge provides a centrally located gap between the inside facing surfaces 13 of the two halves when the finished charm is being assembled. This gap reduces the force applied onto the bonding agent located therein, that would typically cause the agent to be expelled from the assembly. Second, the lip acts as a secondary boundary to ensure that any bonding agent that is not trapped by the indentation 23 is unable escape.

In one embodiment, a generally inverted T-shaped indentation 25 can be positioned along the top end of each of the main body section 11. The indentation can function to receive the generally T-shaped connection element of the below described connector 30. As such, each of the indentations 25 can include a depth that is approximately ½ the thickness of the T-shaped connection element they are to receive.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a connector 30 that can function to secure the assembled charm 10 to a secondary object, such as a bracelet or necklace, for example. As shown, the connector can preferably include a generally T-shaped member 31 that is constructed from a lightweight, rigid material such as metal, for example. The T-shaped member is connected to a bail 32 by virtue of an articulating joint 33. The articulating joint 33 is appreciated to be any conventional mechanism known to the art, such as the illustrated clasp and ring assembly, for example, that allows both components 31 and 32 to rotate and/or pivot about the other. As noted above, the proximal end 31a of the T-shaped member can be positioned between the T-shaped slots 25 during assembly of the finished charm. By providing structure along two axis, the inclusion of the T-shaped member advantageously ensures the bail will not become separated from the charm.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a fully assembled charm 10. As shown, the two main body sections 11 are joined to form front and rear facing halves of the charm, and the outside facing portions 12 include custom decorative elements A that are imprinted thereon.

As noted above, it is important that the inside facing surface of each main body section include a continuous indentation 23 and lip 24 to ensure no bonding agent is released when the two halves are pressed together. To this end, the indentation 23 can preferably be spaced .070 inches from the outer edge of the main body and can include a depth of .019 inches forming a channel having a total depth of .14 inches for capturing excess bonding agent.

Likewise, it is preferred that the lip 24 includes a width of .030 inches and a height of .003 inches, thus resulting in the centrally located gap having an overall depth of .006 inches for the bonding agent to be located. Of course, any number of other dimensions are also contemplated.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 of making a direct printed jewelry charm, as described above.

The method can begin at step 505 in which a user can print decorative elements onto the outside facing surfaces of two main body sections. As described herein, the decorative elements can preferably be provided by an end user and can include items such as a

photograph, for example. In either instance, once the decorative elements have been imprinted onto the main body sections, the method can proceed to the next step. In step 510, the proximal end of a T-connector can be positioned within the T- shaped channel of one of the main body sections, and a bonding agent can be applied at step 515.

At step 520, a user can align the complementary indentations and protrusions of the pair of main body sections and can secure the two halves together. Next, the user can apply pressure at step 525 to both halves for a predetermined period of time. During this step, the bonding agent can spread between the inside facing surfaces of the two main body sections and can fill the gap created by the lip sections. Moreover, at this step, any excess bonding agent can be channeled into the continuous indentation and remain there until hardening.

Finally, at step 530, the bonding agent has cured, and the charm is ready for delivery to an end user.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the terms "consisting" shall be used to describe only those components identified. In each instance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherently consist of each of those identified elements as well. The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use

contemplated.