Ring with digital disc

Abstract

A ring, such as a wedding ring or commemorative ring includes a DVD type element that contains digital photographs and digital data associated with an event, such as a wedding.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the general art of jewelry, and to the particular field of rings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most individuals value certain memories above others, and given the frail nature of human memory, desire aids which can help them retain and supplement these particularly valued memories. One traditional means of doing this has been the use of photo albums, which provide a means of organizing and preserving photographs capturing various visual scenes.

The patent literature provides various examples of different types of keepsake and photo albums. There is a myriad of designs developed to meet the varied objectives and requirements of those desiring to store and display photographs of special events. However, while there has been substantial effort expended in the design of photograph albums, there exists a continuing need for a new and improved means of storing photographs of special events. The present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Weddings, in particular, fall into this category. A substantial industry has developed in recording weddings. Generally, the photographs taken at weddings are placed in an album and stored away for future viewing. While this has worked well in the past, it leaves much to be desired because the album must be retrieved from storage any time it is desired to relive the memories of the event.

Therefore, there is a need for a means for storing photographs of a special event in a manner which permits ready access to the photographs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-discussed disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by a ring that has a CD device mounted thereon. The DVD device stores pictures taken at an event associated with the ring, such as a wedding.

The areas of digital storage have made astounding advances in recent times. For example, holographic storage technology is now exploring 300 gigabyte discs and drives that read and write those discs so that there is the means required to place as many as one hundred full length films on a single small storage device. With such advances, it will be easily understood that digital pictures of an event can easily be stored on a disc that easily fits on a ring.

Using the ring embodying the present invention will permit a person to have digital photographs of an event, such as a wedding, in a readily-accessible location. A person can even have all of the recordings, pictures and the like from one or several years stored on the digital recording device. Thus, for example, an athlete can have all of the memories from an entire season stored on the recording device which can be included in a championship ring. Those skilled in the art will be able to visualize all of the possibilities of the ring disclosed herein. Accordingly, no limitation is intended by the disclosure of a wedding event and such disclosure is for the sake of convenience only and is not intended to be limiting.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ring embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the ring shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded elevational view of the ring shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a ring 10. Ring 10 comprises a band 12 that fits on a user's finger for use. A mounting dock 12 is located on the band. The mounting dock includes an internally threaded bore 16 defined through the band as well as a shoulder element 18 mounted on the ring circumjacent to the internally threaded bore. The shoulder element can resemble a gem stone mount. A gem stone mounting unit 20 includes an externally threaded arm 22 that cooperates with the mounting dock to releasably mount a gem stone on the band as can be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3. A gem stone 24, such as a diamond or the like, commonly associated with weddings, is securely held in the mounting dock.

A digital storage disc 30, such as DVD, has a bore 32 defined therethrough and through which the threaded arm of the gem stone mounting unit extends when the digital storage disc is mounted on the band as can be understood from the figures.

Use of ring 10 can be understood from the teaching of the foregoing disclosure. An event, such as a wedding, is recorded on a special DVD. The gem stone mounting unit is disassembled by removing the gem stone from the ring and the DVD is placed on the mounting unit. The threaded arm is placed through the bore in the DVD and is threadably connected to the ring. This mounts the DVD on the ring as shown in FIG. 2. If the memories stored on the DVD are to be viewed, the gem stone is removed and the DVD is removed from the ring.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A ring comprising:

A) a band that fits on a user's finger for use;

B) a mounting dock on the band, the mounting dock including an internally threaded bore defined through the band;

C) a gem stone mounting unit which includes an externally threaded arm that cooperates with the mounting dock to releasably mount a gem stone on the band; and

D) a digital storage disc having a bore defined therethrough and through which the threaded arm of the gem stone mounting unit extends when the digital storage disc is mounted on the band.

2. The ring defined in claim 1 further including a shoulder element mounted on the ring circumjacent to the internally threaded bore.

3. The ring defined in claim 2 further including a gem stone in the gem stone mounting unit.

4. The ring defined in claim 3 wherein the digital storage device is a DVD.