IRIS SHUTTER CASE FOR DISPLAYING A DECORATIVE OBJECT
An iris shutter case is disclosed for securely housing, protecting and displaying a decorative object while providing an elegant design that adds to the aesthetic appearance of the decorative object. The iris shutter case includes a container in which a decorative object, such as a piece of jewelry, can be securely fitted, and an openable and closable iris shutter assembly that alternatively reveals and conceals a contained decorative object from view. The container houses and protects the decorative object, and resembles a disc or a sphere in preferred embodiments. The iris shutter assembly is operated by a drive mechanism to display or conceal the decorative object. In preferred embodiments, the iris shutter assembly is a leaf and pin shutter assembly, and the drive mechanism is a drive ring with protruding lug handles which rotates relative to a master ring so as to open and close the iris shutter assembly.
This invention relates to apparatus for display of decorative objects, and more particularly to containers for holding and displaying decorative objects.
BACKGROUNDOrnamental items, such as pieces of jewelry, are commonly used to enhance the appearance of people and/or things. Such ornamental items often include one or more decorative objects, such as gemstones, engravings, and other striking and/or aesthetically pleasing features. Decorative objects are also sometimes displayed singly as separate ornamental items.
Traditionally, such decorative objects are meant to have a pleasing appearance by themselves, and/or to add to the overall pleasing appearance of an ornamental item to which they are attached. Therefore, it is generally desirable for such decorative objects to be displayed in a manner that is highly visible and conspicuous.
However, if a decorative object is constantly visible, the impact of the decorative object upon those accustomed to seeing it may diminish over time. Also, when a decorative object is constantly displayed without a covering or container, there is a risk that the object might become dirty, damaged, or lost.
In an attempt to avoid these problems, certain devices and methods for presenting and displaying decorative objects have been proposed in the art. Some approaches attempt to maintain decorative impact by providing for variable display of portions of a decorative object. However, these approaches do not avoid risks that decorative objects may become dirty, damaged, or lost. Other proposed approaches enable a user to fully conceal and then fully reveal a decorative object at will, thereby giving the impression of a hidden feature contained within an ornamental item. However, these approaches tend to employ conventional encasing means, such as a case with a hinged lid, which can be difficult to unclasp and open and which, when opened, can distract or even detract from the appearance of the ornamental item. A locket, for example, can be opened to reveal a gemstone or other decorative item contained therein. However, the lid can be difficult to unclasp and open, and once opened the lid changes the apparent shape and size of the locket and can tend to distract from the gemstone and/or direct attention away from the gemstone. And if a locket is incorporated into a larger ornamental item, such as a bracelet, the open lid can obscure other surrounding decorative features of the ornamental item.
SUMMARYAn iris shutter case is claimed for securely housing, protecting, and displaying a decorative object. The iris shutter case includes a container within which a decorative object such as a photograph or a gemstone can be securely fitted, and an openable and closable iris shutter assembly that reveals the decorative object for display when it is open and conceals and protects the decorative object when it is closed.
The simple but elegant design of the iris shutter case houses, protects, and provides a means of display for any decorative object or objects placed within it. Furthermore, the iris shutter is easy to operate, does not require unclasping so as to be opened, and allows the decorative contents of the case to be partially or fully revealed without any visual change in the size or shape of the case, and without any visual distraction or covering of surrounding items. In various embodiments, the iris shutter case is a locket, an ornamental pin, or a part of a bracelet.
In preferred embodiments, the iris shutter case includes a leaf and pin shutter assembly which is manually operated by a drive mechanism. In some embodiments the drive mechanism is a drive ring with lug handles, the drive ring being manually rotated so as to reveal and/or conceal a decorative object or objects contained inside the iris shutter case.
The invention is an iris shutter case for housing and displaying decorative objects, the iris shutter case including a container capable of securely housing a decorative object within its interior, an iris shutter assembly cooperative with the container, the iris shutter assembly being openable so as to display a decorative object housed within the interior of the container, and being closable so as to conceal the decorative object, and a drive mechanism capable of opening and closing the iris shutter assembly.
In preferred embodiments, the iris shutter case is able to display a piece of jewelry. In certain of these preferred embodiments, the container further includes an attachment structure connected to the interior of the container, such as a prong setting for gemstones, which is capable of allowing a decorative object to be firmly fixed to the attachment structure and thereby firmly fixed to the interior of the container.
In some preferred embodiments, the invention includes a front cover with an opening through which the decorative object can be observed when the iris shutter is open. In these and/or other preferred embodiments, the invention includes a back cover that covers the end of the container that is furthest from the iris. The front cover and/or back cover can take a variety of shapes, though in preferred embodiments at least one cover resembles a disc or a partial sphere.
In various preferred embodiments, the iris shutter assembly is a leaf and pin shutter assembly. In some of these preferred embodiments, the leaf and pin shutter assembly is configured so as to minimize the degree of leaf overlap at the center of the leaf and pin shutter assembly, thereby minimizing the thickness of the iris shutter assembly when it is closed.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the drive mechanism is manually operable, and preferably includes a manually operable drive ring that communicates with a master ring so as to open and close the iris shutter assembly when the manually operable drive ring is manually rotated. In certain of these preferred embodiments, this manually operable drive ring includes lug handles that extend outwardly from the circumference of the master ring so as to be easily graspable.
With reference to
In the preferred embodiment of
In
A master ring plate 204 including a master ring 205 is fitted inside the back cover 112 and provides pinholes for a leaf and pin shutter assembly 106. A drive ring 206 is situated concentrically outside of the master ring 205, and can be rotated relative to the master ring 205 so as to expand or contract the leaf and pin shutter assembly 106 and thereby open and close the iris shutter assembly 106. So as to more clearly illustrate the operation of the leaf and pin shutter assembly 106, only a single leaf 208 from the leaf and pin shutter assembly 106 is shown in the exploded diagram. The leaf 208 includes two pins 209 for fastening the leaf to both the master ring 205 and the drive ring 206.
The drive ring 206 shown in
In the embodiment of
An iris shutter assembly 406 is located behind the window 412 of the front cover, the iris shutter assembly 406 of the iris shutter being oriented along the curve of the front cover 408. The iris shutter assembly 406 is shown here as a leaf and pin shutter assembly, which conceals the contents of the container 402 from outside view when the leaf and pin shutter assembly 406 is in the closed position. In
In the embodiment of
Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the above description is not intended to limit the invention except as indicated in the following claims.
Claims
1. An iris shutter case for housing and displaying decorative objects, the iris shutter case comprising:
- a container capable of housing a decorative object within its interior;
- an iris shutter assembly cooperative with the container, the iris shutter assembly being openable so as to display a decorative object housed within the interior of the container, and closable so as to conceal the decorative object; and
- a drive mechanism capable of opening and closing the iris shutter assembly.
2. The iris shutter case of claim 1, wherein the iris shutter case is able to display a piece of jewelry.
3. The iris shutter case of claim 1, wherein the container further comprises an attachment structure connected to the interior of the container, the attachment structure being capable of firmly fixing a decorative object within the interior of the container.
4. The iris shutter case of claim 3, wherein the attachment structure is a gemstone prong setting.
5. The iris shutter case of claim 1, further comprising a front cover that includes an opening through which a decorative object located within the container can be observed when the iris shutter is open.
6. The iris shutter case of claim 5, wherein the front cover resembles one of a disc and a partial sphere.
7. The iris shutter case of claim 1, further comprising a back cover that covers an end of the container that is furthest from the iris.
8. The iris shutter case of claim 7, wherein the back cover resembles one of a disc and a partial sphere.
9. The iris shutter case of claim 1, wherein the iris shutter assembly is a leaf and pin shutter assembly.
10. The iris shutter case of claim 9, wherein the leaf and pin shutter assembly is configured so as to minimize the degree of leaf overlap at the center of the leaf and pin shutter assembly, thereby minimizing the thickness of the iris shutter assembly when it is closed.
11. The iris shutter case of claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism is manually operable.
12. The iris shutter case of claim 11, wherein the drive mechanism is a manually operable drive ring that communicates with a master ring to open and close the iris shutter assembly when the manually operable drive ring is manually rotated.
13. The iris shutter case of claim 12, wherein the manually operable drive ring includes lug handles that extend outward from the circumference of the ring so as to be easy to manipulate.
14. The iris shutter case of claim 1, further comprising a chain attachment mechanism suitable for attachment of the iris shutter case to one of a cord and a chain so as to suspend the iris shutter case from the neck of a user.
15. The iris shutter case of claim 1, further comprising a band attachment mechanism suitable for attachment of the iris shutter case to a band surrounding a limb of a user.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 30, 2008
Publication Date: Feb 4, 2010
Inventor: Dennis Richard Emer
Application Number: 12/182,595
International Classification: A44C 15/00 (20060101); A44C 5/00 (20060101);