Anti tarnish jewelry box insert

Abstract

An anti tarnish jewelry box insert with an outer flexible housing, an inner open celled foam layer and an inner activated carbon retaining layer. The outer flexible cover is made from breathable material. The activated carbon retaining layer resides within the center of the flexible housing. The open celled foam layer resides just above the activated carbon retaining layer. The flexible housing is made of breathable material and fully covers the activated carbon retaining layer and the foam layer. A preferred embodiment includes the insert is sized to form a floor of a standard jewelry box.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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Description of Attached Appendix

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of jewelry box construction and more specifically to an anti tarnish jewelry box insert.

Jewelry boxes are a well known way to store items of jewelry in a person's home. A common problem when storing metallic jewelry is that over time, the jewelry tends to tarnish due to the presence of chemicals such as naturally emitted sulfur from silver, chemicals in clothing, food items, rubber based products, skin oils, makeup, perfume and hair products.

To solve this problem, some manufacturers have designed and sold anti tarnish strips which contain activated carbon, which is a known absorber of hydrogen sulfide and other tarnish causing chemicals.
set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention 30 where it is fastened to the underside of the jewelry box lid 8. In this case the construction of the insert 30 does not need the have the foam layer 14 both above and below the activated carbon layer 16. FIG. 6 shows such an embodiment 200 where foam layer 214 is only on the top surface of activated charcoal layer 216. A rigid panel 220 helps keep the insert 200 flat during use. Outer cover 210 is similar to the cover 10 described above and has similar breathable qualities 212 as described above as apertures 12.

FIG. 4 shows another alternate embodiment where the inserts 2, 52 are rather small in relation to the size of the entire jewelry box and can be placed within the perimeter of 50 or in between 52 standard items of jewelry 4, 6. These smaller inserts can be constructed in a similar way as the inserts described above 100, 200, so they will blend nicely from an aesthetic point of view, with the inner surfaces of a standard jewelry box 2, 8.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the insert of the present invention 42 which is long and thin and resides along the front edge, or the rear edge of a standard jewelry supporting tray.

FIG. 8 shows still another alternate embodiment of the invention 400 where the use of a breathable outer cover has been eliminated. In this embodiment 400 an activated carbon layer 95 has been bonded to the underside of a block of breathable foam 90. This embodiment 400 can be used in jewelry boxes that are meant for temporary storage such as a paper box that is used for shipping and store display.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Referring to FIG. 1 we see a perspective view of a standard jewelry box comprised of a base 2 and a lid 8. An insert 100 supports various items of jewelry 4, 6. FIG. 2 shows a side section view of the insert 100. An outer cover or housing is made of breathable flexible material. One choice is velvet, which is commonly found inside jewelry boxes, but can also be other breathable materials or a non breathable material that has a plurality of small apertures 12 regularly spaced over the entire surface of the outer housing 10. An open celled foam layer 14 lies just under the surface of the outer cover 10. A central layer of activated charcoal material 16, or other airborne chemical absorbing material resides under the foam layer 14. In the embodiment shown here, the foam 14 surrounds the activated charcoal layer allowing the activated foam to freely absorb airborne chemicals both above the insert 100 and below the insert 100. When the insert 100 is supported by a ledge 60 as shown in exploded view in FIG. 7, it can provide tarnish retarding capacity to jewelry located above the insert 100 and below the insert 100.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention as it resides inside a jewelry box.

FIG. 2 is a section view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention showing it placed on the inside of a jewelry box lid.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention showing it placed in and between items of jewelry.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention showing it placed along the front edge of the jewelry holding tray.

FIG. 6 is a section view of an alternate embodiment of the invention that includes a rigid support plate.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the invention as it is removed from a jewelry box.

FIG. 8 an alternate embodiment of the invention having a foam layer and a bonded lower activated carbon layer.

celled foam layer, an inner activated carbon retaining layer, said outer flexible cover made from breathable material, said activated carbon retaining layer residing within the center of said flexible housing, said open celled foam layer residing just above said activated carbon retaining layer, and said flexible housing made of breathable material and fully covering said activated carbon retaining layer and said foam layer.

However, there is a deficiency in the prior technology in that the strips tend to be non resilient and are not particularly appropriate for placing jewelry items upon. Additionally, if the strip is placed under a jewelry holding tray, the non breathable nature of most trays does not allow the strips properties to act upon the jewelry. Placing the rather plain strip within the jewelry box in dose proximity to the jewelry is not aesthetically pleasing to the jewelry owner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a jewelry box insert that helps keep metal jewelry from becoming tarnished while stored for long periods inside a jewelry box.

Another object of the invention is to provide an anti tarnish jewelry box insert whose outer cover is made of breathable materials so that tarnish producing chemicals can be absorbed by the activated carbon located within the insert.

Another object of the invention is to provide an anti tarnish jewelry box insert that includes an open cell foam layer so that the resulting insert provides a soft surface for jewelry to rest upon.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an anti tarnish jewelry box insert comprising: an outer flexible housing, an inner open

Claims

1. anti tarnish jewelry box insert comprising:

an outer flexible housing;

an inner open celled foam layer;

an inner airborne chemical absorbing layer;

said outer flexible cover made from breathable material;

said hydrogen sulfide absorbing retaining layer residing within the center of said flexible housing;

said open celled foam layer residing just above said activated carbon retaining layer; and

said flexible housing made of breathable material and fully covering said activated carbon retaining layer and said foam layer.

2. An anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said airborne chemical absorbing layer is made of activated carbon.

3. An anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insert is sized to form a floor of a standard jewelry box.

4. An anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insert rests on a ledge within a jewelry box allowing jewelry to be stored above and below said insert.

5. An alternate embodiment of said anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insert housing includes within it, a rigid panel located just below said foam layer.

6. An anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insert is shaped to reside along the front edge portion of the inside of a standard jewelry box.

7. An anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said insert is shaped to fit within the open space between items of jewelry as they reside a standard jewelry box.

8. An alternate embodiment of said anti tarnish jewelry box insert as claimed in claim 1 wherein said activated carbon layer is bonded to the underside of said open celled foam layer and no said outer housing is used.