CASE FOR JEWELRY ITEMS

Abstract

A case is provided for jewelry items, including jewelry items of the type having a piercing component. The case comprises a housing defining a storage chamber and a reservoir for holding an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent. The case further comprises a panel member within the housing for receiving and supporting the piercing component of said jewelry items. The housing comprises a top shell member, and a bottom shell member attached thereto by means of a hinge. The angle of opening between the top shell member and the bottom shell member is greater than 90 degrees. The storage chamber comprises a side wall and a floor 40 which are joined by a continuous curve. The user can easily retrieve small items such as earring backs from the storage chamber by sliding them along the curve and up the side wall with one finger.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally jewelry boxes, and more particularly to a portable case for jewelry items having a means for cleaning or sterilizing jewelry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many types of jewelry containers are known, ranging from large jewelry chests containing complex arrangements of drawers and chambers, to small boxes which might hold a single piece of jewelry. The primary purpose of some jewelry containers is to protect an owner's jewelry securely against theft or damage, and these containers would typically be constructed of substantial rigid materials such as wood or metal and would be equipped with robust locks. Other containers, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,821 to Corbett, or U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,084 to Whelan, are designed primarily to display jewelry, whether for sale or for an owner's viewing pleasure. These containers may have little or no effectiveness in storing or protecting jewelry. Still other jewelry containers are primarily used to carry modest amounts of jewelry when the owner is travelling. In such instances the jewelry containers are often lightweight and compact. Again, there is considerable variation in the type of container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,883 to Miller teaches a flexible sheet apparatus which can be folded or rolled up to retain the jewelry inside. This type of device provides little protection from physical shock to the jewelry items. Other portable containers have rigid frames, such as the jewelry case taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,445 to LeSage. While there are many jewelry containers known in the prior art, very few combine storage, display and travel functions effectively in a single unit.

The ability to sanitize one's jewelry is particularly important in the context of jewelry items which comprise a piercing element, such as pierced earrings, nose rings, or body studs which are inserted through holes pierced through a user's skin. By treating the piercing elements of one's jewelry with an antimicrobial agent before inserting the jewelry, a user can decrease their risk of fungal, bacterial or viral infection. Jewelry items which have been stored for long periods of time between wearings can also become tarnished or coated with a buildup of dust and skin oils. Thus, it is advantageous in such instances for a user to be able to apply a cleaning solution to his or her jewelry before wearing it.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,516 to Morrison teaches the use of a foam material applied to a panel to retain the piercing elements of jewelry for storage. The foam material can be treated with an antimicrobial agent, so that when the piercing element passes through or becomes lodged in the foam material it comes into contact with the antimicrobial agent, and is exposed to disinfecting activity. The use of a foam material treated with an antimicrobial agent to line a support panel has a number of disadvantages. Frequent and long-term use of the panel may result in the foam material becoming damaged or torn as a result of sustaining many punctures. The damaged portions of the foam in “high traffic” areas on the panel may not be as effective in exposing the items to the disinfecting activity. Moreover, since the antimicrobial agent cannot be seen by the user, he or she does not know whether the antimicrobial agent is still present and effective, or has evaporated or degraded over time. The Morrison patent does not teach a means of introducing a cleaning agent to the jewelry such as would remove tarnish or dust/oil buildup.

There is a need for a jewelry container which combines the safe and secure storage, the ability to adequately display the jewelry items for selection by a user, and the ability to disinfect jewelry items before use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a case for jewelry, including jewelry items having piercing elements, which on further combines the safe and secure storage, the ability to adequately display the jewelry items for selection by a user, and the ability to disinfect jewelry items before wearing

It is a yet a further object to provide a jewelry case which allows a user to determine when an antimicrobial agent is present in the jewelry case.

It is yet a further object to provide a jewelry case which allows a user to replenish the supply of antimicrobial agent in the jewelry case.

It is a further object to provide a case for jewelry which provides the ability to expose jewelry items to a cleaning solution before wearing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A case is provided for jewelry items, including jewelry items of the type having a piercing component. The case comprises a housing defining a storage chamber, and a reservoir for holding an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent. The case further comprises a panel member within the housing for receiving and supporting the piercing component of said jewelry items. The housing comprises a top shell member, and a bottom shell member attached thereto by means of a hinge. The angle of opening between the top shell member and the bottom shell member is greater than 90 degrees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of showing a jewelry case according to the present invention in open and closed positions.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the open base of the jewelry case according to the present invention.

FIG. 3. is a plan view of the base of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4. is a perspective view of the open top of the jewelry case according to the present invention.

FIG. 5. is a plan view of the top of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the jewelry case of FIG. 1 taken along line 6-6.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an in-use view of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is another in-use view of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings a case for jewelry items is shown generally by reference numeral 10. The case 10 has a housing 12. The housing 12 defines a storage chamber 14 and a reservoir 16 for holding an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent. A panel member 18 is provided within the housing 12 for receiving and supporting the piercing component of jewelry items.

The housing 12 of the case 10 could be constructed from a variety of materials. It would be possible to use traditional materials such as wood, metal, alabaster, glass, ceramic, porcelain, metal, or marble, and such materials are not outside the scope of the present invention when considered at its broadest scope. As a practical matter; however, if the case is intended for everyday use and for travel use, light man-made construction materials would be preferable. The selection criteria would include lightweight, non-toxic materials which are cost efficient to mould. If the reservoir 16 is to be constructed from the same material as the housing 12, then the selection criteria will dictate materials which are non-reactive in the presence of common antimicrobial and jewelry cleaning agents. It is preferred for the housing of the case to be constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, polypropylene, styrene, and nylon.

The housing 12 in the present invention might take the form of a tray or display case that defines a storage chamber and a reservoir for holding an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent.

It is preferred for the housing 12 to comprise a top shell member 20 and a bottom shell member 22. A connecting means 24 is provided to connect the top shell 20 to the bottom shell 22 to form the housing 12 and to permit a user to open and close the housing 12 for access to the contents. There are various ways to achieve this result.

For example, one could construct the top shell of a size slightly larger than bottom shell to permit it to fit over the bottom shell, and then providing a latch to secure the top and bottom shells together when in a closed position. Alternatively, an arrangement of ridges and grooves could be applied to the contact surfaces of the top and bottom shells to permit an interlocking, sliding engagement. A pivot pin arrangement could be used to permit attachment of the top and bottom shells and permit access to the interior of the housing by rotating the shells relative to one another. A live hinge could also be used in accordance with the present invention.

As shown in the FIGS. 6 and 7, it is preferred to connect the top shell member 20 to the bottom shell member 22 by connecting means 24 being a hinge. The functionality of the case according to the present invention is enhanced by providing the housing 12 with an angle of opening between the top shell member 20 and the bottom shell member 22 of greater than 90 degrees. It is preferred for the angle of opening to be about 100-115 degrees as illustrated by line A in FIG. 6. The angle of opening of greater than 90 degrees and preferably 100-115 degrees permits jewelry items which are attached to the panel 18 to be prominently displayed and easily accessible when the open housing is sitting on a flat surface. This angle of opening can be achieved in a number of ways. A hinge 24 having an angle of opening of greater than 90 degrees could be mounted to the top shell member and bottom shell member of the housing. As can be seen in FIG. 6 the upper portion of the chamber sidewall 38 is angled outward from the vertical. The mounting of the hinge to the upper portion of the chamber sidewall 38 enables the top shell member 20 to be opened at an angle greater than 90 degrees to the bottom shell member 22. It should also be noted that the bottom shell 22 is heavier than the top shell 20 which helps to prevent the jewelry case from tipping over when it is opened.

There are a number of hinge types which would be adequate for use in the case according to the present invention, and it is within the expertise of a person skilled in the art to install the selected hinge to attach the shell members together. It is preferred for the hinge 24 to be spring loaded in order to provide biasing to hold the housing 12 firmly in a closed position when the user is not accessing the items of jewelry inside the case.

It has been determined that the use of a mini spring hinge is preferable for use in the present invention. As discussed above, the preferred materials for construction of the case according to the present invention are man-made materials including various plastics, nylon etc. Many of these types of materials are rigid, and do not have the resilience needed to deform in order to receive and retain a mini spring hinge. Reference is now made to the enlarged view of FIG. 7. In accordance with the present invention, the use of mini spring hinges is facilitated by constructing the top shell member 20 with an insert 52 glued in place adjacent a wall of the top shell to define a slot 26 to receive a hinge leg 28. It has been found that the slot 26 is preferably 0.21 inches wide by 0.80 inches long by 0.35 inches deep. Similarly, the bottom shell member 22 is constructed with an insert 54 glued into place adjacent a wall of the bottom shell 22 to define a slot 26 for receiving the other hinge leg 28. The slot 26 in the bottom shell member 22 is positioned in the upper portion of the sidewall 38 to take advantage of the outward angle of the sidewall 38. Each of the hinge legs 28, 28 is frictionally retained within a respective one of the slots 26, and may be glued in place within the respective slots 26 for added security. When the hinge legs 28, 28 are positioned within the slots 26, 26 the hinge 24 connects the top shell 20 to the bottom shell 22. As best seen in FIG. 7 the hinge 24 connects the top shell 20 to the bottom shell 22. A hinge pin 23 can be seen at the vertex between the legs 28, 28 of the hinge 24, and a hinge spring 25 spans the hinge 24. The hinge spring 25 provides resistance in the hinge which must be overcome by applying manual force when opening or closing the hinge. This ensures that the box opens and closes with a snap, and remains securely closed when not in use.

For esthetic reasons a portion of cloth 44 can be installed to cover the exposed connecting mechanism 24.

As illustrated in the figures, a reservoir 16 is provided for holding an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent. Although not necessary, it is preferred for the reservoir 16 to be integrally moulded into the bottom shell member 22 of the housing 12. Alternatively, the reservoir could be manufactured as a separate element which is then affixed to the bottom shell member in some manner. The reservoir 16 may have a closure means and be resealable. As would be understood by a person skilled in the art, there are numerous ways of providing a lid and sealing feature. If the antimicrobial agent is rubbing alcohol, it would not be necessary to seal the reservoir, as any unused rubbing alcohol would simply vaporize. The reservoir may advantageously be provided with a flexible absorbent element such as a sponge 36.

As desired by the user, the reservoir 16 can be filled with an antimicrobial agent (not shown), such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, and the user can then dip the jewelry components, particularly piercing elements such as wires, pins and posts to sterilize them before wearing. Any excess antimicrobial agent which might accidentally be spilled into the storage compartment 14 could be used to sterilize earing backs stored in that compartment. As shown in FIG. 8, the presence of the sponge 36 will stabilize the fluid in the reservoir 16 and allow a user to gently press small items such as an earring post 49 against the sponge for cleaning and/or sterilizing. The sponge 36 will also trap and retain the fluid inhibiting evaporation, such that the sponge 36 may stay moist for days. Commonly available detergent or alcohol-based jewelry cleaning solutions could be place in the reservoir if the user for cleaning the jewelry for the removal of dust/skin oils etc. Because the user has complete access to the reservoir as and when desired, he or she can choose to fill the reservoir 16 with the desired fluid agent. The reservoir can be filled with the fluid agent for a particular session of jewelry cleaning/sterilization and then emptied. Alternatively, a lid (not shown) can be placed on the reservoir 16 sealing in the fluid agent for future use. The user has the convenience of a ready supply of fluid agent stored within the reservoir 16 even while travelling with the case 10. If the user needs to carry the case in hand luggage for air travel, the fluid agent can be removed from the reservoir 16 for travel, and then a new supply of refilled into the reservoir from a container carried in checked luggage or purchased at the user's destination. A further advantageous feature of the case is that it is immediately apparent to the user upon opening the reservoir 16 whether there is a supply of cleaning or antimicrobial agent present in the reservoir 16. The fluid can be seen, felt and smelled by the user. There is no need to guess whether an invisible antimicrobial agent which may have impregnated a fabric is still present and has not been denatured.

The storage chamber 14 can be used to store jewelry items including chains, rings, beads etc. It is also particularly useful for storing small items such as earring backs 48 which are needed to secure earring posts, and which are often misplaced. The size and shape of the storage chamber 14 can be varied as desired. Likewise, the storage chamber 14 may be divided into multiple compartments. As best seen in FIG. 9, a useful feature of the case 10 is that the storage chamber 14 comprises a side wall 38 and a floor 40 which are joined by a continuous curve 42. The user can easily retrieve small items such as earring backs 48 from the storage chamber 14 by sliding them along the curve 42 and up the side wall 38 with one finger.

The panel member 18 for receiving and supporting the piercing component 49 of jewelry items is preferably located in the top shell member 20 of the housing 12. The panel member 18 comprises a portion of resilient material which provides for the insertion of a piercing element of the jewelry item. The piercing element will then be retained for storage and display. There are resilient elastomeric materials, such as polyurethane which are able to self-close when the piercing element is removed. These materials can be advantageously used in the panel 18. Alternatively, less expensive materials, such as simple sponge may be used, even though they may lack self-closing ability. In such instance a fabric sheet 46 may be layered over the panel to hide tears in the resilient material (if it is not self-closing) and to add additional structural integrity to the panel. The fabric sheet 46 will improve the visible appeal of the case by providing an attractive finished surface for the panel member and obscuring wear and tear which will occur through use as holes are repeatedly punched into the resilient material.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications of the case of the present invention may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, for esthetic purposes, the case can be covered, inside and/or out with a laminate material. Examples of such materials would include velvet, suede, leather, silk, pvc, etc. The choice of whether and where to apply such materials to the case are matters of decorative choice, and would not significantly impact the functional aspects of the case. It would be within the ability of a person skilled in the art to select and apply such a covering to the case, with the caveat that the reservoir 16 and a reservoir lid, if applicable, should not be covered in order to ensure proper sealing of the reservoir and to avoid chemical interaction with antimicrobial and/or cleaning agents.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of the various parts and elements, described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. It will be apparent that the scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims set out hereinbelow.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A case for jewelry items, including jewelry items of the type having a piercing component, said case comprising:

a housing having a top shell member and a bottom shell member attached thereto, and therebetween defining a jewelry storage chamber; and

a reservoir for holding a portion of an antimicrobial agent or a jewelry cleaning agent into which reservoir a user may dip the piercing component to sterilize.

10. The case of claim 9, wherein the reservoir is integrally moulded into the bottom shell member of the housing.

11. The case of claim 9, wherein the reservoir further comprises a flexible absorbent member to trap and retain the antimicrobial agent or jewelry cleaning agent and against which to press the piercing component for cleaning and sterilizing.

12. The case of claim 11, further comprising a panel member within the housing for receiving and supporting the piercing component of said jewelry items.

13. The case of claim 11, wherein the top shell member and the bottom shell member are attached by means of a hinge.

14. The case of claim 13, wherein the top shell member and the bottom shell member have an angle of opening of greater than 90 degrees.

15. The case of claim 14, wherein the angle of opening is between 100-115 degrees.

16. The case of claim 15, wherein top shell member defines a slot for receiving a hinge leg, the bottom shell member defines a slot for receiving a hinge leg, and said hinge has legs frictionally retained within said slots.

17. The case of claim 9, wherein the top shell member and the bottom shell member are constructed from material selected from the group consisting of plastic, styrene, nylon, and polypropylene.

18. The case of claim 9, wherein the storage chamber comprises a side wall and a floor joined by a continuous curve.