RING JEWELRY HAVING FINGER WEB NOTCH

Abstract

A finger ring having one or more notches to accommodate the webbing of a finger is disclosed, comprising a lower edge having a notch that is sized to allow a webbing of one or both sides of the finger to enter the notch, allowing the finger ring to sit lower on the finger of the hand. Preferably, a front/top side of the ring, when worn, has a view that is substantially rectangular such that the ring is perceived to be a traditional circular ring when worn when viewed from a front/top side of the ring. The ring may have a slope on the rear/bottom side of the ring to accommodate the notch(es) that allow(s) the ring to sit lower on the finger.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

Conventional finger rings are shaped as open-ended symmetrical cylinders of various heights and materials. While such finger rings are widely used and worn, generic, symmetrical, cylindrical finger rings can be uncomfortable for wearers, as human fingers are not perfectly symmetrical cylinders.

Ring manufacturers have created ergonomic rings to improve the comfort and aesthetics of various ring types. For example, US 2008/0148775 to Kaplan discloses a ring having an interior surface comprising elevated areas that improves blood circulation, air flow, and ease of cleansing of the interior of the ring. While Kaplan's rings provide a greater amount of comfort as compared to traditional rings, Kaplan's rings are also symmetrically shaped, which does not conform well to a majority of wearer's fingers, as most human fingers are also not symmetrical.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,084,008 to Shields discloses a ring having an offset segment that is offset from a lower portion of the ring so that the lower portion affixes above the webbing of the wearer's fingers, while the upper portion sits below the webbing of the wearer's fingers. This gives the ring a look as if it sits lower on the wearer's finger. Shields' ring, however, creates a slope that gives the ring an uneven and bent look, which is not aesthetically pleasing.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,517,358 to Olsson discloses a ring that is slightly canted to improve comfort when it is worn on the finger of a wearer. However, Olsson's ring also has a significantly slanted look when worn, which is not aesthetically pleasing.

Thus, it would therefore be desirable to provide improved systems and methods to produce and provide rings that are more comfortable and ergonomic to better fit the needs of human fingers and hands while preserving the circular look of traditional rings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Multiple embodiments of a finger ring designed to sit lower on a human hand and methods of making such a ring are disclosed. The finger ring is generally designed to fit around a human finger, where the ring has an upper edge and a lower edge opposite the upper edge. As used herein, an “upper edge” of a ring is distal of the lower edge when the ring is worn on the finger. While an edge may form a complete loop around a finger, some rings may have edges that form an incomplete loop, but preferably surround at least two opposing sides of the band of the ring.

In one embodiment, the finger ring has one or two notches disposed along a lower (proximal) edge of the ring to allow at least one webbing of the finger to enter the notch when worn. This allows the finger ring to sit lower on the wearer's hand than a finger ring without such a notch. In embodiments where the finger ring has only one notch, the notch is sized and disposed to allow the higher webbing to enter the notch. For example, for a ring designed to be worn on the ring finger of the wearer having only one notch, the notch is preferably designed to receive the webbing located between the wearer's middle and ring fingers, not the webbing located between the wearer's ring and pinky fingers. For ring embodiments designed to be worn on a thumb, index finger, or pinky finger, such rings generally also only have one notch disposed along the lower edge of the ring band.

In other embodiments, the ring could have two notches on opposing sides of the lower edge of the ring, where each notch is shaped to allow the webbing of the finger on either side to enter the notch. This is particularly useful for rings shaped to fit around the middle finger of the hand or on a ring finger having a particularly high webbing between the ring finger and the pinky finger.

A view of the top/front side of the ring, when worn on the finger, is preferably substantially rectangular, allowing the ring to have a look similar to a traditional, cylindrical, ring from at least one top/front angle. Such a view is typically obtained by shaping at least 30%, 35%, 40%, or 45% of the band's circumference to match the shape of a traditional ring cylinder, and by introducing at least one slope at an edge of that section of the band to accommodate the webbing notch. In some embodiments, the upper edge of the ring band comprises a slope that matches a slope of the webbing notch along the lower edge of the ring. In other embodiments, the upper edge of the ring band could comprise a peak having a gradual slope and an aggressive slope, allowing for one side of the slope to substantially match the slope of the webbing notch, and the other side of the slope to gradually slope towards the portion of the ring that is shaped as a traditional ring cylinder. In such embodiments, the peak of the gradual and aggressive slopes is preferably positioned within at least two millimeters of a point along the upper edge that directly opposes a valley of the webbing notch. Such embodiments would have a ring with a front side having a view that is substantially a rectangle and a rear side having a view that is substantially a parallelogram.

The webbing notch could comprise a valley having two slopes recessed from a major surface of the lower edge, while in other embodiments the webbing notch could comprise a single slope that plateaus to a lower side of the band that also is shaped to match a traditional ring cylinder. The webbing notch could comprise any suitable shape to accept the finger webbing of the wearer when worn, such as a curved valley, a sharp valley, a symmetrical valley, or an asymmetrical valley. In some embodiments, the ring could comprise a filler that is configured to couple to the webbing notch to block the webbing of the finger from entering the webbing notch. Such a filler could be used to flatten out the lower edge of the ring band to allow the ring to sit higher on the wearer's hand.

The ring band could comprise any suitable material, for example plastic, glass, ceramic, stone, concrete, wood, metal, carbon fiber, concrete, leather, silicone, and/or rubber. The ring band could comprise rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible materials, or even a silicone rubber. The ring band could be formed in any suitable manner, for example via 3-D printing, casting, carving, injection molding, or CNC machining, and could be formed from a plurality of different materials that interlock together to form the aforementioned shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a top perspective view of an exemplary ring having a finger web notch.

FIG. 1B shows a bottom perspective view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C shows a front perspective view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D shows a rear perspective view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1E shows a front plan view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1F shows a rear plan view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1G shows a top plan view of the ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1H shows an alternative ring having a filler that couples to the webbing notch.

FIG. 1I shows an alternative ring comprising a plurality of loops.

FIG. 1J shows an alternative ring comprising an open perimeter.

FIG. 1K shows an alternative ring comprising two webbing notches.

FIG. 2 shows a side perspective view of the ring of FIG. 1A on a ring finger of a wearer.

FIG. 3A shows a top perspective view of an alternative ring having a finger web notch.

FIG. 3B shows a bottom perspective view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C shows a front perspective view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D shows a rear perspective view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3E shows a front plan view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3F shows a rear plan view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3G shows a top plan view of the ring of FIG. 3A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of a finger ring sized and disposed to accommodate a finger webbing to sit lower on a hand are disclosed.

FIGS. 1A-1G show various views of an exemplary finger ring 100A shown as a ring finger ring having upper edge 110 and lower edge 120. Lower edge 120 has a finger webbing notch 124 shaped to accept a finger webbing of a finger that finger ring 100A is worn upon. As shown, finger webbing notch 124 is preferably shaped as a valley having two slopes recessed from the major surface of lower edge 120. Finger webbing notch 124 is shaped along lower edge 120 having lower peak 122 and lower peak 126 that both recess into the valley of finger webbing notch 124. Lower peak 122 and lower peak 126 are shaped to have rounded peaks, while finger webbing notch 124 is shaped to have a rounded valley to minimize pinching or scratching of wearer's hand when finger ring 100A is worn. The peaks and valleys are preferably curved, and could be asymmetrical as shown, or could be symmetrical along a subsection of the finger ring 100A. As seen most clearly in FIG. 1C, slope 123 between lower peak 122 and finger webbing notch 124 is substantially equal to slope 125 between lower peak 126 and finger webbing notch 124, which is about a 50-degree incline. As used herein, an angle that is substantially equal to one another is equal within a 5- or 10-degree tolerance level.

Upper edge 110 has upper peak 112 and lower valley 114 which form aggressive slope 111 from lower valley 114 to upper peak 112 and a gradual slope from lower valley 114 to upper peak 112. As used herein, a slope that is “aggressive” has a greater gradient than a slope that is “gradual.” Aggressive slope 111 has an incline that is substantially equal to slope 123 between lower peak 122 and finger webbing notch 124. By providing an aggressive slope 111 that is substantially equal to slope 123, which forms the major slope of finger webbing notch 124, finger ring 100A provides a substantially rhomboid surface 150 when the finger webbing notch 124 is viewed planarly. As used herein, a substantially rhomboid surface comprises a rhombus that has substantially equal and parallel opposing sides. As used herein, sides that are substantially equal are equal to one another within a 5% or 10% tolerance, and sides that are substantially parallel to one another are parallel within a 5- or 10-degree tolerance. As shown most clearly in FIG. 1C, peak 112 of upper edge 110 and the valley of finger webbing notch 124 are substantially on opposing sides of ring 100A, ensuring that peak 112 matches the peak of the wearer's finger webbing when finger ring 100A is worn on a wearer's hand. In preferred embodiments, the upper peak is located at most five, three, two, or even one millimeter of the opposing valley of the webbing notch on the opposing edge of the finger ring to ensure a substantially rhomboid surface when viewed planarly.

As shown in FIG. 2, when finger ring 100A is worn on ring finger 220 of hand 200, the webbing 212 between ring finger 220 and middle finger 210 rests within finger webbing notch 124. This allows finger ring 100A to rest lower on hand 200 than it would if finger ring 100A were shaped to be a traditional cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, there is no need for a second notch to be shaped in finger ring 100A since the webbing (not shown) between ring finger 220 and pinky finger 230 is not high enough to touch the bottom edge 120 of finger ring 100A. In other embodiments, where a webbing between a ring finger and a pinky finger is higher, finger ring 100A could be shaped to have a plurality of finger webbing notches—such as one notch for the webbing between the ring finger and the middle finger, and another notch for the webbing between the ring finger and the pinky finger. Such embodiments are particularly useful for rings that are sized and disposed to fit over a middle finger of a wearer.

As shown in FIG. 1E, when finger ring 100A is viewed along a front side with finger webbing notch 124 disposed to a side of finger ring 100A, surface 130 appears to be substantially rectangular when viewed from the front side of the ring (above the knuckle of the finger) when finger ring 100A is worn on the finger. This allows finger ring 100A to appear to be a cylindrical ring when the opposing side of finger ring 100A is covered from view by a wearer's finger, such as ring finger 220. From such an angle, a finger webbing, such as webbing 212, would fit in finger webbing notch 124, but the peak 112 of upper edge 110 would not be visible as it would be covered from the front view by the wearer's finger, such as ring finger 220. As such, finger ring 100A would appear to be a cylindrical ring from this front view angle, providing a substantially rectangular surface 130 as viewed from such an angle.

As shown in FIG. 1F, when finger ring 100A is viewed along a rear side with finger webbing notch 124 disposed to a side of finger ring 100A, surface 140 appears to be substantially parallelogram shaped, having a top side 142 that is defined by a gradual slope from lower valley 114 to upper peak 112, and a bottom side 144 that is defined by a gradual slope from lower peak 122 to lower peak 126. This substantially parallelogram-shaped surface 140 is only viewable by looking at a palm of a hand, such as hand 200, and would normally be hidden from view by most casual glances at the wearer's hand.

As shown in FIG. 1G, when finger ring 100A is viewed along a top plan view, finger ring appears to be a substantially circular or ovoid cylinder, similar to a traditional cylindrical ring that does not have a finger notch. Above dividing line 132, finger ring 100A could be shaped to be similar to a substantially cylindrical, ring that does not have any slopes or gradients along its top or bottom surfaces, providing a surface 130 that appears to be substantially rectangular when viewed from a front side. Below dividing line 142, finger ring 100A could be shaped to be a sloped band that has a gradual slope to accommodate the finger webbing notch 124 along bottom edge 120 of finger ring 100A. Surface 140, when viewed from a rear side, would appear to be a substantially parallelogram shape.

Finger ring 100A could comprise any suitable material, such as plastic, glass, ceramic, stone, concrete, wood, carbon fiber, leather, silicone, and rubber. In some embodiments, the finger ring 100A could comprise a silicone rubber that could be 3-D printed for convenience, and could be provided to a customer as a sample ring to wear. Once a customer approves the shape and features of the finger ring, the sizing and dimensions of the silicone rubber ring could be used to create a ring of a different material, such as rigid or flexible plastics, precious or non-precious metals (e.g. copper, iron, platinum, gold, steel, or combinations thereof), wood, or even concrete. As used herein, a rigid plastic comprises a plastic having a shore durometer of at least 100 A.

An alternative finger ring 100B is shown in FIG. 1H with upper edge 110B and lower edge 120B having a filler 170 that could be used to fill the finger webbing notch 124 and block a wearer's webbing from entering finger webbing notch 124. Filler 170 could comprise any suitable mating mechanism to couple filler 170 to finger webbing notch 124, such as matching indents and detents, an elastic upper groove that stretches around and compresses the lower edge 120 of finger ring 100B, or a tongue/groove mating mechanism. In some embodiments, filler 170 comprises the same material as the main body of finger ring 100B, while in other embodiments the mating mechanisms of filler 170 comprise a different material, such as an elastic material that conforms to the mating mechanism (e.g. an elastic tongue that compresses into a groove of lower edge 120 to hold filler 170 in place along the lower edge.

An alternative finger ring 100C is shown in FIG. 1I with upper edge 100B and lower edge 120B comprising a plurality of rings 172, 174, and 176, which all are disposed to fit and mate with one another using friction force to form the entirety of finger ring 100C. Rings 172, 174, and 176 could be sized and disposed to fit and mate with one another in any suitable manner, for example by having an upper groove in one ring (e.g. ring 174) that matches a lower projection in another ring (e.g. ring 172). As shown, ring 172 comprises a loop that comprises upper edge 110 while ring 176 comprises a loop that comprises lower edge 120.

An alternative finger ring 100D is shown in FIG. 1J with upper edge 110C and lower edge 120C comprising a gap 180 between upper end 182 and lower end 184. As shown, the gap 180 comprises an empty space in finger ring 100D within which a finger webbing (not shown) of a wearer's hand can enter, allowing finger ring 100D to sit lower on a hand similar to finger ring 100A, which has a finger webbing notch 124. The upper edge 110D preferably surrounds at least two opposing sides of a distal section of the finger, and the lower edge 110E preferably surrounds at least two opposing sides of a proximal section of the finger when worn, to ensure that the ring stays in place on the finger.

An alternative finger ring 100E is shown in FIG. 1K with upper edge 110E and lower edge 120E comprising finger webbing notch 124E and finger webbing notch 128E. Finger ring 100E is sized and disposed to fit a finger that has finger webbings on either side of the finger ring 100E, such as a ring finger of a hand. The aggressive slope 123E between lower peak 122E and finger webbing notch 124E and the aggressive slope 127E between lower peak 126E and finger webbing notch 128E allows one portion of finger ring 100E to sit higher than another side of finger ring 100E. By providing such a configuration, both the front and rear sides of finger ring 100E have surfaces that appear to be substantially rectangular, camouflaging the ring from multiple angles as a traditional circular ring at a first glance.

An alternative finger ring 300 is shown in FIGS. 3A-3G, which show an alternative finger ring 300 having a top edge 310 and a bottom edge 320. Finger ring 300 is similar to finger ring 100A, however finger ring 300 has a finger webbing notch 324 that has an aggressive slope 323 between lower peak 322 and finger webbing notch 324, and an aggressive slope 325 between lower peak 326 and finger webbing notch 324. Such a notch, also called a bump, could be used to mask the finger notch from a plurality of viewing angles. By providing an aggressive notch, a thickness 302 of finger ring 300 on one side is less than a thickness 304 of finger ring 300 on another side of finger ring 300. As shown, the thickness 302 is approximately 80% of thickness 304, although other ratios could be used in alternative embodiments.

The top edge 310 of finger ring 300 has a lower valley 314 and an upper peak 312 having a gradual slope 313 and an aggressive slope 311, similar to the gradual slope 113 and aggressive slope 111 of finger ring 100A. However, the lower edge 320 of finger ring 300 has a lower peak 322 having an aggressive slope 323 to finger webbing notch 324, and a lower peak 326 having an aggressive slope 325 to finger webbing notch 324. While this shape provides a substantially rectangular surface 330 to finger ring 300 when viewed from a front side, this shape provides an irregular quadrilateral surface 340 when viewed from a rear side, where the irregular quadrilateral surface 340 has a longer side on one edge than the opposing parallel edge. However, the irregular quadrilateral surface 340 appears to be closer to a rectangle than a parallelogram, which some wearers may appreciate.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the finger ring systems and methods disclosed herein can be adapted to a wide variety of finger rings of various materials and components. For example, the ring could be shaped as a helix or an infinity symbol having notches shaped to receive one or more finger webbings of the wearer. While the embodiments disclosed herein have a substantially circular cross-sectional area, as shown in FIGS. 1G and 3G, alternative ring embodiments could have ellipsoid square, pentagonal, hexagonal, or other cross-sectional shapes. It will therefore be readily understood that the specific embodiments and aspects of this disclosure described herein are exemplary only and not limiting, and that a plurality of variations and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the pertinent arts without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A finger ring, comprising:

a band sized to fit around a finger having an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and a top side, wherein the upper edge surrounds at least two opposing sides of a distal section of the finger and the lower edge surrounds at least two opposing sides of a proximal section of the finger when the ring is worn on the finger, wherein the upper edge is distal of the lower edge when the ring is worn on the finger; wherein the lower edge comprises a webbing notch sized to allow a webbing of at least one side of the finger to enter the webbing notch when worn, and wherein a view of a surface of the front side of the ring above a knuckle of the finger, when worn on the finger, is substantially rectangular.

2. The finger ring of claim 1,

wherein the band further comprises a rear side opposite the front side, and

wherein a view of the rear side, when worn on the finger, is substantially parallelogram shaped.

3. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the upper edge comprises a peak having a gradual slope and an aggressive slope, wherein the peak of the upper edge is located within at most two millimeters of an opposing valley of the webbing notch.

4. The finger ring of claim 3, wherein the webbing notch comprises a valley having two slopes recessed from a major surface of the lower edge.

5. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the webbing notch comprises a curved valley.

6. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the webbing notch comprises a symmetrical valley.

7. The finger ring of claim 1, further comprising a filler configured to couple with the webbing notch, wherein the filler blocks the webbing of the at least one side of the finger to enter the webbing notch when the filler is coupled to the webbing notch.

8. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the ring comprises a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass, ceramic, stone, concrete, wood, carbon fiber, leather, silicone, and rubber.

9. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the band comprises a plurality of loops shaped to mate with one another to form the band.

10. The finger ring of claim 9, wherein a first loop of the plurality of loops forms the upper edge and a second loop of the plurality of loops forms the lower edge.

11. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the upper edge forms a closed perimeter about the band.

12. The finger ring of claim 10, wherein the lower edge forms a closed perimeter about the band.

13. The finger ring of claim 1, wherein the lower edge comprises a second webbing notch sized to allow a second webbing of another side of the finger to enter the second webbing notch.