Patent ID: 9451813
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: A44C

Claim Text:
1. A method of making a self-stopping bead for jewelry, said method comprising the steps of: providing a rigid metal tube having an axial passage that extends along a longitudinal axis of the rigid metal tube; providing a resilient relatively hard plastic tube; inserting the resilient plastic tube within the axial passage of the rigid metal tube; deforming the rigid tube inward toward said axis at at least first and second spaced-apart locations along said axis until the rigid tube is necked down at said locations enough to pinch the resilient tube at a depression; wherein the deforming step includes substantially equal deformation at any one location at opposed sides of the rigid metal tube so as to form a uniform bead shape; wherein the resilient and rigid tubes are provided in sections including at least a first section where a first bead is formed and a second section where a second bead is formed; severing the rigid tube and the resilient tube at said depressions thereby forming a self-stopping bead with opposing holes that are formed at opposed substantially planar end surfaces of the bead; wherein the step of severing forms ends of the resilient tube that extend into and interlock with the respective holes in the rigid tube; wherein the step of severing includes selecting a first saw blade to cut the rigid tube and the resilient tube at a first pair of depressions of said first section, and wherein the first saw blade is selected to have a first width to provide a first bead of a first uniform width which, in turn, defines a first uniform bead hole width; wherein the first pair of depressions are adjacently disposed depressions and the severing is accomplished by centering the first saw blade at a center line of the respective depression to form a uniform first bead; wherein the step of severing further includes separately selecting a second saw blade to cut at a second pair of depressions of said second section, and wherein the second saw blade is selected to have a second width to provide a second bead of a second uniform width which, in turn, defines a second different uniform bead hole width; wherein the second pair of depressions are adjacently disposed depressions and the severing is accomplished by centering the second saw blade at a center line of the respective depression to form a uniform second bead; wherein the first saw blade width is greater than the second saw blade width so that the first bead hole of the first bead that is formed has a width greater than the second bead hole width of the second bead that is formed.