Abstract:
Ring has a removable portion. The removable portion may be a flat object, such as a tablet. The tablet may have a design on it. The tablet may be placed underneath a bezel, which may be clear, and which may be clear and colorless.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Finger rings are known that have compartments for containing articles.  
           [0002]    An earlier one of my finger rings is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,360 to Lovegrove. In Lovegrove &#39;360, a variety of ways of providing a removable tablet is shown and described.  
           [0003]    Finger rings have been designed which, in addition to their ornamental function, are provided with a compartment into which small photographs or other articles may be placed. Such rings are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,752,719 issued Apr. 1, 1930, U.S. Pat. No. 2,223,657 issued Dec. 3, 1940, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,357,697 issued Sep. 5, 1944. These patents disclose a variety of ways in which the compartment may be attached to the ring, but none of them provides a ring of conventional appearance wherein the compartment conforms to the contour of the ring and is completely removable from the body of the ring.  
           [0004]    None of those rings of Lovegrove &#39;360 includes a removable portion, such as a tablet, which may be removed for close inspection and/or may be retained in the ring while still being capable of being viewed by the user.  
           [0005]    Other known rings lack securing elements or means for securely retaining a removable portion of the ring so that the removable portion is not unintentionally separated or lost.  
         OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.  
           [0007]    It is a further objection of the invention to provide a ring having a removable portion, which removable portion may be viewed by the user even when the removable portion has not yet been removed from the remainder of the ring.  
           [0008]    A further object of the invention is to provide a ring having a clear portion, which may be also colorless, which both protects the removable portion and allows viewing thereof by the user.  
           [0009]    The invention includes a ring having a removable portion which may be viewed by the user whether or not the removable portion has been removed from the remainder of the ring.  
           [0010]    The invention likewise includes a ring having a removable tablet which is detachably attached to the remainder of the ring so that the detachable tablet is not inadvertently detached and lost.  
           [0011]    The invention likewise includes a finger ring having a magnifying element which enlarges a part of the detachable portion when the detachable portion is in place with the remainder of the ring so that the user may have an enlarged view of the part enlarged by the magnifying element.  
           [0012]    It should be understood that relative terms such as left, right, up, and down are for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side view of a first preferred embodiment of a ring having a magnet glued into a recess at the bottom of the opening or tablet housing in the ring. The magnifying optical lens is shown glued into a corresponding recessed cavity in the ring head;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side view of the ring of FIG. 1 with the tablet inserted therein; note that the magnet glued in the recess in the bottom of the tablet is magnetically attracted to the magnet respectively glued in a portion of the opening or tablet housing in the ring body;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional front view of the ring of FIG. 1 with the tablet inserted therein;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional side view of the tablet; the magnet is shown glued into the cavity in the bottom of the tablet lower surface;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional front view of the ring of FIG. 1 with the tablet removed; the magnet is shown glued into a recess at the bottom of the tablet housing in the ring;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a side view of the bezel of FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the bezel of FIG. 6;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the ring of FIG. 1 with the bezel removed for clarity; glue is shown in place ready to receive and attach the bezel;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the bezel of FIG. 1 illustrating the case in which an inscription  98  has been applied thereto;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the tablet of FIG. 9 showing the tablet in place and having a recessed portion;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of a ring  100  constructed in accordance with the invention, and with the tablet removed;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of the tablet of FIG. 11; and,  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the bezel according to invention, in which the bezel has visible indicia disposed therein. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]    [0026]FIG. 1 shows a ring  10  according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0027]    Ring  10  may be a finger ring having a band  14  and a head  18 .  
         [0028]    A window, such as a bezel  24  may be provided on head  18 . A lens, such as a magnifying lens may be provided instead of a non-magnifying bezel. Bezel  24  may include a rounded upper surface  28 , and may be made of a substantially clear, colored or colorless material such as glass or a plastic, or a sapphire crystal, for example. It is expected that when a magnifying lens is used, the lens may also be tinted in a variety of colors.  
         [0029]    Bezel or lens  24  may be secured in head  18 . Bezel  24  may be secured by gluing.  
         [0030]    An opening  32  may be provided that is configured for receiving a tablet  40 .  
         [0031]    Tablet  40  may have a lower portion  42  and a recess  43  defined therein.  
         [0032]    A first magnet  44  may be provided in recess  43 .  
         [0033]    A bottom face  46  of first magnet  44  will typically be provided.  
         [0034]    A second magnet  48  may be provided in head  18 . A top face  54  of magnet  48  may be selected to cooperatively engage and/or be magnetically attracted to bottom face  46  of first magnet  44 . Namely, the first and second magnets  44  and  48  will be selected so as to mutually attract each other so as to retain tablet  40  within opening  32 .  
         [0035]    First and second magnets  44  and  48  may be secured in place by gluing.  
         [0036]    Bezel  24  may have one or more sides  62  and a lower surface  66 .  
         [0037]    Conveniently, one or both of sides  62  and lower surface  66  may be secured within an opening  70  in head  18  by their engaging a contoured edge  74  of the opening defined in head  18 .  
         [0038]    An attachment element  80 , such as the illustrated bead of glue  80 , may be provided on one or all of contoured edge  74 , side  62  of bezel  24 , or a portion of lower surface  66  of bezel  24 . In that manner, attachment element  80  may secure bezel  24  to the remainder of ring  10 .  
         [0039]    Tablet  40  may be provided with a stepped portion  92 , such as shown in FIG. 10. Stepped portion  92  may be sufficiently large so as to define a face  94  that assists in retaining tablet  40  in its opening. Such is done by face  94  engaging a mating face  95  of the ring of FIG. 3, for example.  
         [0040]    A notch  96  may be provided in stepped portion  92 . Notch  96  may be configured for engaging one or more fingernails of a user, or for engaging another implement, for assisting in the removal of tablet  40  from its place within opening  32 .  
         [0041]    An inscription  98 , such as favorite phrase, poem, design, or other decorative element may be provided on one or more of the surfaces of tablet  40 .  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 9 shows the provision of inscription  98  on upper surface  41  of tablet  40 .  
         [0043]    [0043]FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a finger ring  100  according to the invention.  
         [0044]    Finger ring  100  includes many elements analogous to those of ring  10  of the preferred embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 10 .  
         [0045]    Ring  100  includes, for example, a bezel  124 , a tablet  140  having a recess  143  receiving a first magnet  144  therein, as well as a corresponding magnet in the head or gand of ring  100 , which corresponding magnet is not visible in FIG. 11.  
         [0046]    A stepped portion  192  may be provided on tablet  140 , as well as a notch  196  to assist in the removal thereon, analogous to the removal of tablet  40  described above.  
         [0047]    A decorative portion or pattern P may be provided on ring  100 .  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 13 shows another preferred embodiment of a bezel  224 . Bezel or lens  224  may contain a visible indicia  298  embedded in the middle thereof, as shown. Alternately, the visible indicia may be on an upper or lower surface of bezel  224 . The visible indicia may be engraved or etched.  
         [0049]    It will be appreciated that various materials may be used to make any of the elements of the invention described above.  
         [0050]    For example, the glue used to manufacture the rings (e.g., secure bezel  24  within opening  70 ) may be a 3M (Minnesota, Mining and Manufacturing) product no. 2216(a two(2) part system) type of adhesive.  
         [0051]    The magnets may be zinc-plated.  
         [0052]    The lens may be provided on a portion of the band.  
         [0053]    In the case where bezel  24  is a lens, it may be a flat-backed lens made of a known optical glass BK-7. Such lens may be made of glass, plastic, sapphire crystal, and tinted as desired.  
         [0054]    The band and head may be made of any type of metal or plastic. other materials and configurations may be used as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,360 to Lovegrove, which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0055]    While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, and uses and/or adaptations of the invention and following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention or limits of the claims appended hereto.