Abstract:
A method of forming jewelry articles comprises the step of fabricating sheets of jewelry article halves, bringing such sheets together, fastening the articles halves together and separating the individual jewelry articles from the sheets by die punching or the like.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a method of forming jewelry articles, and more particularly, to an expeditious method of forming a plurality of jewelry articles by preparing sheets of jewelry article halves, attaching such sheets and the article halves at the same time and then separating the joined halves from the attached sheets.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Typically with prior art jewelry articles such as, for example, links that form a jewelry chain, wherever the links are hollow in nature, each half of the link is punched or cut out individually and then the two parts of the link are joined together. By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates a link  50  formed from two halves, namely an upper half  52  and a lower half  54 . Each half  52 ,  54  is formed separately. Thereafter, some type of sealing material  60 , such as solder or the like, is placed at the portions of the link  50  to be joined. The two halves  52 ,  54  are then typically held in place by means of a wire  62  or the like wound around the link  50 . The link  50  is then placed in a furnace (not shown) with the wire  62  around it. After the solder  60  is hardened, the wrapping wire  62  holding the two link halves  52 ,  54  in place is removed and the final link  55  is thereby formed.  
           [0003]    The aforementioned prior art process of individually forming each link is incredibly time consuming and labor intensive. Accordingly, the present inventors have devised a more efficient method of creating pluralities of jewelry articles without the labor intensive shortcomings of the prior art.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    A method of forming jewelry articles comprises the step of fabricating two sheets of jewelry article halves, bringing such sheets together, fastening the jewelry article halves together and separating the individual jewelry articles from the sheets by die punching or the like. Thus, the basic concept is to form a plurality of jewelry articles at the same time through a two-sheet punching process, with each sheet forming a part of the resultant jewelry article, instead of fabricating each jewelry article individually. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    FIGS.  1 - 3  represents a diagrammatic view of a prior art process of joining a pair of chain link halves to form a chain link.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 4 is a front view of a sheet of material having jewelry article halves formed thereon and used in the method of the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 5 is a side view of the sheet of FIG. 4.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 6 illustrates the joinder of two sheets of material used in the method of the invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 7 illustrates the removal of completed jewelry articles from the joined sheets of FIG. 6.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 8 illustrates a completed jewelry article formed from the method of the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a sheet of material used in the method of the invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a sheet of material used in the method of the invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 11 illustrates a jewelry article formed in accordance with the method of the invention.  
         [0014]    FIGS.  13 - 15  illustrate alternative embodiments of sheets of material used in the method of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of a process for carrying out the method of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 17 illustrates a punch used in the method of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 18 illustrates a roller used in the method of the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 19 is a top view of a chain section created from links formed in accordance with the method of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 20 illustrates one type of guiding means used in the method of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the invention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts.  
         [0021]    For purposes of explanation, a jewelry article in the form of a jewelry chain link will be used to describe the inventive process, although it will be understood that other jewelry articles such as earrings, pins, rings and the like, may be formed from such process.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a front view and FIG. 5 is a side view of a sheet  100  of material having a thickness  105  and a plurality of jewelry article or chain link halves  110 ,  120  and  130  formed therein. Each chain link half  110 ,  120  and  130  has a portion  112 ,  122  and  132  that extends beyond the plane of the sheet  100 . While three link halves are shown for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that any number of link halves may be formed on a single sheet  100 , such number dependent on the length  107 . The extended portions  112 ,  122 ,  132  are created by applying a force  114 ,  124 ,  134  to the side of the sheet  100 , such force usually occurring in the form of a stamp, punch, roller or die (see FIGS. 17 and 18).  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 illustrates the adjacent, parallel positioning of two sheets  100 ,  150 , each sheet having link halves  110 - 140  and  160 - 190  respectively formed therein. Just prior to the bringing of sheets  100 ,  150  together, epoxy or solder or some other adhesive material  200  is preferably put on the entire sheet including mating portions of the link halves to be joined. Alternatively, the adhesive material  200  can be applied only to the link halves to be joined. Alternatively, at least one of the sheets of material could be formed with a solder compound (not shown) inside, so that the exterior application of adhesive or solder to the sheets becomes unnecessary. Thereafter, the two sheets  100 ,  150  are brought together and clamped to each other and heated until the adhesive  200 , solder, or the like cures (FIG. 7). Thereafter, a force  116 ,  126 ,  136 ,  146  is applied to the composite sheets  100 + 150  along each set of joined link halves until all of such joined link halves are removed from the composite sheets. Such force may be applied manually or in an automated process as shown in FIG. 16.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a front view of a joined link  270  removed from the composite sheets  100 + 150  illustrated in FIG. 7. Such link  270  is formed from link halves  110  and  160  and has a seam line  205  representative of where the link halves  110 ,  160  were joined by adhesive  200  (FIG. 6). Such link  270  may then be incorporated into a jewelry chain, or made into earrings, a pin or the like with the attachment of a clasp (not shown) or the like.  
         [0025]    Various article shapes and designs may be formed using the method of the present invention. For example, a sheet  200  (FIG. 9) having hemispherical link halves  210 - 240  imparted thereto may be joined with a plain sheet  250  (FIG. 10) to form joined links ( 260  for example) as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In the hollow link  260 , one half is curved while the other half is planar. FIGS. 9 and 10 also illustrate that the sheets can be formed with guiding means to assist in the joinder and clamping together of the sheets during attachment of the jewelry article halves. For example, sheet  200  of FIG. 9 is fitted with a series of pins  205  that fit into the series of holes  255  provided on sheet  250  of FIG. 10. Such pins  205  and slots  255  insure a proper alignment of the sheets  200 ,  250  during clamping of the sheets together and prior to separating the combined jewelry article halves from such sheets.  
         [0026]    It should be appreciated that other guiding means could be provided on the sheets to maintain proper alignment of the sheets, and thus the jewelry article halves. As another example, jewelry article halves  110  and  160  (FIGS.  4 - 8 ) could be created with lips  112 ,  162  (FIG. 20) that interlock during the attachment of the sheets  100 ,  150  (FIGS.  4 - 7 ) to facilitate the joinder of the halves  110 ,  160 . If the article halves  110 ,  160  are created by punching, then the lips  112 ,  162  could be created by punching the inner walls  116 ,  166  of the article halves  110 ,  160  at a different depth than the outer walls  114 ,  164  (FIG. 20). Alternatively, only one of the articles halves could be provided with a lip that overhangs the other article half during joinder of the two (not shown). Other means of facilitating the joinder of the sheets or the article halves are contemplated.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 illustrates that the method of the present invention is not limited to the creation of only one type of link or jewelry article per sheet. For example, a sheet  300  may be formed with a plurality of different article halves  310 - 340 , which are joined with other articles halves (not shown) to form a plurality of different shaped jewelry articles. Jewelry articles may be formed in any shape, size, cross-section or contour.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 illustrates a sheet  400  provided, for example, with a plurality of different contours  410 ,  420 , which when combined with a sheet having link halves formed therein, result in a combined link having one half with a textured appearance. Thus, in the example of FIGS.  9 - 12 , the sheet of FIG. 10 could be replaced with the sheet of FIG. 14 to produce links  260  having a textured planar bottom half. Alternatively as shown in FIG. 15, a texture or contour  505  could be applied to a sheet  500  prior to imparting link half impressions  510 - 540  thereto, resulting in textured link halves  510 - 540 . Such texture or contour can be applied to one or both link halves as desired by the manufacture.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 16 illustrates one example of a process for implementing the method of the present invention, it being understood that other processes are contemplated. Two rolls of sheet material  600 ,  605  are conveyed passed means for creating link halves  620 ,  625 . Such means may be in the form of a reciprocating punch  612  (FIG. 17), a roller  613  (FIG. 18) having shaping means  614  formed thereon, or the like. An adhesive means  630 ,  635  is then applied to the underside of the sheets and then the sheets are brought together and clamped to join the link halves  620 ,  625 . Alternatively, as noted above, a solder compound (not shown) may be embedded in the sheet material, in which case the adhesive means  630 ,  635  would be rendered unnecessary. Joinder or guiding means such as the pin/hole ( 205 ,  255 ) arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 may be employed to facilitate the joinder of the sheets  600 ,  605 . If the adhesive  630 ,  635  is heat curable, or if a solder compound is employed in the sheets  600 ,  605 , the joined sheets are then subjected to curing means  640 , such as a heater or the like. The joined sheets and joined link halves are then subjected to removing means  650  (such as a reciprocating punch or roller—see FIGS. 17 and 18) for forcing the joined links  660  from the joined sheets. Such joined links  660  are then collected in a container  670  or the like and assembled into items of jewelry  700  (FIG. 19) such as a chain or the like. The remaining sheet material  680  is then salvaged and reused. Again, FIG. 16 illustrates one possible process for creating a plurality of jewelry articles, it being understood that other processes and methods are contemplated.  
         [0030]    While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments foreseen by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.