Abstract:
A jewelry ornamental article including a plurality of links ( 2, 2 ′, . . . ) connected to each other by connecting means ( 5   a   , 5   b   , 6   a   , 6   b   , 5   a   ′, 5   b   ′,6   a   ′, 6   b   ′, 7 , . . . ) so as to form a chain. Each link ( 2, 2 ′, . . . ) includes a frame ( 3, 3 ′, . . . ) that extends in a vertical direction (V) and supports at one of its ends a mounting ( 4, 4 ′, . . . ) suitable to house a decorative member. The links ( 2, 2 ′, . . . ) are linked together so that the mountings ( 4, 4 ′, . . . ) of adjacent links ( 2, 2 ′, . . . ) face opposite surfaces of said chain in the vertical direction (V). This arrangement minimizes the size of the gaps that are formed between the links when the chain is closed in a ring-like manner, thus obtaining a remarkably higher continuity of color, design and brightness than the reversible chains known in the field.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to an ornamental article of jewelry and, more particularly, to a chain-shaped article of jewelry of a reversible type. 
         [0002]    There are known chain-shaped jewelry ornamental articles, such as, for example, bracelets and necklaces, including a plurality of links connected to each other in a longitudinal direction and a pair of locking members arranged at the free ends of the chain that allow to close it in a ring-like manner, e.g., around the wrist or the neck of a wearer. 
         [0003]    Among these articles of jewelry widely diffused are models in which the chain has a first decorated surface, e.g., having inserts made of precious metals, stones, gems and the like, intended to be exposed and a second undecorated surface, opposite to the first decorated surface, which is substantially smooth and intended to contact the wearer&#39;s body. 
         [0004]    There are also known chain-shaped jewelry articles of a reversible type also called “double face,” in which both the first and the second surface are decorated and can be closed in a ring-like manner in one direction or in the opposite one thus exposing either one of the decorated surfaces depending on the preferences of the wearer. In this case the two opposite surfaces of each link are provided with one or more decorative elements. An article of jewelry of this type is disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0194867. 
         [0005]    Chain-shaped jewelry articles of a reversible type allow to associate to a single article of jewelry different types of decorations, color combinations, design and the like and more generally allow to completely change the look of the bracelet or necklace as the wearer wishes without having to replace it with another article of jewelry. 
         [0006]    In a chain-shaped article of jewelry of a reversible type, the passage from one decorated surface to the opposite one does not usually create problems when the chain links are decorated on their surfaces with drawings, engravings and the like, as these decorative elements do not significantly increase the overall size of the links perpendicularly to the decorated surfaces. Differently, if the links include mountings for decorative elements such as precious stones, pearls and the like, the link size perpendicularly to the decorated surfaces can be quite large, which may limit the minimum radius of curvature of the chain and therefore its closure in the two opposite directions. 
         [0007]    When closing the chain in a ring-like manner, in fact, starting from a flat configuration the links rotate relative to each other as a consequence of the curvature imposed by the part of the wearer&#39;s body on which the article of jewelry is worn, thus assuming a circumferential arrangement. Consequently, mountings and decorative elements located on opposite surfaces of the chain will be arranged along circumferences having a larger diameter and a smaller diameter, respectively, with respect to the diameter defined by the chain links. The decorative elements arranged along the circumference having the larger diameter are spaced away from each other, whereas the decorative elements arranged along the circumference having the smaller diameter, i.e., facing the part of the wearer&#39;s body on which the jewelry article is worn, come close to each other, their relative distance depending on how large is their size perpendicularly to the decorated surface. The contact between the decorative elements facing the part of the wearer&#39;s body determines the minimum radius of curvature of the chain in the closed configuration, i.e., the minimum radius of the resulting ring. 
         [0008]    The contact between the decorative elements may cause friction among them, resulting in wear and/or break and, thus, penalizing the aesthetic aspect of the article of jewelry. 
         [0009]    Moreover, the limitation of the minimum radius of curvature may be a problem for people having a thin bone structure, because the article of jewelry, once worn, will inevitably be loose. 
         [0010]    In order to solve the above problems, when a reversible article of jewelry includes mountings for decorative elements, the distance between the chain links is generally increased compared to the distance between the chain links of reversible jewelry articles without mountings for decorative elements. However, this results in an alternation of chain solid portions and gaps that strongly penalizes an article of jewelry from an aesthetic point of view, particularly when this is worn. The gaps between adjacent links in fact allow to see the wearer&#39;s skin, interrupt the continuity of color and design of the article of jewelry and adversely affect the aesthetic effects that the designer of the article wants to create by combining the decorative elements. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    An objective of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an article of jewelry having a chain of a reversible type which allows to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above. Such an object is achieved with an article of jewelry having a chain of a reversible type, as described below and shown herein. 
         [0012]    An idea of solution underlying a preferred embodiment of the present invention is to make a chain-shaped article of jewelry of a reversible type by using links provided with a mounting arranged on one surface only and arranging the links such that the mountings of adjacent links face opposite surfaces of the chain. This arrangement allows to minimize the size of the gaps that are formed between adjacent links when the chain is closed in a ring-like manner, because the decorative elements of adjacent links face opposite surfaces of the chain and cannot interfere with each other. Therefore, it is possible to make a reversible chain-shaped article of jewelry with links similar to those of a non-reversible chain-shaped article of jewelry, i.e., having a mounting on one surface only, thus obtaining continuity of color, design and brightness remarkably higher than that of known reversible articles of jewelry. 
         [0013]    Furthermore, the particular configuration of the chain of the article of jewelry according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows to make mountings of a larger size on the single links with respect to known reversible articles of jewelry. The alternation of the mountings in fact results in a larger distance between adjacent mountings arranged on the same surface of the chain, thus allowing to increase their size. 
         [0014]    Another advantage offered by a preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the connections between the links are arranged at an intermediate portion of their frame in a vertical direction, resulting in substantially the same curvature radius in the two closing directions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
           [0016]    Further advantages and features of the article of jewelry according to the present invention will be clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed and non-limiting description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a portion of a chain-shaped article of jewelry according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a exploded perspective view showing two links of the article of jewelry of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2   a  shows a detail of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are, respectively, a plan view and a side view of the article of jewelry of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side view showing a portion of the article of jewelry of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The word “outwardly” refers to a direction away from the geometric center of the device, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present invention. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the article of jewelry  1  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of links  2  connected to each other in a longitudinal direction L so as to form a chain. In the drawings, the chain is shown in a flat configuration, wherein the links  2  are aligned in the longitudinal direction L. 
         [0024]    Each link  2  preferably includes a frame  3  extending in a vertical direction V, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L, and that supports at one end a mounting  4  adapted to accommodate a decorative element (not shown) such as, for example, a precious stone, a pearl, an insert made of a precious metals and the like. 
         [0025]    In the illustrated embodiment, the frame  3  is made up of two uprights  3   a ,  3   b  extending parallel to each other in the vertical direction V and the mounting  4  is a cup-shaped body in whose cavity the decorative element may be housed and secured in a known way. The mounting  4  is fixed to the uprights  3   a ,  3   b  proximate to their free ends and is the linking member between them. 
         [0026]    Each link  2  also preferably includes connecting means suitable to allow their connection to the other links of the chain. In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting means are two pairs of flanges  5   a ,  5   b ,  6   a ,  6   b  restrained to the frame  3  below the mounting  4  and which extend from the frame  3  in opposite directions along the longitudinal direction L. The flanges  5   a ,  5   b ,  6   a ,  6   b  of each link  2  respectively have holes  5   c ,  5   d ,  6   c ,  6   d , which are mutually aligned in a transverse direction T, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction V and longitudinal direction L and allow the introduction of a connecting pin  7 . 
         [0027]    As it may be seen, in each link the flanges of one pair are more spaced in the transverse direction T with respect to the flanges of the other pair, thus allowing to fit a link into another in order to assemble the chain. 
         [0028]    In particular, in each link  2 ,  2 ′, . . . the distance between the inner surfaces of the flanges  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   a ′,  5   b ′, . . . of one pair of flanges is substantially equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the flanges  6   a ,  6   b ,  6   a ′,  6   b ′, . . . of the other pair of flanges, so the assembly of a link with another link may be made by inserting the flanges  6   a ,  6   b  of a first link  2  between the flanges  5   a ′,  5   b ′ of a second link  2 ′ and then inserting the connecting pin  7  when the holes  6   c ,  6   d  are aligned with holes  5   c ′,  5   d ′. The links  2 ,  2 ′, . . . and are thus interconnected and, as shown in  FIG. 5 , may be rotated relative to each other around the connecting pin  7 . 
         [0029]    The chain of the article of jewelry according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the mountings  4 ,  4 ′, . . . of adjacent links  2 ,  2 ′, . . . are arranged in opposite directions in the vertical direction V, i.e. so that they face opposite surfaces of the chain. 
         [0030]    This arrangement allows to minimize the size of the gaps that are formed between the adjacent links when the chain is closed in a ring-like manner. The result in terms of continuity of color, design and brightness is thus comparable to that of a non-reversible chain-shaped article of jewelry. The inventors have noted in fact that in a chain of a non-reversible article of jewelry there is an empty space under the mountings of adjacent links and that this space can be used to house an identical link placed in reverse manner, i.e., with the mounting facing the surface of the chain opposite to the decorated surface. It is, therefore, possible to make a chain-shaped article of jewelry of a reversible type by using links similar to those of a chain shaped article of jewelry of a non-reversible type, i.e., having a mounting on one surface only, by simply alternating the arrangement of the mountings on the two opposite surfaces of the chain. 
         [0031]    In order to make the two configurations of the chain symmetric when the article of jewelry is worn, the links are preferably connected to each other at an intermediate portion of the frame  3  in the vertical direction V. As it may be seen in particular in  FIG. 4 , the flanges  5   a ,  5   b ,  6   a ,  6   b  are substantially arranged at an intermediate portion of the frame  3  in the vertical direction V and the holes  5   c ,  5   d ,  6   c ,  6   d  are aligned on median plane M of the frame  3 , thus making it possible to obtain substantially the same radius of curvature in the two closing directions. 
         [0032]    According to a further aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the end of the frame  3  opposite to that restrained to the mounting  4  there are formed seats adapted to embed additional decorative elements (not shown), such as pearls or precious stones. 
         [0033]    This aspect of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous, because it allows to fill small gaps present between adjacent mountings, thus further enhancing the effect of continuity of design, color and brightness of the decorated surfaces of the article of jewelry. 
         [0034]    Moreover, embedding additional decorative elements allows to minimize the overall size of the additional decorative elements in the vertical direction, thus avoiding any interference with the decorative elements housed in the mountings. 
         [0035]    With particular reference to  FIG. 2   a , in the illustrated embodiment the uprights  3   a ,  3   b  of the frame  3  branch off at their free ends thus respectively forming two portions  8   a ,  9   a  and  8   b ,  9   b  that are spaced and parallel to each other in the vertical direction V. Two rod-shaped elements  10   a ,  10   b  vertically protrude from the frame  3  and extend respectively parallel to portions  8   a ,  9   a  and  8   b ,  9   b , thereby defining on each lateral side of the link  2  a seat  11   a ,  11   b  suitable to embed a decorative element. 
         [0036]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is just an example susceptible of numerous variants. For example, the flanges allowing to connect the links of the chain could be replaced by rings formed on or fixed to the lateral sides of the frame of each link and projecting outward therefrom in the transverse direction T, the connection between the links being made by filiform elements such as, for example, rubber bands, wires, coil springs or similar means suitable to engage the rings. Moreover, the frame and mounting of the links might have different shapes with respect to the illustrated ones depending on the particular design of the ornamental article of jewelry. 
         [0037]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.