Abstract:
An improved prong for use in a retaining device such as a jewelry setting is disclosed. The prong includes a riser section, an engagement section and a lever section. The riser section may include one or more indents and a longitudinal groove to aid in engagement of an object such as a gemstone. The engagement section may include diverging tines configured to match the contour of a gemstone. The present invention also provides a jewelry setting which includes the prongs.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The disclosed technology relates to prongs for use in retaining devices such as jewelry settings, and to settings which incorporate prongs. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A known method of securing gemstones in a jewelry setting is by use of notched prongs. In this method, a portion of the periphery of the stone is supported by the prongs to display the stone. 
         [0003]    Prongs, when used in a jewelry setting, are deformed by tools such as pliers to engage the edge of a gemstone during the process of securing a gemstone in the setting. During this process, however, the tips of the prongs are deformed uncontrollably. As a result, the final configuration of the tips which engage the gemstone may differ significantly from their intended configuration. This can result in an insecure setting as well as an undesirable appearance of the setting. A need therefore exists for prongs which can be controllably deformed to retain the initial configuration of their tips to secure an object such as a gemstone in a jewelry setting. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention provides an improved prong for use in retaining devices such as jewelry settings for retention of objects such as gemstones, especially gemstones which have angular tips or corners. The prong includes a riser section, a base section, an engagement section and a lever section. The riser section may include one or more indents and a longitudinal groove to aid the initial engagement of an object such as a gemstone. In one embodiment, the engagement section also includes diverging tines which form a V-notch. The tines may be configured to match the contour of an object such as a gemstone. The present invention also provides a jewelry setting which includes the prongs. 
         [0005]    The prong may include a groove that extends over a portion of or the entire length of the riser section. The riser section may have an upward slope of angle Θ to the horizontal, wherein the angle Θ is about 5° to about 85°, preferably wherein the angle Θ is about 35° to about 65°, more preferably wherein the angle Θ is about 45°. The engagement section of the prong may be oriented to the riser section at angle β preferably where β=180°−Θ, generally at an angle β of about 130°−Θ to about 230°−Θ°. The lever section may be in linear alignment with the engagement section or oriented to the engagement section at an angle other than in linear alignment. The engagement section includes tines which diverge from each other to a form V-notch and the tines slope downward toward the rear of the engagement section at an angle of about 1° to about 89° to the horizontal, preferably at an angle of about 5° to about 35° to the horizontal, more preferably at an angle of about 5° to about 15° to the horizontal. The angular width of the V-notch may be about 1° to about 179°. The lever section and the engagement section may have the same or different configurations and the lever section may have a length of about 50% to about 150% of the length of the engagement section. The lever section also may have a width that is about 100% to about 150% of the width of the engagement section, and a thickness that is about 75% to about 150% of the thickness of the engagement section. A separating groove may be provided between the lever section and the engagement section. The invention further relates to a jewelry setting that includes the prong having any of the features described above. 
         [0006]    The invention will now be described in further detail below by reference to the non-limiting drawings and detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a prong in accordance with the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the prong of  FIG.1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the prong of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the prong of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the prong of  FIG. 1  from the rear of the prong; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  top perspective view of the prong of  FIG. 1  from the rear of the prong; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a jewelry setting that employs the prongs of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  7 , prong  1  includes riser section  5 , engagement section  10 , lever section  15  and base section  17 . Engagement section  10  is integral with lever section  15 . Riser section  5 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  7 , includes groove  18  and indents  20  for receiving an object such as gemstone  25 . Indents  20  may have a depth of up to about 15% of the thickness of riser section  5  and may extend onto engagement section  10 . Groove  18  may extend over a portion of riser section  5  or the entire length of riser section  5 . Indents  20  may be configured to accept a variety of objects such as gemstones. These configurations may vary over a wide range from angular to curve. Indents  20  may extend to engagement section  10 . 
         [0015]    Riser member  5 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , has an upward slope of angle Θ to the horizontal. Angle Θ may vary from about 5° to about 85°, preferably about 35° to about 65°, most preferably about 45°. Engaging section  10  preferably is oriented to riser section  5  at angle β=180°−Θ as shown in  FIG. 1 . Engaging section  10 , however, may be oriented to riser section  5  at an angle β of other than 180°−Θ such as about 130°−Θ° to about 230°−Θ°. Lever member  15  as shown in  FIG. 1  is in linear alignment with engagement section  10 . Lever member  15 , however, may be oriented to engagement section  10  at an angle other than in linear alignment with section  10 . 
         [0016]    Riser member  5  may have a variety of cross-sectional profiles. For example, the width of riser section  5  may be constant throughout its length or may taper. The thickness of riser section  5  also may be constant throughout its length or may taper. Engaging section  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , includes tines  30  which diverge from each other to form V-notch  35 . Tines  30  slope downward toward the rear of engagement section  10  at an angle of about 1° to about 89°, preferably about 5° to about 35°, more preferably about 5° to about 15° to the horizontal. The angular width of V-notch  35  may vary to accept a wide range of objects such as gemstones  25 . Typically, V-notch  35  may have an angular width of about 1° to about 179°. 
         [0017]    Engagement section  10  typically is shaped to conform to the geometry of the contact surfaces of gemstone  25 . In one aspect, engagement section  10  includes V notch  35  formed by tines  30  that conforms to the geometry of the contact surfaces of gemstone  25 . 
         [0018]    Applying a force F to lever section  15  such as shown in  FIG. 1  causes rotation of engagement section  10  of a prong  1  relative to indent  20 . Typically, the extent of this rotation is about 15°. Force is continued to be applied to lever section  15  to cause engagement section  10  to rotate in the general direction of arrow A shown in  FIG. 1  until tines  30  make firm contact with stone  25  in jewelry setting  55 . 
         [0019]    Lever member  15  and engagement section  10  may have the same or different configurations. Possible configurations include but are not limited to cylindrical, trapezoidal, regular polygonal such as a cubical, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal and the like, preferably rectangular. The length, width and depth of lever section  15  may vary over a wide range. Typically, the length of lever section  15  is about 50% to about 150% of the length of engagement section  10 , the width of lever section  15  is about 100% to about 150% of the width of engagement section  10 , and the thickness of lever section  15  is about 75% to about 150% of the thickness of engagement section  10 . Lever section  15  may be integral with engagement section  10  as a unitary construction as shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . In this aspect, separation groove  45 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is provided between engagement section  10  and lever section  15 . 
         [0020]    Riser section  5 , engagement section  10  and lever section  15  may be made from the same or different materials. Materials which may be used to form each of riser section  5 , engagement section  10  and lever section  15  include but are not limited to Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Cu, Fe or alloys thereof, as well as organic plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, and mixtures thereof. 
         [0021]    Prongs  1  may be made by various known methods such as injection molding, casting and machining. As an example, prong  1  having riser section  5 , engagement section  10  and lever section  15  and separation groove  45  may be formed as an integral construction by casting. Separation groove  45  also may be formed by machining. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , a plurality of prongs  1  may be joined at base section  17  to form jewelry setting  55  on a ring such as ring  57 . Setting  55  shown in  FIG. 1  includes an assembly of 4 prongs. Setting  55 , however, may include any number of prongs  1 . Typically, setting  55  includes 2, 3, 4, 6 or and 8 prongs. Setting  55  may be made by a variety of well known methods such as casting, brazing and the like. 
         [0023]    When setting an object such as gemstone  25  in jewelry setting  55  that employs prongs  1 , a gemstone  25  such as but not limited to square cut gemstones, marquise cut gemstones, pear cut gemstones, triangle cut gemstones, rectangle cut gemstones and heart cut gemstones first is positioned on indents  20  and in groove  18  of prongs  1 . Thereafter, force is applied manually or by a griping tool such as pliers to lever section  15  of prong  1  such as in the direction of arrow F. This force causes yielding at indent  20  as engagement section  10  rotates in the direction of arrow A. Application of force also causes engagement section  10  that includes V notch  35  formed by tines  30  that conform to the geometry of the contact surfaces of gemstone  25  to engage gemstone  25 . Thereafter, continued application of force to lever section  15  may cause lever section  15  to break away from engagement section  10  such as at separation groove  45 . Alternatively, lever section  15  may be cut from engagement section  10  at separation groove  45 . This procedure is repeated with each prong  1  to secure gemstone  25  in setting  55 . Any portions of lever sections  15  which remain after having secured prongs  1  to gemstone  25  may be removed such as by machining, grinding, snipping or filing.