Abstract:
A necklace or bracelet includes a luminous medallion. A conductor having a coating of non-conductive material is formed into a loop having two discontinuities. A clasp that houses a removable battery is fixed within the first discontinuity and a bead having an internally embedded LED is located within the second discontinuity. Electrical connections are made to electrodes located within the clasp by interior electrical conductors exposed at the stripped ends of the coated conductors that define one discontinuity. The conductors are fixed in electrical contact with the LED at the other discontinuity at the stripped ends of the coated conductor in the region of the second discontinuity.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/827,028, filed Apr. 4, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,965 which is a continuation-in-art of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/498,523, filed Feb. 4, 200 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to jewelry. More particularly, this invention pertains to a necklace or bracelet that includes an illuminated medallion. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There exists a substantial market for jewelry of a whimsical nature. Unfortunately, the design of jewelry that can be sold at mass market prices while offering an eye catching effect, such as artificial luminance, is complex and difficult. To achieve such an effect, the jewelry must include a power source, preferably compact. In addition, inexpensive prior art jewelry incorporating a battery-powered device has generally been of limited useful life since inexpensive designs fail to permit battery replacement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art by providing an article of jewelry. Such article includes an elongated flexible conductor having an exterior coating of non-conductive composition. The conductor comprises a loop having first and second internal discontinuities. A clasp is located within the first discontinuity and a medallion is located within the second discontinuity. The clasp includes a battery in electrical communication with the conductor, and the medallion includes an electro-luminous device in electrical communication with the conductor. 
     The preceding and other features and advantages of the present invention shall become further apparent from the detailed description that follows. Such description is accompanied by a set of drawing figures in which numerals, corresponding to those of the written description, are associated with the features of the invention. Like numerals refer to like features throughout both the written description and the drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a necklace incorporating the invention superimposed upon a wearer shown in shadow outline; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the coated conductor of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded side elevation view of the clasp of an article of jewelry in accordance with the invention, according to the preferred embodiment of this invention, and is suggested for printing on the first page of the issued patent; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevation view in cross-section of an assembled clasp in accordance with the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the luminous medallion of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Technical Details 
     Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a necklace  10  incorporating the invention superimposed upon a wearer shown in shadow outline. The necklace  10  generally comprises a coated conductor  12  comprising, as shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2 , an internal conductor or wire  14  having a coating  16  of appropriate non-conductive material. An example of a suitable coated conductor is NYLON coated wire. Such a conductor has the advantageous quality of avoiding “kinking” when bent. 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , the coated conductor  12  is formed into a loop for hanging about a wearer&#39;s neck, in the case of the necklace, or wrist, in the case of a bracelet, with discontinuities provided for incorporation of an illuminated medallion  18  and a clasp  20  housing a battery structure. As will be seen, an electrical circuit is formed that includes the battery housed within the clasp  20 , a battery-powered light emitting device of the medallion  18  and the conductor  14 . Such electrical circuit actuates the medallion to emit illumination when energized by the closing of the clasp  20 . Thus the clasp  20  serves both to secure the necklace  10  and to house a replaceable battery. By allowing battery replaceability, the useful life of the necklace  10  is not limited by that of the battery, permitting the fabrication of higher quality jewelry as opposed to the lower quality “throw away” items of the prior art. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded side elevation view of the clasp  20  of the invention and  FIG. 4  is a side elevation view in cross-section of the clasp  20  when the assembly is closed. The clasp  20  has been carefully designed to facilitate the ready removal and replacement of a battery  22  that provides the power for illuminating the medallion  18 . The battery  22  is preferably of the nickel cadmium type characterized by an anode surface  24  of less diameter than the cathode surface  26 . 
     The clasp  20  includes coacting upper and lower caps  28  and  30 , preferably of molded plastic or other resilient material, respectively. The caps  28 ,  30  of the small and unobtrusive clasp  20  are particularly designed to facilitate easy access to the interior of the chamber formed therebetween for battery  22  removal and/or replacement. Each cap  28 ,  30  includes a rim  32  and  34 , respectively, that protrudes outside the diameter of a sidewall. In the case of the upper cap  28 , the rim  32  protrudes outside the outer diameter of an annular sidewall  36  while, in the case of the lower cap  30 , the rim  34  protrudes outside the outer diameter of a sidewall  38 . 
     The rims  32  and  34  greatly facilitate the ability of one to grasp the caps  28  and  30  independently. In addition, as can best be seen in  FIG. 4 , the clasp  20  has been carefully dimensioned so that, when closed, the sidewall  38  of the lower cap  30  is forced outwardly by the maximum outer diameter of the enclosed battery  22  so that a press-fit is obtained with the interior of the sidewall  36  of the upper cap  28 . Such interaction is obtained by careful dimensioning of the inner diameter of the sidewall  38  with the dimensions of the battery  22  and the outer diameter of the sidewall  38  with the inner diameter of the sidewall  36 . 
     In addition to the locking arrangement illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a tight pressure fit exists between the battery  22  and the interior of the rim  34  of the lower cap  30  that retains the battery  22  within the clasp  20  even when the two caps  28  and  30  are disengaged from one another. This permits one to use and wear the device as an ordinary piece of jewelry, unlocking the clasp  20  to remove the necklace, for example, from one&#39;s neck without concern that the battery  22  will be lost. 
     When battery replacement is required, this is easily accomplished by pushing a thin rod-like element upward through an aperture  40  that is provided in a bottom area of the lower cap  30  within the thickened central area of the rim  34  circumscribed by the inner circumference of the sidewall  38 . 
     Electrodes  42 ,  44  are received within central recesses  46 ,  48  at the thickened inner surfaces of the rims  32  and  34  respectively. Each of the rims  32  and  34  includes a tunnel  50 ,  52  for receiving an end of the coated conductor  12  adjacent to a loop discontinuity. Referring to  FIG. 4  in particular, it can be seen that the portions of the ends of the coated conductor  12  interior to the rims  32  and  34  are stripped to exposed the conductor wire  14 . The wire  14  is, in each case, joined to an electrode  42  or  44 , after being threaded through one of the tunnels  50 ,  52  by crimping with a metal crimp bead to form a flat, square contact that cannot transverse backward through the tunnel  50  or  52  as each bead assembly is much larger than the tunnel through which it was originally received. As a result, no adhesives for securing either electrodes or wires are required within the interior of the clasp  20 . 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the medallion  18  of the necklace  10 . The medallion  18  comprises a spherical bead  54 , smooth or faceted, of transparent or translucent, clear or tinted, material that receives end of the coated conductor  12  in the region of a second loop discontinuity. The ends of the coated conductor  12 , stripped to expose the interior conductor wire  14 , electrically contact positive and negative terminal receptors  56  and  58  of a light emitting diode (LED)  60 . The LED  60  is of the surface mounted type, permitting the arrangement as shown in  FIG. 5  and may comprise, for example, a device commercially available under Part No. KPT 2021 HD from Kingbright Corporation of City of Industry, Calif. Such a LED is available in red, blue, green, amber, and white. The invention is, however, not limited to such a LED. 
     The bead  54  of the medallion  18  includes a diametrical hole  62  forming a channel therethrough. To assemble, the LED  60  is inserted into the channel after insertion of the surface mounted LED therein with positive and negative terminal receptors  56  and  58  facing opposed channel entrances. The exposed conductor  14  at the ends of the stripped coated conductor  12  are separately inserted into the end of the channel to contact the LED  60 . Once contact is made with one of the opposed terminals, an appropriate nonconductive adhesive, such as silicone glue, is injected into the channel and allowed to harden to maintain contact between that terminal and the conductor or wire  14 . This process is repeated to obtain secure contact between the wire  14  and each of the terminal receptors  56  and  58 , resulting in a simple, yet rugged configuration. The use of silicone glue assures that the channel will remain clear and in no way affect the appearance of the bead  54  when illuminated. 
     Employing a surface mounted LED  60  enables the use of a small bead-like medallion  18  that is illuminated from within. This is to be contrasted with illuminated medallion-type ornamentation that employs bullet mounted LEDs such as that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,933 issued to Stephen K. Ohlund on Sep. 26, 200 for “Jewelry Piece”. Such LEDs operate at a higher voltage (requiring the use of multiple batteries and thereby necessitating a bulkier clasp) and, as in the above patent, requiring an arrangement other than the simple and durable arrangement of the invention in which wires enter into the interior of a bead to contact opposite sides of a LED. This is due to the fact that bullet-mounted LEDs are bulkier (approximately 0.75 mm vs. 3 mm in cross section) than surface mounted LEDs and the output pins of such LEDs are parallel to one another, exiting the LED from the same side. Such terminal configuration prevents the mounting of such a source wholly within a small bead as in the invention. The mounting of the light source wholly within a relatively small bead  54  generates a more brilliant and dramatic effect than possible in devices limited to indirect illumination as a consequence of the use of bullet type LED sources such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,933. 
     When assembled, the necklace  10  (alternatively, a bracelet may be formed with a shortened coated conductor  12 ) is then operable as a piece of luminous jewelry with illumination emanating through the bead  54  of the medallion  18  since the LED  60  is in electrical contact with the battery  22  power supply through the conductor  14  when the clasp  20  is closed and secured as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     While this invention has been described with reference to its presently-preferred embodiment, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the invention is limited only insofar as it is defined by the following set of patent claims and includes within its scope all equivalents thereof.