Abstract:
A secure display setting and a method of doing business using the secure display setting are provided. A display setting including a base portion with a lower barrel may be lockingly secured to an upper portion including an upper barrel and prongs with a gemstone located therebetween. A spring is used to bias the gemstone against the prongs. In certain forms of the invention, the gemstone can not be removed from the display setting without causing obvious damage to the display setting. The value of the gemstone is maintained or secured by the seller if the potential customer returns the display setting with obvious damage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/176,473 filed Jan. 17, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS 
     The present invention relates generally to a secure display setting for a gemstone, and more particularly to a secure display setting that will provide a means for identifying an individual gemstone provided to a potential customer for evaluation. 
     In the gem industry, loose stones are commonly sent to buyers for evaluation. Similarly, loose gemstones are shown to potential buyers in shops. In these situations, it is possible that the potential customer will attempt to substitute another gemstone of lesser value for the original gemstone provided. There is a need for a secure display setting for a gemstone to aid in identifying whether the loose stone returned by the potential customer is the same stone provided to that customer. 
     The present invention is directed toward meeting the above need, among others. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS 
     The present inventions relate to a secure display setting for a gemstone which is used to identify an individual gemstone as the stone previously provided to a potential customer. In at least one embodiment of the present inventions, a tamper evident desplay setting for a gemstone is provided. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded side cross-sectional view of a secure display setting for a gemstone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventions; 
     FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a secure display setting for a gemstone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventions; 
     FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a portion of the secure display setting for a gemstone of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of a secure display setting for a gemstone and said gemstone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventions; 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a secure display setting for a gemstone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventions; 
     FIG. 5 is a top elevational view of a strip of prefabricated display device portions in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a prefabricated display device portion in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventions; and 
     FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of a tamper evident embodiment of the present inventions. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the inventions, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Like reference numbers designate like or corresponding parts throughout the drawings and specification. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the inventions is thereby intended. Any such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and any such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are contemplated-herein as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the inventions relate. 
     Now more particularly describing a first embodiment of the present inventions, there is a secure display setting for a gemstone, as follows. Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown display setting  10  for the secure display of a gemstone. Display setting  10  includes a base portion  20  and a locking upper portion (or upper barrel)  30 . When assembled, a leaf spring  40  is used to bias a gemstone  50  against the prongs  32  of the upper barrel  30 . The leaf spring  40  includes a hole  42 , therethrough, to center the gemstone when the point, or culet  52  of the stone is centered in the hole  42 . Alternatively, a coil spring may be used instead of the leaf spring  40 , wherein the culet  52  is centered in the hole through the coil spring. Such a leaf spring  40  (or coil spring) would be chosen to have sufficient spring force to maintain the gemstone in contact with the prongs  32 . 
     Base portion  20  of display setting  10 , includes a lower locking portion (or lower barrel)  22 . Lower barrel  22  includes an outer surface  24  and an inner surface  28 . Outer surface  24  includes means to lock the lower barrel to the upper barrel. In the present embodiment, lower barrel  22  includes locking grooves  26 , which, when assembled with the upper barrel  30 , mate with unidirectional ridges  34  present in the inner wall  36  of the upper barrel  30 . As such, upper barrel  30  may be easily slid over the lower barrel  22  to mate the two pieces. However, once assembled, a top surface  34   a  of the unidirectional ridge  34  will contact an abutment surface  26   a  in locking groove  26 , to prevents the upper barrel  30  from being unmated with the lower barrel  22 . 
     Unidirectional ridges  34  and grooves  26  may be integrally formed with the upper and lower barrels, may be machined on the upper and lower barrels, or may be produced on the upper and lower barrels using other known methods. Additionally, although three unidirectional ridges  34  are shown, this is not meant to be limiting, as more or fewer locking members may be used, if desired. Additionally, other forms of locking mechanisms, such as tongue and groove fasteners, etc., may be used. 
     Preferably, once assembled, the locking mechanism chosen will not permit the easy disassembly of the display setting  10 , without damaging the display setting  10  in some way (i.e. breaking the prongs, showing evident stress or fracture marks in the material of the prongs and/or upper barrel, etc.). More preferably, the upper and lower barrels will securely mate such that the gemstone can be removed only by breaking one of the prongs  32  or damaging the upper and/or lower barrels. Additionally, if desired, an epoxy or other adhesive material, or heat bonding may be used to further lock the upper and lower barrels. 
     In an alternative embodiment not shown, the upper and lower barrels of the display setting would not include distinct locking members, as described in connection with the above embodiment, but may be locked together securely using epoxy or other adhesive material. Similarly, the upper and lower barrels could be heated bonded together to maintain a locking seal. 
     Referring back to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the inner surface diameter of the upper barrel  30  shall be chosen to be larger than the diameter of the gemstone across the girdle  54 . As such, the gemstone  50  may be passed through the inner opening of the upper barrel  30 , to rest against the prongs  32 . Additionally, referring specifically to FIG. 2A, in the present embodiment, the prong  32  may include a plurality of ridges  38 , that contact the gemstone  50  at the girdle  54 , to further stabilize the gemstone in the display setting. The use of a plurality of ridges on the inner surface of the prongs  32  permits gemstones of different sizes to be stabilized in the display setting  10 . If desired, the angle of the prong  32  be chosen such that the tip surface  33  of the prong  32  rests against the crown of the gemstone to further stabilize the gemstone in the display setting  10 , as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     To assist in identifying the particular gemstone, if desired, the base  20  of the display setting  10 , may include a serial number or other identifying mark thereon, such as serial number  29  of FIG.  3 . Additionally, although the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 is shown having the lower barrel  22  on a slab type base, the lower barrel may be secured to or formed on other types of bases, such as the inner surface of a jewelry box, or a display case. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown another embodiment of the present inventions, wherein the display setting  10 ′ is made in the form of a ring, such that potential buyers of the loose stone can display the stone in a more familiar type of setting. The display setting  10 ′ is shown as being substantially of the type shown in FIGS. 1-3 but wherein, the base  20 ′ is adapted to be bonded to the surface of the ring  100 , and wherein the serial number  110  is placed on the ring portion instead of, or in addition to, being placed on the base  20 ′ or upper barrel  30 . The locking mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 4, may be any of those described above, including securing the upper and lower barrel using an adhesive material. Preferably, for optimum security, a unidirectional locking device, such as is shown in FIGS. 1-3 should be used instead of or in addition to a locking adhesive. 
     In one tamper evident embodiment of the present inventions, such as those shown in FIGS. 1-4, wherein locking ridges are used to secure the upper and lower barrels, the upper barrel  30  should be chosen of a material flexible enough to permit the upper barrel to slide over the lower barrel and mate therewith, but be of rigid and/or brittle enough material to not permit removal of the upper barrel from the lower barrel without causing evident damage to the upper barrel. Similarly, the material of prongs  32  may be a rigid, brittle and/or substantially unmaleable material, such as hard plastic or very brittle metal, that would break if a prong  32  were to be bent away from the gemstone with a force great enough to lift the prong away from the surface of the spring biased gemstone. This force necessary to break or damage the prongs would obviously be greater than the spring force biasing the gemstone against the prongs. If desired, the upper portion including the upper barrel may be made of a different material than the base and/or lower barrel. 
     Alternatively, the upper barrel and/or prongs may be made of a very thin plastic material, which is easily torn, such that if it is attempted to remove the upper barrel from the lower barrel, or the gemstone from the display setting, stress marks or tears will be evident in the fragile plastic of the upper barrel and/or prongs. For example, referring now to FIG.7, there is shown a display setting  200  wherein the gemstone  50  has been removed from the thin plastic upper barrel  230 . In such a case, if another stone were to be substituted for stone  50 , tear  260  and stress mark  262  would evidence that prong  232  had been tampered with. 
     In one method of transacting business using the present secure display setting, the salesman may debit the potential customer&#39;s account or charge the cost of the stone to the customer&#39;s charge card in advance of providing the stone to the potential customer with the understanding, express or implied, that the debit or charge will be re-credited if the display setting is returned untampered with. After debiting the account or charging the card, the loose stone is placed in a secure locking display setting of the types described in the above embodiments, i.e. a display setting as described in connection with FIGS. 1-4. If the display setting is returned to the salesman with obvious damage to the upper barrel or one or more prong, or other signs of tampering, the salesman will not re-credit the money advanced by the potential customer to examine the stone. If the display setting is returned with no evident damage, the salesman will re-credit the potential customer for successfully returning the stone. 
     In an alternative method of transacting business, the potential customer and salesman may arrange for debiting the customer&#39;s account or charge card, at the time the stone is returned, if the display setting shows evidence of tampering. This alternative method differs from that above in that the customer is charged after the fact for the tampered with gemstone. Where the first described business method is more useful if the stone is being sent to a remote location, the present method is more useful if the gemstone is examined at a point of sale location, such as the salesman&#39;s shop. 
     In one embodiment of the present inventions, the base portions of the display settings of FIGS. 1-4, may be molded using known plastic molding techniques. Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a molded strip  120 , including an identifier block  130  and a strip portion  134 . Formed on strip  134  using a molding process are base portions  140   a - 140   h . For purposes of example, molded strip  120  is shown as having base portions  140   a - 140   d  of the type described in connection with FIG.  4  and base portions  140   e - 140   h  of the type described in connection with FIGS. 1-3. This is not meant to be limiting, as the molded base portions may be a formed all of one type, or even of different types from those shown. 
     During the molding process, an identifying mark or serial number may also be formed as part of the strip  134  on strip tags  134   a - 134   h , to which the base portions  140   a  - 140   h  are formed, respectively, at a break point. The identifying marks may be formed in the plastic of the strip tag, and correspondingly, the base portions, as part of the molding process, or may be stamped in while the plastic is still soft. Once the plastic has cooled, the base portions  140   a - 140   h  may be snapped off the strip  134  at the break points and used. 
     Referring now to FIG. 6, as a further measure of identification, in a system where the base portions are formed using the molding process described in connection with FIG. 5, a secondary color of plastic may be injected randomly into the mold with the primary color of plastic. This injection will cause a random distribution of the secondary color of plastic to be molded into the base portion, as well as the strip tag. The secondary color distribution  166  on the base portion should match that of the secondary color  176  on the strip tag at the break point  136 . If desired, an alignment scale, such as scale  180   a  may be formed on the strip tag, with corresponding alignment marks  180   b  being formed in the base portion  140 ′. As such, if the molding strips are retained, a further measure of security is provided when the display setting is returned by matching the base portion serial number  148   a  to the strip tag with the same serial number  138   a , and comparing the alignment of the secondary color patterns. Even if the serial numbers match, if the secondary color patterns do not match, the salesman can determine that a different base portion (and correspondingly, a different gemstone) has been substituted for the display setting sent to the customer. If the salesman so determines that the setting has been substituted with another, or otherwise tampered with, the customer&#39;s account or charge card can be automatically debited or not re-credited, in accordance with one of the above described business methods. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.