Patent Publication Number: US-2005127149-A1

Title: Corners for jewelry display

Description:
FIELD  
      The field of the invention relates to a jewelry tray and more specifically to corners adapted to fit on the jewelry tray.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Jewelry articles are routinely displayed in an assortment, by merchants, with the expectation that one or more displayed items will attract a customer who will then make a purchase. The assortment of jewelry articles are displayed on trays because the surface area of the trays allows for an orderly display of a large number of jewelry articles in a relatively small space. The trays have corners which are subject to significant wear and tear, and can become prematurely damaged without the appropriate protection.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,460 to Williams discloses a tray for displaying jewelry. The tray consists of cardboard folded to form a box. The patent discloses corner stays which are cemented to the box for holding the box together. The problem with Williams is that if a stay falls off, the box becomes unraveled, ruining the display. Also, the paper stays are ineffective in protecting the corners of the tray as they are no more rigid than the tray.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,464 to Brennan and U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,196 to Ford each disclose a box having corner clamps. Each box has a defined shape with a measurable depth, and the corner clamps cause the box to maintain the defined shape. The problem defined shape with a measurable depth, and the corner clamps cause the box to maintain the defined shape. The problem with Brennan and Ford is that the boxes both fall apart if either loses a corner clamp.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,153 to Braun discloses a display tray. The tray has an edge that surrounds the entire tray. The edge of the tray is stepped above the tray for purposes of stacking a series of trays. The entire top of the tray, including the edge, is coated in a protective plastic. The entire bottom of the tray is similarly coated in a protective plastic. The patent discloses the placement of an array of cushions on the tray for holding jewelry.  
      One problem with Braun is that the process of manufacturing the tray and edges, and applying the coats of plastic, is highly complex. Another problem with Braun is that the because the edges of the tray are placed above the bottom of the tray, the tray can flip if pressure is placed on the edge.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,724 to Cumberland discloses a photo album having a series of mounting assemblies. Each assembly has four retaining pockets, where each retaining pocket is located on a respective corner and is capable of receiving a respective corner of a picture.  
      Although suitable for being placed on a photo album, the corners on each assembly of Cumberland would be unsuitable for a jewelry tray. Specifically, the soft corners of Cumberland would fail to protect the jewelry tray from damage resulting from normal use.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,637 to Gratz discloses a device for protecting corners of an object, such a window in shipment. The protectors are made of a pulp material and the protectors have segment that engage the front and rear of an object for protecting the object while in shipment. The problem with Gratz, as applied to a jewelry tray, is that extending the protective corners about the rear of the object, such as a tray, prevents the tray from laying flush on a table. Accordingly, the corner protectors of Gratz would destabilize a jewelry tray.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,805 to Thompson discloses decorative tray corners. The corners are fabricated from soft material, where the material of each corner forms a pocket for inserting memorabilia. The problem with Thompson is that the soft edges would fail to protect the corner edges of a rigid jewelry tray from typical wear and tear.  
     SUMMARY  
      A triangular corner adapted to fit on a jewelry tray, the corner comprising a rigid material, a first and second side surfaces and a top surface. The top surface has a nonlinear edge and no bottom surface. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  is a top view of protective corners on a jewelry tray;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the protective corners on the jewelry tray; and  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the protective corners on the jewelry tray. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
      A plurality of triangular corners are disclosed that are capable of being placed on a jewelry tray. Each triangular corner is more durable than the tray so that each triangular corner protects the corners of the tray from wear. Each triangular corner does not extend over the bottom of the tray to prevent the accidental tugging of each triangular corner when moving the tray on a surface. The top surface of each triangular corner has an increased line of contact with the tray, which decreases the possibility that the triangular corner will damage the top of the tray.  
      Turning to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a jewelry tray  1  having a base  2  having two distal corners  3  and  4 , and two proximal corners  5  and  6 . Two triangular corners are disclosed that are capable of being mounted to the distal corners of the tray  7  and  8 , and two triangular corners are disclosed that are capable of being mounted to the proximal corners of the tray  9  and  10 . The distal triangular corners  7  and  8  protect the distal edges of the tray  3  and  4 , and the proximal triangular corners  9  and  10  protect the proximal corners of the tray  5  and  6 .  
      Turning now to  FIG. 1 , the base has first and second parallel sides  15  and  16 . Each side extends distally on the tray  1  from edges  5  and  6  to edges  3  and  4 , respectively. The sides  15  and  16  have the same length and are long enough to allow a cluster of jewelry articles to be placed on the tray  1 . For example, the length of sides  15  and  16  is three and quarter inches. Alternatively, the length of sides  15  and  16  is five inches, six inches, seven and a half inches, or any length that is reasonable for displaying jewelry.  
      The base has a proximal side  17  and a distal side  18 . The proximal side  17  extends between proximal corners  5  and  6  and the distal side  18  extends between distal corners  3  and  4 . The proximal side  17  is parallel to the distal side  18 . Each of the proximal side and distal side  17  and  18  are the same length and each are perpendicular to the first and second sides  15  and  16 .  
      The proximal and distal sides  17  and  18  are longer than the first and second sides  15  and  16 . For example, where the first and second sides  15  and  16  have a length of three and a quarter inches, the proximal and distal sides  17  and  18  both have a length of seven and a quarter inches long. Alternatively, where the first and second sides  15  and  16  have a length of five, six, or seven and a half inches, the proximal and distal sides  17  and  18  both have a length of seven and a half, eleven and a quarter, or fourteen inches, respectively.  
      The relative lengths disclosed are illustrative only. Any length is appropriate that allows easy manipulation of the tray  1  on a platform, such as a tabletop. Although a rectangular shape is not required, it is preferred because the shape allows the tray  1  to be easily carried or toted in a narrow bag.  
      Turning now to  FIG. 2 , the base  2  is fabricated from foam board. The foam board typically contains a semi-rigid bottom surface  11  and a foam core  12 . The board is rigid enough to maintain a rectangular shape with requiring the addition of the corner triangles or any other implement. The thickness of the foam board is enough to withstand bending or tearing during normal use. For example, the thickness of the foam board is approximately one quarter of an inch.  
      Referring to the Figures, each triangular corner  6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  has a first side  19 . Each first side  19  extends parallel to the short edge of the tray  15  and  16 . Accordingly, the side  19  on triangular corners  7  and  8  extends toward the proximal edge  17  of the tray. On the other hand, the side  19  on triangular corners  9  and  10  extends toward the distal edge  18  of the tray.  
      The thickness of the first side  19  prevents the side from deforming during use. For example, if the triangular corner is fabricated from metal, the thickness of the first side  19  is one-thirty-second of an inch.  
      The first side  19  has a top and bottom edge  20  and  21 . The edges are parallel and have the same length. The length of the edges  20  and  21  is enough to protect the tray on edges  15  and  16 , near corners  3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 . This protection prevents the edges  15  and  16  from premature wear and tear. For example, where the edges  15  and  16  are three and a half inches long, edges  20  and  21  are half of an inch long. Alternatively, where edges  15  and  16  are seven inches long, edges  20  and  21  are each one inch long. Yet alternatively, other lengths can be used for edges  20  and  21  so long as the sum of the lengths of edges  20  and  21  does not exceed the length of edges  15  or  16 .  
      The first side  19  has an outer and corner edge  22  and  23 . The edges  22  and  23  are the same length, are parallel to each other, and are perpendicular to edges  20  and  21 . The length of edges  22  and  23  separates edges  20  and  21  beyond the thickness of the base  2 . For example, where the thickness of the base  2  is approximately one quarter of an inch, the length of edges  22  and  23  is substantially five eighths of an inch.  
      In use, when each triangular corner are mounted on each corner, the bottom edge  21  of each triangular corner extends towards the bottom face of the bottom layer  11 . On the other hand, the top edge  20  of each triangular corner is raised above the top of the base  2  by approximately an eighth of an inch. The height above the base allows material from the triangular corner to cover the top corner of the top layer  13 , protecting the top layer  13  from premature wear and tear.  
      Referring again the  FIGS. 1 and 3 , each triangular corner  6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  has a second side  24 . Each second side  24  extends parallel to the long edge of the tray  17  and  18 . The side  24  on triangular corners  8  and  10  extends toward the second edge  16  of the tray. On the other hand, the side  24  on triangular corners  7  and  9  extends toward the first edge  15  of the tray.  
      The thickness of the second side  24  prevents the side from deforming during use and is preferably the same as the thickness of the first side  19 .  
      The second side  24  has a top and bottom edge  25  and  26 . The edges are parallel and have the same length. The edges  25  and  26  are long enough to protect the tray on edges  17  and  18 , near corners  3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 . This protection prevents the edges  17  and  18  from premature wear and tear. The length of edges  25  and  26  is the same as edges  20  and  21  respectively. Alternatively, the length of edges  25  and  26  is longer than the length of edges  20  and  21 , but shorter than the length of sides  17  or  18 . Yet alternatively, the length of edges  25  and  26  is shorter than the length of edges  20  and  21 .  
      The second side  24  has an inside edge  27  and shares the corner edge  23  with the first side  19 . The inside edge  27  is parallel to and the same length as edge  23 . The length of edges  23  and  27  separates the edges  25  and  26  to the same distance that edges  23  and  22  separates edges  20  and  21 .  
      In use, the triangular corner is mounted to the tray so that edge  26  is adjacent to with the bottom of the base  2 . This setting extends the edge  25  over the top of the base  2  by the same distance as edge  22 . As a result, when each triangular corner are mounted on each corner, both bottom edges  21  and  22  are adjacent to the bottom of the base  2 .  
      Since the triangular corners are manufactured without a bottom face, the disclosed configuration prevents each triangular corner from being tugged off of the base  2  when the tray  1  is moved on a surface. Further, both top edges  20  and  25  are one eighth of an inch above the top of the base  13 . This allows material from the triangular corner to cover the top corner of the top layer  13  to protect the top layer  14  from premature wear and tear.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , each triangular corner has a top surface  28 . The top surface of each triangular corner  28  has a first edge that is the top edge  25  of the second surface  24  of the triangular corner. The top surface  28  has a second edge that is the top edge  20  of the first surface  19  of the triangular corner. Connecting the first and second edges of the top surface  25  and  20  is a third edge  29  of the top surface  28 .  
      The third edge  29  of the top surface  28  has a non-linear shape. For example, the edge  29  is symmetrical and has a first curve  30 . The first curve  30  extends approximately thirty percent along the edge  29 , inwardly from the intersection of edge  29  and both of edges  20  and  25 . The path of curve  30  is parabolic, covering more of a distance than a linear edge.  
      At the point where curve  30  terminates, a second curve  31  begins. The second curve  31  is also symmetrically positioned on edge  29  and has an inflection of almost ninety degrees from the first curve  30 . The second curve  31  extends towards the center of the base  2  to where the curve  31  apparently intersects a line that joins edge  27  to edge  22 . At the apparent intersection, the second curve turns back towards the edge  23  of the triangular corner. The path of curve  31  covers a significantly greater distance on edge  29  than a linear edge.  
      A the point of termination of curve  31 , from both sides of edge  29 , is a substantially radial curve  32  that extends towards and terminates at the center of the distance between edge  22  and edge  27 . Here too, the distance of curve  32  is greater than the a linear edge that would otherwise extend between edges  22  and  27 .  
      The edge  29  has the cumulative length of five curves, being twice the symmetrical curves  30  and  31 , as well as curve  32 . A significantly greater distance is covered by edge  29  than a linear curve would cover between edge  22  and  27 . The greater distance provides a greater contact between each triangular corner and the top of the base  2 .  
      In use, there are several occasions in which bending forced are created on the display, at the location where the top edge of the corners meets the display. Once such occasion is when a triangular corner becomes snagged in transport or on display. Another such occasion is when the corners are pressed onto the display during an instillation process. During these occasions, the greater contact distance between the corners and the display significantly decreases the bending and tearing forces on the display at any point. The configuration of the top edge of the corners practically eliminates the possibility that a display edge will bend or tear in the area of the corners.  
      It should be noted that the curves that comprise edge  29  are for illustration only. Any series of curves, both symmetric and asymmetric could be used that encompasses a greater length then a line between edges  22  and  27 .  
      The triangular corners are manufactured from a more rigid material than the base  11 . The more rigid material assures that the edge of the tray  3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6  will be unaffected when the corners of the tray are accidentally treated with a blunt force due to impact with other trays or other articles. Each triangular corner is permanently connected to the base. For example, glue connected each triangular corner to the base.  
      The triangular corners have a series of openings  33 . The openings are symmetrically located on each triangular corner. In use, the openings allow the insertion of a pin or an earring post when handling jewelry.  
      In use, the tray is placed with the bottom of the base  2  against a table or other station. Jewelry articles are placed on the top of the base  2 . The triangular corners  7 ,  8 ,  9  and  10  protect the corners  3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6  from premature wear and tear due to normal use.  
      A set of triangular corners has been disclosed to protect the edges of a jewelry tray. The triangular corners are more durable than the base so that each triangular corner protect the corners of the tray from wear. The triangular corners do not extend over the bottom of the tray to prevent the accidental tugging of each triangular corner when moving the tray on a surface. The top surface of each triangular corner has an increased line of contact with the tray, which decreases the possibility that the triangular corner will damage the top of the tray.  
      The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims and their combination in whole or in part rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.