Patent ID: 7520058

Claim:
A method of increasing the size of a ring having a width comprising: a) forming a plurality of bars, each bar having ends and a pair of sidewalls extending therebetween, wherein said ends have a curvature, and wherein each of said bars have a width defined as that dimension between said ends; b) severing said ring to create two ends of said ring and a space between said ring ends, each said ring end having a curvature, wherein the curvature of said ring ends substantially mirrors the curvature of said bar ends; c) expanding said space between said ring ends until said space is substantially as wide as the width of one of said plurality of bars; d) cutting a cross-section from one of said plurality of bars, said one bar having a width substantially the same as the width of said space, wherein said cross section has a breadth determined by the position of said cut, wherein said breadth of said cross-section is substantially the same as said width of said ring, and wherein said curved ends of said one bar form curved ends of said cross-section; and e) inserting said cross-section of said bar into said space in said ring such that said curved ends of said cross-section are oriented toward corresponding ends of said ring, and attaching said cross-section to said ring.