personal cutting devices in the form of hand held punches for producing jewelry display cards include two aligned templates having identical patterns of apertures and being securely mounted in a frame such that a space between the templates accommodates a piece of cardstock. There is a spring biased movable member having elongate cutting elements designed to pass through the apertures in both templates, and an activation lever on which indicia is printed to show the aperture patterns produced by the punches. A housing protects the mechanism. Each punch is specifically designed to produce a display card that can hold and display a single article of jewelry such as a pair of earrings, a necklace or a brooch. The punches vary in size according to the template patterns. The punches enable the jewelry designer to use any card stock, including a business card, to display an article of jewelry.
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1. A personal hand held punch for making a jewelry display card on which to mount a single at least one article of jewelry, the hand held punch comprising:
a housing having a base and an upper housing;
a U-shaped frame mounted having an upper member and a lower member, said lower member being disposed on the base of the housing;
an upper template and a lower template, said upper template being mounted on the upper member of the U-shaped frame and said lower template being mounted on the lower member of the U-shaped frame, said upper template disposed directly above said lower template, said upper and lower templates being spaced apart sufficiently to admit a piece of cardstock therebetween and having at least two apertures therethrough, the at least two apertures in the upper template being identical to and in substantial registry with the at least two apertures in the lower template, said at least two apertures configured to yield the same at least two apertures in the piece of cardstock thereby enabling said piece of cardstock to be usable to mount and display the single at least one article of jewelry;
a spring biased movable member disposed above the upper and lower templates, at least two elongate cutting elements extending from the spring biased moveable member and corresponding to and configured to pass through the at least two apertures in said upper and lower templates with minimal tolerances thereby producing the at least two apertures in the piece of cardstock and simultaneously generating waste pieces of cardstock;
means for biasing said movable member away from the upper and lower templates, the means for biasing said movable member being in contact with the spring biased moveable member and an upper surface of the upper member of the U-shaped frame;
an activation lever hingedly mounted on said upper member of the U-shaped frame and extending above said movable member such that when said activation lever is depressed, the activation lever displaces the movable member downward which causes the at least two elongate cutting elements to pass through the at least two apertures in the upper and lower templates and cut through the cardstock placed between the upper and lower templates, the activation lever having a hinged portion and an actuation portion;
wherein the upper housing contains the upper member of the U-shaped frame, the movable member, the biasing means, and the hinged portion of the activation lever, and the actuation portion extends outward and beyond the upper housing; and
means for collecting the waste pieces of cardstock.
0. 9. A personal hand held punch for making a jewelry display card on which to mount at least one article of jewelry, the hand held punch comprising:
a housing having a base and an upper housing;
a U-shaped frame having an upper member and a lower member, said lower member being disposed on the base of the housing;
an upper template and a lower template, said upper template being mounted on the upper member of the U-shaped frame and said lower template being mounted on the lower member of the U-shaped frame such that said upper template is disposed directly above said lower template, said upper and lower templates being spaced apart sufficiently to admit a piece of cardstock therebetween and having at least two apertures therethrough, the at least two apertures in the upper template being identical to and in substantial registry with the at least two apertures in the lower template, said at least two apertures configured to yield the same at least two apertures in the piece of cardstock thereby enabling said piece of cardstock to be usable to mount and display the at least one article of jewelry;
a spring biased movable member disposed above the upper and lower templates, at least two elongate cutting elements extending from the spring biased movable member and corresponding to and configured to pass through the at least two apertures in said upper and lower templates with minimal tolerances thereby producing the at least two apertures in the piece of cardstock and simultaneously generating waste pieces of cardstock;
means for biasing said movable member away from the upper and lower templates, the means for biasing said movable member being in contact with the spring biased movable member and an upper surface of the upper member of the U-shaped frame;
an activation lever hingedly mounted on said upper member of the U-shaped frame and extending above said movable member such that when said activation lever is depressed, the activation lever displaces the movable member downward which causes the at least two elongate cutting elements to pass through the at least two apertures in the upper and lower templates and cut through the cardstock placed between the upper and lower templates, the activation lever having a hinged portion and an activation portion;
wherein the upper housing contains the upper member of the U-shaped frame, the movable member, the biasing means, and the hinged portion of the activation lever, and the actuation portion extends outward and beyond the upper housing; and
a waste reservoir in the housing base beneath the lower template.
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This application discloses substantially the same invention disclosed in Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/336,428 filed on Jan. 22, 2010.
The instant invention relates to hand-held punches for making individual jewelry display cards with each punch producing a card for the display of a specific jewelry article, and a kit containing at least two punches and a packet of cards.
Jewelry articles may often be displayed on stands, cards and in boxes. Often one card or stand can exhibit several articles, usually of the same type, i.e., earrings, rings, brooches, etc. Jewelry boxes often contain a card or other insert with the pin holes, scoring, or slits necessary to display a specific article. All of the jewelry display cards and boxes may be manufactured in large quantities at factories and may be sent, on order, to jewelry dealers, department and other specialty stores. Display cards for use by high-end stores and for insertion into jewelry boxes may often be made from flocked card stock to simulate velvet.
Factory made jewelry display cards may be made by stamping or striking the perforations, cut lines, fold lines and tabs, into large pieces of cardstock. The cards may often be assembled with boxes to hold and display the jewelry items. A number of display cards may often be struck from a single large piece of card stock. The individual cards may be outlined by perforations or score cut lines so that they may be separated from the large piece of card stock. This separation may be accomplished at the point of manufacture, or the separation may be made at the final destination.
DiDomenico, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,878 teaches a display assembly whereby a plurality of display cards is struck from a single sheet of card stock. The resulting composite sheet can be used to display a number of pairs of earrings. Each of the individual cards can display either post or wire hook earrings. The earrings can be packaged and shipped on the composite sheet. At the retail facility, the individual cards can be separated from the composite sheet and displayed by being suspended over a bar or rod. DiDomenico's individual cards have ears on which to hang the earrings and shaped tabs which can serve as hooks to hang the cards. These composite sheets are made by large stamping machines.
Garganese teaches a card assembly having three layers adhered one to the other using an adhesive. Double pieces are machine scored into large cardstock and then separated from the whole, folded over and assembled. A retaining card holds a ring between the two layers. Each assembly is used to securely hold and display a single ring. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,117) In U.S. Pat. No. 777,823, Webster et al. teach a single card stamped with a series of pairs of vertical slits that can be used to hold a number of rings. Each ring is pushed into the opening formed by depressing the piece between each pair of slits. The ring is held in place from behind the card by a fastener. This card is designed to hold multiple rings. Weil discloses a suitably stamped card that can be used to display a series of like items. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,237,266) In both of the latter two patents the cards cannot be further separated and are not designed to display a single item. Friedman, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,699, teaches a display card that holds a single jewelry item or a pair of earrings. This individual card is suitably scored so that it can be folded to display the item or to form a box enclosure containing the item. When folded to form the box the jewelry can be seen through openings in the top of the box. All of these display cards and assemblies must be stamped from large pieces of cardstock by machine at appropriate facilities and therefore must be ordered in substantial quantities. They are for use by jewelry factories and large-scale retailers.
Jewelry making has become a widespread craft extending from designers making pieces for friends and family to experienced craftsmen whose pieces are sold at craft fairs, juried craft shows and local boutiques. All of these designers must have a means to display their pieces at the point of sale, as well as to store and transport them. Private designers usually do not make many of one jewelry item, but may make earrings and then a matching necklace or pin, i.e., a variety of jewelry items. For these craftsmen, purchasing large numbers of display cards can be expensive and impractical. Additionally, to have such display cards properly scored and also printed with specific indicia is cost prohibitive. Private jewelry designers would benefit from having a personal device to make jewelry display cards for their individual pieces close at hand and also quick and easy to use.
One such personal device may be a hand held punch. Hand held punches have been available for a great many years. The most familiar may be the small punch used to make holes in paper so the paper can be inserted in to a loose leaf notebook. Today there are also punches that are used to make decorative cutouts of many shapes such as hearts, flowers, toy shapes and letters of the alphabet. These may be used by crafters and scrapbook devotees, as well as children making a variety of school projects. Most of these punches are designed to make the cutout. That is, the specifically shaped cutout itself is the desired goal of using these craft punches.
Chan, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,739,936, teaches a punch of a type used to make shapes such as a heart. This punch is designed with a wheel limiting the extent of movement between the upper and lower jaws of the die holder or support system so that the die, the cutting element, does not sustain damage during use through contact with the lower jaw. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,227, Chan describes the procedure used to make an injection molded base for a hand held punch. His base is made of a plastic and cast in one piece. A circular cutting blade is used to cut a horizontal slot into the base through which the paper is inserted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,248, Lee describes a punch to produce decorative cutouts. This punch incorporates a resilient ejector in the form of a band around the male cutter to assist in pushing out the desired cutout. Lee uses a single female die that mates with the male cutter. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0039590 submitted by Weng describes a punch having a lever that can be folded when the punch is not in use. This punch also incorporates a single die through which the cutting element moves.
None of the prior art hand held punches are designed to make a jewelry display card. None of the prior art hand held punches produce the necessary slots and holes in an arrangement to enable a punched card to hold and display an article of jewelry.
There is a need for individual jewelry designers to be able to make their own jewelry display cards on which to mount their products. There is a need for such jewelry display cards to be made as needed to fulfill the individual requirements of each designer. There is a need for a personal device to make jewelry display cards so the designer does not have to buy and store many different cards in large quantities. There is a need for a personal device to make jewelry display cards from card stock having indicia printed thereon as determined by the individual jewelry designer. There is a need for an inexpensive and expeditious means to make such jewelry display cards.
The present invention provides a personal device in the form of a hand-held punch for use in making individual jewelry display cards such that each card may be used for a single specific article of jewelry. Several different hand-held punches may be needed to accommodate all of the most common jewelry items. The invention may also include a kit containing everything needed to make a series of jewelry display cards. The kit may contain at least two hand held punches, each producing the specific pattern of apertures and/or slots necessary to mount and display a different item of jewelry. A packet of cards ready to be punched may also be included in the kit. The cards may be appropriately sized to accept the particular aperture pattern to hold and display the specific item of jewelry. The cards may also be preprinted with various designs and/or indicia. The packet of cards may contain several cards in each of two or more designs or patterns or the packet may contain cards all having the same design or pattern. The hand-held punches may also be purchased separately and may be used to punch cards already in the possession of the user which may include the user's own business cards.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for a jewelry designer-craftsman to make his/her own jewelry display cards as needed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for the jewelry designer-craftsman to make jewelry display cards from a variety of card stocks.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means for the jewelry designer-craftsman to purchase all of the materials necessary to make a series of jewelry display cards in a single kit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a personal cutting device that will make the necessary apertures and/or slots in a piece of card stock so as to enable a particular item of jewelry to be displayed thereon.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the personal cutting device in the form of a simple hand-held punch that will make the necessary apertures and/or slots in a piece of card stock on which to display a particular item of jewelry.
A further object of the present invention is to have each hand-held punch exhibit indicia indicating the cut pattern that it will produce so the user can select the correct punch for the particular piece of jewelry.
A still further object of the present invention is that the hand-held punches can be used on the designer's own business cards so the piece of jewelry can be displayed together with the source identifier.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and quick means to make a jewelry display card for a specific piece of jewelry thereby eliminating the need to purchase multiple types of cards in large quantities in order to accommodate all of the different articles of jewelry.
that may support two substantially identical cutting dies or templates 42 which may be set into the frame,As noted, each of the hand-held punches of the present invention is designed to produce a jewelry card to hold one item of jewelry. However, a card may have more than one pattern punched into it so that more than one jewelry item may be displayed on the same card. The hand held punches of the present invention may be used in any manner the designer wishes.
The hand-held punches of the present invention may be designed for use with card stock up to 120 pound weight. As a frame of reference, scrapbook cardstock may be 80-120 pound weight and most business cards may be 80 pound weight.
The jewelry item to be displayed may determine the size of the card, though even a standard business card may be used to display many jewelry items. The particular jewelry item may also dictate the size and placement of the openings produced by the hand-held punches. Examples of the actual sizes of some of the tabs and openings produced by the hand-held punches may be noted with the punches designed for earrings. Lever-back and hook-type earrings may be displayed on cards with the U-shaped tabs situated approximately 1.0 inch (2.54 cm) from the edge of the card. Each punched area may be 1.50 inch (3.8 cm) wide and 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) high with the central holes 1/16 inch (0.2 cm) in diameter. The punch for the post-type earrings may produce openings that are 1.0 inch (2.54 cm) from the edge of the card. The actual holes may be about 1.0 inch (2.54 cm) apart and 1/16 inch (0.2 cm) in diameter.
The present invention may include a kit that 90 that contains all of the materials needed to create cards on which to hold and display jewelry items. Each kit 90 may contain at least two hand-held punches 40, each producing the pattern of apertures and/or slots needed to hold and display a different item of jewelry, a packet of cards 92, and a case or container 93 to hold the components. The cards may all be of the same design and have the same indicia, or there may be a packet which contains several series of cards with different patterns and/or sets of indicia. The cards may also be without indicia but may be of different colors. The packets 92 may each contain a specific number of cards, for example a typical kit 90 may have a packet of 25 cards. Refill packets may be available at the point of sale of the kits. The kit 90 may also include one or more sheets of instructions and/or suggestions (not illustrated).
The cards supplied in a typical kit may be made from all natural recycled fiber in the form of 80 pound cardstock. These cards may be sized to hold and display the particular item of jewelry for which the punches included in that kit may be designed. For example, a display card for a pair of earrings may be smaller than a display card for a necklace or brooch. The cards may also be of different colors, patterns, shapes or designs. Special cards 97 may also be provided with pre-scored fold lines so that once punched they may form stands or enclosures for the jewelry item. See
The cards shown in
Though the hand-held punches 40 may be purchased in a kit 90, it may be preferable to have each punch 40 packaged separately. The packaging 91 may be aesthetic, but it may also form an enclosure to protect the punches. One form of packaging may have a see-through cover 94 over a cardboard base 95 as seen in
The frame 41, templates 42, movable member 45 and elongate cutting elements 46 of the hand held punches 40 of the present invention may be made of metal and must be strong and well formed. The elongate cutting elements 46 may have sharp cutting edges to produce clean cuts for an aesthetically acceptable display card and may be constructed to retain their cutting edges over repeated use. The housing 55, 56 and lever 53 may be made of a strong and durable plastic. The housing may be made in any color or colors. Each individual punch 40 may have the template design 60 on the top surface 61 of the lever 53 so the user may select the appropriate punch to make the card on which the completed item is to be displayed.
The overall size of a punch may be determined by the template and therefore the various punches may exhibit a range of sizes. For example, the punch designed for a pair of post earrings may be 3 inches (7.6 cm) long, 1⅞ inches (4.8 cm) wide at its widest point and 2 inches (5 cm) high. The punch designed for a pair of hook-type earrings may be 4 inches (10.2 cm) long, 2¼ inches (5.7 cm) wide at its widest point and 2⅜ inches (6 cm) high.
Each kit may contain at least two punches, but there can be more than two punches and more than one packet of cards. The market for the kits may determine just how they are apportioned. Another kit may contain a full set of all punches and several packets of variously sized cards.
While one basic embodiment of the present invention and a kit containing the punches have been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited thereto and may be otherwise practiced within the scope of the following claims.
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