Patent Application
20170086540
This presentation relates to an adjustable ring capable of interacting with reflexology or acupuncture regions of the hand.
Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative medicine involving gentle application of pressure to the feet and/or hands.
There exists a need for a device that allows applying gentle tapping or pressure on regions of one hand of a user without mobilizing both hands of the user, and a method for allows applying gentle tapping or pressure on regions of one hand of a user without mobilizing both hands of the user.
Embodiments of this presentation provides for a ring which, when worn around a finger of one hand of a user, allows applying gentle tapping or pressure on chosen portions of the hand without use of the other hand of the user. According to embodiments of this presentation, the ring has an adjustable circumference length and can be secured/snugly fit around any phalange of any finger of the hand. Embodiments of this presentation also provide a method for relieving stress by applying gentle tapping or pressure on predetermined regions of one hand of a user, without mobilizing both hands of the user.
An embodiment of this presentation relates to an adjustable jewelry ring comprising: a first elongated member having a first length between opposite first and second ends; a second elongated member having a second length between opposite first and second ends, the second end of the second elongated member being attached to the first end of the first elongated member and the first end of the second elongated member being attached to a first bead; the second elongated member being flexible; a third elongated member having a third length between opposite first and second ends, the second end of the third elongated member being attached to the second end of the first elongated member and the first end of the third elongated member being attached to a second bead; a slider coupling the second and third elongated members, arranged to be independently slidable to any position along the lengths of each of the second and third elongated members; wherein the combined lengths of the first, second and third elongated members is comprised between 50 and 150 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider comprises a friction element for retaining the slider to the position it is slid to along the lengths of the second or third elongated members.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, at least one of the first and second beads has a weight comprised between 0.4 and 2 grams.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first and second beads are beads made of precious or non-precious metal.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members are made of precious or non-precious metal.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members each comprise a length of chain.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first elongated member comprises a length of precious or non-precious metal chain.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first elongated member is a rigid metal structure.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members have each a cross-section having a largest dimension comprised between 0.6 and 3 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider has a height, a width and a length; the second and third elongated members passing through at least one lumen traversing the slider along its length.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the friction element comprises a resilient element arranged in the at least one lumen.
An embodiment of this presentation relates to a method of relieving stress, comprising: securing around a phalange of a finger of a hand of a user a ring having attached to it a first end of a flexible element, a first bead being attached to a second end of the flexible element, such that when the hand is held vertical with the finger upright the first bead touches a predetermined region of the finger or the hand; wherein the ring has an adjustable circumference length and can be secured around any phalange of any finger of the hand.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, said ring comprises: a first elongated member having a first length between opposite first and second ends; a second elongated member having a second length between opposite first and second ends, the second end of the second elongated member being attached to the first end of the first elongated member and the first end of the second elongated member being attached to said first bead; the second elongated member being flexible; a slider arranged for being slidable to any position along the length of the second elongated member; wherein the slider is coupled to the second end of the first elongated member; and wherein said flexible element is formed by the second elongated member between said bead and said slider.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider comprises a first friction element for retaining the slider to the position it is slid to along the length of the second elongated member.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider is coupled to the second end of the first elongated member by: a third elongated member having a third length between opposite first and second ends, the second end of the third elongated member being attached to the second end of the first elongated member and the first end of the third elongated member being attached to a second bead; the third elongated member being flexible; wherein the slider is arranged for being slidable to any position along the length of the third elongated member; wherein the combined lengths of the first, second and third elongated members is comprised between 50 and 150 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider comprises a second friction element for retaining the slider to the position it is slid to along the length of the third elongated member
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first bead has a weight comprised between 0.4 and 2 grams.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first and second beads are beads made of precious or non-precious metal.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members are made of precious or non-precious metal.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members each comprise a length of chain.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first elongated member comprises a length of precious or non-precious metal chain.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the first elongated member is a rigid metal structure.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated members have each a cross-section having a largest dimension comprised between 0.6 and 3 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider has a height, a width and a length; the second and third elongated members passing through at least one lumen traversing the slider along its length.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, one of the first and second friction elements comprises a resilient element arranged in the at least one lumen.
An embodiment of this presentation comprises an adjustable jewelry ring comprising: a first elongated member having a first length between opposite first and second ends; a second elongated member having a second length between opposite first and second ends, the second end of the second elongated member being attached to the first end of the first elongated member and the first end of the second elongated member being attached to a first bead; the second elongated member being flexible; a slider arranged for being slidable to any position along the length of the second elongated member; wherein the slider is coupled to the second end of the first elongated member.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the slider comprises a friction element for retaining the slider to the position it is slid to along the length of the second elongated member.
These and other features and advantages will become further apparent from the detailed description and accompanying figures that follow. In the figures and description, numerals indicate the various features; like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawings and the description.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to clearly describe various specific embodiments disclosed herein. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the presently claimed invention may be practiced without all of the specific details discussed below. In other instances, well known features have not been described so as not to obscure the invention.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the ring 8 has an adjustable circumference length and it can be secured around any phalange 14 of any finger of the hand. Thus, even if the flexible element 18 has a fixed length, the user can position the ring along a desired phalange such that bead 20, at the end of flexible element 18, can bump into and exert gentle massage on a determined region of the hand or finger that is a length of element 18 away from where the ring 8 is secured. According to an embodiment of this presentation, the flexible element 18 can also have an adjustable length as detailed hereafter. Providing a ring having an adjustable circumference has been a long-standing problem, as detailed in the document “Arthritic Finger Joints and Adjustable Rings posted on May 8, 2005 by Fred Klotz on:
According to an embodiment of this presentation, first elongated member 24, second elongated member 30 and flexible section 38 can have a same structure and/or material, for example have a same chain or wire structure (in metal, precious or not; snake chain, mesh chain, anchor chain, etc. . . . ). According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second elongated member 30 and the flexible section 38 can have a first structure and/or material, for example a same chain or wire structure (in metal, precious or not; snake chain, mesh chain, anchor chain, etc. . . . ), while the first elongated member 24 has another structure and/or material. In such embodiments, the first elongated member 24 can be flexible (such as a length of chain, for example of precious metal) or not (such as a rigid metal structure, eventually carrying one or more precious or semi-precious stones). According to embodiments of this presentation, the second elongated member 30 and the flexible section 38 have each a cross-section with a largest dimension comprised between 0.6 and 3 millimeter.
As detailed hereafter, the slider 36 can be made of metal with at least one lumen lined with a resilient material friction element through which at least the second elongated member 30 passes through.
According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the combined lengths of the first elongated member 24, second elongated member 30 and flexible section 38 is comprised between 40 and 150 millimeter; preferably between 40 and 120 millimeter; preferably between 40 and 75 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second and third elongated member can have a different length or can have a same length. According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the combined lengths of the first elongated member 24, second elongated member 30 and third elongated member 40 is comprised between 50 and 200 millimeter; preferably between 50 and 150 millimeter; preferably between 50 and 100 millimeter.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, first elongated member 24, second elongated member 30 and third elongated member 40 can have a same structure and/or material, for example have a same chain or wire structure (in metal, precious or not; snake chain, mesh chain, anchor chain, etc. . . . ). According to an embodiment of this presentation, the second elongated member 30 and the third elongated member 40 can have a first structure and/or material, for example a same chain or wire structure (in metal, precious or not; snake chain, mesh chain, anchor chain, etc. . . . ), while the first elongated member 24 has another structure and/or material. In such embodiments, the first elongated member 24 can be flexible (such as a length of chain, for example of precious metal) or not (such as a rigid metal structure, eventually carrying one or more precious or semi-precious stones).
According to embodiments of this presentation, the second elongated member 30 and the third elongated member 40 have each a cross-section with a largest dimension comprised between 0.6 and 3 millimeter. According to embodiments of this presentation, the slider 36′ has a height, a width and a length; the second and third elongated members passing through at least one lumen traversing the slider along its length; wherein: the height of the slider is larger than the largest dimension of the largest of the cross section of the second and third elongated members by 1 to 5 millimeters; and the width of the slider is larger than the largest dimension of the added cross section of the second and third elongated members by 1.5 to 7.5 millimeters.
According to an embodiment of this presentation (not shown), the slider can comprise two box-like structures of similar cross section, having each an open side. A where a first box like structure is imbricated, open side first, through the open side of the second box-like structure. Each box-like structure comprises at least one hole on opposed sides, such that the elongated members can pass through the imbricated box-like structures through said holes. A resilient element such as a spring is arranged between the two box-like structures so as to push the box-like structures away from each other, thus exerting a shearing force on the elongated members passing through the holes in the opposed sides of each box-like structure. The user can squeeze the slider formed by the imbricated box-like structures to align the holes and release the shearing forces exerted on the elongated members, thus enabling the user to slide effortlessly the slider to any position along any of the second and third elongated members. The friction element can then be the edges of the holes in the sides of the box-like structures.
According to an embodiment of this presentation, the height H of the slider is larger than the largest dimension of the cross section of the largest of second 30 and third 40 elongated members, by 1 to 5 millimeters; and the width W of the slider is larger than the sum of the largest dimensions of the cross section of the second 30 and third 40 elongated members, by 1.5 to 7.5 millimeters. The length L can be smaller than, equal to, or larger than the width W.
Having now described the invention in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will understand how to make changes and modifications to the present invention to meet their specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed herein.
The foregoing Detailed Description of exemplary and preferred embodiments is presented for purposes of illustration and disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the law. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form(s) described, but only to enable others skilled in the art to understand how the invention may be suited for a particular use or implementation. The possibility of modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art.
No limitation is intended by the description of exemplary embodiments which may have included tolerances, feature dimensions, specific operating conditions, engineering specifications, or the like, and which may vary between implementations or with changes to the state of the art, and no limitation should be implied therefrom. Applicant has made this disclosure with respect to the current state of the art, but also contemplates advancements and that adaptations in the future may take into consideration of those advancements, namely in accordance with the then current state of the art. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims as written and equivalents as applicable. Reference to a claim element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated. Moreover, no element, component, nor method or process step in this disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or step is explicitly recited in the Claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for. . .” and no method or process step herein is to be construed under those provisions unless the step, or steps, are expressly recited using the phrase “comprising the step(s) of . . . .”
