MODULAR RINGS AND ASSEMBLY METHODS THEREOF

FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to wearable rings in general and to modular rings and assembly methods thereof.

BACKGROUND

In case of prefabricated rings, a wearer's self-expression is limited to the choices made available by ring designers. While custom-made rings can provide a wearer with greater opportunity for self-expression, customized rings are expensive. Further, whether prefabricated or customized, the structural configuration and appearance of a ring is constrained by naturally occurring features of raw material used to create the piece and the original choices made by the designer at the time of fabrication of the ring. Accordingly, there remains a need for rings that can be cost-effectively customized across a variety of parameters to facilitate making a range of self-expression choices available to ring wearers.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a modular ring includes a harness and at least one ornament. The harness may include a pair of struts and at least one U-shaped section. Each U-shaped section may have a pair of legs and a first arcuate portion coupling the pair of legs to one another. Each one of the pair of struts may be coupled to a respective one of the pair legs. The at least one ornament may have a head and a second arcuate portion, with the head of each ornament defining notches. The pair of struts may be releasably securable in the notches in an orientation in which the first arcuate portion of each U-shaped section of the harness and the second arcuate portion of each ornament collectively form a band positionable about a finger of a wearer with the head of each ornament facing away from the finger.

According to another embodiment, a storage device comprises a container, and a cushion disposed within the container, the cushion defining a plurality of first recesses and a plurality of second recesses, each of the first recesses shaped to receive a respective harness including a pair of struts and at least one U-shaped section, and each of the second recesses shaped to receive a respective ornament securable to the U-shaped section to form collectively a band positionable about a finger of a wearer.

According to another embodiment a method of forming modular components into a ring comprises selecting one or more ornaments having a combined thickness substantially equal to a thickness dimension defined by a pair of struts of a harness, aligning the pair of struts of the harness and notches defined by a respective head of each ornament relative to one another in a direction of alignment, and along the direction of alignment, releasably securing the pair of struts into the notches in an orientation in which a first arcuate portion of the harness and a second arcuate portion of each ornament collectively form a band positionable about a finger of a wearer with the respective head of each ornament facing away from the finger.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises sliding the finger through the band between the hardness and the ornament, such that the finger presses the ornament against the harness and holds the harness and the ornament in contact with each other in a press-fit configuration, and removing the finger from the band such that the ornament disengages from the harness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a modular ring including a harness and an ornament, the modular ring shown with the harness and the ornament positioned relative to one another to form, collectively, a band positionable about a finger of a wearer.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the harness of the modular ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the ornament of the modular ring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a side cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the ornament of FIG. 1C.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a storage device for the modular ring of FIG. 1A, the storage device shown with a lid of the storage device in a closed position.

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the storage device of the modular ring of FIG. 1A, the storage device shown with the lid in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of forming modular components into a ring.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an ornament of a modular ring, the ornament defining a compartment.

FIG. 4B is a side cross-sectional view of the ornament of FIG. 4A, taken along the cross-section 4B-4B in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an ornament of a modular ring, the ornament including an illumination module.

FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of the ornament of FIG. 5A, taken along the cross-section 5B-5B in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is perspective view of an ornament of a modular ring the ornament including a computing device.

FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view of the ornament of FIG. 6A, taken along the cross-section 6B-6B in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modular ring including a harness having a span extending between a pair of struts.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a harness of a modular ring, the harness having a varying cross-sectional shape.

FIG. 8B is a side cross-sectional view of struts of the harness, the cross-section taken along the cross-section 8B-8B in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C is a side cross-sectional view of U-shape portions of the harness, the cross-section taken along the cross-section 8C-8C in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a harness including three U-shape portions and defining two openings.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a harness including struts cantilevered in one direction.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a harness including struts cantilevered in two directions.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modular ring including a plurality of ornaments stacked adjacent to one another.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a modular ring including a plurality of ornaments, each ornament having a side oblique to a plane perpendicular a second arcuate portion of each ornament.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a modular ring including an ornament having one or more irregularly cut ends.

FIG. 15A is a perspective view of an ornament of a modular ring, the ornament including a first segment of a first material and a second segment of a second material positioned in an abutting relationship to one another.

FIG. 15B is an exploded side view of the ornament of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional side view of an ornament including a head and a second arcuate portion coupled to one another along angled surfaces, with light reflection along the angled surfaces shown schematically.

FIG. 17A is a perspective view of an ornament of a modular ring including a head, a second arcuate portion, and a reflective material therebetween.

FIG. 17B is an exploded side view of the ornament of FIG. 17A.

FIG. 18A is a perspective exploded view of an ornament of a modular ring, the ornament including a first segment and a second segment releasably securable to one another.

FIG. 18B is a side exploded view of the ornament of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19 is a top view of an ornament of a modular ring, the ornament including a first material and a second material.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a modular ring including indicia visible to a wearer of the modular ring.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Thus, the term “or” should generally be understood to mean “and/or,” and the term “and” should generally be understood to mean “and/or.”

Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed as including any deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the described embodiments. The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of those embodiments. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiments.

As used herein, the term “modular” shall be understood to refer to components positionable in toolless engagement with one another to form a wearable ring. Thus, for example, a modular ring shall be understood to include components positionable into engagement with one another to form, collectively, a band circumscribable about a digit of a wearer. More generally, modular rings of the present disclosure shall be understood to include additional components that may be used interchangeably with one another to form bands having different appearance and/or conveying different information.

For efficiency in explanation, the modular rings described herein are described as being positionable about a finger of a wearer. However, unless a contrary intention is explicitly stated, any one or more of the various different modular rings described herein shall be understood to be positionable about a toe of a wearer. Further, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context, any one or more of the various different aspects of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/992,572, entitled “SYNTHETIC DIAMOND JEWELRY AND FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein, shall be understood to be usable as further or alternative implementations of the modular rings described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C, a modular ring 100 may include a harness 102 and an ornament 104. As described in greater detail below, the harness 102 and the ornament 104 may be positionable into toolless engagement (e.g., through sliding) with one another to form, collectively, a band 106 positionable to circumscribe a finger of a wearer. The finger of the wearer holds the harness 102 and the ornament 104 in contact with each other in a press-fit configuration and with the finger, when the finger is placed through the harness 102 and presses the ornament 104 against both the finger and the harness 102. When the finger is removed from the harness 102, the ornament 104 disengages from the harness and may be removed from the harness and replaced with a different ornament. One or both of the harness 102 and the ornament 104 may be selected from among a group of such respective components to facilitate forming the modular ring 100 according to numerous combinations. For example, as compared to rings of a fixed design that represents a particular aesthetic choice, one or more of the harness 102 or the ornament 104 of the modular ring 100 may be swapped out to facilitate dynamically changing the aesthetic appearance of the modular ring 100. It shall be appreciated, therefore, that the modular ring 100 may provide an efficient and cost-effective form of expression, as compared to rings of fixed design. Further, or instead, the toolless engagement of the harness 102 and the ornament 104 may facilitate replacement of one or both components, as may be useful in instances of damage or, as also described in greater detail below, in instances in which the modular ring 100 is used convey security information.

In general, the harness 102 may include a pair of struts 108a,b, and U-shaped sections 110. For example, the pair of struts 108a,b (referred to collectively as the pair of struts 108a,b and individually as the strut 108a or the strut 108b, as applicable) may couple the U-shaped sections 110 to one another while maintaining a distance between the U-shaped sections 110, with the distance between the U-shaped sections 110 defining an opening 111 through which the ornament 104 may be moved into and out of engagement with the harness 102. As described in greater detail below, the pair of struts 108a,b may be releasably coupled to the ornament 104 through a press-fit that is readily established and decoupled through manual manipulation of the harness 102 and the ornament 104. With the pair of struts 108a,b releasably coupled to the ornament 104, the struts 108a,b and the U-shaped sections may restrict movement of the ornament 104 in one or more directions such that the band 106 collectively formed by the harness 102 and the ornament 104 may retain a shape in response to forces typically experienced by hand-worn jewelry during the course of normal use. For example, the pair of struts 108a,b may restrict movement of the ornament 104 relative to the harness 102 in a radial direction away from a finger of a wearer while the U-shaped sections 110 may restrict movement of the ornament 104 relative to the harness 102 in an axial direction along the finger of the wearer. The finger presses the ornament 104 against the pair of struts 108a,b in a press-fit arrangement while the ring 100 is worn on the finger.

In general, each of the U-shaped sections 110 may include a pair of legs 112a,b (referred to collectively as the pair of legs 112a,b and individually as the leg 112a or the leg 112b, as the case may be) and a first arcuate portion 114 coupling the pair of legs 112a,b to one another. That is, for each instance of the U-shaped sections 110, the first arcuate portion 114 is a curved surface sized and shaped to match substantially a curvature of a portion of finger of a wearer, such that the first arcuate portion 114 forms a portion of the band 106. Additionally, or alternatively, the pair of legs 112a,b of each instance of the U-shaped sections 110 may be substantially parallel to one another to facilitate, for example, moving the ornament 104 into and out of toolless engagement with the harness 102, as described in greater detail below. Thus, each instance of the U-shaped sections 110 is advantageously shaped to accommodate a portion of a finger of a wearer along the first arcuate portion 114 while also providing a portion of an interface for holding the ornament 104 in place relative to the U-shaped sections 110 to form the modular ring 100. Stated differently, each instance of the U-shaped sections 110 results in efficient use of space to facilitate forming the modular ring 100 with a form factor suitable for a ring that may be worn comfortably on a finger of a wearer with little or no impairment to the dexterity of the wearer.

In certain implementations, the pair of struts 108a,b may be coupled to a respective one of the pair of legs 112a,b of each of the U-shaped sections 110. For example, the strut 108a may extend from between the leg 112a of one instance of the U-shaped section 110 to the leg 112a of another instance of the U-shaped section 110. Additionally, or alternatively, the strut 108b may extend between the leg 112b of one instance of the U-shaped section 110 to the leg 112b of another instance of the U-shaped section 110. More specifically, the pair of struts 108a,b may span across the U-shaped sections 110 along portions of each of the pair of legs 112a,b farthest away from the first arcuate portion 114 of each instance of the U-shaped sections 110. Such positioning of the pair of struts 108a,b relative to each of the U-shaped sections 110 achieve a useful combination of structural advantages useful for forming the modular ring 100 and maintaining the shape of the modular ring 100 while it is being worn. As one example of a structural advantage, the pair of struts 108a,b spanning the U-shaped sections 110 may facilitate keeping at least a portion of the U-shaped sections 110 at a substantially fixed distance from one another to accommodate movement of the ornament 104 into and out of the opening 111 defined by the U-shaped sections 110. As an additional or alternative example of a structural advantage, the pair of struts 108a,b spanning the U-shaped sections 110 along portions of each of the pair of legs 112a,b, farthest away from the first arcuate portion 114 of each of the U-shaped sections 110 facilitates using a combination of the pair of struts 108a,b and the wearer's finger to anchor the ornament 104 in place while the modular ring 100 is worn on the finger of the wearer.

Further, or instead, the pair of struts 108a,b may be in any one or more of various different orientations useful for facilitating alignment of the ornament 104 relative to the harness 102 while providing a distribution of forces on the ornament 104 suitable for reducing the likelihood of unintentional movement of the ornament 104 away from the harness 102. As an example, the pair of struts 108a,b may be non-intersecting (e.g., parallel) with one another such that the strut 108a and the strut 108b intersect a plane defined by the respective pair of legs of each U-shaped section. Stated differently, the pair of struts 108a,b may be spaced apart from one another by at least a diameter of the first arcuate portion 114 such that the strut 108a and the strut 108b are on opposite sides of the finger of the wearer of the modular ring 100 while the modular ring 100 is being worn. Such symmetrical spacing of the pair of struts 108a,b relative to the finger of the wearer may facilitate resisting movement of the ornament 104 relative to the harness 102 in response to forces from various different directions. Further, or instead, such symmetrical spacing of the pair of struts 108a,b relative to the finger of the wearer may reduce or eliminate failure modes associated with the direction of placement of the modular ring 100 on the finger of the wearer—making placement of the modular ring 100 on the finger of the wearer orientationally independent and, thus, placeable on the finger of the wearer in a manner familiar to ring wearers.

While the pair of struts 108a,b may provide structural rigidity to the harness 102 to keep top portions the U-shaped sections 110 away from one another, certain implementations may further, or instead, include supporting the U-shaped sections 110 away from the pair of struts 108a,b to reduce the likelihood of inadvertent deformation of the harness 102 in response to forces associated with assembly and/or use. As an example, a bridge 116 may extend between the respective first arcuate portions 114 of the U-shaped sections 110 to provide rigidity to the spacing of the U-shaped sections 110 away from one another along the respective first arcuate portions 114. Generally, the bridge 116 may positioned along each instance of the first arcuate portion 114 to provide symmetric support about a centerline extending through the first arcuate portion 114 in a direction between the pair of struts 108a,b. Thus, for example, the bridge 116 may be along such a centerline. In addition to providing structural support, the bridge 116 may include indicia, such as a logo, an inscription, size information, etc. The components (108a, 108b, 112a, 112b, 114, 116) of the harness 102 may be made of a metal or metal alloy, such as a precious metal, such as gold, silver, platinum, or other metal or metal alloy that may be used to make jewelry.

The ornament 104 may comprise any ornament used to decorate jewelry, such as rings. For example, the ornament may comprise a gemological material, such as a gem or precious stone (e.g., ruby, emerald, sapphire, diamond, etc.), a semi-precious or imitation stone (e.g., cubic zirconia) or any other suitable ornamental material, such as plastic, metal, ceramic, etc. In general, the ornament 104 may have any one or more of various different sizes and shapes that are positionable through the opening 111 defined by the U-shaped sections 110 and securable to the harness in an orientation permitting a finger of a wearer to pass through the modular ring 100. Thus, for example, the ornament 104 may have a head 118 and a second arcuate portion 120 separated by side surfaces 119 which may extend normal to the plane of the head (e.g., top surface) 118 and the arcuate portion (e.g., bottom surface) 120. The second arcuate portion 120 may be generally complementary to the first arcuate portion 114 of each instance of the U-shaped sections 110 of the harness 102. That is, with the ornament 104 properly secured in the harness 102, the first arcuate portion 114 of each U-shaped section 110 and the second arcuate portion 120 collectively form the band 106. For example, the first arcuate portion 114 and the second arcuate portion 120 may define a substantially circular orifice 121 corresponding to a predetermined ring size such that the band 106 may be slidable onto and off of the finger of the wearer using a motion consistent with ring wearing (i.e., the finger fits into the orifice 121). Further, the head 118 may be positioned relative to the second arcuate portion 120 such that, with the first arcuate portion 114 of each U-shaped section 110 and the second arcuate portion 120 collectively forming the band 106, the head 118 of the ornament 104 faces away from the finger of the wearer (i.e., away from the orifice 121). Given this orientation of the head 118, it shall be appreciated that the head 118 may be a particularly visible portion of the ornament 104 when the modular ring 100 is worn and, thus, aesthetic features (e.g., gems, designs, logos) of the ornament 104 may be advantageously placed along the head 118.

Additionally, or alternatively, the prominence of the head 118 of the ornament 104 at a position away from finger of the wearer may provide a useful location for securing the ornament 104 to the harness 102. For example, the head 118 may define notches 122 spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the spacing separating the pair of struts 108a,b (e.g., spaced apart by approximately the diameter of the first arcuate portion 114) and having a width corresponding substantially to a width of a respective one of the struts 108a,b. As used in this context, substantial correspondence of widths of the notches 122 to widths of the struts 108a,b includes a correspondence in widths that allows the struts 108a,b to be releasably engageable with the notches 122 without the use of tools and without relative movement between the struts 108a,b and the notches 122 when the struts 108a,b are disposed in the notches 122. Further, or instead, the notches 122 may span the head 118 to receive the axial dimension of the struts 108a,b. Taking these sizing aspects of the notches 122 together, the opening 111 may have a thickness dimension “d₁” equal to an axial dimension (also referred to herein as a thickness dimension) of the struts 108a,b, and the ornament 104 may have a thickness dimension “d₂” which is substantially equal to the thickness dimension “d₁” of the opening 111. In this context, the substantial equality between “d₂” and “d₁” shall be understood to include dimensions in which “d₂” is smaller than “d₁” by less than about 2 mm (e.g., less than about 1 mm) such that the ornament 104 is movable through the opening 111 but the ornament 104 fits securely between the U-shaped sections. Accordingly, the ornament 104 may be moved through the opening 111 defined by the U-shaped sections 110, and the pair of struts 108a,b may be manually press-fit into the notches 122 for toolless engagement of the ornament 104 to the harness 102. Continuing with this example, with the modular ring 100 removed from the finger of the wearer, the head 118 of the ornament 104 may be pushed away from the pair of struts 108a,b in a direction toward the first arcuate portion 114 of each U-shaped section 110 (i.e., into the orifice 121) to release the pair of struts 108a,b from the notches 122 and, thus, release the ornament 104 from the harness 102. Continuing with this example, the ornament 104 released from the harness 102 may be removed from the harness through the opening 111 defined by the U-shaped sections.

In certain implementations, the notches 122 may be formed with a square or rectangular cross-section, and the pair of struts 108a,b may be formed with a corresponding square or rectangular cross-section. Such cross-sections may be particularly advantageous for achieving precise press-fit locking force between the pair of struts 108a,b and the head 118 defining the notches 122. That is, square or rectangular cross-sections can generally be formed with tight dimensional tolerance useful for achieving a precise press-fit. Further, or instead, the flat surfaces associated with the square or rectangular cross-sections may facilitate establishing a large contact area between the pair of struts 108a,b and the head 118 defining the notches 122. As compared to other types of contact, the large contact area between flat surfaces may provide a useful pressure distribution across the head 118 and, thus, reduce the likelihood of damage to the head 118 as a result of forces transmitted to the head 118 through the pair of struts 108a,b.

In certain instances, the notches 122 may be formed to a depth equal to or greater than a depth dimension of the pair of struts 108a,b such that the pair of struts 108a,b are flush or recessed relative to the head 118 of the ornament 104. This may be useful, for example, for maintaining the overall size of the modular ring 100 within a desired size profile. Further, or instead, forming the notches 122 for flush or recessed mounting of the pair of struts 108a,b may facilitate making the head 118 a more prominent feature of the modular ring 100.

The ornament 104 may extend laterally beyond the pair of struts 108a,b according to any one or more widths. For example, the ornament 104 may extend just past the pair of struts 108a,b in the lateral direction to provide appropriate spacing of the notches 122 from edges of the head 118. In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1D, the ornament 104 may include wings or extensions 126 which pass well beyond the pair of struts 108a,b. Such wings or extensions 126 may be useful, for example, for mounting gems or other decorative elements. In some instances, the wings or extensions may extend laterally to cover additional fingers. Additionally, or alternatively, the wings or extensions may extend beyond a profile of the harness 102 in the finger axial direction from the palm to the knuckle. In each of the foregoing examples, the limiting dimensional characteristics of the ornament 104 remain the same as those described above—namely, the ornament 104 must be sized to fit into the opening 111 defined between the U-shaped sections 110, and the ornament 104 must be spaced apart from the first arcuate portion 114 of each U-shaped section 110 such that the first arcuate portion 114 of each U-shaped section 110 and the second arcuate portion 120 of the ornament 104 collectively defining the band 106 having the orifice 121 slidable on the finger of the wearer of the modular ring 100.

While aesthetic features have been described as being positionable along the head 118 of the ornament 104, it shall be appreciated that aesthetic features may be additionally, or alternatively, positionable along any one or more of various different portions of the modular ring 100. For example, gems (e.g., diamonds, etc.) 124 may be positioned along one or more portions of the harness 102 that are visible when the modular ring 100 is worn. As a more specific example, the gems 124 may be positioned along the pair of struts 108a,b extending across the head 118 of the ornament 104 when the modular ring 100 is worn. Further, or instead, small gems may be mounted to any one or more of various different exposed portions of the ornament 104 in addition, or as an alternative, to any such gems mounted on the head 118 of the ornament.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 2A and 2B, each of the components of the modular ring 100 may be interchangeable with any one or more other instances of the same component to facilitate customization of the modular ring 100 according particular aesthetic tastes and/or to facilitate replacing worn or damaged components. In particular, the ornament 104 may be one of a plurality of instances of the ornament 104, with each instance of the ornament having different aesthetic features (e.g., color, design, size, gems, or a combination thereof). Thus, continuing with this example, the harness 102 may be regularly worn and instances of the ornament 104 may be switched according to the choice of the wearer, which may be dictated by an occasion, matching with an outfit or other accessory, or changing aesthetic style. Similar modularity considerations apply to the harness 102, which can also, or instead, be switched for another instance of the harness 102 selected from among a plurality of instances of the harness 102.

Given this modularity of components, the instances of the harness 102, the ornament 104, or both, that are not being used to form the modular ring 100 may be stored in a storage system 200, in which the components may be arrayed for selection by the wearer. As an example, the storage system 200 may include a container 202 and a cushion 204 disposed within the container 202. The cushion 204 may define first recesses 206 and second recesses 208. Each of the first recesses 206 may be shaped to receive an instance of the harness 102, and each of the second recesses 208 may be shaped to receive an instance of the ornament 104. Accordingly, the wearer may select an instance of the harness 102 from among the instances of the harness 102 arrayed in the first recesses 206. Similarly, the wearer may select an instance of the ornament 104 from among the second recesses 208. The selected harness 102 and the selected or ornament 104 may be combined to form the modular ring 100, while the instances of the harness 102 and the ornament 104 that are not selected may remain organized in the storage system 200.

The container 202 may be, for example, a box formed of a substantially rigid material (e.g., plastic, wood, or a combination thereof) that may be useful for protecting the stored instances of the harness 102 and the ornament 104 from damage or theft. Alternatively, the container 202 may be a drawer that fits into a box or chest of drawers. The container 202 itself may be formed with aesthetic features, such as indicia 210 on a lid 212 of the container 202. The indicia 210 may be, for example, a logo or other design. The indicia 210 may, for example, light up when the container 202 is closed. Additionally, or alternatively, the indicia 210 may be formed of glow-in-the-dark colors or materials that fluoresce when illuminated by LEDs from below.

The lid 212 may include a mirror 214 visible to the user when the lid 212 is opened to expose the contents of the container 202. The mirror 214 may include an illumination source 216 directed toward the mirror 214 to facilitate use at night or other low-light conditions. The illumination source 216 may be, for example, one or more light-emitting diodes. The container 202 may include optional side flaps 217 which may be cushioned and may be used to protect the contents of the container 202 in a closed position.

The cushion 204 may be any one or more of various different substantially rigid enough to hold the shape of the first recesses 206 and the second recesses 208 while not causing abrasion or other surface damage to the instances of the harness 102 and the ornament 104 stored in the first recesses 206 and the second recesses 208, respectively. Thus, for example, the cushion 204 may be formed of a rigid plastic covered with velour. In some implementations, the cushion 204 may be formed of a material to which labels may be releasably secured to facilitate additional organization. The labels may include any of various different types of information, such as dates. As a more specific example, a subset of the first recesses 206 and/or the second recesses 208 may be labeled “Halloween” and instances of the harness 102 and instances of the ornament 104 related to Halloween may be stored in the appropriately labeled locations along the cushion 204.

In general, the first recesses 206 match the overall shape of the harnesses 102 and the second recesses 208 match the overall shape of the ornaments 104 such that the stored instances of the harness 102 and the stored instances of the ornament 104 may be held securely in place, even in response to some jostling of the container 202. As may be generally, appreciated, the closer the first recesses 206 match the shape of the harnesses 102 and the closer the second recesses 208 match the shape of the ornaments 104, the more the components will remain in place with respect to jostling. Further, or instead, the first recesses 206 may include a locking feature to hold the harness 102 in place, and the second recesses 208 may include a locking feature to hold the ornament 104 in place. As an example, the first recesses 206 may be shaped such that a portion of the first recess 206 is positionable in the opening 111 defined by the U-shaped sections 110 to hold the harness 102 in place. As an additional or alternative example, the second recesses 208 may be shaped such that a portion portions of the second recess 208 are positionable in the notches 122 to hold the ornament 104 in place.

In certain implementations, the storage system 200 may include a charging circuit 218 useful for recharging components of the modular ring 100 that, as described in greater detail below, may be electrical. For example, the charging circuit 218 of the storage system 200 may include connections at one or more instances of the first recesses 206, one or more of the second recesses 208, or a combination thereof. Further, or instead, the charging circuit 218 may charge photovoltaics 220 in the container (e.g., on the lid 212), and the photovoltaics 220 may be used to recharge electrical circuits in electrical components stored in the container 202. The photovoltaics 220 may additionally, or alternatively, illuminate the indicia 210, the illumination source 216 of the mirror 214, or a combination thereof.

While the storage system 200 may facilitate organization, it shall be appreciated that the storage system 200 may additionally provide aspects of theft protection. For example, the storage system 200 may include a communication element 221. As a more specific example, the communication element 221 may include RFID structures or connection with GPS satellite and cellular or other radio transmission to provide an alert in the event of theft of the storage system 200.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 of forming a modular ring. Unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context, the exemplary method 300 of forming a modular ring may be implemented using any one or more of the various different modular rings described herein. Thus, for example, the exemplary method 300 may be implemented using the modular ring 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-1C.

As shown in step 302, the exemplary method 300 may include selecting one or more ornaments having a combined thickness substantially equal to a thickness dimension defined by a pair of struts of a harness. For example, the ornaments may be selected from among a plurality of instances of the ornaments, organized as described above with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Further, or instead, in instances in which one ornament is selected, the ornament may be the ornament 104 shown in FIG. 1A. In instances in which more than one ornament is selected, the ornament may include any one or more of the various different ornaments that are stackable for positioning in a harness, as described in greater detail below. Additionally, or alternatively, the harness may be any one or more of the various different types of harnesses described herein and, thus, may include the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A.

As shown in step 304, the exemplary method 300 may include aligning the pair of struts of the harness and notches defined by a respective head of each of the one or more ornaments relative to one another in a direction of alignment. That is, the head of each ornament may define notches matching spacing of the pair of struts of the harness. The pair of struts of the harness may be aligned with the notches of the one or more ornaments with the pair of struts of the harness aligned above the notches.

As shown in step 306, the exemplary method 300 may include, along the direction of alignment, releasably securing the pair of struts into the notches. That is, the one or more ornaments may be moved toward the pair of struts such that the pair of struts engage the corresponding notches of the one or more ornaments to hold the one or more ornaments in a fixed position. With the one or more ornaments secured to the pair of struts of the harness in this orientation, a first arcuate portion of the harness and a second arcuate portion of each ornament may collectively form a band positionable about a finger of a wearer with the head of each ornament facing away from the finger. In other words, after placing the ornament into the harness such that the struts engage the corresponding notches, the wearer slides the finger through the orifice in the band to press-fit the notes of the ornament against the struts in a press-fit configuration.

In general, the one or more ornaments may be released from the pair of struts of the harness as necessary to replace any one or more of the ornaments, the harness, or a combination thereof according to a particular selection of the wearer when the wearer slides the ring off their finger. Thus, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context, it shall be understood that any one or more of the steps of the exemplary method 300 may be repeated as necessary to form a ring from any one or more of the modular components described herein. Such changes, of components may facilitate rapid aesthetic changes that may be carried out rapidly and with variations beyond those that may be cost-effectively achievable with in jewelry pieces of fixed design.

Having described the modular ring 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-1C including components storable in a storage system 200 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and formable according to the exemplary method 300, attention is now turned to other aspects of modular rings. These aspects of modular rings are described separately herein for the sake of clear and efficient explanation. Accordingly, unless otherwise explicitly indicated or made clear from the context, the following aspects of modular rings shall be generally understood to be usable in combination with one another and/or with any one or more of the features described above.

A. Ornaments with Compartments for Storing Physical Items

While modular rings have been described as facilitating aesthetic changes, the modularity of components described herein may, additionally or alternatively, facilitate relative movement of components useful for storing material in the one or more ornaments. For example, referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 4A and 4B, an ornament 404 may define a compartment 430 having an opening 428 along a surface 419 of the ornament 404. For the sake of clear and efficient description, elements of the ornament 404 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the ornament 404 may define notches 422 that shall be understood to be analogous to the notches 122 of the ornament 104. Further, the opening 428 is between a head 418 and a second arcuate portion 420 of the ornament 404, with the head 418 and the second arcuate portion 420 being analogous to the head 118 and the second arcuate portion 120 described above with respect to FIGS. 1A-1C. More generally, the ornament 404 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

The opening 428 may be covered by one or more portions of the harness 102 when the opening 428 is coupled to the harness to form the modular ring 100. That is, the harness 102 may cap the opening 428 to protect contents of the compartment 430 while the modular ring 100 is worn. The wearer of the modular ring 100 may access contents of the compartment 430 by decoupling the ornament 404 from the harness 102 such that the opening 428 becomes exposed.

In general, the opening 428 and the compartment 430 may be sized to store small items or a small amount of liquid. Advantageously, the ornament 404 may facilitate storing and accessing such material discretely, as may be useful for providing the wearer with some amount of privacy with respect to the stored material. Examples of items storable in the compartment 430 include, but are not limited to one or more of the following: items of personal significance (e.g., ashes of a loved one); a piece of paper including information such as a lock combination, a password, a daily prayer, etc.; or a dose of a medication.

While a single instance of the ornament 404 has been described, it shall be appreciated that multiple instances of the ornament 404 may be used on a single modular ring, according to any one or more of the various different stacking techniques described herein, to facilitate storing different types of material and/or larger quantities of material than may be otherwise storable using a single instance of the ornament 404. For example, returning to the example in which the cavity 430 is used to store medication, each instance of the ornament 404 may store a different dose of a medication to be taken throughout the day.

B. Electrically Activatable Ornaments

While ornaments of modular rings have been described as having physical aesthetic features and storage capability for physical items, it shall be appreciated that any one or more of the ornaments described herein may include one or more electrical features useful for changing the appearance of an ornament, thus, the modular ring and/or electrical features associated with electrical transfer of information.

i. Electrical Activation for Changed Appearance

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 5A and 5B, an ornament 504 may include an illumination module 532 carried by the ornament 504. For the sake of clear and efficient description, elements of the ornament 504 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the ornament 504 may include a head 518 and a second arcuate portion 520 and may define notches 522, which shall be understood to be analogous to the head 118, the second arcuate portion 120, and the notches 122, respectively, of the ornament 104. More generally, the ornament 504 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

In general, the illumination module 532 may include a power source 534 and a light source 536 in electrical communication with the power source 534. The power source 534 may be, for example, a battery, photovoltaic cell on a surface of the ornament 504, a motion driven source, or a combination thereof. The light source 536 may be positioned to be visible to the wearer with the band 106 worn on the finger of the wearer. As an example, a portion 538 of the head 518 of the ornament 504 may be transparent or at least partially transparent, and the light source 536 may be positioned to direct light through the portion 538 of the head 518 that is transparent or at least partially transparent. In certain instances, the portion 538 of the head 518 that is at least partially transparent may include a gemological material such that light from the light source 536 may enhance appearance of the gemological material. Continuing with this example, the light from the light source 536 may emit light at a wavelength that fluoresces the gemological material. Continuing still further with this example, the gemological material may be pink sapphire, and the light source 536 may include a black-light LED that is actuatable to fluoresce the pink sapphire.

In certain implementations, the ornament 504 may include at least one instance of a fiber optic element 540 disposed relative to the light source to direct light from the light source 536 to direct light from the light source 536 in a direction away from the light source 536. For example, at least one instance of the fiber optic element 540 may direct light from the light source 536 to one or more surfaces of the ornament 504. Further, or instead, at least one instance of the fiber optic element 540 may direct light from the light source 536 the harness 102 to illuminate one or more portions of the harness 102.

ii. Electrically Activated Information Transfer

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 6A and 6B, an ornament 604 may include a computing device 642 carried by the ornament 604. For the sake of clear and efficient description, elements of the ornament 604 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the ornament 604 may include a head 618 and a second arcuate portion 620 and may define notches 622, which shall be understood to be analogous to the head 118, the second arcuate portion 120, and the notches 122, respectively, of the ornament 104. More generally, the ornament 604 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

In certain implementations, the computing device 642 may transmit information stored on the computing device 642 to a receiver external to the ornament 604. For example, the computing device 642 may be an active transmission component that transmits information stored on the computing device 642 to a receiver beyond the ornament 604 according to any one or more of various different triggers (e.g., at predetermined time intervals). As another example, the computing device 642 may be a passive transmission component that is activated by an energy source external to the ornament 604 to transmit information from the computing device 642 to a receiver beyond the ornament 604. As a specific example, the computing device 642 may include passive or active radio frequency identification (RFID) function.

The information stored by the computing device 642 may be useful, for example, for providing a keying function to open a lock. That is, a code to the lock may be stored on the computing device 642 and, upon placing the ornament 604 in proximity to the lock, the computing device 642 may transmit the code to the lock and the wearer of the ornament 604 may be provided with access to the area protected by the lock. Additionally, or alternatively, the computing device 642 may provide information related to identity of the wearer of the modular ring 100. Further, or instead, the computing device 642 may store encrypted data, such as may be useful for financial access. Given the potentially sensitive nature of information stored on the computing device 642, the ornament 604 may include electromagnetic shielding to reduce the likelihood that information stored on the computing device 642 will be stolen.

C. Harness Configurations

While the harness has been described as having two U-shaped sections spaced apart from one another to define an opening through which an ornament may be moved to assemble and disassemble a modular ring, it shall be appreciated that other configurations of a harness useful for a modular ring are additionally or alternatively possible.

For example, referring now to FIG. 7, a modular ring 700 may include a harness 702 and an ornament 704. Elements of the harness 702 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the harness 702 may include struts 708a,b, which shall be understood to be analogous to the struts 108a,b of the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A. More generally, the harness 702 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A in the modular ring 100 shown in FIG. 1A, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

The harness 702 may include a span 744 extending between the pair of struts 708a,b. The span 744 may provide, for example, lateral strength between the pair of struts 708a,b, of the harness 702. As compared to a harness without a span, the lateral support provided by the span 744 may reduce the likelihood of inadvertent deformation of the harness 702 when it is decoupled from the ornament 704. Further, or instead, the span 744 itself may provide an additional or alternative decorative variable useful in achieving a large number of aesthetic variations of the modular ring 700. As an example, the span 744 may be include a logo or other graphical feature.

As another example, referring now to FIGS. 8A-8C, a harness 802 may have a varying cross-sectional shape to accommodate design considerations related to comfort while being worn by a wearer and secure engagement of portions of the harness 802 to one or more of the various different ornaments described herein. Elements of the harness 802 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the harness 802 may include struts 808a,b, which shall be understood to be analogous to the struts 108a,b of the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A. More generally, the harness 802 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A in the modular ring shown in FIG. 1A, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

In general, the harness 802 may have U-shaped sections 810, each having a rounded cross-section in a plane perpendicular to a first arcuate portion 814 of the respective instance of the U-shaped section 810. The plane perpendicular to each instance of the first arcuate portion 814 corresponds to the cross-section 8C-8C shown in FIG. 8A. The rounded cross-section along each of the U-shaped sections 810 may be generally any shape including a rounded surface along the first arcuate portion 814 that forms a portion of a band (e.g., the band 106 in FIG. 1A) positionable about a finger of the wearer. That is, more generally, each U-shaped section 810 may include rounded corners to provide comfort to the wearer. In certain instances, the rounded cross-section may be circular, oval, or a combination thereof.

While a rounded cross-section may be useful along the first arcuate portion 814 of each of the U-shaped sections 810, flat surfaces may be particularly useful along other portions of the harness 802. For example, each of the struts 808a,b may have at least one flat surface to facilitate robust engagement with notches of an ornament, according to the techniques described herein. In particular, each of the struts 808a,b, may be flat along a bottom surface that is brought into contact with a bottom of a notch of an ornament. While the top surface of each of the struts 808a,b may also be flat, it shall be appreciated that this top surface may be rounded in some implementations such that each of the struts 808a,b has a “D” shaped cross-section. Further, or instead, given the different functions of the portions of the harness 802, the harness 802 may have a varying cross-sectional shape that may, for example, twist or otherwise change shape and/or orientation as necessary to accommodate certain disparate design requirements associated with providing comfort to a wearer while providing robust connection to one or more ornaments.

While flat surfaces of struts have been described as being useful for providing robust interlocking force between harnesses and ornaments, it shall be appreciated that any one or more of the various different struts described herein may include additional or alternative features useful for achieving a suitable interlocking force between a harness and one or more ornaments. For example, struts may include a tab feature shaped to mate with a corresponding recess in an ornament.

While harnesses have been described as including two U-shaped sections, harnesses may include additional U-shaped sections in some instances, such as may be useful to facilitate forming a modular ring including multiple ornaments. For example, referring now to FIG. 9, a harness 902 may include three U-shaped sections 910, which shall be understood to be analogous to the U-shaped sections 110. The three U-shaped sections 910 may define a first opening 911a and a second opening 911b. A first ornament may be moved through the first opening 911a and a second ornament may be moved through the second opening 911b, and each of the ornaments may be supported on the harness 902 according to any one or more of the various different techniques described herein.

Generalizing the foregoing, it shall be appreciated that a harness including n instances of U-shaped sections defines n−1 openings through which an ornament (or a set of stacked ornaments, as described below) may be positioned to form a modular ring.

Having described the use of a plurality of instances of U-shaped sections, it shall be appreciated that a harness may include only a single U-shaped section in some instances. For example, referring now to FIG. 10, a harness 1002 may include a single U-shaped section 1010 having a first arcuate portion 1014, a pair of struts 1008a,b, and a pair of legs 1012a,b. Elements of the harness 1002 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the first arcuate portion 1014, the pair of struts 1008a,b (collectively referred to as the pair of struts 1008a,b and individually referred to as the strut 1008a and the strut 1008b), and the pair of legs 1012a,b (collectively referred to as the pair of legs 1012a,b and individually referred to as the leg 1012a and the leg 1012b) of the harness 1002 shall be understood to be analogous to the first arcuate portion 114, the pair of struts 108a,b, and the pair of legs 112a,b, respectively, of the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A. More generally, the harness 1002 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A in the modular ring shown in FIG. 1A, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

In general, the strut 1008a and the strut 1008b may each be cantilevered with respect to the leg 1012a and the leg 1012b, respectively. In particular, an end portion of the strut 1008a may be coupled to the leg 1012a, and an end portion of the strut 1008b may be coupled to the leg 1012b. Supported in this manner, the pair of struts 1008a,b is cantilevered in one direction away from each respective one of the pair of legs 112a,b.

In certain instances, each of the struts 1008a,b may include an ear 1046 along a portion of each of the struts 1008a,b, coupled to the respective instance of the pair of legs 112a,b. Each instance of the ear 1046 may, for example, extend in a direction substantially parallel to the legs 1012a,b and, like the legs 1012a,b, may similarly restrict movement of an ornament. In this orientation, the ear 1046 of each of the struts 1008a,b, may restrict movement of a head of an ornament in a direction away from the pair of legs 1012a,b of the U-shaped section 1010 when the first arcuate portion 1014 and a second arcuate portion of an ornament (e.g., the second arcuate portion 120 of the ornament 104 in FIG. 1A) collectively form a band 106 positionable about a finger of a wearer.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a harness 1102 may be analogous to the harness 1002 shown in FIG. 10, except that the harness 1102 includes a strut 1108a and a strut 1108b that are cantilevered in two directions away from a leg 1112a and a leg 112b, respectively. That is, a middle portion of each of the struts 1108a,b is coupled to a respective one of the legs 1112a,b. In certain implementations, ears 1146 may extend from each end of the struts 1108a,b to restrict movement of an ornament in both directions away from the legs 1112a,b.

D. Ornament Configurations

While modular rings have been described as including a single ornament engageable with struts of a harness, other arrangements of ornaments are additionally or alternatively possible. For example, referring now to FIG. 12, a modular ring 1200 may include a harness 1202 and a plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c (collectively referred to as the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c and individually referred to as the ornament 1204a, the ornament 1204b, and the ornament 1204c, as applicable). Elements of the modular ring 1200 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the harness 1202 shall be of the modular ring 1200 understood to be analogous to the harness 102 of the modular ring 100.

In general, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may each define respective notches (e.g., analogous to the notches 122 of the ornament 104 described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1C). In particular, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may be stackable adjacent to one another along the axis of the finger such that the respective notches of the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c are aligned with one another. As used in this context, alignment of the notches of the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c shall be understood to correspond to alignment sufficient to allow the notches of the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c to form, collectively, two grooves. With the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c stacked to form these two grooves, each one of struts 1208a,b of the harness 1202 may extend along a respective groove such that the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c remain in a stacked orientation held in place by the harness 1202. That is, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may be stacked adjacent to one another to replace a single ornament having the same overall dimensions as the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c in the stacked configuration. Stated differently, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may have a combined thickness “d₃” equal (to within dimensional tolerances) to the thickness dimension “d₁” of the pair of struts 1208a,b of the harness 1202. While the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may have the same thickness as a single ornament, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may offer additional flexibility with respect to customization of aesthetic design.

In certain implementations, one or more of the ornament 1204a, the ornament 1204b, or the ornament 1204c may have smooth sides. In such implementations, the smooth sides may facilitate stacking the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c in contact with one another while reducing the likelihood of inadvertent damage at interfaces between adjacent instances of the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c. Further, or instead, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may each be formed of different materials. For example, the ornament 1204b may be delicate and/or expensive. Continuing with this example, the ornament 1204a and the ornament 1204c may be formed of a strong material such that sandwiching the ornament 1204b between the ornament 1204a and the ornament 1204c reduces the likelihood that the ornament 1204b may become damaged during regular use of the modular ring 1200. Further, or instead, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may each have the same thickness as one another to facilitate interchangeability of the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c with one another. In some instances, however, the plurality of ornaments 1204a,b,c may have different thicknesses. For example, returning again to the example of the ornament 1204b formed as a delicate and/or costly material, it may be useful for the ornament 1204a and the ornament 1204c—the ornaments on each end of the stack—to be formed with a larger thickness than the ornament 1204b being sandwiched in the stack.

While ornaments have been generally described herein as including parallel sides, other shapes of ornaments are additionally or alternatively possible. For example, referring now to FIG. 13, a modular ring 1300 may include a plurality of ornaments 1304a,b. Each one of the plurality of ornaments 1304a,b may have a head 1318a,b with non-parallel sides (e.g., in the form of a triangle when viewed from the top normal to the head). Additionally, or alternatively, plurality of ornaments 1304a,b may be positioned adjacent to one another such that the heads 1318a,b of the plurality of ornaments 1304a,b collectively form an overall shape having at least two parallel sides. The non-parallel sides of the heads 1318 may be useful, for example, for positioning the plurality of ornaments 1304a,b adjacent to one another in a stacked arrangement. Additionally, or alternatively, the non-parallel sides of the heads 1318 may facilitate creating details of visual interest, such as complex patterns.

While ornaments may have finished edges (e.g., in the form of a flat, straight surface), it shall be understood that ornaments may additionally, or alternatively, include unfinished edges, such as may be useful for creating certain visual impressions. For example, referring now to FIG. 14, a modular ring 1400 may include a plurality of ornaments 1404a,b. Each one of the plurality of ornaments 1404a,b may have irregularly cut ends 1448 extending beyond struts 1408a,b in a direction perpendicular to an axial dimension of the struts 1408a,b.

As another example, referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 15A and 15B, an ornament 1504 may be formed of different materials. Elements of the ornament 1504 shall be understood to be analogous to or interchangeable with elements corresponding to 100-series element numbers described herein, unless otherwise explicitly made clear from the context and, therefore, are not described separately from counterpart 100-series element numbers, except to note differences or emphasize certain features. Thus, for example, the ornament 1504 shall be understood to be analogous to the ornament 104 of the modular ring 100. More generally, the ornament 1504 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

The ornament 1504 may include a head 1518 and a second arcuate portion 1520. The head 1518 may be formed of a first material, and the second arcuate portion 1520 may be formed of a second material different from the first material. In certain instances, the head 1518 and the second arcuate portion 1520 may be coupled to one another (e.g., using an adhesive, tongue and groove attachment, pinning, screwing, wrapping with elastic materials, magnets, or a combination thereof) only along portions 1550, 1552 of the head 1518 substantially aligned with notches 1522 defined by the head 1518. By limiting coupling of the head 1518 to the second arcuate portion 1520 to the portions 1550, 1552 of the head 1518 substantially aligned with the notches 1522 the coupling between the head 1518 and the second arcuate portion 1520 may be hidden from view by one or more portions of the harness 102 when the ornament 1504 is coupled to the harness 102 to form the modular ring 100. Thus, in general, selective coupling of the head 1518 to the second arcuate portion 1520 along areas obscured from view by the harness 102 may reduce the likelihood of blemishes visible in the modular ring 100.

Referring now to FIG. 16, an ornament 1604 may include a head 1618 and a second arcuate portion 1620. In general, the ornament 1604 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

The head 1618 may be formed of a first material, and the second arcuate portion 1620 may be formed of a second material different from the first material. The first material may be, for example, transparent such that light may enter the head 1618 and reflect off of the second material of the second arcuate portion 1620 such that the reflected light moves back through the first material of the head 1618 and is emitted from the head 1618. Such reflection of light at the interface of the head 1618 and the second arcuate portion 1620 of the ornament 1604 may be useful for imparting brilliance to the modular ring 100.

In certain instances, the head 1618 may include a plurality of first angled surfaces 1654, and the second arcuate portion 1620 includes a plurality of second angled surfaces 1656. The plurality of first angled surfaces 1654 and the plurality of second angled surfaces 1656 may be complementary to one another when the head 1618 and the second arcuate portion 1620 are coupled to one another. In instances in which the second material is reflective, the complementary engagement of the plurality of first angled surfaces 1654 to the plurality of second angled surfaces 1656 may facilitate reflecting a larger amount of incident light back through the head 1618 which, in turn, may increase brilliance of the ornament 1604 relative to the use of the same materials without the angled surfaces.

As another example, referring now to FIGS. 17A and 17B, an ornament 1704 may include a head 1718, a second arcuate portion 1720, and a reflective surface 1758 disposed therebetween. As light moves through the head 1718, incident light on the reflective surface 1758 may be reflected back through the head 1718 and emitted to provide brilliance effect. The reflective surface 1758 may be, for example, a highly reflective and pliable material such as a metal foil, and the head 1718 may be at least partially formed of any one or more of various different transparent or semi-transparent materials (e.g., gemological material). In such implementations, reflectivity characteristics of the material forming the second arcuate portion 1720 is not a concern, given that the reflective surface 1758 prevents light from reaching the second arcuate portion 1720. Accordingly, the material forming the second arcuate portion 1720 may be chosen according to other physical parameters, such as strength. In general, the ornament 1704 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 in the modular ring 100, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

As another example, referring now to FIGS. 18A and 18B, an ornament 1804 may include a first segment 1860 and a second segment 1862 releasably securable to one another. For example, the second segment 1862 may define a recess 1864, and the first segment 1860 may be releasably positionable in the recess 1864 to form an overall shape of the ornament 1804 with the first segment 1860 forming at least a portion of a head 1818 of the ornament 1804, and the second segment 1862 forming a bottom portion of the ornament 1804, including second arcuate portion 1820 of the ornament 1804. In some instances, the first segment 1860 may be a gem-shaped stone (e.g., an emerald cut stone), and the recess 1864 defined by the second segment 1862 may be shaped to receive a lower portion of the first segment 1860 such that the top portion of the gem-shaped stone remains prominently visible.

In general, the ornament 1804 shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 shown in FIG. 1A in the modular ring 100 shown in FIG. 1A, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context. Thus, for example, with the first segment 1860 and the second segment 1862 releasably secured to one another (e.g., with the first segment 1860 positioned in the recess 1864 defined by the second segment 1862), notches 1822 defined by the first segment 1860 of the ornament 1804 may receive the struts 108a,b of the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A. With the ornament 1804 coupled to the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A in this way, it shall be appreciated that the resulting force of the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A on the ornament 1804 may keep the first segment 1860 and the second segment 1862 of the ornament 1804 coupled to one another until the harness 102 shown in FIG. 1A is removed.

While certain combinations of materials have been described in the formation of ornaments described herein, other combinations are additionally or alternatively possible. For example, referring now to FIG. 19, an ornament 1904 may have a head 1918 and, more generally, shall be understood to be interchangeable with the ornament 104 shown in FIG. 1A in the modular ring 100 shown in FIG. 1A, unless otherwise specified or made clear from the context.

In general, the ornament 1904 may include a first material 1966 and a second material 1968 selectively placed along the head 1918 as may be useful for balancing considerations associated with appearance of the head 1918 with considerations associated with stresses experienced by the head 1918 in use. Thus, for example, the first material 1966 may have a first hardness, and the second material 1968 may have a second hardness less than the first hardness. The head 1918 may define notches 1922 along the first material 1966, which is the harder of the two materials and, thus, better suited to withstand forces associated with mounting the ornament 1904 to a harness (e.g., the harness 102 in FIG. 1A). Continuing with this example, with the first material 1966 defining the notches 1922, the second material 1968 may form at least a portion of the head 1918 away from the notches 1922. Thus, the second material 1968 may be a material selected, for example, primarily according to considerations associated with appearance, given that the first material 1966 is positioned to at least partially protect the second material 1968 from stress experienced along the notches 1922.

While ornaments of the present disclosure have been described as having different shapes and materials, other variations in ornaments are additionally, or alternatively, possible. For example referring now to FIG. 20, a modular ring 2000 may include an ornament 2004 having indicia 2070 along a portion of the ornament 2004 visible to the wearer when the ornament 2004 and a harness 2002 of the modular ring 2000 collectively form a band 2006 positionable about a finger of a wearer. The indicia 2070 may include any manner and form of numbers, letters, and/or graphic images. Additionally, or alternatively, the indicia 2070 may include images formed using cloisonné techniques.

The above systems, devices, methods, processes, and the like may be realized in hardware, software, or any combination of these suitable for the control, data acquisition, and data processing described herein. This includes realization in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or other programmable devices or processing circuitry, along with internal and/or external memory. This may also, or instead, include one or more application specific integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic components, or any other device or devices that may be configured to process electronic signals. It will further be appreciated that a realization of the processes or devices described above may include computer-executable code created using a structured programming language such as C, an object oriented programming language such as C++, or any other high-level or low-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardware description languages, and database programming languages and technologies) that may be stored, compiled or interpreted to run on one of the above devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations of processors, processor architectures, or combinations of different hardware and software. At the same time, processing may be distributed across devices such as the various systems described above, or all of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated, standalone device. All such permutations and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiments disclosed herein may include computer program products comprising computer-executable code or computer-usable code that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs any and/or all of the steps of the control systems described above. The code may be stored in a non-transitory fashion in a computer memory, which may be a memory from which the program executes (such as random access memory associated with a processor), or a storage device such as a disk drive, flash memory or any other optical, electromagnetic, magnetic, infrared or other device or combination of devices. In another aspect, any of the control systems described above may be embodied in any suitable transmission or propagation medium carrying computer-executable code and/or any inputs or outputs from same.

The method steps of the implementations described herein are intended to include any suitable method of causing such method steps to be performed, consistent with the patentability of the following claims, unless a different meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear from the context. So, for example performing the step of X includes any suitable method for causing another party such as a remote user, a remote processing resource (e.g., a server or cloud computer) or a machine to perform the step of X. Similarly, performing steps X, Y and Z may include any method of directing or controlling any combination of such other individuals or resources to perform steps X, Y and Z to obtain the benefit of such steps. Thus, method steps of the implementations described herein are intended to include any suitable method of causing one or more other parties or entities to perform the steps, consistent with the patentability of the following claims, unless a different meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear from the context. Such parties or entities need not be under the direction or control of any other party or entity, and need not be located within a particular jurisdiction.

It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the description and drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus, while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

MODULAR RINGS AND ASSEMBLY METHODS THEREOF

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