Patent Application
20100223955
The present invention relates to articles of attractive jewelry which are intended to be worn and also carry secretive messages in a coded form, namely Morse code. The messages are created by the jewelry designer and/or the purchaser and implemented into the jewelry by use of small round and oblong-shaped beads, along with other beads, trinkets and objects, all strung onto a wearable strand. The round beads represent the “dots” of the Morse code and the oblong beads represent the “dashes” of the Morse code. The use of the round and oblong beads, corresponding to dots and dashes of Morse code, with other suitable trinkets as indicators of the start of the message; as separators for letters and/or words, all integrated into a bracelet or necklace can thus provide a secret message conveyed by the wearer to the viewer and/or from the gift giver, i.e., the purchaser of the article to the recipient/wearer as a memento of a given message or thought. The message is formed by letters “written” in Morse code by the use of the round and oblong beads, with round beads corresponding to dots and oblong beads corresponding to dashes, all in the Morse code well recognized manner of communicating. Thus, by using the various beads corresponding to the dots and dashes of the Morse code alphabet, a message can be provided which, however, is integrated into an attractive and wearable piece of jewelry. The strand is preferably worn as a bracelet, necklace, even a ring, and to the unknowledgeable observer presents merely as an attractive article of jewelry being worn by the wearer. However, to the trained eye or someone who inquires of the wearer, the observer can then see and decode the message as it is written in Morse code. In this manner, an attractive piece of jewelry is worn which provides a likely hidden or secret message to others. As indicated, the message can be created by the manufacturer or the purchaser of the article of jewelry (it can be made at the site of purchase) and then the recipient is given (or buys) the jewelry and thus either presents a message to viewers or is given an article with a “hidden” message for the recipient to wear and display.
In the preferred embodiment, the carrier for the beads of the jewelry is formed from a fish line, cotton thread, thin strips of leather, jewelry wire,or thin rope-like material, etc. For purposes of this description and for ease of understanding, all of these are referred to as the supporting thread or a strand. The beads, preferably comprising round beads of various or the same colors and oblong or other non-round shaped beads, also, preferably of various or the same colors are provided with through holes so that they can be easily and quickly threaded onto the strand. A set of other beads or trinkets can be provided and serve to indicate the location of the first letter of the message; and/or to separate the letters and/or words of the message. The “other” beads can also be interspersed within the series of round and oblong beads and thus serve to distract and/or confuse a viewer, unknowledgeable about the encoded secret message. The strand, when assembled with the beads and trinkets is tied off on both ends and thus forms an article of jewelry, to be worn like a necklace, a bracelet, even a ring or ankle bracelet, etc. The round (dots of the Morse code) and capsule or oblong shaped (the dashes of the Morse code) beads can be the same colors as each other or different colors from one another and each other, all dependent upon the style desired by the creator/decorator. Alternatively, the same color can be used for the dots of the Morse code message, independent of the shape of the beads for the dots, and a different color can be used for the beads representing dashes of the Morse code message, again, with the dashes being of various shapes and sizes. The message is “hidden” to the ordinary observer by the use of the shapes, preferably mere round and oblong shaped beads, and/or of various colored beads, the different beads corresponding to message origination points, to letter and word separators, etc. all into an otherwise ordinary article of jewelry. Message origination points and word/letter separators, for example, block-shaped beads can be used on the strand and can be placed at the beginning of the coded message; between the letters and/or words of the Morse code and/or with other different shaped and sized, colored trinkets, all strung onto the strand. These other beads can be used to establish the beginnings and the ends of the letters, words, and of the message or they can be simple distractors so that one viewing the jewelry and unknowledgeable that it is carrying a hidden message is kept “in the dark”. The use of the round, oblong and block or other shaped beads or trinkets allows the decorator flexibility in producing an article of jewelry which is attractive, not normally appreciated as containing a secret message and, yet, the various beads, separators and distractors are desirably arranged to “show” a hidden message, albeit in Morse code lettering, i.e., by use of dots and dashes (round and oblong beads) with and without separators for letters, words and with or even without beads or other trinkets identifying the terminus points for the message(s).
Attractive articles of jewelry have been provided to consumers for years. Manufacturers/artisans have made attractive necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc. with the ultimate wearer in mind. The goal of most articles of jewelry is to provide an attractive piece of personal ornamentation as perceived by the wearer and by those seeing the jewelry wearer. Some articles of jewelry have provided a message to the wearer/viewer, as, for example, when the article of jewelry is a locket and contains hidden engraving, or when a message is engraved onto the outside or back of a plaque or pocket watch, when a charm bracelet is provided with a charm containing initials, etc. Sometimes the message is on the back of the article, sometimes on the front, sometimes on the inside. However, upon close inspection, the message, if provided, is generally able to be easily and quickly discerned by the wearer and by anyone else who is able to examine the article. The messages are usually in normal written language.
There is a perceived need for an article of jewelry which is attractive to both consumers/wearers and to those viewing the wearer and yet an article of jewelry where the article contains and provides a hidden message. The message is either provided by the giver of the jewelry to the wearer or a message is intended to be conveyed by the wearer to one or more viewers, but only those who recognize or are told that the jewelry article contains a hidden message. This message, according to the present invention, is “hidden” within the otherwise mere decorative ornamentation of the article so that unless one is attuned to the existence of the message, an ordinary observer would not recognize its presence. Thus, the present invention provides an attractive article of jewelry which provides a hidden message, a message which is not easily read as it is not in normal written form but, rather, is only able to be decoded by one knowledgeable of Morse code and, even then, only after the viewer comes to understand that the beads of the jewelry article represent the dots and dashes of Morse code.
Morse code was established years ago, at the onset of the telegraph system. It consists of an alphabet, A through Z, numbers and punctuation signs, and in all languages (e.g., Cyrillic characters) made up of a series of relative short i.e. spaced contacts between electric wires corresponding to “dots” and relatively longer electrical contacts called dashes. The Morse code alphabet is well known in the communications industry and it has been in used for years. Thus, for example, an “S” is made up of a set of three short electrical contacts or “dots” and an “O” is made up of three relatively longer electrical contacts or “dashes.” Thus, the message, S.O.S. (Save Our Ship, the international signal of distress on the ocean waters) would be represented by three short electronic signals or “dots” as “... ”, then three relatively longer electronic signals or “dashes” as “-- -- --”, and then three shorter electronic signals, “dots”, as “... ” so that the overall message S.O.S. is understood by those familiar with coding and decoding of Morse code. The electronic coding can also be transmitted in written form, as shown herein, and, again, those familiar with coding and decoding would come to recognize the message,“... ...” as the transmitted message S.O.S.
Similarly, the message, “I LOVE YOU” would be coded by one knowledgeable with Morse code as the electronic contacts of the individual letters “I_L O V E_Y O U”. This can be done in electronic signaling or in written dots and dashes. The present invention, however, uses the beads of an attractive necklace to substitute for and correspond to the dots and dashes of a Morse coded message. The letters can either be separated with other colored or shaped beads in contrast to the beads used for the dots and dashes, the letters provided in Morse code on the article of jewelry. Thus, while Morse code has been in use for many years, there has not been, until the present invention, any use of the Morse code series of dots and dashes which correspond to round and oblong shaped beads wherein the beads are integrated into an attractive necklace in a set order so as to convey a hidden or secret message. Some of the beads are round (or a first distinct look or shape) and the second distinct set of beads are oblong (like dashes in contrast to the round beads, the dots) or are made of a second distinct look or shape. In this manner, an article of jewelry can be provided which is at first and to the untrained eye merely an article of attractive jewelry, a necklace of various beads but, upon close inspection by those trained in coding and decoding of Morse code, the sequence of the beads represent a hidden message.
As mentioned, the message can be created and provided by the purchaser/designer of the article of jewelry or, alternatively, the message can be worn by the wearer to provide a viewer with the satisfaction of decoding a hidden message. The message can relate to a message of love, e.g., I LOVE YOU; to a specific location, e.g., REMEMBER THE WATERFALL (maybe the gift giver proposed marriage at the site); to an anniversary date; to a Valentine's Day message “WILL YOU BE MINE?” and/or to a question, e.g. WILL YOU MARRY ME, etc. In each instance, the necklace or article of jewelry is attractive to those even unknowledgeable of Morse code but will be even more desirable and interesting to those who are either knowledgeable of Morse code or who are provided by the wearer or the giver with the understanding that the jewelry contains a secret message. So, for example, if a wearer is asked, “How did your husband propose to you?” the wearer could respond, by giving me this beautiful necklace since the beads, when decoded into dots and dashes of Morse code with the round and oblong beads corresponding to dots and dashes of that “language” of letters evidences the message, “Will you marry me?” That form of a message, integrated into an article of jewelry could become quite a conversation piece maybe even an heirloom—a highly desired article of jewelry since it serves a decorative function, as most jewelry, and is meant to contain a message for a long time. This truly may make some form of fashion statement about the wearer.
Other articles for wearing (e.g., ID bracelets, name tags, T-shirts, etc.), have been provided for conveying messages either to the wearer upon gifting to them or about the wearer to viewers, but to the inventor's knowledge none have been written in otherwise “secret” code and none integrated into the beading of an article of jewelry. The present invention is believed to be the first to use Morse code as a message conveyance medium integrated into an article of jewelry where the beads of the article of jewelry are, unless known by the wearer or the viewer, substantially the same as ordinary beads used by jewelry designers for making such otherwise ordinary articles of jewelry.
The present invention is an attractive article of jewelry having integrated therein a hidden or coded message by use of a first set of beads, preferably round, and a second set of beads, preferably oblong in shape, the rounds being used on the article as “dots” and the oblong shapes being used on the article of jewelry as “dashes” in the Morse code of alpha-numerics. Thus an article of jewelry will present as an attractive piece of decorative jewelry and, yet, will convey a hidden message coded in Morse code and worn by the wearer. The message can be easily decoded once the viewer recognizes that the beads making up the necklace are round and oblong beads (or a first set of visually distinct beads and a separate second set of visually distinct beads) and corresponding to the dots and dashes of the Morse code. In addition, as desired, the starting point of the message, of separation between letters and between words can be provided by a third set of visually distinct beads or trinkets. These will be visually distinct from the beads used for the letters of the message, so that the decoder of the message can determine the start and stop of the message, letters and words.
The present invention provides an attractive article of jewelry comprised of at least two sets of distinct bead shapes and/or colors which are strung onto a strand, worn as a necklace and/or bracelet, in such a manner that the sequence of the beads corresponds to the dots and dashes of a Morse code message.
As best seen in the drawings, an article of jewelry is provided in the preferred form of a necklace or bracelet, i.e., an article of jewelry which encircles a portion or limb of a body, like the neck, arm, or a leg. The article of jewelry 10 is formed from one or more strands 12, either fish line, strings, leather strips, etc. A knot 14 or other means for tying off a first end 16 is provided. An initiator trinket or bead 70 is then slid onto the strand to indicate that the next set of beads is the commencement of the message. Then, the beads 20 are slid onto the strand. To do that, preferably, the beads 20 are provided with a through bore 22, although, of course, the beads can be held to the strand by suspending hooks, slid on to the strand by the presence of a longitudinally extending slit, etc. In the preferred embodiment the beads are two main types, namely, round beads 30 with central bores 32 and oblong shaped beads 34, with central bores 36. The round beads 30 are visually distinct from the oblong shaped beads 34. The beads are threaded or otherwise secured to the strand(s) in a particular sequence. Then, after the sequence is completed, the free end of the strand is knotted or otherwise completed (one end could be provided with a hook for selectively clasping to the second end of the strand, provided with a loop. A typical clasping mechanism 40 can be provided onto the strand to allow the easy placement on and removal of the strand from the wearer, just as an ordinary article of jewelry.
The strands can be provided with additional beads in distinct styles, size, color, shapes, etc. to the first set of round beads 30 and the second set of oblong shaped beads 34. The third set of beads or trinkets 50 can be interspersed in between the first set of beads, the second set of beads and selected sequences of the first and second set of beads. The third set of beads (See
A set of other beads or trinkets, referred to as distractors 60 (see
The first set of beads, preferably round in shape, need not be identical but, rather, need to have some common visual distinctiveness. So, for example, they can be of different diameter, yet all round beads. They can be of different shapes, but all of the same color. It is, however, important, for the decoder of the hidden message to appreciate the manner by which the first set of beads are similar to one another (and visually distinct from the second set of beads) so that the decoder of the message formed by the first and second set of beads can decode the same by knowledge of the Morse code. Similarly, all of the beads of the second set need not be identical to one another but, rather, all of the second set need to have some common visual characteristic which is, however, distinct from the first set of beads be it color, shape or diameter, for example.
As mentioned, preferably, a third set of visually distinct beads is provided, i.e., distinct from both the first and the second set of beads. The third set of beads or a trinket 70 can serve as a visual indication of the start of the coded message, or the end of the coded message, or serve as spacers between the letters of the coded message and/or as spacers between words of the coded message. Here, however, the third set of beads need not be identical to one another at all but, rather, each of the third set of beads must be distinct from the first and second set of beads 30 and 34, respectively.
As mentioned, the strand, forming an article of jewelry in the preferred form of a necklace or bracelet, is also provided with a set 60 of additional trinkets, beads, pieces, etc. These are decoration, too, and serve to distract the viewer, unless knowledgeable that a coded message is provided by the article of jewelry, from the existence of the coded message.
Various messages, all comprised at least of two sets of distinct beads, can be provided to the otherwise attractive article of jewelry. The messages are hidden and only able to be discerned by those familiar with the Morse code, comprising dots and dashes. Here, however, the first set of beads 30, preferably the round beads correspond to the dots of the Morse code and the second set of beads 34, preferably the oblong shaped beads correspond to the dashes of the Morse code.
The decorator, designer, or purchaser of the article thus strings onto the strand the appropriate and sequential round and oblong beads, 30 and 34, so that a message is provided to the article 10, consisting of a Morse coded message of dots and dashes, with the rounds corresponding to the dots and the oblong beads corresponding to the dashes. Also, as mentioned, the designer, decorator, buyer can intersperse the third set of beads 50 to visually break up words in the Morse code of the message and/or break up letters so that the viewer knows precisely where the letters start and stop. The fourth set of trinkets, beads and pieces 60 attached to the strand are meant to merely further make the article 10 more attractive and, at the same time, further hide the message provided in Morse code by the first and second set of beads. The starter trinket 70 serves to indicate where the message begins. That, of course, could be visually the same as the separators 50, other set of beads 60, or visually distinct.
As seen in
Having described the invention fully to enable one of ordinary skill in the art how to make and use the same and, further, having provided the inventor's currently known best mode or embodiment of carrying out the invention, the invention is not necessarily limited to the detailed description but, rather, is set forth in the claims, as those are interpreted by the Courts and by reliance upon the doctrine of equivalents.
