1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to rings. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to the molding of ring components that can define different ring configurations.
2. Background of Related Art
Rings are commonly made of precious metals using the lost wax method. The lost wax method makes a plaster cast around an intricately carved wax model. The was is then melted and the plaster cast is filled with molten metal. When the metal cools sufficiently the plaster is washed away revealing a metal replication of the wax model. The metal is finished and then used to create a master rubber mold from which future wax models are fabricated. The making of the wax model and finishing of the initial metal model are skillful and time consuming tasks which encourage novel ornamental designs unique for each rubber master mold.
A design for a ring is described in U.S. Design Pat. No. 136,037 to Lampl. The ring is shown having an ornamental design on the outer surface and the reverse image of the ornamental design on the inner surface. The ornamental designs on the ring are at least partially defined by through holes outlining the perimeters of the ornamental designs. Thus, Lampl is limited in its ability to be flexibly molded in a variety of combinations of ring designs using more than one mold.
In U.S. Design Pat. No. 266,062 to Austin, an ornamental ring design for a band is shown. The band is a single annular piece having a first writing on an inner surface of the band and a second writing on an outer surface of the band. Ornamental designs are also defined on the edges of the band. Austin, however, is a single band and lacks the flexibility to vary the design through the use of separate wax models for different portions of the ring.
A design for a ring is described in U.S. Pat. No. 442,509 to Yamanaka having a simple annular band with cut-out portions positioned on the inner side of the band. Insets of material different from that of the ring are positioned in the cut-out and could include a diamond, for example, or a geometric pattern. Thus, Yamanaka describes a simple single piece ring with the inside of the band having an inset of different material than the ring material. This configuration still lacks the flexibility, however, to vary the outer configuration of the different portions of the ring by varying the molding process.
A ring having an articulated portion is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,876 to Moldenhauer. The articulated portion provides a concealed and protected surface suitable for inscribing a legend. The articulated portion can be part of the mounting for the gems or a portion of the band. Moldenhauer, however, is limited to providing a series of unique embodiments having articulated portions and does not accommodate a flexible mold configuration for adaptively combining or separating wax models to produce a variety of ornamental designs associated with the articulated ring embodiments.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,934 to Boyd, a ring configured for carrying normally concealed data is described including an outer annular member, an indicia carrying member, and an inner annular member. The outer annular member defines an annular groove configured for the positioning of the indicia carrying member. The outer annular member is preferably made of a precious metal. The inner member is preferably made of a plastic and is permanently molded in the annular groove to secure the indicia in position. While Boyd does define a ring formed of two sections, the sections are not configured for being flexibly combined for ornamental design considerations, but solely for being concealing and protecting the indicia.
A continuing need exists for a ring fabricated from at least two molds that can be flexibly interchanged and be advantageously matched to enhance variations in the ring's ornamental design.