Abstract
A retractable display, storage and carrying case for necklaces includes an inverted-V-shaped frame, a torsion-spring-loaded tube rotatably suspended between the frame, a rectangular cloth sheet attached along one edge to the tube, with an opposite edge wrapped around a weighted rod to form a pocket on a front surface of the sheet. A plurality of jewelry hanging hooks are secured to an upper portion of the cloth sheet. One end of a necklace is attached to a single hanging hook, while the opposite end is tucked into the pocket. Much like a roll-up blind, the cloth sheet can be extended to a desired length by tugging on the weighted rod. Another tug will cause the roll-up mechanism to release and wind up the cloth sheet around the tube.
Claims
1. A retractable display and storage clutch for necklaces comprising: a C-shaped frame having right and left downwardly-projecting arms; a torsion-spring-loaded tube rotatably suspended between the downwardly-projecting arms of the frame; a cloth sheet attached along one edge to the tube, with an opposite edge attached to a rod, the cloth sheet having one or more jewelry hanging hooks secured to an upper portion of the cloth sheet and from which one or more necklaces or other pieces of jewelry are hangable; and wherein the cloth sheet is configured to alternately be wrapped or wound around the tube or suspended from the tube by pulling down on the rod.
2. The retractable display and storage clutch of claim 1, wherein the cloth sheet incorporates one or more pockets on a front surface thereof adjacent the rod.
3. The retractable display and storage clutch of claim 2, wherein the frame comprises a central portion extending between the right and left downwardly-projecting arms.
4. The retractable display and storage clutch of claim 3, wherein at least one pocket of the one or more pockets comprises an open side that faces towards the central portion of the frame.
5. A retractable display and storage clutch for necklaces comprising: a C-shaped frame having first and second opposing downwardly-projecting ends; a spring-loaded tube rotatably suspended from the first and second opposing downwardly-projecting ends of the frame; and a sheet attached along a first edge to the tube, the sheet having one or more jewelry hanging hooks secured to an upper portion thereof and from which one or more necklaces or other pieces of jewelry are hangable, wherein the sheet is configured to be alternately wrapped or wound around the tube or suspended from the tube, and wherein the spring-loaded tube is configured to rotate in response to a force applied to the sheet, resulting in the sheet automatically retracting and being wrapped or wound around the tube.
6. The retractable display and storage clutch of claim 5, wherein the sheet includes one or more pockets on a front surface thereof adjacent a second edge thereof, the second edge being opposite the first edge.
7. The retractable display and storage clutch of claim 6, wherein at least one pocket of the one or more pockets comprises an open side that faces towards the one or more jewelry handing hooks.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) While the present invention is described with particularity in the claims, which are annexed hereto and form a part of this specification, a better understanding of the invention can be had by reference to the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
(2) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the retractable necklace travel scroll;
(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the retractable necklace travel scroll;
(4) FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the left side of the exploded view of the retractable necklace travel scroll of FIG. 2;
(5) FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the right side of the exploded view of the retractable necklace travel scroll of FIG. 2;
(6) FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the frame and right end cap removed;
(7) FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the frame, right end cap and cloth removed;
(8) FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the bare frame of the retractable necklace travel scroll;
(9) FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the cloth extended and the clutch enclosure removed;
(10) FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the cloth retracted and the clutch enclosure removed;
(11) FIG. 10 is is a front elevational view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the cloth retracted and the clutch enclosure removed;
(12) FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the retractable necklace travel scroll, with the cloth retracted and the clutch enclosure removed;
(13) FIG. 12 is a right side elevational view of the retractable necklace with the clutch enclosure removed
(14) FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the fully-assembled retractable necklace travel scroll;
(15) FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the fully-assembled retractable necklace travel scroll; and
(16) FIG. 15 is right side elevational view of the fully-assembled retractable necklace travel scroll.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(17) The necklace travel scroll will now be described in detail, with reference to the attached drawing figures.
(18) The present invention provides a necklace travel scroll 100, which may also be described as a storage and carrying case for jewelry items, such as necklaces. Such items are likely to become easily tangled and entangled with other similar items if they are not maintained under conditions that prevent single necklaces from tangling and knotting and kept apart from one another so that they do not become entangled.
(19) Referring now to drawing FIG. 1, the necklace travel scroll 100 includes an inverted shallow-V-shaped frame 101, a spring-loaded tube 122 rotatably suspended between the frame 101, a rectangular cloth sheet 106 attached along one edge to the tube, with an opposite edge wrapped around a weighted rod 109 to form a pocket 107 on a front surface of the cloth sheet 106. A plurality of equally-spaced jewelry hanging hooks 108 are secured to an upper portion of the cloth sheet 106. One end of each necklace is attached to a single hanging hook 108. The opposite end of the necklace is tucked into the pocket 107. Although the current embodiment of the invention has eleven such hanging hooks, that number can be augmented or reduced as desired. Much like a roll-up blind, by tugging on the weighted rod at the bottom of the pocket, the roll-up mechanisms 105A and 105B are released and spring loading causes the tube to wind up the cloth sheet until the ends of the weighted rod 109 contacts opposite ends of the inverted-V-shaped frame 101. Multiple necklaces can be transported in this rolled-up configuration with little or no concern that the necklaces will be tangled or entangled with one another. A chain 103 is secured to the center of the frame 101 and a closet clothes rod hook 104 is attached to the free end of the chain 103. This enables the necklace travel scroll to be hung on a closet clothes rod in either a retracted (rolled-up) configuration or an extended (unrolled) configuration. By pulling down on the weighted rod 109, the cloth sheet 106 can be extended to display the stored necklaces. The tube 102 automatically locks at the distance it is unrolled. Pulling down again on the weighted rod 109 will cause the cloth sheet 106 to once again roll up around the tube 102.
(20) Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the necklace travel scroll 100 is shown inan exploded view. The tube 102 slips over a support rod 201, which is inserted through a coil torsion spring 202. A left end of the tube 102 is affixed to a cylindrical extension 204-L on a left cogwheel 205-L with a first rivet 203-A, that passes through punched aperture 206-L in the tube 102 and is secured within a drilled aperture 207-L in the cylindrical extension 204-L. A right end 208 of coil torsion spring 202 is anchored within a transverse aperture 209 in the support rod 201, while a left end 210 of the coil torsion spring 202 is anchored within an aperture 211 in the cylindrical extension 204-L of the left cogwheel 205L. Before the right end of the tube 102 is affixed to a cylindrical extension 204-R on a right cogwheel 205-R with a second rivet 203-B, that passes through punched aperture 206-R in the tube 102 and is secured within a drilled aperture 207-R in the cylindrical extension 204-R, the cloth sheet 106 is inserted within the slot 212 in the tube 102 with the bead 213 at the top of cloth sheet 106 being positioned inside the tube 102. The left cogwheel 205-L and the right cogwheel 205-R are mirror images of one another, with the exception that there need be no aperture eq uivalent to aperture 209 in the cylindrical extension 204-R. The left cogwheel 205-L rotates about the left end of support rod 201, while the right cogwheel 205-R rotates about the right end of support rod 201.
(21) Still referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a left end cap 214-L provides a pivot pin 215-L for a left pawl 216-L and an anchoring pin 217-L for left pawl spring 218-L. Likewise, a right end cap 214-R provides a pivot pin 215-R for a right pawl 216-L and an anchoring pin 217-R for right pawl spring 218-R (not visible in this view). The right end cap 214-R and the left end cap 214-L are also mirror images of one another. The downward-projecting right end 219-L of the frame 101 fits within a recess 220-R within the right end cap 214-R and prevents the latter from rotating about the support rod 201. Likewise, the downward-projecting left end 219-R of the frame 101 fits within a recess 220-L (not visible in this view) within the left end cap 214-L and prevents the latter from rotating about the support rod 201. It will be further noted that each downwardly-projecting end 219-L and 219-R of the frame 101 is equipped with a generally circular aperture 221-L and 221-R, respectively, having diametrically-opposed flats. The left end 222-L of the cylindrical support rod 202, which is equipped with diametrically-opposed flats 223-L, is inserted through a central aperture 224-L in the cylindrical extension 204-L of left cogwheel 205-L, then through the central aperture 225-L of the left end cap 214-L, and then through the aperture 221-L in the downwardly-projecting left end 219-L of the frame 101, which is secured to the left end 222-LK of support rod 202, which has been axially drilled and tapped to threadably receive a left retaining screw 226-L. Likewise, the right end 222-R of the cylindrical support rod 202, which is also equipped with diametrically-opposed flats 224-R, is inserted through a central aperture 224-R in the cylindrical extension 204-R of left cogwheel 205-R, then through the central aperture 225-R of the left end cap 214-R, and then through the aperture 221-R in the downwardly-projecting left end 219-R of the frame 101, which is secured to the right end 222-R of support rod 202, which has been axially drilled and tapped to receive a right retaining screw 226-R.
(22) Still referring to FIGS. 2, 3 an 4, in order to provide spring tension on the tube 102 so that it will roll up the cloth sheet 106, the weighted rod 109 is removed from the bottom of the cloth sheet 106, and the cloth sheet 106 is wrapped around the tube 102. In order to apply some pretension to the coil torsion spring 202, the bottom edge of the cloth sheet 106 is pulled in a downward direction, thereby partially unrolling it. The free, unrolled portion is then wrapped around the tube 102, maintaining the preload torsion on the coil torsion spring 202. The weighted rod 109 is then reinstalled in the bottom edge of the cloth sheet 106. The extended ends 227-L and 227-R of the weighted rod 109 prevent the tube 102 from rotating and relieving the preload torsion on the coil torsion spring 106.
(23) Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the right pawl 216-R and the right pawl spring 218-R are positioned with respect to the right cogwheel 205-R just as they would be if the right end cap were covering the right cogwheel 205-R and the pawl 216-R were pivotably installed on the right pivot pin 215-R and the right pawl spring 218-R were anchored on the right anchoring pin 217-R of the right end cap 214-R. The right cogwheel 205-R is torsionally biased, by the coil torsion spring 202, to rotate in a clockwise direction. Six equiangularly-spaced locking ramps 601-R enable the cogwheel to be locked at 60-degree intervals by pulling on the bottom edge of the cloth sheet 106 and rotating the cogwheel 205-R counterclockwise until the nose 602-R of the pawl 216-R just passes one of the ramps 601-R. It should be remembered that the left cogwheel 205-L has mirror image ramps that are axially aligned with those of cogwheel 205-R. If the cogwheel 205-R is released just after passing a ramp 601-R, the cogwheel 205-R will remain stationary. In order to retract the cloth sheet 106, the bottom edge of the cloth sheet 106 is tugged, rotating the cogwheel 205-R counterclockwise, until the pawl enters one of the six recesses 603-R. When the cloth sheet 106 is released, the coil torsion spring 202 will rotate the cogwheel 205-R clockwise, without interruption, until the cloth sheet 106 is completely wound about the tube 102, and the weighted rod 109 contacts opposite, downwardly-projecting left and right ends 219-L and 219-R, respectively, of the frame 101, thereby preventing any further detensioning of the coil torsion spring 202.
(24) Although only a single embodiment of the necklace travel scroll 100 has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
