Jewelry storage means
United States Patent 1 1 Phelps i 1 JEWELRY STORAGE MEANS Gary M. Phelps. 2845 Valley Blvd. No. 12, West Covina, Calif. 91792 [22] Filed: Apr. 29, I974 [21] Appl. No.: 464,785  
 [76] Inventor:  
 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,595.70 8/l926 Boelter 3l2/l28 X 2 75l.070 6/[956 Morse 206145.14  
 Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney, Agent, or FirmDonald D. Mon  
  57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a means for storing jewelry such as Apr. 8, 1975 necklaces and earrings and the like. comprising a plurality of hollow tubular columns of rigid clear transparent butyrate tubing extending vertically in proximity to each other from respective holes through a solid rigid base, the bottom surface of which is covered with a soft felt-like material. The upper ends of the columns are covered by respective caps removably titted to those respective upper ends and provided at their under surfaces with hooks or other supporting members depending into the tops of the respective columns to which jewelry may be attached and suspended within the tubes. The felt-like material is slit in such a manner at positions beneath the respective base plate holes that if an item of jewelry falls down to the bottom of the tubing it will fall on the felt. By then lifting the device off the surface on which it is rested the weight of the fallen jewelry will cause the slit portion of the soft felt to fold or droop down leaving the fallen jewelry on the table so that it can be retrieved.  
 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures JEWELRY STORAGE MEANS This invention relates to means for storing jewelry when not in use, in a manner making it clearly visible.  
  An object is to provide a simple means for storage, which can visibly display the items ofjewelry. A related object is to facilitate supporting the jewelry and recovering it if it should fall from its support.  
  The invention is carried out by a tubular column, preferably transparent, rising from a hole formed through a solid base member which can rest on a surface as a table or dresser.  
  A feature resides in the provision of a removable cap member for covering the upper end of the tubular column on which is provided a jewelry support means so that the jewelry can hang down from the support means within the column.  
  A further feature resides in the use ofa covering material at the bottom surface of the base member, which is soft or compliant, and which is provided with a slit formed where it covers the bottom of the hole so that ifjewelry should fall down to the bottom of the column it will fall on the felt-like material beneath the hole and will remain there if the jewelry device be lifted from its supporting surface, by reason of the softness or compliance of the material, which will fold or droop down at the slit to leave the jewelry on the said support surface.  
  Ordinarily, a number of capped hollow tubular col umns each rising from a hole through the base member, will be placed in close proximity to each other, and the underlying soft or compliant material will be similarly slit at each of the holes. In this manner different items of jewelry can be placed in the different tubular columns.  
  The foregoing and other features ofthe invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing of which:  
  FIG. I is an elevation view partially in cross-section showing part of a jewelry storage means according to this invention;  
  FIG. 2 is a crosssection view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 3 is a cross-section view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 1, but on a smaller scale than in FIG. 1;  
  FIG. 4 is a bottom view looking from line 4-4 of FIG. 1 and on the same scale as FIG. 3;  
  FIG. 5 shows a form of cap which may be used in lieu of the cap illustrated in FIG. I; and  
  FIG. 6 shows, partially in cross-section, the lower part of a cap member like that in FIG. I but having a ladder form ofjewelry support in lieu of the hook form of support shown in FIG. 1.  
  Referring to FIGS. I through 4 of the drawing, there is shown a base member 10 which may be of wood or plastic or the like and preferably ornamental as illustrated. There are shown a number of holes. five holes in this case, passing through the base member. Four of the holes 11, I2, 13 and 14 are shown of the same size and the fifth hole 15 is shown of larger size, although it will be understood that the size of the holes is a matter of choice and they may be made of various sizes if desired. Each hole has inserted into it from the top of the base, the lower end of a vertically extending hollow tubular member or column of diameters which fit the respective holes, and preferably these columns are made of transparent material, such as a butyrate plastic which is a clear transparent material for effective display ofthe jewelry. Thus, tubular members 16, 17, I8,  
 l9 and 20 fit snuggly within respective holes 11, I2, 13, 14 and 15. To facilitate introduction of the tubular columns into the respective holes, the lower end of each of the tubes is provided with a bevel 21.  
  The upper end of each tubular column is covered by a cap of which only cap 22 is shown at the top of column I6 since column 16 is the only one of the columns whose upper portion is illustrated. Each cap, which may conveniently be made of wood or plastic or the like, comprises a cylindrical disc portion 23 in the under surface of which there is formed an annular groove 24 which fits over the annular upper edge of the column. The top surface of member 23 is provided with a handle in the form of a sphere 2S, and at the central part of the bottom surface of member 23 there is a hook 26 which screws into member 23 and preferably is provided with an ornamental flange 27.  
  A layer of felt or felt-like material 28 is glued to the under surface of base 10 and is substantially co extensive with that under surface. At the position of each of the holes through the base the felt-like material 28 is slitted and each slit is in the form of two adjacent sides ofa square. Thus, at hole 11 there is the two sided slit 11a and 11b,&#34; at hole 12 there is the two sided slit 12a and 12b; at hole 13 there is the two sided slit 13a and 1319; at hole 14 there is the two sided slit 14a and 14b and at hole 15 there is the two sided slit 15a and 15b. It is noted that in the bottom view, FIG. 4, all of the slits are shown closed so that the felt-like material 28 lies flat across the bottom of the base and the holes, excepting at hole 12 where a flap 28a of the material 28 is shown partly hanging away from the base 10 and the hole 12. It will be seen that this flap when fully drawn away as shown by flap 40 at hole 11 in FIG. I takes the position of the diagonal 29 of the square having sides Ila and Ilb. Thus the sides of each of the two sides of the square should be such that the diagonal clears or is tangent to the opposite side of the hole from that where the right angle of the square is located.  
  It will be noted that the tubular column 20, being of greater diameter than the other tubular columns can contain more jewelry and for this purpose it is provided with two hooks instead of one hook as can be seen in phantom in the bottom view of FIG. 4, wherein the two hooks 30 and 31 at the bottom of its cap are indicated in phantom.  
  FIG. 5 shows a somewhat different form of cap which may be used in place of the cap shown in FIG. 1. It con tains similar parts in that it has a disc 32 with a cylindrical dowel 33 protruding upwardly, but instead of having the annulus 24, it is provided with a frusto-conical lower portion 34 in which the hook 35 is placed. The frusto-conical portion can be inserted into the top of the column as a cork.  
  FIG. 6 shows a modified form ofjewelry attaching arrangement which may be used in lieu ofa hook. In FIG. 6 there is shown in cross-section the lower part of portion 23 of the cap 22 provided with the annulus 24, but instead of a depending hook there is provided a de pending ladder 36 having a number of rungs 37, the ladder being suitably attached to the lower surface of portion 23. This ladder form ofjewelry hanging means is useful for such jewelry as earrings which can be hung over the rungs.  
  The hook form of suspension is useful for such items as necklaces such as necklace 38 shown in FIG. I.  
  From the foregoing explanation it will be observed that the jewelry may be hung in the storage device by lifting the cap from the top of the appropriate tubular member and hanging the jewelry on its hook or ladder or other attachment device and then replacing the cap at the top of the column. If it should happen that the jewelry should fall off the hook or ladder or be dropped down the column it will land on the felt-like material 28 which will lie flat across the entire bottom of the base when it is put on a table or the like and in falling it will not scratch or damage the table or the jewelry because of the relatively soft felt on which it will land. Then to retrieve the fallen jewelry item the device will be lifted off the table and the weight of the fallen jewelry item will cause the corresponding flap to droop downward as the storage device is lifted, leaving the jewelry item on the table where it can be retrieved.  
  It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein are given by way of illustration and not of limitation, and that modifications or equivalents or alternatives within the scope of the invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.  
 I claim:  
 1. Means for storing jewelry comprising:  
 a rigid base having an opening through it and adapted to rest on a surface;  
 a hollow tubular member having its lower end inserted into said opening and extending upwardly from said base; a removable cap covering the upper end of said tubular member and having jewelry support means depending from it into the upper part of said tubular member;  
 the under surface of said base having, in the vicinity of said opening. a covering of a compliant material which substantially covers said opening and is slitted at said opening to provide a flap underlying said opening so that jewelry which may fall from said jewelry support means drops on the flap;  
 whereby when the storage means is lifted from the surface the flap droops downward at the slit, leaving the fallen jewelry on the surface.  
  2. Means according to claim 1 in which the tubular member is a vertical column.  
  3. Means according to claim 2 in which the tubular member is transparent.  
  4. Means according to claim 3 in which the tubular member is of a butyrate material.  
  5. Means according to claim 1 in which the lower edge of the tubular member is beveled inwardly to, facilitate its insertion into the opening.  
  6. Means according to claim 1 in which the compliant material is a felt-like material.  
  7. Means according to claim 1 in which the slit is in the shape of an angle with sides in the vicinity of the periphery of the tubular member so that the compliant material can fold in a manner to uncover a triangular area at the bottom of the base, thereby uncovering the lower end of the tubular member when the base is lifted.  
  8. Means according to claim 7 in which the angle is a ninety-degree angle forming two sides of a square the diagonal of which is substantially tangent with a side of the opening.  
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