External element made of zirconia with selectively conductive zones for electronic applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11467540-B2
Application number	US-201616062895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

An external element made from a first material for a wearable object, the first material being an insulating ceramic, wherein a surface of the external element is at least partially treated to include at least one conversion with an electrical conductivity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An external element for a wearable object,
the external element being made from a first material, the first material being an insulating ceramic,
wherein a peripheral surface of the external element is treated locally so that the surface includes an insulating zone and a conductive zone, the conductive zone including at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity,
wherein the surface includes at least one protruding portion protruding above a top surface of the external element,
wherein an entirety of the peripheral surface is configured to be treated to be converted into carbide or nitride, and
wherein of the entirety of the peripheral surface of the external element, only a top surface of the protruding portion does not include the carbide or nitride.

2. The external element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first material is zirconia.

3. The external element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the peripheral surface is selectively treated to be converted into carbide.

4. The external element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the peripheral surface is selectively treated to be converted into nitride.

5. The external element as claimed in in claim 1 , wherein the peripheral surface comprises at least one recess, the peripheral surface being treated to be converted into carbide or nitride and polished to localize the conversion to the recess.

6. A wearable object comprising the external element as claimed in claim 1 .

7. The wearable object as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the wearable object is a timepiece comprising a case formed by a middle, including a bezel, closed by a back and a glass, the wearable object further comprising controlling means, and a strap fastened to the case middle via two pairs of horns, and wherein the external element is arranged in one of the case middle, the bezel, the controlling means, the back, the strap, or a clasp.

8. The wearable object as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the wearable object further comprises an electronic module configured to use the peripheral surface treated to include the at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity to provide at least one function.

9. The wearable object as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the peripheral surface treated to include the at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity is an antenna to provide a communication function.

10. The wearable object as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the peripheral surface treated to include the at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity is an electrode to provide a control function.

11. The wearable object as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the peripheral surface treated to include the at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity is a partition used in a shielding function allowing an electronic component or module to be isolated from interference from another electronic component or module.

12. The wearable object as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the peripheral surface treated to include the at least one conversion with a non-zero electrical conductivity is at least one conductive track allowing an electronic component or module to be electrically connected to at least one other electronic component or module.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Curchod Loic
• Springer Simon

Classifications

• C23C8/80

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C04B41/45

  Coating or impregnating (paints C09D), {e.g. injection in masonry, partial coating of green or fired ceramics, organic coating compositions for adhering together two concrete elements (ion-implantation C04B41/0027)} · CPC title

• C04B41/53

  involving the removal of at least part of the materials of the treated article, {e.g. etching, drying of hardened concrete (C04B41/0036 - C04B41/0054 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C04B41/456

  the conversion only taking place under certain conditions, e.g. avoiding damage of underlaying layers or parts of the substrate · CPC title

• C04B41/5062

  Borides, Nitrides or Silicides · CPC title