Three dimensional decoration method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694386-B2
Application number	US-201514667038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2008
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A method of decorating an element. This method includes the steps of: taking the element ( 1, 11, 21, 31 ), the element including anchoring ( 7 ) for improving the securing of the decoration ( 5 ) to the element; making a mask ( 4 ) of the desired thickness of the decorations ( 5 ), and having at least one opening ( 4 ′); placing the at least one opening in the mask ( 4 ) against the place to be decorated so as to form at least one mold ( 4′, 6, 6′, 6″, 100 ); filling the at least one mold with an at least partially amorphous material via hot forming; and removing the mask ( 4 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of decorating an element comprising following steps:
step a): taking the element, said element including anchoring means for improving a securing of decorations to said element;
step b): making a mask of a desired thickness of the decorations, and having at least one opening;
step c): placing said at least one opening of the mask against a place to be decorated so as to form at least one mould;
step d): filling said at least one mould by injecting a filling material such that the element is at least partially amorphous; and
step e): removing the mask,
wherein the anchoring means extends from a top face of the element in a direction towards a bottom face of the element, such that an end of the anchoring means is aligned with the bottom face of the element or such that the anchoring means does not reach the bottom face of the element.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the anchoring means includes at least one part mounted in at least one cavity of said element located at the place that is to be decorated.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a section of said at least one cavity is smaller than a section of said at least one opening in the mask.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one cavity is a through cavity.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a section of said at least one cavity is not uniform.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a section of said at least one cavity is smaller on the top face of said element than on the bottom face thereof.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said element is placed on closing means so that at least one hollow in the closing means communicates with said at least one cavity in the element.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises step f) between steps d) and e), step f) comprising: removing a surplus filling material of the filling material so as to align a top surface of the decorations with a top surface of said mask.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein different surfaces of the decorations do not have the same surface state.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the element is a timepiece dial.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the element is a timepiece bezel.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Winkler Yves
• Bourban Stewes
• Grossenbacher Pascal

Classifications

• B22D19/00

  Casting in, on, or around objects which form part of the product (B22D23/04 takes precedence; alumino-thermic welding B23K23/00; coating by casting molten material on the substrate C23C6/00) · CPC title

• B21J1/006 Primary

  Amorphous metal · CPC title

• G04D3/0048

  for dials (construction thereof G04B19/10, G04B19/12) · CPC title

• G04B37/22

  Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases {(machines or tools for the manufacture of clockwork cases G04D3/0064, G04D3/0097, G04D3/029; decoration or tools therefor G04B45/0076)} · CPC title

• B05D1/32 Primary

  using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists · CPC title