Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – With measuring – testing – or inspecting – Positioning of a mold part to form a cavity or controlling...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-15
2001-09-11
Vargot, Mathieu D. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
With measuring, testing, or inspecting
Positioning of a mold part to form a cavity or controlling...
C264S320000, C264S325000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287492
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
Activity or craft formation of lithophane-type pictorial works or objects by compressing pliant translucent material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditional lithophane pictorial works, often in the form of panels that can be hung in windows or in front of a light source, have been made of porcelain. Such a porcelain lithophane work is thin, translucent and has varying thickness such that, when viewed from the front while light passes through the work from the rear, a picture of extreme beauty and delicacy is provided. More particularly, the different thicknesses provide different shades of lightness and darkness. The thicker an area the darker that area will appear. The thinner an area the lighter that area will appear. The variation can go from very dark to very light. Changes can be sudden and dramatic or very gradual and subtle. Each such work has a contoured recessed front picture-providing surface that provides the varying thickness and thus the picture for that work.
To provide a porcelain lithophane work, initially a soft pattern is hand sculpted or carved by a craftsman/artist working with molding material such as wax. The wax is back-lighted so that the progress of the picture can be observed as the contour of the recessed front surface of the wax pattern is sculpted.
Then the wax pattern is used to create a plaster mold with a cavity with a contoured convex surface that is the reverse of the sculpted recessed front surface of the pattern. The plaster mold in turn is used to mold reproductions of the pattern, with each reproduction having the desired contoured recessed front surface. Initially an opaque slick or flowable slurry of porcelain-forming material is introduced into the plaster mold. The slurry must remain in the mold for a prolonged drying period, during which moisture from the slurry passes into the plaster mold. Finally the dried reproduction is removed from the mold and fired or baked in a high temperature oven to produce the final translucent picture-providing porcelain lithophane work. The resulting porcelain lithophane work is beautiful and valuable. However, it's creation is costly, time consuming and requires great skill.
It would be highly desirable to be able to create lithophane-type pictorial works or objects in a simple, quick and inexpensive manner.
It would be especially desirable to be able to control and limit the creating apparatus and process so that it can be used by those of low skill level and/or dexterity, such as young children. In this regard, the more that can be done by the children, without any or with very limited supervision, the more rewarding and exciting it will be for the children.
Similarly, because of children's short attention spans, it is highly desirable that they can see the results of their efforts just as quickly as possible and without extended delays as would be required to dry and/or fire the objects to complete them.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
FIGS. 1 and 2
are schematic representations of a prior art lithophane panel of porcelain. The porcelain which is translucent is formed at its front surface so as to present a viewable picture when light is shown through the panel. The panel front surface is formed with gradients of depth or thickness so that when light is shown through, the thinner portions appear lighter and the thicker portions appear darker.
FIG. 2
is a cross section of a portion of the lithophane panel representing the variations in thickness at the front surface S that faces the observer. Light passes through the translucent panel from the opposite rear surface R.
As also noted above, the lithophane process is expensive and time consuming and requires substantial skill.
The illustrated apparatus and method provide a simple, inexpensive and quick way to produce lithophane-type pictorial works by compressing formable translucent material in a manner so simple and undemanding that it can be done by a small child. The result is immediately observable by the user. No drying or firing is required to achieve the finished work.
One presently preferred embodiment of the apparatus comprises a wall having a three dimensional contoured forming surface that is a reverse image of a the contoured recessed front surface of a desired finished thin lithophane-type pictorial object or work. When pliant translucent material is compressed against the forming surface, that material is made into the desired work in the form of a thin panel having, at the interface with the forming surface, the desired contoured recessed front surface. The picture of the work may be viewed immediately from the front of the work as light is passed through the translucent work from the rear. In this regard, the forming surface and its wall may be transparent so that the picture can be seen as soon as the material is compressed and without having to separate the forming surface from the material. Alternatively, if the forming surface and its wall are not transparent, they may simply be separated from the finished work so that the work can then be viewed.
One particular form of the apparatus may include a stamp having a three-dimensional contoured stamping, compressing or forming surface that is a reverse image of the contour of the recessed front surface of the desired finished lithophane-type pictorial object or work. The stamp may be used to compress a pliant translucent material that is positioned on a base or support that has generally flat ancillary surface, to form the material into the work without further activity or delay. The stamp may be hand held or may be mounted on a press or the like. The surfaces may be reversed, with the stamp having the flat ancillary surface and the base may have the forming surface.
The quality of the picture provided by the lithophane-type work or object is enhanced by maintaining the thickness of the completed work within predetermined limits. For this purpose, thickness limiting stops may be provided to control and limit the final thickness of the compressed completed work. The stops could be mounted on the stamp, on the base, or on the press. By way of example, the stops could be in the form of a plurality of projections extending outwardly from the stamp toward the base. To further assist in controlling the thickness of the completed work, the material may be provided to the user as, or the user may be provided means to create, individual material portions. Each portion has a volume that will result, after having been compressed by the stamping surface, in a completed work of approximately the size of the stamping surface and of a thickness somewhat greater than the maximum variation in thickness between the highest and lowest points of the stamping surface.
As also illustrated, the base may be a non-opaque wall of a light box so that the picture provided by the finished lithophane-type work can be seen by the user as soon as the work is formed. In this regard, the stamp may be transparent so that the lithophane picture can be seen right through it without having to even remove the stamp, or the stamp can simply be moved out of the way.
After they are completed, the finished lithophane-type works could be mounted or supported in various ways that allow light to pass through them to reveal their pictures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3709766 (1973-01-01), Brody
patent: 4414731 (1983-11-01), Reimer
patent: 5571598 (1996-11-01), Butler et al.
patent: 5925426 (1999-07-01), Galerneau
Goldfarb Adolph E.
Goldfarb Martin I.
Ashen & Lippman
Eddy & Martin Goldfarb and Accociates
Vargot Mathieu D.
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