Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Displays or display device details
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-30
2001-05-01
Miska, Vit (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Displays or display device details
C063S031000, C351S051000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226232
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to articles adorned with movable decorative elements, these articles including purely decorative jewelry items such as rings or pendants, as well as utilitarian objects adorned with movable decorative elements, in particular watches, spectacle frames, or luxury leather goods.
The invention in particular relates to an article, notably a piece of jewelry, comprising a housing defined between two walls whose inner faces are parallel to one another. At least one of these walls, which is externally visible, is transparent. This housing encloses at least one movable decorative element having an axis of revolution and two guide surfaces respectively adjacent to said inner walls and arranged to allow said movable decorative element to move freely in translation and in rotation about said axis of revolution inside the housing.
A watch of this type has already been described in Swiss patent CH-G-609 517. The movable decorative elements, in particular diamonds, are mounted in supports in the form of small cylindrical collets having a convex external bottom face. This convex shape is chosen such as to reduce the frictional forces, thereby increasing the mobility of the support and hence of the movable decorative element.
This type of decorative element has been very successful for watches, as well as for other items of jewelry such as rings and pendants, and for spectacles.
The convex shape of the bottom of the movable decorative element's support produces an effect on the movements imparted to the support, for example as a result of inclining the rigorously flat parallel surfaces between which this support is guided so it moves with a translational movement. Due to the convexity of the external face of the bottom of the support cooperating with the flat surfaces of the housing's walls, it has been found that the translational movement of the support is in effect associated with a degree of rotation of the support about itself.
This rotational movement has a most interesting decorative effect. Whereas the random translational movement confers a definite eye appeal, rotation of the movable decorative element about itself produces—in particular with diamonds—an extremely pronounced glittering effect because it enhances the glittering produced by the diamond's multiple facets.
The principal object of the present invention is to substantially increase the glittering effect of for example diamonds as movable decorative elements, by increasing the rotation of these movable decorative elements about themselves.
To achieve this, the present invention concerns an article of the above-mentioned type, notably a jewelry article, characterized by the fact that said internal faces of said housing are dished with a curvature along at least one radius of curvature.
In a totally unexpected and surprising manner, it has been observed that slightly dishing the inner faces of the housing between which the movable decorative element is guided leads to a spectacular increase in the speed of rotation of these movable decorative elements about themselves.
It can of course be explained why the convex-bottomed small collets of the decorative elements turn when they move in translation. To allow for movement, a given play must be allowed between the guide surface of the movable decorative elements and the parallel walls of the housing. As the convex bottom of the collet carrying the movable decorative element remains in contact with the adjacent convex face of the housing, it touches this face only at its centre. On the opposite side, its guide surface cooperating with the housing's upper face consists of the annular edge of the collet carrying the movable decorative element, so that only a portion of its periphery is in contact with the housing's adjacent wall. As a result, the points of contact of the two guide surfaces are out of alignment with the collet's axis of revolution. Consequently, when the housing's surface is inclined to impart movement of the movable decorative element, a torque is produced about this axis of revolution.
Nevertheless, it is most surprising to observe that only a slight dishing of the surfaces of the housing containing the decorative elements leads to such a great increase in the rotational effect of these elements.
Another advantage of this invention is that it enables a reduction in the overall height of the article of jewelry, in particular by enabling the thickness of the glass to be reduced, as well as a possible reduction in the collet's height.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4187697 (1980-02-01), Castelo
patent: 5119350 (1992-06-01), Delacretaz
patent: 5751667 (1998-05-01), Nunes
patent: 609517 (1979-03-01), None
patent: 680893 (1992-12-01), None
patent: 308243 (1989-03-01), None
patent: 2181939 (1987-05-01), None
patent: 2225458 (1990-05-01), None
Browning Clifford W.
Chopard International S.A.
Miska Vit
Woodard Emhardt Naughton Moriarty & McNett
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