EP3042583B1 - Crimping system for an item of jewellery or watch comprising a hinge - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a crimping system for a timepiece or jewelery in which a gemstone is mounted to give a visual effect of vibration of the stone. The present invention also relates to a watch face and a timepiece or jewelery including such a crimping system.

State of the art

The crimping systems allow to mount one or more precious stones to a support. When the stone is fixedly mounted on the support, it is difficult to see the light reflected through the different facets of the stone since the movements of the stone are very small. Such an arrangement is therefore not optimal when looking for a certain animation effect. For this reason, crimping systems include spring elements or optical means to produce an animation effect.

In the patent US6433483 , a jewelery item has diamonds being illuminated with an illumination source. A controller controls the illumination source so as to vary the intensity of the light emitted by the source, thus making it possible to better highlight the optical effects of the diamond. However, it is often undesirable to use electronic devices in timepieces or high-end jewelry.

The document EP2510824 discloses a jewelery article comprising a precious stone fixed in a kitten mounted on a pivotal element made of plastic or elastomer. Although the whole kitten stone can move, its movement on the pivot element does not give a visual effect of vibration of the stone.

The utility model RU100367U describes a jewelery item comprising a gemstone set in a washer-shaped kitten, this set of stone-kitten is bonded to a base of the article by a cylindrical spring. The vibration of the stone mounted on the spring causes a refraction effect of the light. Fixing the ends of the spring to the kitten and the base is however complicated and delicate. In the case of small springs, which are required in the case of small stones, they may be excessively deformed when the stone moves from its original position, thereby disturbing the vibration movement of the stone and therefore the aesthetics of the room. In addition, the dimensioning of the spring so as to obtain the desired visual effect makes it fragile and the spring can also be irreversibly deformed by shocks.

The patent application WO2012 / 115458 discloses a jewelery article comprising a ring-shaped carrier having a hollow sector in which a kitten is mounted by means of a spiral or conical spring. The ends of the spring are fixed in grooves in the support and in the kitten respectively, and the kitten is oscillated under the effect of external excitations on the support. According to one embodiment, a pin is mounted through the upper part of the kitten, each end of the pin being housed in the support in a plane parallel to the plane of the spring (the spring being attached to a lower part of the kitten) . The pin is used to prevent the separation of the kitten and the support in case of major shocks. According to this document, with this construction, the lower part of the kitten can only vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the pin in the plane of the spring, and the upper part of the kitten remains effectively secured to the support.

Although such an article is less susceptible to accidental separation of the kitten and / or deformation of the spring following a major shock, the oscillations of the kitten are much too limited by the pin that dampens them permanently. This denies accordingly the desired visual effect of the article, or the vibration or movement of the stone. In addition, even after mounting a stone in the kitten, the spring and the pin remain completely visible to the wearer of the article, which undermines enormously the aesthetics of the jewelry item.

The document JP2010046218 describes a gemstone mounted in a crimping support and connected to a base via a helical compression spring. One end of the spring is attached to the crimping support and the other a rod integral with the base. The stone can oscillate and show a natural shine.

The document CN201403636 describes a support with eight branches, each branch carrying a kitten including a stone. Each branch is formed of a hollow tube inside which is a wire attached to the kitten.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a crimping system for a timepiece or jewelery free of limitations of the prior art known.

Another object of the invention is to obtain a crimping system having a much easier and reliable assembly of the stone in comparison with known systems, and being better adapted to the use of small stones.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved in particular by means of a crimping system comprising: a crimping support; a gemstone mounted in or on the crimping support; an elastic member fixed to the crimping support so as to connect flexibly the crimping support to said article; the crimping system further comprising a proximal member attached to the crimping support and extending distally from the crimping support; a distal member attached to the article and extending proximally from the article; the proximal member and the distal member cooperating in an articulated manner with respect to the elastic member so that the crimping support can oscillate about the axis of symmetry; the elastic member comprising a helical spring and at least a portion of the proximal member and the distal member is housed in the coil spring, the distal end of the proximal member and the proximal end of the coil member; distal element being in mechanical contact.

Particular and variant embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

The present invention also relates to a watch or jewelery article comprising said crimping system.

Brief description of the figures

• la figure 1 montre une vue en coupe d'un système de sertissage pour un article d'horlogerie ou de joaillerie, selon un mode de réalisation; et
• la figure 2 montre une vue en perspective du système de sertissage de la figure 1.

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which:

• the figure 1 shows a sectional view of a crimping system for a timepiece or jewelery, according to one embodiment; and
• the figure 2 shows a perspective view of the crimping system of the figure 1 .

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

A crimping system 1 for a timepiece 6 or jewelery is illustrated in FIGS. figures 1 and 2 according to one embodiment. The crimping system 1 comprises a crimping support 3, or kitten, in which is mounted a gemstone 2, such as a diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald. It will be understood here that the expression "a gemstone" means at least one gemstone 2, the support 3 being able to support a plurality of precious stones 2. The expression "gemstone" can also include any type of stone, such as fine stones. An elastic element 5 fixed to the crimping support 3 flexibly connects the crimping support 3 to the article 6. The elastic element 5 extends axially between the crimping support 3 and the article 6.

The crimping system 1 comprises a proximal element 13 fixed to the crimping support 3 and extending distally from the crimping support 3. A distal element 17 is attached to the article 6 and extends proximally from the article 6 The proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 cooperate in an articulated manner with respect to the aid of the elastic element 5 so that the crimping support 3 can oscillate with respect to an axis of symmetry 15 substantially parallel (or even in this embodiment) to the proximal elements 13 and distal 17 when the crimping system 1 does not vibrate.

In this arrangement, the stone 2 can oscillate or vibrate on the elastic member 5 following a movement of the article 6 (that is, so that the crimping support, and thus the stone, can oscillate or vibrate on the elastic element 5 following a movement of the article 6). For example, during a shock or a sudden movement of the timepiece or jewelry item 6 comprising the crimping system 1, the distal element 17 remains fixed, while the elastic element 5 and the proximal element 13 flex under the effect of the acceleration of the mass of the stone 2 and the crimping support 3. The stiffness of the elastic element 5, the mass of the stone 2 and the crimping support 3, and the intensity of the shock are the main factors defining the amplitude of the vibrations (or oscillations) of the stone 2. The oscillation of the stone 2 is in a radial movement with respect to an axis of symmetry 15 and an axial movement by compared to this same axis 15.

In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1 , the elastic member 5 comprises a coil spring 50 (hereinafter helical spring). The helical spring 50 is of cylindrical section. The proximal member 13 is inserted through one end of the coil spring 50 in the shape of a tube, and the distal member 17 is inserted through the other end of the coil spring 50. Thus, at least one portion of the proximal element 13 and the distal member 17 is housed in the coil spring 50.

The proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 can be entirely housed in the coil spring 50.

The proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 are more rigid than the coil spring 50. In other words, the proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 have a stiffness K ₂ greater than the stiffness K ₁ of the coil spring 50 Therefore, when the crimping system 1 is vibrated, the helical spring 50 allows the crimping support 3 and the stone 2 to oscillate about the axis of symmetry 15, the proximal 13 and distal 17 elements providing the mechanical holding of crimping support 3 and attachment to article 6, respectively.

The proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 can be housed in the coil spring 50 so that the distal end 32 of the proximal element 13 mechanically contacts the proximal end 33 of the distal element 17, as illustrated in the figure 1 .

The distal end 32 of the proximal element 13 as well as the proximal end 33 of the distal element 17 may comprise a convex articular surface 34, for example having a substantially hemispherical shape, so as to facilitate the pivoting of the element proximal 13 with respect to the distal member 17.

Since the crimping system 1 is intended for a timepiece 6 or jewelery, it must be arranged in order to create a animation, for example on a watch dial, based on a vibration of the stone. In other words, the crimping system 1 must be configured so that the vibration of the stone is visible. The vibration must also be durable in time and in its environment of use. On the other hand, so as to accommodate the crimping system 1, for example, between the dial and the ice of the watch, on a bezel, a jewel, its size must be minimal and the dimensions of the crimping system 1 must be reduced.

The vibration of the stone 2, in an axial and / or radial movement with respect to the axis of symmetry 15, will be visible in the case where the oscillation frequency thereof is adapted to the retinal persistence. This oscillation frequency is preferably between 1 Hz and 30 Hz.

The elastic element 5 preferably has a stiffness between 1.2x10 ^-5 N / m and 1.4x10 ⁺¹ N / m and the combined mass of the crimping support 3 and the gemstone 2 is preferably between 3x10 ^-4 g and 4x10 ^-1 g. The crimping support 3 can thus oscillate in axial and / or radial movement with respect to an axis of symmetry 15, following a movement of the article 6, with an oscillation frequency of between 1 Hz and 30 Hz. a preferred embodiment, the combined mass M of the crimping support 3 and the gemstone 2 is between 1x10 ^-3 g and 1x10 ^-1 g, and the stiffness K of the elastic element 5 is between 3.9x10 ^-5 N / m and 3.6 N / m. In a still more preferred manner the combined mass M of the crimping support 3 and the gemstone 2 is between 1x10 ^-2 g and 5x10 ^-2 g, and the stiffness K of the elastic element 5 is between 3.9x10 ^-4 N / m and 1.8 N / m. According to another preferred embodiment, in which the crimping support 3 can oscillate according to an axial and / or radial movement, following a movement of the article 6, with an oscillation frequency of between 10 Hz and 20 Hz relative to the axis of symmetry 15, the combined mass M of the crimping support 3 and the gemstone 2 is between 1x10 ^-2 g and 5x10 ^-2 g, and the stiffness K of the elastic element 5 is included between 3.9x10 ^-2 N / m and 7.9x10 ^-1 N / m.

In a variant, the proximal element 13 and the distal element 17 are housed in the coil spring 50 so that the distal end 32 of the proximal element 13 is distant from the proximal end 33 of the element In such an arrangement, a portion of the coil spring 50 between the proximal 13 and distal 17 elements may be flexed with respect to the axis of symmetry 15 more easily and with greater amplitude than when the proximal 13 and distal elements 17 are in contact. In fact, the further apart the distal 32 and proximal 33 ends, the more easily the helical spring 50 can be flexed with respect to the axis of symmetry 15 and with greater amplitude.

On the other hand, the helical spring 50 may comprise contiguous or non-contiguous turns.

Reference numbers used in the figures

1

crimping system

10

coil

13

proximal element

14

pin

15

axis of symmetry

17

distal element

2

precious stone

3

crimping support

5

elastic element

50

coil spring

6

clock or jewelery article

32

distal end of the proximal ankle

33

proximal end of the distal ankle

34

articular surface

Claims (9)

1. Setting system (1) for a watchmaking or jewellery item (6) comprising:

   a setting support (3);

   a precious stone (2) mounted in or on the setting support (3);

   an elastic element (5) fixed to the setting support (3) in such a way as to link the setting support (3) to said item (6) in a flexible manner;

   the setting system (1) comprising furthermore a proximal element (13) fixed to the setting support (3) and extending distally from the setting support (3), in a substantially parallel manner to an axis of symmetry (15) when the setting system (1) does not oscillate; and a distal element (17) fixed to the article (6) and extending in a proximal manner from the article (6);

   the proximal element (13) and the distal element (17) cooperating in an articulated manner one in relation to the other with the help of the elastic element (5) so that the setting support (3) can oscillate in relation to the axis of symmetry (15);

   the elastic element (5) comprising an involute helicoidal spring (50);

   characterised in that at least one part of the proximal element (13) and of the distal element (17) is housed in the helicoidal spring (50) and in that

   the distal extremity (32) of the proximal element (13) and the proximal extremity of the distal element (17) are in mechanical contact.
2. The setting system (1) according to claim 1,
   in which the proximal element (13) and the distal element (17) are entirely housed in the helicoidal spring (50).
3. The setting system (1) according to the claim 1 or 2,
   in which at least one of the distal extremities (32) and of the proximal extremities (33) comprises a convex articular surface (34), for example substantially hemispheric, to allow the proximal element (13) to pivot in relation to the distal element (17).
4. The setting system (1) according to claims 1 to 3,
   in which the spring (50) comprises contiguous turns (10).
5. The setting system (1) according to claims 1 to 4,
   in which the elastic element (5) has a stiffness between 1.2x10^-5 N/m and 1.4x10⁺¹ N/m and the combined mass of the setting support (3) and of the precious stone (2) is between 3x10^-4 g and 4x10^-1 g, so that the setting support (3) can oscillate at an oscillation frequency between 1 Hz and 30 Hz.
6. The setting system (1) according to claims 1 to 4,
   in which the elastic element (5) has a stiffness between 3.9x10^-5 N/m and 3.6 N/m and the combined mass of the setting support (3) and the precious stone (2) is between 1x10^-3 g and 1x10^-1 g; or
   in which the elastic element (5) has a stiffness between 3.9x10^-4 N/m and 1.8 N/m; and the combined mass of the setting support (3) and the precious stone (2) is between 1x10^-2 g and 5x10^-2 g.
7. The setting system (1) according to one of the claims 1 to 4,
   in which the setting support (3) oscillates in an axial and/or radial movement in relation to an axis of symmetry (15) at an oscillation frequency between 10 Hz and 20 Hz; and
   in which the elastic element (5) has a stiffness between 3.9x10^-2 N/m and 7.9x10^-1 N/m; and the combined mass of the setting support (3) and of the precious stone (2) is between 1x10^-2 g and 5x10^-2 g.
8. Dial of a watchmaking piece comprising the setting system (1) characterised by one of the claims 1 à 7.
9. Watchmaking or jewellery item (6) comprising the setting system (1) characterised by one of the claims 1 to 7.

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