Zirconia covering element with selective coloring
AssigneeThe Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
InventorsLoic Curchod, Cedric Faure, Michel Willemin, Simon Springer
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a covering element for a portable object made of a first material, the first material being a ceramic material having a first color, characterized in that the surface of said covering element is at least partially treated so as to exhibit at least one conversion having a different color from the first color.
Claims15
A process for treating a covering element for a portable object, the covering element comprising zirconia, said process comprising:
- making available the covering element and placing the covering element in a hermetically sealed chamber (E) comprising an atmosphere that is atomically loaded with a chemical element:
- selectively carburizing or nitriding the covering element by activating and locally heating, via a first focused heat source (S), the surface of the covering element such that the atoms from the atmosphere of the chamber combine locally with a portion of the zirconia surface to form a pattern of zirconium carbide or of zirconium nitride.
A process for treating a covering element for a portable Object made of zirconia, said process comprising:
- making available the covering element;
- locally depositing a metal layer on the surface of said covering element;
- placing said covering element in a hermetically sealed chamber (E) comprising an atmosphere that is atomically loaded with a chemical element and selective carburizing or nitriding the covering element by activating and locally heating the surface of the covering element such that the atoms from the atmosphere of the chamber combine with the surface of a first material not covered with the metal deposit, to form a pattern of zirconium carbide or of zirconium nitride.
A process for treating a covering element for a portable object comprising zirconia, said process comprising:
- making available the covering element;
- treating said covering element by placing the covering element in a hermetically sealed chamber comprising an atmosphere that is atomically loaded with a chemical element and selectively carburizing or nitriding the covering element by activating and locally heating the surface thereof such that the atoms from the atmosphere of the chamber combine with the surface of the first material,
- wherein the process further comprises, prior or subsequent to the treating of said covering element, structuring the covering element, making it possible to create a relief on the surface thereof and to reveal the color of the zirconia contrasting with a carburized or nitrided surface color, in order to form a pattern of zirconium carbide or of zirconium nitride.
A process for treating a covering element for a portable Object comprising zirconia, said process comprising:
- making available the covering element;
- locally depositing ink or enamel pigments on the surface of the covering element;
- and
- placing the covering element in a hermetically sealed chamber comprising an atmosphere that is loaded with carbon or nitrogen atoms, and selectively carburizing or nitriding the covering element by activating and locally heating the surface thereof, so as to form a pattern of zirconium carbide or of zirconium nitride around an ink or enamel pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.