Patent Application
20190037981
The invention concerns a transport element for transporting stones with a round cut with table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet, such as precious stones, semi-precious stones and non-precious stones, comprising a holder in which the stones can be placed for transport. The invention also concerns a method for placing a stone in a specific embodiment of such a transport element.
Round cut here means a diamond cut or any other variants with table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet.
For setting a stone such as a precious stone, semi-precious stone or non-precious stone in a workpiece, such as jewellery or a watch, mechanical setting devices have been developed as described in BE 1 019 011 A3.
To transport the stones to be set to such a setting device or move them between two different modules of such a setting device, various solutions have already been designed, all of which however have disadvantages.
The precision and handling of both the stone and the workpiece is in fact very decisive for the final appearance of the stone in the workpiece.
Where stones are placed freely in a holder or freely in an accommodation space between a holder and a cover for transport, the orientation of the stones cannot be retained during transport. After transport, the orientation of the stones must be detected and the stones must if necessary be re-oriented in the desired direction for setting. In addition, it may be necessary to sort the stones after transport. Furthermore, there is a risk that the stones will damage each other during transport.
Where stones are placed in a holder with cavities for each stone, the stones can be damaged by tilting in this cavity, or the holder itself can quickly be damaged by the stones being placed therein.
To prevent such problems, Swarovski has developed a transport device wherein the stones are releasably affixed to an adhesive substrate in a known position. In the setting device, the stones are released from the substrate in the known position for setting. A great disadvantage of such a transport element is that, in particular with brilliant stones such as for example diamonds, the brilliance of the stone can be largely lost due to the adhesive which remains stuck to the stone after it has been affixed to the substrate.
The object of this invention is to provide a transport element for transporting stones with a round cut, wherein the stones do not lose their brilliance on transport and wherein the stones are not damaged during transport.
This object of the invention is achieved by providing a transport element for transporting stones with a round cut with a table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet, such as precious stones, semi-precious stones or non-precious stones, comprising a holder on which the stones can be placed for transport, wherein the holder has a top surface in which a pavilion recess is made for each stone for accommodating the culet and at least part of the pavilion of the corresponding stone, wherein this pavilion recess has at least one contact part which is formed tapering away from the top surface with a taper which deviates by maximum 10° from the corresponding taper of the pavilion, for supporting thereon a contact zone of the pavilion between the girdle and the culet so that the girdle remains outside the contact part, and wherein the pavilion recess is formed such that after being placed in the pavilion recess, said stone touches only and exclusively this contact part.
In such a transport element according to the invention, the stones are supported only at a contact zone which is located between the girdle and the culet. Because the contact part of the pavilion recess has for this a taper which deviates by maximum 10° from the taper of the pavilion of the stone to be transported, it is ensured that the stone cannot tilt. Because secondly it is ensured that the girdle remains outside the contact part, it is ensured that this stone is well supported but does not seize in the pavilion recess. In this way, the chance of damage to the stone during transport is greatly reduced.
The taper of the contact part in such a transport element is preferably greater than the taper of the pavilion.
When placing a stone in such a pavilion recess with a taper of the contact part which is greater than the taper of the pavilion, the contact part guides the stone to its desired position because the pavilion of the stone is guided by this contact part during the positioning movement.
In a particular embodiment of a transport element according to this invention, the transport element has a cover, as well as the holder, wherein the cover has a top surface in which a corresponding crown recess is made for each stone, for accommodating the table and at least part of the crown of the stone, wherein the crown recess has a smallest dimension at the level of the girdle which is smaller than the sum of the smallest diameter of the contact part and the diameter of the girdle, and which is greater than the greatest diameter of the contact part, wherein when the top surfaces of the cover and the holder are brought against each other, the pavilion recess and the crown recess for a said stone extend above each other and together form an accommodation space for the stone, and wherein the pavilion recess and the crown recess are formed such that said stone touches only and exclusively this contact part when it is placed in the accommodation space with its contact zone resting against the contact part.
By transporting the stones between a holder and a cover in accommodation spaces for accommodating the stones, it can be ensured that the stones are transported free from grease, dirt or adhesives. This is advantageous above all for stones of which the brilliance may be lost under the effect of such influences. This also makes it possible to move the stones mechanically between different processing devices of a setting device for setting these stones.
Said dimensions of the crown recess ensure that when the transport element suffers a shock on transport for example, whereby a stone jumps up slightly, the contact part can always guide the stone back to its desired position without the stone being damaged.
Each crown recess of the transport element according to this invention furthermore preferably has a depth which is smaller than the height of the corresponding stone, so that the height over which a stone can jump up when the transport element suffers a shock remains limited, in order to reduce the risk of damage to the stone even further.
Even more preferably, each crown recess has a depth which corresponds approximately to 0.47 times the diameter of the girdle less minimum 0.03 mm and maximum 0.07 mm. Thanks to this further restriction of depth of the crown recess, it can be ensured that the stone cannot possibly tilt in its accommodation space. The pallet can then be turned in all directions, wherein the stones sit loosely in the accommodation space but the position of the stone in the accommodation space remains almost the same (this effectively does not tilt at all relative to the accommodation space, but only with the tilting of the transport element). In this way, the possibilities for mechanically placing stones in such a transport element and mechanically removing the stones from the transport element are greatly increased. For example, a stone may be placed on its table in the crown recess following the method described here in this invention, after which the transport element is closed and inverted so that these stones come to lie with their contact zone on the contact part. Thanks to said margin, not only can said stone be placed in the corresponding accommodation space before transport, but the transport element can also be used to transport stones with slightly different dimensions in this accommodation space.
To simplify production of a transport element according to the invention, each crown recess is preferably formed largely cylindrical.
To simplify the production of such a transport element further and to be able to accommodate the stone in a self-centring fashion in the accommodation space, each accommodation space is preferably designed symmetrical relative to an axis which coincides approximately with the axis of the stone when the corresponding stone is placed on the contact part.
Further preferably, the contact part of each pavilion recess is designed conical at an angle which is more obtuse than the angle of the pavilion. Even more preferably, this angle of the contact part is then approximately 100°. This choice of angle makes a transport element according to the invention particularly suitable for transporting most stones with a round cut which are intended to be set into jewellery. By choosing this angle, for production the same drilling head may be used to make the contact part in pavilion recesses of transport elements according to this invention for several types of stones with different dimensions.
In a particular embodiment of a transport element according to the invention, the contact part of each pavilion recess borders the top surface of the holder. Allowing the contact part to border the top surface of the holder in this way simplifies not only production of such a transport element but also the gripping of the stones to remove these from the pavilion recess. A stone can then for example be lifted manually from the recess using pincers, or it can also be lifted more easily from the recess mechanically because it is easier to grip with tools.
Each pavilion recess of a transport element according to this invention further preferably also comprises a cylindrical part which connects to the contact part away from the top surface. Furthermore, each pavilion recess preferably has a base which is formed conical. The distance between the base of a pavilion recess and the contact part is further preferably greater than the distance between the contact part of the corresponding stone and the culet.
A specific embodiment of a transport element according to this invention is made largely of steel. Such a transport element is particularly suitable for transporting for example diamonds, since it is not easily damaged by the diamonds. For production, a transport element according to the invention can be made relatively easily out of steel. In addition, transport elements according to the invention may be made of other materials. For stones which are not made of diamond, for example a material may be chosen which allows cheaper production of the transport element.
A particularly preferred embodiment of a transport element according to this invention has locking means for locking the cover to the holder. In this way, it can be ensured that the transport element can only be opened intentionally. On tilting of the transport element for example, it can be ensured that this is not accidentally opened by incorrect manipulation. Even more preferably, it can be ensured that these locking means can only be operated with a suitable key, which for example is only made available to authorised persons. Alternatively or additionally, such a key may only be available on the various processing units of a setting device, for opening the transport element only when the stones need to be manipulated by the setting device.
More specifically, the holder may be provided with at least two locking pins, each of which is provided with a gripping groove on the periphery, wherein the cover is provided with two corresponding guide openings in which these locking pins can be placed, and with two corresponding locking elements which are placed at the guide openings and are moveable between a first position, in which these are intended to open the guide openings so the corresponding locking pins can move freely in and out of the guide openings, and a second position, in which they are intended to engage in the corresponding gripping grooves of the corresponding locking pins when these are placed in the guide openings, and wherein said locking pins, guide openings and locking elements form part of said locking means.
In such an embodiment, next to each guide opening, the cover preferably comprises a release opening with a diameter which is greater than the diameter of the guide opening, wherein a release pin with a corresponding diameter can be placed in each release opening, and wherein each locking element is configured as a spring element which is largely positioned around the corresponding guide opening and corresponding release opening, so that when a release pin is placed in the release opening, the spring element deflects and moves to its first position, and when the release pin is removed from the release opening, the spring element is brought into its second position under its spring force.
Said locking pins and release pins are preferably each provided with a conical top so that on insertion in the corresponding openings, these are guided in a self-centring fashion to the centre of the openings, so that on slight deviations of positioning of the pins relative to the openings, the transport element does not unnecessarily suffer a shock. The pins and the parts of the transport element are here placed relative to each other largely in a very guiding manner.
With the above-mentioned specific method according to the invention for placing a stone in a transport element according to this invention, the cover is positioned with the crown recesses upward, the stone is laid on its table in the crown recess, the holder with the pavilion recesses downward is placed onto the cover, and the transport element is inverted so that the holder is below the cover. If the transport element here comprises locking elements, before inversion of the transport element, first the cover is preferably locked to the holder.
The invention will now be explained with reference to the detailed description which follows of a preferred embodiment of a transport element according to this invention, and a method for placing a stone in such a transport element. The purpose of this description is to give exclusively illustrative examples and indicate further advantages and features of such a transport element and such a method, and it may not therefore be interpreted as a restriction of the area of application of the invention or of the protective rights claimed in the claims.
In this detailed description, by means of reference numerals, reference is made to the enclosed drawings in which:
The transport element (1) according to the invention shown comprises a holder (2) and a cover (3) which are suitable for transporting stones (4) with a round cut.
A stone (4) with a round cut is shown diagrammatically in
The holder (2) of the transport element (1) shown is, as depicted in
The stones (4) may for example, depending on their dimensions, be assigned to a specific place on the matrix on such a holder (2), wherein a specific stone (4) can then be found again at this particular site in order for example to be placed in a gap allocated to this in a workpiece.
The dimensions of such a transport element (1), the dimensions of the recesses (11, 16) and the number of recesses (11, 16) may furthermore be adapted depending on the stones (4) to be transported, according to usage and/or demand.
A pavilion recess (11) of the holder (2) is shown separately in
The pavilion recess (11) shown is provided for accommodating the culet (9) and part of the pavilion (8) of a stone (4), so that the girdle (7), the crown (6) and the table (5) of such a stone (4) remain outside the pavilion recess (11).
The conically formed contact part (12) is provided to offer a support zone for the pavilion (8) of the stone (4) between the girdle (7) and the culet (9) of the stone (4), as shown in
In the embodiment shown, the contact part (12) is selected so that the taper thereof is greater than the taper of the pavilion (8) of stones (4) which are intended to be transported therein. In this way, a stone (4) can be placed in a self-centring fashion in such a pavilion recess, wherein it is guided smoothly to its desired position by guidance of its pavilion (8) over this contact part (12). In such an embodiment, an additional cavity (13, 14) is provided on the contact part (12), in which the culet (9) of the stone (4) can be freely suspended so that the stone (4) rests against the contact part (12) only with said contact zone between the girdle (7) and the culet (9).
In an alternative embodiment of a transport element (1) according to this invention, it may be decided to make the taper of the contact part (12) smaller than the taper of the pavilion (8) of stones (4) which are intended to be transported therein. In such an alternative embodiment, it is not always necessary to provide an additional cavity on the contact part, since the contact part (12) may itself be designed such that the culet (9) is freely suspended therein. However here too, preferably, an additional cavity is provided on the contact part (12) so that on tilting of the stone (4) in the pavilion recess (11), the culet (9) cannot hit the edges of the contact part (12).
The embodiments described above comprise conically formed contact parts (12) which are preferably produced by boring. In alternative embodiments, the contact part (12) need not necessarily be formed conical but may for example also be curved.
The contact parts (12) also need not necessarily be designed to make contact with the full periphery of the stones (4), or to offer support for a stone (4) over its entire periphery.
In the embodiment shown, the greatest diameter (Da) of the contact part (12) is selected as the diameter (Dr) of the girdle (7) of the smallest stone (4) from the group of stones (4) to be transported with such a transport element (1), less 0.1 mm. The largest stones (4) transported therewith then preferably have a diameter Dr which is 0.3 mm smaller than the greatest diameter Da of the contact part (12), so that part of the pavilion (8) always extends with a certain height (Hd) above the contact part (12) (see
The diameter (Dp) of the cylindrical part (13) of the pavilion recess (11) (this is also the smallest diameter of the contact part (12)) is selected in the embodiment shown as the greatest diameter (Da) of the contact part (12) less 0.3 mm. The height (Hp) over which the cylindrical part (13) extends relative to the upper surface (10) is preferably at least 0.4 times the diameter (Dr) of the smallest stone (4) of the group of stones (4) to be transported therein.
In the embodiment shown, the conically shaped base (14) is also formed by boring the cylindrical part (13) and for this has a top angle (αb) which is 120°.
In the embodiment shown, the transport element (1) is intended to be made of steel. The various parts (12, 13, 14) of the pavilion recess (11) may be produced by boring and connect to each other at angles. Depending on the production method and material from which a transport element (1) according to the invention is made, the edges at which the parts (12, 13, 14) meet each other may also for example be rounded.
A crown recess (16) of the cover (3) of the transport element depicted is shown separately in
The diameter (Dk) of the crown recess (16) is preferably smaller than the sum of the smallest diameter (Dp) of the contact part (12) and the diameter (Dr) of the girdle (7), and greater than the greatest diameter (Da) of the contact part (12). The diameter (Dk) of the crown recess (16) of the embodiment shown is selected such that this is 0.1 mm smaller (see
The depth (Hk) of this crown recess (16) is preferably selected as approximately 0.47 times the diameter (Dr) of the girdle (7) of the smallest stone (4) of the group of stones (4) to be transported with the transport element (1), less a minimum of 0.03 mm and maximum 0.07 mm.
Depending on the production method, the edges surrounding the cylindrical cavity (16) of the crown recess (16) may for example also be rounded or chamfered. In the embodiment shown, the transport element (1) is intended to be made of steel and these edges are formed angular.
For the embodiment shown of a transport element (1) according to the invention, the table below shows preferred dimensions for transporting stones (4) with dimensions within selected margins of dimensions. Such preferred dimensions may also be estimated for other ranges of stones (4) to be transported.
When the top surfaces (10, 15) of the cover (3) and the holder (2) are brought together, the respective pavilion recesses (11) and crown recesses (16) extend above each other as shown in
In practice, after bringing the top surfaces (10, 15) onto each other, a small clearance (Hm) is present between the holder (2) and the cover (3). The preferred dimensions above take into account this clearance (Hm).
Said accommodation space (11, 16) is formed such that a stone (4) placed therein for transport touches only and exclusively the contact part (12) in its normal transport position, wherein its contact zone rests against the contact part (12).
This accommodation space (11, 16) in the embodiment shown is formed symmetrically relative to its axis (A). After a stone (4) has been placed in the accommodation space (11, 16), the axis (B) of this stone coincides with the axis (A) of this accommodation space (11, 16) as shown in
In the embodiment shown of a transport element (1) according to this invention, this accommodation space (11, 16) extends partly into the holder (2) and partly into the cover (3). The contact part (21) always extends into the holder (2). In alternative embodiments, a larger or smaller part of the crown recess (16) may extend into the holder (2), or the accommodation space (11, 16) may extend completely into the holder (2). This may hinder the insertion of a stone (4) into the accommodation space (11, 16) and the removal of a stone (4) from this accommodation space (11, 16).
A stone (4) may be placed largely in two different ways in an embodiment of a transport element (1) according to this invention with holder (2) and cover (3).
According to a first method, the holder (2) is positioned with the pavilion recesses (11) upward and the stone (4) with its culet (9) downward is placed in a pavilion recess (11). The stone (4) is automatically brought into its desired position in the pavilion recess (11) under gravity, by a guidance of its pavilion (11) over the contact part (12). The cover (3) with its crown recesses (16) downward is then placed on the holder (2) so that the stone (4) extends into an accommodation space (11, 16) formed by this pavilion recess (11) and the corresponding crown recess (16) in the cover (3). The method is preferred above all if a stone (4) is placed manually (with hand tools, such as for example pincers) in a transport element (2) according to this invention.
According to a second method, the cover (3) is positioned with the crown recesses (16) upward and the stone (4) with its table (5) downward is placed in a crown recess (16). The holder (2) with its pavilion recesses (11) is then brought from below against the cover (3). If the stone (4) is not sitting centrally in the crown recess (16), by application of the holder (2) against the cover (3), by the contact part (12) a corresponding pavilion recess (11) of the holder (2) is guided to the centre of this crown recess (16). When the holder (2) is placed on the cover (3), the stone (4) sits in the accommodation space (11, 16) formed by this crown recess (16) and pavilion recess (11).
Also when placing several stones (4) in such a transport element (1), first all stones (4) are placed in the corresponding openings (11, 16) of the holder (2) or cover (3) respectively before the cover (3) or holder (2) is then brought onto the holder (2) or cover (3) respectively.
The dimensions and form of the accommodation spaces (11, 16) of the transport element (1) shown are selected such that after placing one or more stones (4) in the transport element (1), the transport element (1) can be transported in all possible directions and even tilted. Preferably, a transport element (1) is provided with locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) as in the embodiment depicted, so that the holder (2) and the cover (3) can be locked together to prevent accidental opening.
In the embodiment shown, the cover (3) is provided with two depressions (25) (see
Two openings (19, 21) are drilled inside the periphery of each said spring (20). The holder (2) is provided with a locking pin (17) and a release opening (23) corresponding to each depression (25) in the cover (3). The locking pins (17) may for example be made of iron (and its alloys). Each locking pin (17) is placed at a position corresponding to a first of the two said openings (19, 21), namely the guide opening (19). This locking pin (17) has a diameter corresponding to this guide opening (19). Each release opening (23) is placed at a position corresponding to the second of the two said openings (19, 21), namely the release opening (21). The guide opening (19) of the cover (3) has a smaller diameter than the release opening (23). When the transport element (1) is opened, the spring (20) extends above the access openings to both the guide opening (19) and the release opening (23). When the holder (2) is brought above the cover (3) (or vice versa), the locking pins (17) engage in the guide openings (19) and thus guide the movement of bringing the holder (2) and the cover (3) together. The locking pins (17) have a conical end so they can be mounted self-centring in these guide openings (19). Thus the pavilion recesses (11) in the holder (2) and the corresponding crown recesses (16) in the cover (3) come to lie in the desired position relative to each other. At a distance from their end (17), the locking pins (17) are provided with a gripping groove (18). When the holder (2) is brought against the cover (3), each spring (20) is first initially pressed outward by the corresponding locking pin (17), whereupon under its spring force it engages in this gripping groove (18). Because each spring (20) engages in a corresponding gripping groove (18), the cover (3) can no longer easily be separated from the holder (2). To be able to remove the cover (3), release pins (22) with a diameter corresponding to the release openings (21, 23) may be placed in the various release openings (21, 23) and push out the respective springs (20). Since the release pins (22) have a larger diameter than the locking pins (17), the springs (20) are pressed open such that the locking pins (17) can be removed from the guide openings (19) without further hindrance.
Said release pins (22) may form part of a hand tool or form part of a key (26) which is operated mechanically (for example in a setting device).
Such locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) described preferably comprise at least two said guide pins (17) for controlling the movement of bringing together the holder (2) and the cover (3) as smoothly as possible without shocks.
For embodiments without such locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22), preferably similar pins (17) with a conical top (but not necessarily with such a gripping groove (18)) may be provided on the holder (2) and/or the cover (3), and corresponding guide openings (19) in respectively the cover (3) and/or the holder (2), to ensure that when the holder (2) and cover (3) are brought together, the pavilion recesses (11) and corresponding crown recesses (16) come to lie in the desired position relative to each other.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2016/050430 | 1/28/2016 | WO | 00 |
