Patents by Inventor Christian POFFET

Christian POFFET has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9694524
    Abstract: A method for making and decorating top and bottom surfaces of a transparent timepiece component, the method including: depositing a first decoration on a male pattern; moving the male pattern, covered or not covered by a preform, into an injection chamber and injecting a transparent material therein to coat the male pattern to obtain a compound including the top face with the first decoration, on the bottom face; polymerizing the first compound in the injection chamber and then removing therefrom; depositing another material and/or second decoration in a cavity and held by gravity, and deposited on the top surface via a relative motion in the direction of gravity, to obtain a second compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter
  • Patent number: 9533438
    Abstract: Method for forming a transparent timepiece component including top and bottom surfaces: a transparent polymerizable material is chosen; there is applied to a plate a flexible female mold including a capillary network and having a contact surface which is the negative of the bottom surface, bordered by an edge; a cavity is delimited by the sealed juxtaposition of the edge with a plate having a contact surface which is the negative of the top surface; the material is injected through the capillary network to fill the cavity; the material is polymerized to obtain a rigid component; the component is removed from the plates by the deformation of this flexible mold. Hardness is improved by the UV exposition of this component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter, Xavier Tinguely
  • Patent number: 9321226
    Abstract: A method for mechanical and/or optical functionalization of a transparent timepiece component, including: forming a body of methyl polymethacrylate, including a bottom surface and a mechanical and/or optically functionalized intermediate surface; coating the body with a layer made by injecting a second transparent polymerizable material into a cavity between a mold and the body or an intermediate body delimited by a complementary intermediate surface of a contact surface of a preceding mold, the last mold being the negative of the top surface of the component; polymerizing the second material therein; removing the component from the flexible mold by deformation of the mold. Hardness can be improved by UV irradiation of a component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter
  • Patent number: 9004749
    Abstract: The oscillating weight for a self-winding watch mechanism is made by molding a plastic material charged with heavy metal particles. Moreover, the plastic material is also charged with fibers, wherein said fibers form between 1.5% and 7% of the total weight of the charged plastic material, and the density of the charged plastic material is greater than 8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Eta sa Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Xavier Tinguely, Andrés Cabezas Jurin
  • Publication number: 20140319741
    Abstract: Method for forming a transparent timepiece component including top and bottom surfaces: a transparent polymerisable material is chosen; there is applied to a plate a flexible female mould including a capillary network and having a contact surface which is the negative of the bottom surface, bordered by an edge; a cavity is delimited by the sealed juxtaposition of the edge with a plate having a contact surface which is the negative of the top surface; the material is injected through the capillary network to fill the cavity; the material is polymerised to obtain a rigid component; the component is removed from the plates by the deformation of this flexible mould. Hardness is improved by the UV exposition of this component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGERE SUISSE
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter, Xavier Tinguely
  • Publication number: 20140246806
    Abstract: A method for making and decorating top and bottom surfaces of a transparent timepiece component, the method including: depositing a first decoration on a male pattern; moving the male pattern, covered or not covered by a preform, into an injection chamber and injecting a transparent material therein to coat the male pattern to obtain a compound including the top face with the first decoration, on the bottom face; polymerizing the first compound in the injection chamber and then removing therefrom; depositing another material and/or second decoration in a cavity and held by gravity, and deposited on the top surface via a relative motion in the direction of gravity, to obtain a second compound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGERE SUISSE
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter
  • Publication number: 20140242273
    Abstract: A method for mechanical and/or optical functionalization of a transparent timepiece component, including: forming a body of methyl polymethacrylate, including a bottom surface and a mechanical and/or optically functionalized intermediate surface; coating the body with a layer made by injecting a second transparent polymerizable material into a cavity between a mold and the body or an intermediate body delimited by a complementary intermediate surface of a contact surface of a preceding mold, the last mold being the negative of the top surface of the component; polymerizing the second material therein; removing the component from the flexible mold by deformation of the mold. Hardness can be improved by UV irradiation of a component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Poffet, Philipp Gaechter
  • Publication number: 20120195173
    Abstract: The oscillating weight for a self-winding watch mechanism is made by moulding a plastic material charged with heavy metal particles. Moreover, the plastic material is also charged with fibres, wherein said fibres form between 1.5% and 7% of the total weight of the charged plastic material, and the density of the charged plastic material is greater than 8.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventors: Christian POFFET, Xavier TINGUELY, Andrés CABEZAS JURIN