Patents by Inventor Pierry Vuille

Pierry Vuille 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).

  • Publication number: 20240099433
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, including depositing an inner layer on all or part of the surface of an inner face of a substrate made of a transparent material, localised ablation of the inner layer, so as to conserve a part of the inner layer on a first portion of the inner face f the substrate, the ablation being performed so as to form at least one pocket opening onto a second portion of the inner face of the substrate and so as to structure the second portion of the inner fa of the substrate, treating the surface of the inner layer and of the second portion of the inner face of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry VUILLE, Jan LINTYMER, Benoit GIRY, Gabriel RITTINER
  • Publication number: 20240091882
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, wherein the external component includes depositing an opaque base layer on all or part of the surface of an inner face of a substrate made of a transparent material, localised ablation of the base layer by laser machining, so as to form at least one pocket the bottom of which has a diffraction grating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry VUILLE, Benoit GIRY, Gabriel RITTINER, Bastien COMBOTTE
  • Publication number: 20240074553
    Abstract: An aspect of the invention relates to a process for manufacturing a horological or jewellery external part element, including a body made of hard material, inlaid with a decoration made of a second material, where in a first step the body made of the hard material is formed, during this first step or in a second step, a hollow is produced in a face of the body, in a third step, the surface condition of the bottom and/or walls of said hollow is modified to increase the contact area thereof, in a fourth step, this hollow is filled with the second material is a composite material including at least one bio-sourced charged polymer including at least one bio-sourced charged polymer chosen for the wear resistance thereof, to constitute an insert forming a said decoration, in a fifth step, a surface finishing of said insert is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry VUILLE, Nicolas OIAN
  • Patent number: 11914331
    Abstract: A method is for manufacturing a part including a support made of an electrically non-conductive material, the support being provided with at least one recess filled with an aesthetic element made of an electrically conductive material, and the aesthetic element forms a decoration on a side of the part that is intended to be visible. The method includes inlaying by pressing a preform intended to form the aesthetic element into the at least one recess of the support, and treating the surface of the aesthetic element. The at least one recess opens in one or more places onto a side of the part that is intended to be non-visible, to respectively form one or more contact points for carrying current across the aesthetic element during the surface treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Johan Romand, Damien Le Boudouil, Nicolas Aubry, Pierry Vuille, Alexandre Netuschill
  • Patent number: 11894215
    Abstract: A method for structuring a decorative or technical pattern in the thickness of an object made of an at least partially transparent amorphous, semi-crystalline or crystalline material, wherein the object is made of an at least partially transparent material including a top surface and a bottom surface which extends away from the top surface. The top or bottom surfaces is provided with a mask defining an opening whose outline corresponds to the profile of the pattern to be structured, the mask covering the top or bottom surface at the positions which are not to be structured. The pattern is structured with a mono- or multicharged ion beam through the opening of the mask, wherein the mechanical properties of the mask are sufficient to prevent the ions of the ion beam from etching the top or bottom surface at the positions where this top or bottom surface is covered by the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Comadur S.A.
    Inventors: Alexis Boulmay, Pierry Vuille, Julien Meier, Pierpasquale Tortora
  • Patent number: 11803158
    Abstract: A closing/opening system for a case of a timepiece is defined particularly in first and second parts of the case. The system includes a device for producing a mechanical connection, particularly a bayonet connection between these first and second parts and a device for creating a friction torque between these first and second parts. The device for creating a friction torque includes tightening faces to cooperate with one another when closing/opening the case and which are defined in the first and second parts. The system further includes a tightening element in one of these two tightening faces. The tightening element generates a constant friction torque during a course of travel of one of the two parts relative to the other when closing/opening the case of the timepiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Pierry Vuille, Enzo Agustoni, Joel Allimann, Francois Erdemli
  • Publication number: 20230288879
    Abstract: An ornamental part, for example for a timepiece, jewellery or telephone, in particular a watch case middle, and its manufacturing method, the part at least partly including a hard material having a Vickers hardness greater than 1000 HV, the method including the following main steps: a step of producing a precursor from a mixture of at least one powder material with a binder, a step of injecting the precursor into a mould in order to form a green body, a step of sintering the green body in order to form a body of the future part from the hard material, and a step of depositing a polymer material coating on one face of the part, the deposition being carried out by moulding on the body, in particular by injection into a mould, the coating and the hard material being inseparable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry VUILLE, Denis BUBENDORF, Paulo AREDE, Johan ROMAND
  • Publication number: 20230264396
    Abstract: A method is for manufacturing an ornamental part, for example a watch, jewellery or telephone part, in particular a watch crown. The part includes, at least partially, a hard material with a Vickers hardness exceeding 1,000 HV. The method includes the following main steps: producing a precursor from a mixture of at least one powder material with a binder, producing an insert made of a polymer material, the insert having, at least partially, a negative shape of that desired for at least one portion of the part, overmoulding the precursor onto the insert made of a polymer material by injection into a mould to form a green body, and sintering the green body to form a body of the future part from the hard material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Paulo AREDE, Damien CARTIER, Alexandre BRUTILLOT, Pierry VUILLE
  • Publication number: 20230251605
    Abstract: An external part component (10) of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, including a substrate (11) made of a transparent material, the substrate (11) including an upper face (110) opposite to a lower face (111), the external part component (10) including a base layer (12) deposited over a first portion (1101) of the upper face (110) and at least one secondary layer (13) deposited over the base layer (12) and over a second portion (1102) of the upper face (110), the first and second portions (1101, 1102) of the upper face (110) having different surface conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Jan LINTYMER, Benoit GIRY, Gabriel RITTINER, Pierry VUILLE
  • Publication number: 20230133632
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a sapphire single-crystal, including melting alumina and/or sapphire in a crucible, and bringing the molten alumina and/or sapphire in contact with a monocrystalline sapphire seed to make the molten alumina and/or sapphire crystallise progressively according to a growth direction to form the sapphire single-crystal. The monocrystalline sapphire seed has a rhombohedral crystallographic structure defining three crystallographic axes [A], [C] and [M] perpendicular to each other and respectively perpendicular to the crystallographic planes. The monocrystalline sapphire seed is a plate delimited by two planar faces which extend parallel to and at a distance from each other, is obtained from an initial sapphire single-crystal which is cut so that one of the crystallographic axes of the monocrystalline sapphire plate forms with a normal to the planar faces of the monocrystalline sapphire plate an angle whose value is comprised between 5 and 85°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Didier COCHET-MUCHY, Naser BERISHA, Pierry VUILLE
  • Patent number: 11599066
    Abstract: A watch includes a control member capable of managing a primary function of the watch, such as a rotating crown or a push-piece, as well as a magnetic ball that can be manually pivoted by the user about the centre thereof. A 3D magnetic sensor is arranged in the watch to detect the orientation of the magnetic field emitted by the magnetic ball, in addition to a processor for converting an electric signal generated by the magnetic sensor into an instruction for managing one or more other electronic functions of the watch. The magnetic ball is partially arranged inside the control member such that it is accessible to a user. The watch can further comprise a proximity sensor for detecting the axial position of the control member relative to the middle of the watch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Pierry Vuille, Simon Bourquin, Yvan Ferri
  • Publication number: 20230002882
    Abstract: A method for treating a jewel of the monocrystalline or polycrystalline type (20), in particular for the watchmaking industry, the jewel (20) including a body (23) defining the shape thereof. The method includes a step of ion implantation on the surface (24) of at least a part of the body (23) to modify the roughness of the surface (24).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry VUILLE, Alexis BOULMAY
  • Patent number: 11537082
    Abstract: A watch includes a control member, for example a crown or a head of a push-piece, which is mounted in a resilient manner on the outer end of an elongated element projecting outside the middle, such that a user can tilt in a self-reverting manner the control member in two dimensions orthogonal and perpendicular to the central axis of the elongated element. At least one proximity sensor is incorporated into the middle of the watch, in a location allowing this proximity sensor to produce an electric signal that represents the tilting of the control member about an axis that is perpendicular to the central axis. A processor generates at least one instruction on the basis of the electric signal provided by at least one proximity sensor, for example to allow the user to browse a menu or a calendar displayed on a digital screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Yvan Ferri, François Gueissaz, Simon Bourquin, Pierry Vuille
  • Publication number: 20220355373
    Abstract: A support frame for a sintering step of a method for producing a part, in particular for watchmaking, from a green body having an initial shape, the body shrinking from the initial shape to a final shape during the sintering step, the support frame having at least one face for supporting the body during the sintering step, wherein the geometry of the supporting face is in relief and configured to support the body from its initial shape into its final shape, so that it retains its shape and proportions in line with a shrinkage coefficient related to the sintering operation. The disclosure further relates to a sintering method using this support frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Denis BUBENDORF, Pierry VUILLE, Damien CARTIER, Paulo AREDE
  • Publication number: 20220325404
    Abstract: A method for colouring a part to be treated made of metal, this method including the step of implanting mono- or multi-charged ions in a surface layer of the part to be treated by directing towards this part to be treated a mono- or multi-charged ion beam produced by a source of mono- or multi-charged ions, the part to be treated changing colour under the effect of this ion implantation. A coloured metal can be obtained with the above method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Pierry Vuille, Julien Meier, Alexis Boulmay
  • Publication number: 20220266359
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a cutting tool (10) with lubrication orifices of complex shapes, including the steps of: producing a polymer insert (20), overmoulding a body of the cutting tool (10) with the polymer insert (20) by injecting into a mould, removing the polymer insert (20), so as to form in the body of the cutting tool (10) lubrication orifices, the shape whereof is complementary with that of a part of the insert (20), machining the body of the cutting tool (10) on an active part thereof, and depositing an abrasive coating on a surface of the active part of the body of the cutting tool (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Denis Bubendorf, Pierry Vuille, Eric Thionnet, Paulo Arede
  • Publication number: 20220236693
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a stone for a timepiece from a mineral body of a monocrystalline type, the stone including a hole, includes ablating the body by scanning at least one face of the body with ultra-short pulse laser radiation from a laser for a duration less than one hundred picoseconds, and guiding a beam of the laser radiation using a precession system of at least three axes configured to at least partially cancel a conical focusing angle of the laser. The ablating includes digging of a cone of entrance to the hole. A mineral stone of monocrystalline type for a timepiece includes a face provided with a hole formed in a body of the stone, and a functional element at an entrance to the hole. The functional element has a shape of a cone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Bruno BESUTTI, Sébastien RETROUVEY, Pierry VUILLE
  • Publication number: 20220192326
    Abstract: A part (21), in particular a wristlet, including at least two sets (1) of elements (3, 5, 7), in particular links, assembled together. The securing between the elements (3, 5, 7) within a set and between sets is implemented via a gluing (15) rather than by a screwing. Also, a related method of manufacturing the part (21).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Paulo AREDE, Pierry VUILLE, Johan ROMAND, Maxime DOLE
  • Publication number: 20220154327
    Abstract: A method for protecting a watch magnet against corrosion, wherein a magnet is provided, and that a surface preparation operation is carried out on the magnet, before subjecting it to an ion implantation treatment, in order to create an impervious surface layer acting as a barrier against oxidation with all of the surface bonds saturated by the implanted ions, in order to prevent the corrosion of the magnet in a humid environment, under the usual conditions for wearing watches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: Comadur SA
    Inventors: Alexandra AMHERD-HIDALGO, Alexis BOULMAY, Pierry VUILLE
  • Publication number: 20220155729
    Abstract: A method for depositing a decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of a surface of a finished or semi-finished article made of a non-conductive ceramic material, this deposition method includes the following operations: subjecting the at least a portion of the surface of the article to a carburising or nitriding treatment during which carbon, respectively nitrogen atoms, diffuse in the at least a portion of the surface of the article, then depositing, by galvanic growth of a metallic material, the decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of the surface of the article which has undergone the carburising or nitriding treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Loïc CURCHOD, Pierry VUILLE