Patents by Inventor Simon Springer

Simon Springer 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: 11921371
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a reflective or transflective liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends beneath the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined to each other with a sealing frame which defines a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on their opposite faces with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being modified by application of an electric field at the point of intersection between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel Sagardoyburu, Simon Springer
  • Publication number: 20230418228
    Abstract: A timepiece hand and method for manufacturing same, including: obtaining a single-piece part, the part extending along a longitudinal axis; rotating the single-piece part; emitting a first modulation of the laser light; exposing a first portion of the single-piece part to the first modulation of the laser light to form a first volume with a circular cross-section with a length L1 and with a mean diameter D1, the ratio L 1 D 1 being less than or equal to 20 or 10; emitting a second modulation of the laser light; and exposing a second portion of the single-piece part to the second modulation of the laser light, to form a second volume with a circular cross-section with a length L2 and with a mean diameter D2, the ratio L 2 D 2 being less than or equal to 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Ahmad ODEH, Simon Springer, Gérard Rossier, Gilles Vuilleumier
  • Patent number: 11809038
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a reflective or transflective liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends under the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined together with a sealing frame which delimits a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on the opposite faces thereof with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being changed by applying an electric field at the crossing point between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel Sagardoyburu, Simon Springer
  • Publication number: 20230189946
    Abstract: A method for depositing a coating on a substrate (100), including a step of depositing a thin intermetallic layer (110) on the substrate (100), so as to obtain, at the end of this step, an external part (10) having a predetermined final colour.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: OMEGA SA
    Inventors: Loïc Curchod, Simon Springer, Stéphane Lauper, Ahmad Odeh, Marion Gstalter, Loïc Oberson, Gregory Kissling
  • Publication number: 20230193454
    Abstract: A method for depositing a coating on a substrate (100), including successively depositing a thin intermetallic layer (110) on the substrate (100), so as to obtain an external part (10), and annealing the external part (10) in a dedicated enclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: OMEGA SA
    Inventors: Loïc CURCHOD, Simon SPRINGER, Stephane LAUPER, Ahmad ODEH, Marion GSTALTER, Loïc OBERSON, Gregory KISSLING
  • Patent number: 11625005
    Abstract: A display mechanism of a watch including at least one indicator member and a drive member assembly. The indicator member is mounted to rotate about a first axis of rotation and is configured to indicate a time. The indicator member also has a second axis of rotation extending along the indicator member and a rotary element mounted to rotate about the second axis of rotation. The drive assembly includes a first drive member and a second drive member such that the first drive member drives the rotary element when it is moving about the first axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Cedric Nicolas, Simon Springer, Ahmad Odeh, Michel Willemin
  • Publication number: 20220390900
    Abstract: Provided is a timepiece including, in addition to a crystal, the following external elements: a back (2), a middle part (1), a dial (3), and two bracelet strands (30), at least one of these external elements includes a body formed of a first portion made of a first opaque material and of a second portion made of a second partially transparent or translucent material. The first material being integral with the second material and the timepiece also includes at least one light source (10) producing light which passes through the second portion made of a partially transparent or translucent ceramic material comprising zirconia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel WILLEMIN, Loïc CURCHOD, Pierpasquale TORTORA, Simon SPRINGER, Cédric FAURE
  • Publication number: 20220390898
    Abstract: The invention relates to a timepiece including, in addition to a crystal (34), the following external elements: a back (2), a middle (1), a dial (3) and two bracelet strands (30), at least one of these external elements comprising at least one part made of an at least partially transparent or translucent ceramic material, the timepiece further including at least two point light sources (10) releasing heat, each light source (10) being capable of being separately switched on/off and being disposed in or directly beneath said at least one external element comprising the ceramic material, each light source (10) producing light that passes through the ceramic material of said external element, and wherein each light source (10) is configured to produce localised light on a point or quasi-point area (40) of the ceramic material of the external element concerned, so as to produce localised illumination on said external element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel WILLEMIN, Loïc CURCHOD, Pierpasquale TORTORA, Simon SPRINGER, Cédric FAURE
  • Publication number: 20220365486
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device (100) for displaying the moon for a timepiece on demand. The display device (100) comprises a first movable indicator member (110) and having a representation of the moon (111). This representation of the moon (111) is completely or partially occulted by an occulting element (121) that is located on a second movable indicator member (120) when the user so requests and in particular via a control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel WILLEMIN, Simon SPRINGER, Jean-Jacques BORN
  • Patent number: 11499242
    Abstract: A method for producing metal decorations on a curved dial made of insulating material includes forming, by a method of the LIGA-UV type, a mould made of photosensitive resin and of galvanically depositing a layer of at least one metal from the conductive layer in order to form a block substantially reaching the upper surface of the photosensitive resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Elias Laforge, Simon Springer
  • Patent number: 11467540
    Abstract: An external element made from a first material for a wearable object, the first material being an insulating ceramic, wherein a surface of the external element is at least partially treated to include at least one conversion with an electrical conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Loic Curchod, Simon Springer
  • Publication number: 20220267891
    Abstract: A method for depositing a rare material in a thin layer at the surface of an horological or jewellery external part includes providing a rough part of rare material, shaping the rough part of rare material so that it is adapted to be used as a target part for a PVD method, depositing material of the target part at the surface of a substrate consisting of an horological or jewellery eternal part by a PVD method so as to cover the external part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel WILLEMIN, Simon SPRINGER, Loïc CURCHOD
  • Publication number: 20220269393
    Abstract: A display device for displaying the weather on demand. The display device includes a first indicator member mobile and having a representation of the sun. This representation of the sun is totally or partially concealed by a concealing element that is located on a second mobile indicator member when the user requests it and in particular via a control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventor: Simon Springer
  • Publication number: 20220197085
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a reflective or transflective liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends under the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined together with a sealing frame which delimits a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on the opposite faces thereof with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being changed by applying an electric field at the crossing point between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel SAGARDOYBURU, Simon SPRINGER
  • Publication number: 20220197092
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a digital display device which includes an optically active medium disposed between at least one electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode, the optical properties of the optically active medium being modifiable by applying an electric current or voltage between the at least one electrode and the at least one corresponding counter-electrode, the digital display device including a transparent display surface through which at least one piece of information displayed by this digital display device is perceptible, the manufacturing method including the step of providing the transparent display surface of the digital display device with at least one first and one second decorative and/or functional pattern, the first pattern having a thickness different from that of the second pattern. A digital display device provided with at least one first and one second decorative and/or functional patterns whose thicknesses are not the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel SAGARDOYBURU, Simon SPRINGER
  • Publication number: 20220197084
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device including a reflective or transflective liquid crystal cell whose liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a planar or vertical manner, this liquid crystal cell being formed of a transparent front substrate located on the side of an observer, and a rear substrate, also transparent, which extends beneath the front substrate, parallel to and at a distance from the latter, these two front and rear substrates being joined to each other with a sealing frame which defines a sealed enclosure in which a liquid crystal composition is confined, the front and rear substrates being coated on their opposite faces with electrically conductive transparent electrodes and counter-electrodes, the optical properties of the liquid crystal composition being modified by application of an electric field at the point of intersection between an electrode and a corresponding counter-electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Michel SAGARDOYBURU, Simon SPRINGER
  • Publication number: 20220113679
    Abstract: A display device for a timepiece representing the lunar libration phenomenon thanks to at least one Moon disk, to at least one aperture and to at least one drive organ. The at least one Moon disk includes a set of Moon phase representations including at least three Moon phases with a first surface, a second surface and/or a delimitation configured to delimit this first surface and this second surface. The at least one aperture being configured to reveal this set of Moon phase representations and this at least one drive organ is configured to move this at least one Moon disk so as to represent the lunar libration phenomenon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Cédric BLATTER, Simon SPRINGER
  • Patent number: 11208715
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for decorating a timepiece component comprising: a) a step of preparation of the timepiece component optionally comprising a first step of depositing a first material on the timepiece component to form a first sub-layer, b) a second step of depositing a second material on the timepiece component obtained in step a) to form a second sub-layer, c) a colouring step comprising the deposition of a third coloured material on the timepiece component obtained in step b) to form a coloured external decorative layer, According to the invention, at least step b) and step c) are achieved by a physical vapour deposition method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Christian Manasterski, Cedric Faure, Simon Springer, Gerard Rossier
  • Patent number: 11144012
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Loic Curchod, Cedric Faure, Michel Willemin, Simon Springer
  • Publication number: 20210255588
    Abstract: A one-piece mechanical timepiece part formed by a gear for timepiece mechanisms, a wheel for timepiece mechanisms and/or a pinion for timepiece mechanisms, and its related method. The method for manufacturing the one-piece mechanical timepiece part by laser light includes the steps of providing a one-piece material part, oscillating and/or rotating the rotary element and forming the one-piece mechanical timepiece part by power and time modulation of the laser light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Applicant: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Simon SPRINGER, Ahmad ODEH