Decorative mobile elements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a decorative assembly (1) comprising a holding system (2) and at least one mobile object (10) which is held in its position by the holding system (2) and is free to tilt (1) depending on the orientation of the decorative assembly under the effect of gravity, the mobile object comprising a decorative surface (11) and a support (12) which is held by the holding system (2).

Description

DECORATIVE MOVABLE ELEMENTS technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly of movable elements comprising at least one decorative surface, in particular a refractive surface, so as to produce an aesthetic effect linked to the movement of such movable elements. The present invention further relates to an aesthetic object, in particular a wearable object such as a timepiece or a piece of jewelry, comprising such movable elements. State of the art

[0002] Aesthetic animations are often developed in the field of watchmaking. These are generally animations linked to a drive mechanism. However, there is potential to develop alternative animations, which appear, in particular, to be free from any mechanical drive. Brief summary of the invention

[0003] One aim of the present invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing animation independent of any mechanical drive. Another aim of the present invention is to offer a variety of animations, in particular those that can be customized.

[0004] According to the invention, these goals are achieved in particular by means of the decorative assembly which is the subject of the main claim and described in more detail in the dependent claims.

[0005] This solution has the particular advantage over previous art of producing dynamic, innovative aesthetic effects, free from all mechanical training. It has the advantage of allowing animation according to the orientation of the aesthetic object. Brief description of the figures

[0006] Examples of implementation of the invention are shown in the description illustrated by the following figures: • Figures 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D: Examples of decorative ensembles according to this description, integrated into a watch. • Figure 2: Top view of a moving object according to an example of the present invention. • Figure 3: Profile view of a moving object according to an example of the present invention. • Figure 4A, 4B: Top and side view of a support system according to an example of the present invention. • Figure 5: Top view of a decorative set without the corresponding movable objects, according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. • Figure 6: Cross-sectional view of a decorative set with corresponding movable objects, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7: Cross-sectional details of a decorative assembly according to an example of the present invention. Example(s) of an embodiment of the invention

[0007] The decorative assembly 1 according to the present invention comprises a surface, preferably a flat surface, on which at least one movable object 10 is arranged. Preferably, the decorative assembly 1 includes several movable objects 10. These objects may be placed side by side, so as to cover the surface of the decorative assembly or a portion thereof. Alternatively, they may remain separate and dispersed across the surface of the decorative assembly 1. The position of a movable object 10 on this surface is preferably fixed. In other words, a movable object 10 as described herein cannot be moved in translation on the surface of the decorative assembly 1. The orientation of the movable object(s) 10 relative to the surface of the decorative assembly 1 is, however, variable. The orientation of a movable object 10 refers, in this case, to its inclination. The orientation of the movable object(s) 10 may depend, for example, on the force of gravity.The movable object(s) 10 can then pivot according to the inclination of the decorative assembly 1 relative to the horizontal.

[0008] With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a movable object according to the present invention comprises a decorative surface 11, which is visible to the user. The decorative surface 11 can take several different forms, such as a specific geometric shape. Several decorative surfaces 11, or all the decorative surfaces, of a decorative object 1, can be identical in shape. A decorative surface 11 can, for example, represent a hexagon, an octagon, a pentagon, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or any other polygon deemed useful. Figures 1A and 1B show decorative arrangements where the decorative surfaces 11 are identical. Figure 1C shows different decorative surfaces 11, although of complementary shapes. Figure 1D shows an arrangement of decorative surfaces 11 placed end to end. Other arrangements are possible.

[0009] The decorative surface 11 may display a color, pattern, relief, texture, or several of these aspects. According to a particular embodiment The preferred decorative surface is transparent. Its angle allows for modification of light refraction. The decorative surface can also be diffractive.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, the decorative surface 11 changes color depending on its orientation. The effect of the rotation therefore produces a colorful animation visible to an observer, particularly the user. The decorative surface can be metallic, whether the metal is pure or in the form of an alloy. For example, the decorative surface 11 can be made of, or contain, platinum, stainless steel, or other metals such as silver or gold.

[0011] Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a movable object comprising, in addition to the decorative surface 11, a support 12 for holding the movable object 10 in position while allowing it to be tilted. The support 12 may include a support shaft 120. One end of the support shaft 120 is connected to the decorative surface 11. The other end of the support shaft may include a shaft foot 121 with a diameter greater than that of the support shaft 120. The shaft foot 121 may, for example, be in the form of a sphere or any other shape with a width greater than that of the support shaft 120.

[0012] The mobile object 10 is held in its position by means of its support 12 and a holding system 2 cooperating with its support 12.

[0013] In one embodiment, the support system 2 comprises at least one grid, for example, a first grid 20 with gaps through which the support shaft 120 can be inserted. The decorative surface 11 and the shaft base 121 are thus arranged on either side of the grid, which acts as the support system. The clearance between the support shaft 120 and the grid that supports it is sufficient to allow the decorative object 10 to be tilted over a required angle range. This clearance includes lateral play. It also includes the gap between the height of the support shaft and the thickness of the grid.

[0014] In one embodiment, the first grid 20 may have several teeth, which can be designated as first teeth 21. The teeth of the first grid are preferably parallel to each other and spaced so as to produce gaps, which can be designated as first gaps 22. The first teeth are held together at the periphery of the grid. In one embodiment, they are held together at one end and free at the other. In this way, movable objects 10 can be inserted between the teeth 21 from the edge of the corresponding grid 20 and align themselves in the gaps 22.

[0015] In one embodiment, the retaining system 2 comprises a second grid 30 (Fig. 4B). The second grid 30 can be superimposed on the first grid 20, at least partially. The second grid 30 has second teeth 31 spaced apart by second gaps 32. The second teeth can be linked to each other via the periphery of the second grid 30. In one embodiment, the second teeth 31 remain free at one of their ends.

[0016] The second grid 30 can be placed on or under the first grid 20 so as to cross the first teeth 21 and the second teeth 22. The teeth of the first 20 and the second 30 grid can be arranged orthogonally to each other, but angles other than 90° can be considered, such as 80°, 70°, 60° or intermediate angles of these values.

[0017] The movable objects 10 can thus be held by both the first 20 and the second 30 grid, at a determined location on the surface of the decorative set.

[0018] The width of the first 20 and / or the second 30 teeth is adapted for example to that of the decorative surface 11 of the movable objects 10. In this way the spacing between these decorative surfaces is determined.

[0019] The width of the first 21 and / or the second 31 gaps can be determined based on the width of the support axis 120. The gap width can be, for example, 5% to 30% greater than that of the support axis 120, or an intermediate value such as 10%, 15%, or 20%. In addition to lateral play, this arrangement allows the moving objects to be tilted within a required angle range. The gap width of the first grid can be the same as, or different from, that of the gaps in the second grid. Consequently, the tilt angle of the moving objects can vary depending on the direction of inclination.

[0020] The thickness of the grids is also determined according to the length of the support axis 120, taken between the decorative surface 11 and the base of the axis 121. The length H12 of the support axis 120 (fig.3) can be greater than the thickness H20 of the first grid by a value of 5% to 30% or by an intermediate value such as 10%, 15% or 20%. Thus, when the movable objects 10 are held by the first grid 20, they can rotate about an axis orthogonal to the surface of the decorative assembly 1. When the second grid 30 is superimposed on the first grid 20, its height H30 is taken into account in addition to the height H20 of the first grid 20. For example, the length H12 of the support axis 120 is greater than the combined thickness of the first grid H20 and the second grid H30 by a value of 5% to 30%, or an intermediate value such as 10%, 15%, or 20%. The tilting of the movable objects 10 is therefore still permitted while maintaining their position.

[0021] Figures 6 and 7 show another example of a decorative assembly 1 comprising decorative objects 10 and a support system 2. In this case, the support 12 for the decorative objects 10 can be in the form of an open sphere 130 that can be clipped onto a pivot 200 acting as the support system 2. The pivot can have a spherical head complementary to the open sphere 130 to allow the movable object to pivot. In this particular case, the movable objects 10 can pivot in all directions around an axis orthogonal to the surface of the decorative assembly 1. The pivot 200 can have a foot 210, onto which the edges of the open sphere, acting as a support, can rest. The stop depends on the degree of inclination of the moving objects 10. The foot of the pivot 210 can also have a flared shape so as to produce a stop with a shape complementary to that of the rim of the open sphere 130. Such an arrangement makes it possible to determine the angle range within which the moving objects can be inclined. The pivots 200 can be integrated into a surface 3 underlying the moving objects 10.

[0022] In one embodiment, the movable objects 10 have a linear shape. They may, for example, be in the form of strips. In this case, the corresponding support 12 also has a linear shape so as to hold the movable object 10 along its entire length. The linear support may advantageously have a doubly concave profile, the central part being narrower than the lower edge opposite the decorative surface. In this way, the lower bulge can hold the support within the gap of a grid.

[0023] A movable object 10 can thus be represented in cross-section by Figure 3. The support axis then takes the form of a rail that can be inserted into the first gaps 22 of the first grid 20, or into the second gaps 32 of the second grid 30. In this case, only one of the first 20 and second 30 grids is used. The ratios between the height of the rail and the thickness of the grid are such as those shown above between the length of the support axis 120 and the thicknesses of the grids.

[0024] According to another embodiment, the rail acting as a support axis is discontinuous, so that it can be inserted into the gaps of the first grid 20 and accommodate the teeth of a second grid 30, oriented transversely to the teeth of the first grid 20. In this case, the teeth of the second grid 30 can be inserted into the discontinuities of the rails.

[0025] Alternatively, the support system 2 can be derived from that described above with the pivots and represented in cross-section by figure 7. In this case, the pivots 200 initially described are in the form of rails and the open spheres 130 take the form of open cylinders. The open cylinders clip onto the corresponding rail. Their edges can butt against the base of the rail, thus determining the maximum angle of inclination of the movable objects 10. The rail may have a swollen profile on its upper edge to allow the corresponding open cylinder to be attached. When the movable objects 10 take such a linear form, their inclination is only possible in one direction. In other words, they have fewer degrees of freedom than when mounted on a support axis or pivot.

[0026] Figure 5 shows an example of an embodiment comprising parallel 220 rails, on which the support for the mobile objects 10 can be arranged.

[0027] The various embodiments described above are not intended to be mutually exclusive. They can, in fact, be combined. For example, a support axis 120 as described here may have an open sphere 130 at its lower end instead of the support foot 121. The open sphere can thus be connected to a pivot 200, in addition to the fact that one or more of the first 20 and second 30 grids can be inserted around the pivot axis 120. The moving objects are thus fixed in translation within the gaps of the grids by means of the open sphere.

[0028] According to other arrangements, the movable objects 10 may include a decorative surface of linear shape and have several aligned supports each comprising a support axis 120 and an axis foot 121 as described above.

[0029] The maximum angle of inclination of the movable objects 10 can be defined as 45°, 30°, 20°, or an intermediate value. The angle of inclination can thus range from 0°, when the movable object is aligned with an axis perpendicular to the surface of the decorative assembly, to 45° when inclined at its maximum value. Inclination can be made possible in a single direction, particularly in the case of a sliding strip, or in several directions. particularly in the case where the support system is a pivot or one or more grids.

[0030] The decorative element can be integrated into a timepiece, for example on the dial. Alternatively, it can be incorporated into a fashion accessory or piece of jewelry. Reference numbers used in the figures 1 Decorative Set 2. Support System 10 Moving object 11 Decorative surface 12 Support 20 First grid 21 First teeth 22 First interstices 30 Second grid 31 Seconds teeth 32 Second interstices 120 Support axis 121 Axle foot 130 Open Spheres 200 Pivots 210 Pivot Foot 220 Rails 3 Underlying surface H12 Support shaft length H2O Thickness of the first grid H30 Thickness of the second grid

Claims

Demands 1. Decorative assembly (1) comprising a support system (2) and at least one movable object (10) disposed in the decorative assembly in a determined position, said at least one movable object (10) being held in its determined position by said support system (2) and free to tilt (1) according to the orientation of the decorative assembly under the effect of gravity.

2. Decorative assembly according to claim 1, said at least one movable object (10) comprising a decorative surface (11) and a support (12), said support (12) being held by said holding system (2).

3. Assembly according to one of claims 1 and 2, the at least one moving object being refractive.

4. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, said at least one movable object (10) being polygonal in shape or in the form of strips.

5. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, said retaining system comprising at least a first grid (20) provided with first teeth (21) spaced by first gaps (22) or pivots (130) or rails.

6. Decorative assembly according to claim 5, said support (12) comprising a support shaft (120) and a shaft foot (121) and said retaining system comprising at least a first grid (20) having a first thickness (H20) and comprising several first teeth (21) defining first gaps (22), said first teeth (21) being inserted between the shaft foot (121) and the decorative surface (11).

7. Decorative assembly according to claim 6, said retaining system (2) comprising a second grid (30), having a second thickness (H30), and comprising several second teeth (31) defining second gaps (32), said at least one second grid (30) being superimposed on said grid (2). minus a first grid (20) so that the second teeth (31) are intersecting the first teeth (21).

8. Assembly according to claim 7, said support axis (120) having an axis height (H12) greater than the thickness (H20) of the first grid if the support consists of a first grid, the thickness (H30) of the second grid if the support consists of the second grid or the sum of the first (H20) and second (H30) thicknesses.

9. Together according to any one of claims 5 to 8, said support (12) comprising an open sphere (130) and said retaining system (2) comprising a pivot (210) surmounted by a bulge adapted to fit into said open sphere.

10. Assembly according to any one of claims 5 to 8, said support comprising an open cylinder, said retaining system taking the form of profiled rails to cooperate with the open cylinder.

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