WATCH GLASS WITH LUMINESCENT ELEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a watch glass comprising a cover glass, a support glass connected with the cover glass for forming a glass unit and a luminescent element introduced into the glass unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to a watch comprising such a watch glass.

Claims

1. A watch glass, comprising: a cover glass; a support glass connected with the cover glass for forming a glass unit; and a luminescent element introduced into the glass unit.

2. The watch glass according to claim 1, further comprising at least one recess in which the luminescent element is arranged, wherein the recess is formed in the cover glass and/or in the support glass.

3. The watch glass according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent element is arranged in the center of the glass unit, consisting of the support glass and the cover glass, in the direction of the thickness of the glass unit.

4. The watch glass according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent element is formed as a gemstone, and/or an indicator and/or a time marking element having luminescent characteristics.

5. The watch glass according to claim 2, wherein the recess is filled completely by the luminescent element.

6. The watch glass according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate layer by means of which the cover glass and the support glass are connected with each other is arranged between the cover glass and the support glass.

7. The watch glass according to claim 6, wherein the luminescent element is arranged in the intermediate layer.

8. The watch glass according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of luminescent elements are provided, wherein the plurality of luminescent elements are arranged in the glass unit in circumferential direction of the glass unit.

9. The watch glass according to claim 2, wherein the recess and/or the luminescent element are/is configured and/or arranged such that light may emit from at least 50% of the area of a bottom side of the support glass when the luminescent element is shining.

10. A watch, comprising a watch glass that comprises: a cover glass; a support glass connected with the cover glass for forming a glass unit; and a luminescent element introduced into the glass unit.

11. The watch according to claim 10, wherein the watch glass further comprises at least one recess in which the luminescent element is arranged, wherein the recess is formed in the cover glass and/or in the support glass.

12. The watch according to claim 10, wherein the luminescent element is arranged in the center of the glass unit, consisting of the support glass and the cover glass, in the direction of the thickness of the glass unit.

13. The watch according to claim 10, wherein the luminescent element is formed as a gemstone, and/or an indicator and/or a time marking element having luminescent characteristics.

14. The watch according to claim 11, wherein the recess is filled completely by the luminescent element.

15. The watch according to claim 10, wherein the watch glass further comprises an intermediate layer by means of which the cover glass and the support glass are connected with each other is arranged between the cover glass and the support glass.

16. The watch according to claim 15, wherein the luminescent element is arranged in the intermediate layer.

17. The watch according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of luminescent elements are provided, wherein the plurality of luminescent elements are arranged in the glass unit in circumferential direction of the glass unit.

18. The watch according to claim 11, wherein the recess and/or the luminescent element are/is configured and/or arranged such that light may emit from at least 50% of the area of a bottom side of the support glass when the luminescent element is shining.

19. The watch according to claim 13, wherein the gemstone is a diamond.

20. The watch glass according to claim 4, wherein the gemstone is a diamond.

Description

[0026] Further details, advantages and features of the present invention can be gathered from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing, in which identical, or rather functionally identical, parts are each denoted by the identical reference sign. In the drawing:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a watch comprising a watch glass according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of the watch glass of FIG. 1, and

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a watch glass according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Subsequently, a watch glass 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a watch 10 in form of a wristwatch having a housing 11 and a watch glass 1 according to the invention arranged in the housing 11. The housing 11 as well as the watch glass 1 are formed in circular shape, but may have any other shape such as, e.g., of a rectangle, a polygon etc. The watch 10 further comprises a dial 12 configured as a gold sheet, for example, as well as three hands 13 for indicating the hours, minutes and seconds and two connectors for a wristband 14. Furthermore, the watch 10 includes a clockwork 7 for operating the hands 13. Obviously, watches not having 3, but only 2 hands are also conceivable.

[0032] In addition, the watch glass 1 is provided with luminescent elements 5. Here, in particular, four luminescent elements 5 are arranged within the watch glass 1 with a constant radius in circumferential direction equally spaced to each other. However, the position as well as the number of the luminescent elements 5 may arbitrarily be selected depending on the watch design. Thus, for example, it is also possible to integrate either only one luminescent element or also two or twelve luminescent elements into the watch glass 1.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic view of a section A-A of the watch glass 1 of FIG. 1. The watch glass 1 comprises a support glass 2 and a cover glass 3. The support glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are preferably be made of different glass types. In particular, the support glass 2 is a mineral glass, and the cover glass 3 is a sapphire glass. Other glass types can also be used. Hence, for example, the support glass 2 can be formed of sapphire glass or a polymer product, e.g. perspex, and/or the cover glass 3 can be formed of mineral glass or perspex. Within the scope of the invention, it is possible to combine different or identical glass types.

[0034] Recesses 4 functioning to accommodate the luminescent elements 5 are formed in the support glass 2. In FIG. 2, two such recesses 4 are visible. Preferably, the recesses 4 are exclusively formed in the support glass 2.

[0035] It is preferred that in each recess 4 the corresponding luminescent element 5 is completely arranged. This means that the luminescent element 5 preferably fills up the related recess 4 completely.

[0036] Alternatively, it is possible that the recesses 4 are not completely, i.e. only partially, filled up by the luminescent elements 5. In particular, this is the case if fluorescent gemstones, especially preferred fluorescent diamonds, for example in brilliant cut, are used as the luminescent elements 5.

[0037] The cover glass 3 and the support glass 2 are particularly formed in circular shape and have the same diameter. The glasses 2, 3 differ in their thicknesses, wherein the cover glass 3 is preferably formed thinner. But it is also possible that the two glasses 2, 3 have the same thickness. Furthermore, an inner surface 20 of the support glass 2 and an inner surface 30 of the cover glass 3 are formed in a planar manner at the contact point of the two glasses 2, 3. According to an alternative configuration, however, the inner surfaces 20, 30 may also be equally and complementarily curved.

[0038] The cover glass 3 and the support glass 2 are connected with each other through a connecting intermediate layer 6 (connection layer). The intermediate layer 6 may particularly be formed as an adhesive film, a laminating film, an adhesive or any other connecting substance. The intermediate layer 6 is arranged between the cover glass 3 and the support glass 2. Thus a seamless air-tight joint results between the cover glass 3 and the support glass 2.

[0039] Advantageously, the luminescent elements 5 may store light (arrows 100), especially sunlight, in case of being illuminated and emit it (arrows 101) again in the dark.

[0040] For manufacturing the watch glass 1, at first, the cover glass 3, the support glass 2 and the luminescent elements 5 are provided. The recesses 4 for receiving the luminescent elements 5 are introduced into the support glass 2. Thereafter the luminescent elements 5 are inserted into the recesses 4.

[0041] The intermediate layer 6 is applied to the support glass 2. As already described, the intermediate layer 6 may be a self-crosslinking polymer film, a thin silicone layer, an UV-curing adhesive or any other connecting material. After applying the intermediate layer 6 the cover glass 3 is applied to the intermediate layer 6. In doing so, it is preferred that the intermediate layer 6 is heated under vacuum and under pressure from above and below simultaneously. In this way, the support glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are connected with each other such that the luminescent elements 5 are fixedly included between the two glasses 2, 3 and that the complete structure becomes a strong glass unit 8.

[0042] The second exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 basically differs from the first exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that no recesses are formed in the watch glass 1. Instead the luminescent elements 5 are preferably embedded in the intermediate layer 6. In particular, the luminescent elements 5 are located on the inner side 20 of the support glass 2.

[0043] The method for manufacturing the watch glass 1 according to the second exemplary embodiment corresponds to the method for manufacturing the watch glass 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment apart from the steps of introducing recesses into the support glass 2 and inserting the luminescent elements 5 into the recesses.

[0044] Here, after providing the support glass and the cover glass, the luminescent elements 5 are put onto the support glass 2. Then the intermediate layer 6 is applied to the support glass and the luminescent elements 5, respectively.

[0045] The further steps for connecting the support glass 2 with the cover glass 3 correspond to those of the first exemplary embodiment.

[0046] It should be noted that in the above described embodiments of the invention the watch glass 1 comprises two glasses (cover glass and support glass). It is, however, possible that the watch glass 1 comprises several glasses, wherein successively following glasses are connected with each other, especially by means of an intermediate layer.

[0047] Alongside the written description of the invention documented above, the disclosure of the invention is supplemented by reference hereby being made explicitly to the illustration thereof in FIGS. 1 to 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0048] 1 Watch glass [0049] 2 Support glass [0050] 3 Cover glass [0051] 4 Recess [0052] 5 Luminescent element [0053] 6 Intermediate layer [0054] 7 Clockwork [0055] 8 Glass unit [0056] 10 Watch [0057] 11 Housing [0058] 12 Dial [0059] 13 Hands [0060] 14 Connector for a wristband [0061] 20 Inner side of the support glass (side of the support glass facing towards the cover glass) [0062] 30 Inner side of the cover glass (side of the cover glass facing towards the support glass) [0063] 100 Received light [0064] 101 Emitted light