TRANSPORT ELEMENT FOR TRANSPORTING STONES WITH A ROUND CUT AND METHOD FOR SUCH A STONE IN SUCH A TRANSPORT ELEMENT

Abstract

The invention concerns a transport element (1) for stones (4) with a round cut, comprising a holder (2) with a pavilion recess (11) for each stone (4), with a contact part (12) with a taper which deviates by maximum 10 from the taper of the pavilion (8), for supporting thereon a contact zone of the pavilion (8) between the girdle (7) and the culet (9), so that the girdle (7) remains outside the contact part (12), and wherein the pavilion recess (11) is formed such that the stone (4) in the pavilion recess (11) touches only this contact part (12). The invention also concerns a method for placing a stone (4) in a specific embodiment of such a transport element (1).

Claims

1. Transport element (1) for transporting stones (4) with a round cut with a table (5), crown (6), girdle (7), pavilion (8) and culet (9), such as precious stones, semi-precious stones or non-precious stones, comprising a holder (2) on which the stones (4) can be placed for transport, characterized in that the holder (2) has a top surface (10) in which a pavilion recess (11) is made for each stone (4) for accommodating the culet (9) and at least part of the pavilion (8) of the corresponding stone (4), wherein this pavilion recess (11) has at least one contact part (12) which is formed tapering away from the top surface (10) with a taper which deviates by maximum 10 from the corresponding taper of the pavilion (8), for supporting thereon a contact zone of the pavilion (8) between the girdle (7) and the culet (9) so that the girdle (7) remains outside the contact part (12), and wherein the pavilion recess (11) is formed such that after being placed in the pavilion recess (11), said stone (4) touches only and exclusively this contact part (12).

2. Transport element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the taper of the contact part (12) is greater than the taper of the pavilion (8).

3. Transport element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the transport element (1) has a cover (3) wherein the cover (3) has a top surface (15) in which a corresponding crown recess (16) is made for each stone (4), for accommodating the table (5) and at least part of the crown (6) of the stone (4), wherein the crown recess (16) has a smallest dimension (D.sub.k) at the level of the girdle (7) which is smaller than the sum of the smallest diameter (D.sub.p) of the contact part (12) and the diameter (D.sub.r) of the girdle (7), and which is greater than the greatest diameter (D.sub.a) of the contact part (12), wherein when the top surfaces (10, 15) of the cover (3) and holder (2) are brought against each other, the pavilion recess (11) and the crown recess (16) for a said stone (4) extend above each other and together form an accommodation space (11, 16) for the stone (4), and wherein the pavilion recess (11) and the crown recess (16) are formed such that said stone (4) touches only and exclusively this contact part (12) when it is placed in the accommodation space (11, 16) with its contact zone resting against the contact part (12).

4. Transport element (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that each crown recess (16) has a depth (H.sub.k) which is smaller than the height (H.sub.s) of the corresponding stone (4).

5. Transport element (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that each crown recess (16) has a depth (H.sub.k) which corresponds approximately to 0.47 times the diameter (D.sub.r) of the girdle (7) less minimum 0.03 mm and maximum 0.07 mm.

6. Transport element (1) according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that each crown recess (16) is formed largely cylindrical.

7. Transport element (1) according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the accommodation space (11, 16) is designed symmetrical relative to an axis (A), which coincides approximately with the axis (B) of the stone (4) when the corresponding stone (4) is placed on the contact part (12).

8. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact part (12) of each pavilion recess (11) is formed conical at an angle (.sub.a) which is more obtuse than the angle (.sub.s) of the pavilion (8).

9. Transport element (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the angle (.sub.a) of the contact part (12) of each pavilion recess (11) is approximately 100.

10. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact part (12) of each pavilion recess (11) borders the top surface (10) of the holder (2).

11. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pavilion recess (11) comprises a cylindrical part (13) which connects to the contact part (12) away from the top surface (10).

12. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pavilion recess (11) has a base (14) which is formed conical.

13. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pavilion recess (11) has a base (14), wherein the distance between the base (14) and the contact part (12) is greater than the distance between the contact part (12) of the corresponding stone (4) and the culet (9).

14. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport element (1) is made largely of steel.

15. Transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims and claim 3, characterized in that the transport element (1) has locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) for locking the cover (3) to the holder (2).

16. Transport element (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the holder (2) is provided with at least two locking pins (17), each of which is provided with a gripping groove (18) on the periphery, that the cover (3) is provided with two corresponding guide openings (19) in which these locking pins (17) can be placed, and with two corresponding locking elements (20) which are placed at the guide openings (19) and are moveable between a first position, in which these are intended to open the guide openings (19) so the corresponding locking pins (22) can move freely in and out of the guide openings (19), and a second position, in which these locking elements (20) are intended to engage in the corresponding gripping grooves (18) of the corresponding locking pins (17) when these are placed in the guide openings (19), and that the said locking pins (17), guide openings (19) and locking elements (20) form part of said locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22).

17. Transport element (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that next to each guide opening (19), the cover (3) comprises a release opening (21) with a diameter which is greater than the diameter of the guide opening (19), wherein a release pin (22) with a corresponding diameter can be placed in each release opening (21), and that each locking element (20) is configured as a spring element (20) which is largely positioned around the corresponding guide opening (19) and corresponding release opening (21), so that when a release pin (22) is placed in the release opening (21), the spring element deflects and moves to its first position, and when the release pin (22) is removed from the release opening (21), the spring opening element (20) is brought into its second position under its spring force.

18. Method for placing a stone (4) in a transport element (1) according to any of the preceding claims and claim 3, characterized in that the cover (3) is positioned with the crown recesses (16) upward, the stone (4) is laid on its table (5) in the crown recess (16), the holder (2) with the pavilion recesses (11) downward is placed onto the cover (3), the transport element (1) is inverted so that the holder (2) is below the cover (3).

19. Method according to claim 18) for placing a stone (4) in a transport element according to any of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that before inversion of the transport element (1), first the cover (3) is locked to the holder (2).

Description

[0031] In this detailed description, by means of reference numerals, reference is made to the enclosed drawings in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a transport element in perspective with holder and cover of this embodiment at a distance from each other, wherein the holder is shown at the bottom and the cover at the top;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows the transport element from FIG. 1 in perspective with holder and cover at a distance from each other, with the cover at the bottom and the holder at the top;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows the holder of the transport element from FIG. 1 in top view;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows the cover of the transport element from FIG. 1 in top view;

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a pavilion recess in the holder of the transport element from FIG. 1 in more detail, in a local cross section of this holder;

[0037] FIG. 6 shows a crown recess in the cover of the transport element from FIG. 1 in more detail, in a local cross section of this cover;

[0038] FIG. 7 shows diagrammatically a stone with a round cut in side view;

[0039] FIG. 8 shows diagrammatically the stone from FIG. 7 in an accommodation space in the transport element from FIG. 1;

[0040] FIG. 9 shows diagrammatically the choice of some dimensions of the accommodation space of the transport element from FIG. 1;

[0041] FIG. 10 shows the locking means of the transport element from FIG. 1 which form part of the cover in more detail, in a detail of the top view of this cover;

[0042] FIG. 11 shows the locking means from FIG. 10 in more detail, with a detail of the longitudinal section of this cover;

[0043] FIG. 12 shows a key for opening the locking means of the transport element from FIG. 1.

[0044] The transport element (1) according to the invention shown comprises a holder (2) and a cover (3) which are suitable for transporting stones (4) with a round cut.

[0045] A stone (4) with a round cut is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7) and comprises a table (5), a crown (6), a girdle (7), a pavilion (8) and a culet (9). A brilliant cut is a particular example of such a round cut. A brilliant cut is further characterized by a circular girdle, with at least 32 facets in the crown and at least 24 facets in the pavilion. Examples of stones (4) cut in this way are precious stones or semi-precious stones or non-precious stones, which are typically intended for setting in workpieces such as for example jewellery, e.g. rings, bracelets, watches etc.

[0046] The holder (2) of the transport element (1) shown is, as depicted in FIG. 3, provided with a matrix of pavilion recesses (11) while the cover (3) is provided with a matrix of corresponding crown recesses (16), as depicted in FIG. 4.

[0047] The stones (4) may for example, depending on their dimensions, be assigned to a specific place on the matrix on such a holder (2), wherein a specific stone (4) can then be found again at this particular site in order for example to be placed in a gap allocated to this in a workpiece.

[0048] The dimensions of such a transport element (1), the dimensions of the recesses (11, 16) and the number of recesses (11, 16) may furthermore be adapted depending on the stones (4) to be transported, according to usage and/or demand.

[0049] A pavilion recess (11) of the holder (2) is shown separately in FIG. 5. This pavilion recess (11) comprises a conical contact part (12) which borders the surface (10) of the holder, a cylindrical part (13) which borders the contact part (12), and a conical base (14).

[0050] The pavilion recess (11) shown is provided for accommodating the culet (9) and part of the pavilion (8) of a stone (4), so that the girdle (7), the crown (6) and the table (5) of such a stone (4) remain outside the pavilion recess (11).

[0051] The conically formed contact part (12) is provided to offer a support zone for the pavilion (8) of the stone (4) between the girdle (7) and the culet (9) of the stone (4), as shown in FIG. 8. The angle (.sub.a) of the conical contact part (12) is here selected as 100 so that with the same drilling head, a multiplicity of pavilion recesses (11) can be produced which are suitable for transport of the most common stones (4). This top angle (.sub.a) of the conically designed contact part (12) is always, according to the invention, selected so this deviates by maximum 10 from the top angle (.sub.s) of the pavilion (8) of the stones (4) which are to be transported therein.

[0052] In the embodiment shown, the contact part (12) is selected so that the taper thereof is greater than the taper of the pavilion (8) of stones (4) which are intended to be transported therein. In this way, a stone (4) can be placed in a self-centring fashion in such a pavilion recess, wherein it is guided smoothly to its desired position by guidance of its pavilion (8) over this contact part (12). In such an embodiment, an additional cavity (13, 14) is provided on the contact part (12), in which the culet (9) of the stone (4) can be freely suspended so that the stone (4) rests against the contact part (12) only with said contact zone between the girdle (7) and the culet (9).

[0053] In an alternative embodiment of a transport element (1) according to this invention, it may be decided to make the taper of the contact part (12) smaller than the taper of the pavilion (8) of stones (4) which are intended to be transported therein. In such an alternative embodiment, it is not always necessary to provide an additional cavity on the contact part, since the contact part (12) may itself be designed such that the culet (9) is freely suspended therein. However here too, preferably, an additional cavity is provided on the contact part (12) so that on tilting of the stone (4) in the pavilion recess (11), the culet (9) cannot hit the edges of the contact part (12).

[0054] The embodiments described above comprise conically formed contact parts (12) which are preferably produced by boring. In alternative embodiments, the contact part (12) need not necessarily be formed conical but may for example also be curved.

[0055] The contact parts (12) also need not necessarily be designed to make contact with the full periphery of the stones (4), or to offer support for a stone (4) over its entire periphery.

[0056] In the embodiment shown, the greatest diameter (D.sub.a) of the contact part (12) is selected as the diameter (D.sub.r) of the girdle (7) of the smallest stone (4) from the group of stones (4) to be transported with such a transport element (1), less 0.1 mm. The largest stones (4) transported therewith then preferably have a diameter D.sub.r which is 0.3 mm smaller than the greatest diameter D.sub.a of the contact part (12), so that part of the pavilion (8) always extends with a certain height (H.sub.d) above the contact part (12) (see FIG. 8), and these stones (4) can still be easily removed from the pavilion recess (11). Because part of the pavilion (8) extends above the contact part (12), the girdle (7) of the stone (4) also certainly lies above this contact part (12), whereby the stone (4) cannot become seized in this pavilion recess (11) by its girdle (7).

[0057] The diameter (D.sub.p) of the cylindrical part (13) of the pavilion recess (11) (this is also the smallest diameter of the contact part (12)) is selected in the embodiment shown as the greatest diameter (D.sub.a) of the contact part (12) less 0.3 mm. The height (H.sub.p) over which the cylindrical part (13) extends relative to the upper surface (10) is preferably at least 0.4 times the diameter (D.sub.r) of the smallest stone (4) of the group of stones (4) to be transported therein.

[0058] In the embodiment shown, the conically shaped base (14) is also formed by boring the cylindrical part (13) and for this has a top angle (.sub.b) which is 120.

[0059] In the embodiment shown, the transport element (1) is intended to be made of steel. The various parts (12, 13, 14) of the pavilion recess (11) may be produced by boring and connect to each other at angles. Depending on the production method and material from which a transport element (1) according to the invention is made, the edges at which the parts (12, 13, 14) meet each other may also for example be rounded.

[0060] A crown recess (16) of the cover (3) of the transport element depicted is shown separately in FIG. 6. This crown recess (16) is formed largely cylindrical and is provided to hold therein the table (5), the crown (6), the girdle (7) and part of the pavilion (8) of a stone (4), as shown in FIG. 8.

[0061] The diameter (D.sub.k) of the crown recess (16) is preferably smaller than the sum of the smallest diameter (D.sub.p) of the contact part (12) and the diameter (D.sub.r) of the girdle (7), and greater than the greatest diameter (D.sub.a) of the contact part (12). The diameter (D.sub.k) of the crown recess (16) of the embodiment shown is selected such that this is 0.1 mm smaller (see FIG. 9, selected as 2*d=0.05 mm) than the sum of the smallest diameter (D.sub.p) of the contact part (12) and the diameter of the girdle (Dr) of the smallest stone (4) of the group of stones (4) to be transported with the transport element (1).

[0062] The depth (H.sub.k) of this crown recess (16) is preferably selected as approximately 0.47 times the diameter (D.sub.r) of the girdle (7) of the smallest stone (4) of the group of stones (4) to be transported with the transport element (1), less a minimum of 0.03 mm and maximum 0.07 mm.

[0063] Depending on the production method, the edges surrounding the cylindrical cavity (16) of the crown recess (16) may for example also be rounded or chamfered. In the embodiment shown, the transport element (1) is intended to be made of steel and these edges are formed angular.

[0064] For the embodiment shown of a transport element (1) according to the invention, the table below shows preferred dimensions for transporting stones (4) with dimensions within selected margins of dimensions. Such preferred dimensions may also be estimated for other ranges of stones (4) to be transported.

TABLE-US-00001 Stone Holder Cover D.sub.r D.sub.k H.sub.k D.sub.a D.sub.p H.sub.p mm Mm mm mm mm mm 0.70-0.775 1.00 0.28 0.60 0.40 0.30 0.80-0.975 1.20 0.35 0.70 0.50 0.40 1.00-1.175 1.50 0.40 0.90 0.60 0.50 1.20-1.475 1.80 0.50 1.10 0.70 0.60 1.50-1.875 2.30 0.65 1.40 0.90 0.70 1.90-2.475 3.00 0.85 1.80 1.20 0.80

[0065] When the top surfaces (10, 15) of the cover (3) and the holder (2) are brought together, the respective pavilion recesses (11) and crown recesses (16) extend above each other as shown in FIG. 8, wherein these together form an accommodation space (11, 16) for accommodating a stone (4) to be transported.

[0066] In practice, after bringing the top surfaces (10, 15) onto each other, a small clearance (H.sub.m) is present between the holder (2) and the cover (3). The preferred dimensions above take into account this clearance (H.sub.m).

[0067] Said accommodation space (11, 16) is formed such that a stone (4) placed therein for transport touches only and exclusively the contact part (12) in its normal transport position, wherein its contact zone rests against the contact part (12).

[0068] This accommodation space (11, 16) in the embodiment shown is formed symmetrically relative to its axis (A). After a stone (4) has been placed in the accommodation space (11, 16), the axis (B) of this stone coincides with the axis (A) of this accommodation space (11, 16) as shown in FIG. 8.

[0069] In the embodiment shown of a transport element (1) according to this invention, this accommodation space (11, 16) extends partly into the holder (2) and partly into the cover (3). The contact part (21) always extends into the holder (2). In alternative embodiments, a larger or smaller part of the crown recess (16) may extend into the holder (2), or the accommodation space (11, 16) may extend completely into the holder (2). This may hinder the insertion of a stone (4) into the accommodation space (11, 16) and the removal of a stone (4) from this accommodation space (11, 16).

[0070] A stone (4) may be placed largely in two different ways in an embodiment of a transport element (1) according to this invention with holder (2) and cover (3).

[0071] According to a first method, the holder (2) is positioned with the pavilion recesses (11) upward and the stone (4) with its culet (9) downward is placed in a pavilion recess (11). The stone (4) is automatically brought into its desired position in the pavilion recess (11) under gravity, by a guidance of its pavilion (11) over the contact part (12). The cover (3) with its crown recesses (16) downward is then placed on the holder (2) so that the stone (4) extends into an accommodation space (11, 16) formed by this pavilion recess (11) and the corresponding crown recess (16) in the cover (3). The method is preferred above all if a stone (4) is placed manually (with hand tools, such as for example pincers) in a transport element (2) according to this invention.

[0072] According to a second method, the cover (3) is positioned with the crown recesses (16) upward and the stone (4) with its table (5) downward is placed in a crown recess (16). The holder (2) with its pavilion recesses (11) is then brought from below against the cover (3). If the stone (4) is not sitting centrally in the crown recess (16), by application of the holder (2) against the cover (3), by the contact part (12) a corresponding pavilion recess (11) of the holder (2) is guided to the centre of this crown recess (16). When the holder (2) is placed on the cover (3), the stone (4) sits in the accommodation space (11, 16) formed by this crown recess (16) and pavilion recess (11).

[0073] Also when placing several stones (4) in such a transport element (1), first all stones (4) are placed in the corresponding openings (11, 16) of the holder (2) or cover (3) respectively before the cover (3) or holder (2) is then brought onto the holder (2) or cover (3) respectively.

[0074] The dimensions and form of the accommodation spaces (11, 16) of the transport element (1) shown are selected such that after placing one or more stones (4) in the transport element (1), the transport element (1) can be transported in all possible directions and even tilted. Preferably, a transport element (1) is provided with locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) as in the embodiment depicted, so that the holder (2) and the cover (3) can be locked together to prevent accidental opening.

[0075] In the embodiment shown, the cover (3) is provided with two depressions (25) (see FIGS. 10 and 11), in each of which a spring (20) (see FIG. 2) is clamped around some screws (27). This spring (20) may for example be made from spring steel. The screws (27) shown in FIG. 2 are placed in screw holes (24) in the cover (3) shown in FIGS. 4, 10 and 11.

[0076] Two openings (19, 21) are drilled inside the periphery of each said spring (20). The holder (2) is provided with a locking pin (17) and a release opening (23) corresponding to each depression (25) in the cover (3). The locking pins (17) may for example be made of iron (and its alloys). Each locking pin (17) is placed at a position corresponding to a first of the two said openings (19, 21), namely the guide opening (19). This locking pin (17) has a diameter corresponding to this guide opening (19). Each release opening (23) is placed at a position corresponding to the second of the two said openings (19, 21), namely the release opening (21). The guide opening (19) of the cover (3) has a smaller diameter than the release opening (23). When the transport element (1) is opened, the spring (20) extends above the access openings to both the guide opening (19) and the release opening (23). When the holder (2) is brought above the cover (3) (or vice versa), the locking pins (17) engage in the guide openings (19) and thus guide the movement of bringing the holder (2) and the cover (3) together. The locking pins (17) have a conical end so they can be mounted self-centring in these guide openings (19). Thus the pavilion recesses (11) in the holder (2) and the corresponding crown recesses (16) in the cover (3) come to lie in the desired position relative to each other. At a distance from their end (17), the locking pins (17) are provided with a gripping groove (18). When the holder (2) is brought against the cover (3), each spring (20) is first initially pressed outward by the corresponding locking pin (17), whereupon under its spring force it engages in this gripping groove (18). Because each spring (20) engages in a corresponding gripping groove (18), the cover (3) can no longer easily be separated from the holder (2). To be able to remove the cover (3), release pins (22) with a diameter corresponding to the release openings (21, 23) may be placed in the various release openings (21, 23) and push out the respective springs (20). Since the release pins (22) have a larger diameter than the locking pins (17), the springs (20) are pressed open such that the locking pins (17) can be removed from the guide openings (19) without further hindrance.

[0077] Said release pins (22) may form part of a hand tool or form part of a key (26) which is operated mechanically (for example in a setting device).

[0078] Such locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) described preferably comprise at least two said guide pins (17) for controlling the movement of bringing together the holder (2) and the cover (3) as smoothly as possible without shocks.

[0079] For embodiments without such locking means (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22), preferably similar pins (17) with a conical top (but not necessarily with such a gripping groove (18)) may be provided on the holder (2) and/or the cover (3), and corresponding guide openings (19) in respectively the cover (3) and/or the holder (2), to ensure that when the holder (2) and cover (3) are brought together, the pavilion recesses (11) and corresponding crown recesses (16) come to lie in the desired position relative to each other.