US3770936A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for sculpturing an indicia or decorative design in the surface of an article with a beam of corpuscular energy
Assignee: Philips North America LLC
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Filing: 1971-05-11
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Granted: 1973-11-06
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Expires: 1991-05-11
Abstract
Abstract An indicia or artistic pattern, etc. is sculptured into the surface of an article, such as a glass envelope for an electric lamp or the like, by subjecting the article to a laser or an electron beam and varying the position of the article relative to the beam at a speed and in a manner such that the beam scans the article and removes preselected surface portions thereof either by vaporization or by thermally induced fracturing and spalling. In the case of vitreous or ceramic articles that are susceptible to thermally-induced fracturing, etching by vaporization is achieved by preheating the article to a temperature which is near or above the strain point of the material. The preferred sculpturing apparatus includes a laser source, a prototype article which has the indicia on its surface, means for correlating the movement of the prototype article and the article being processed relative to the laser beam and a scanning photocell, and means for maintaining the laser beam in focused relationship with the surface of the article when the latter is of non-planar configuration. Novel decorative effects in the case of glass lamp bulbs are achieved by laser-etching the desired pattern in a coating on the exterior surface of the bulb and by subjecting a bulb to a series of laser pulses which produce a plurality of spaced cavities in the bulb surface by thermally-induced spalling and give it a pleasing facet-like appearance.
Inventors
- 👤 C Rively
- 👤 J Petro
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 19:53
CPC Classifications
C; C03; C03C; C03C23/00; C03C23/0005; C03C23/004; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/02; B23K26/06; B23K26/064; B23K26/0648; B23K26/0665; B23K26/08; B23K26/0823; B23K26/36; B23K26/40; B44; B44B; B44B7/00; B44C; B44C1/00; B44C1/22; B44C1/228; B23K2103/00; B23K2103/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
Apparatus for sculpturing an indicia or a decorative design in the surface of a hollow article that has a longitudinal axis, which apparatus comprises; a stationary source for generating a beam of corpuscular energy, a rotaTable head adapted to hold said hollow article in a position such that its longitudinal axis extends transversely relative to the path of a beam of energy produced by said source, an article-feeding assembly coupled to and supporting said head and operative, when actuated, to move and concurrently rotate the head along and about said longitudinal axis, respectively, at controlled rates of speed such that a beam of energy which is generated by said stationary source scans and impinges upon the side wall portion of an article carried by said head, and means for controlling the operation of said energy source and coordinating such operation with the movement of said head so that the impinging beam of energy concurrently scans and etches the desired indicia or design in the surface of a selected side wall portion of the hollow article carried by said head without puncturing said side wall portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
185 words
Apparatus for sculpturing an indicia or a decorative design in the surface of a hollow article that has a longitudinal axis, which apparatus comprises; a stationary source for generating a beam of corpuscular energy, a rotaTable head adapted to hold said hollow article in a position such that its longitudinal axis extends transversely relative to the path of a beam of energy produced by said source, an article-feeding assembly coupled to and supporting said head and operative, when actuated, to move and concurrently rotate the head along and about said longitudinal axis, respectively, at controlled rates of speed such that a beam of energy which is generated by said stationary source scans and impinges upon the side wall portion of an article carried by said head, and means for controlling the operation of said energy source and coordinating such operation with the movement of said head so that the impinging beam of energy concurrently scans and etches the desired indicia or design in the surface of a selected side wall portion of the hollow article carried by said head without puncturing said side wall portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
107 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for controlling and coordinating the operation of said source of corpuscular energy comprises; an article which is a replica of the article to be sculptured and has the desired indicia or design on its surface and thus constitutes a prototype article, means for scanning the surface of said prototype article and detecting the indicia or design thereon, and means for pulse-operating the source of energy in response to the data gathered by said scanning-detector means and thereby causing the beam of corpusular energy to etch said indicia or design in the surface of an article carried by said head.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus of claim 2 wherein; the indicia or design on said prototype article is depicted by means which contrasts with the surface of the prototype article, said scanning-and-detecting means comprises a photocell, and said photocell is connected to control means that actuates and deactuates the energy source in accordance with the electrical signals generated by said photocell.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein; said article-feeding assembly comprises a platform which is supported by a spindle that is threadably coupled to said platform and is frictionally coupled to said head so that the latter revolves with and moves along saiid spindle when said spindle is rotated, and said spindle is coupled to drive means that is adapted to rotate said spindle at a preselected speed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
190 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein; said source of energy comprises a laser, that generates a laser beam the surface of the article to be sculptured is of non-planar configuration so that the spacing between said laser and the surface of the article varies as the article is moved relative to the laser by said head, the laser beam is focused onto the surface of the article by a lens that is disposed between said laser and head, said lens is supported in such position by means that is reciprocally movable along a path that is parallel to the laser beam, said platform includes a cam which has the same profile as said article and is disposed so that the spatial orientation of the surface of said cam is the same as the surface of an article placed on said head, and said lens-supporting structure is maintained in contact with the cam by a spring so that the position of the lens is automatically adjusted as the cam and platform move relative to the laser and the laser beam thus remains focused on the moving non-planar surface of said article.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
95 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein; said prototype article is disposed on a second head that is rotatably mounted on said platform, a second spindle is frictionally coupled to said second head, said second spindle is also coupled to said drive means and is rotated thereby at the same rate of speed as the other spindle, said scanning-and-detecting means is supported at a fixed location proximate the surface of the prototype article, and a gas burner is supported at a location proximate the first said head in a position to heat an article placed thereon.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-11-05 | 1977-05-07 | 1977-11-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-11-05 | 1981-05-07 | 1981-11-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-11-05 | 1985-05-07 | 1985-11-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |