IP Library Granted Patent US 9,464,355
Granted Patent B2
US 9,464,355 · App. 14/385,165 · Granted Oct 11, 2016

Colored rigid decorative member

Inventor: Koutarou Takazaki (Saitama, JP)
Assignees: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.; CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
C23C30/00B32B9/04B32B37/02B32B37/24B32B38/10C23C14/0015C23C14/0084C23C14/025C23C14/027C23C14/06C23C14/083C23C14/20C23C14/34C23C28/042C23C28/048C23C28/322C23C28/341C23C28/343C23C28/345C23C28/36B32B2037/246B32B2310/021B32B2310/0409B32B2311/00Y10T428/30
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,464,355
App. No.
14/385,165
Granted
Oct 11, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a colored rigid decorative member in which scratch resistance is improved, and deterioration of appearance quality due to a flaw, abrasion, or the like is suppressed, and which has various color variations with a high quality feel. An alloy adhesion layer having a high adhesion effect, an alloy gradient adhesion layer of which the content of a reactant gas is increased in a gradient manner, an abrasion-resistant layer having high hardness, an alloy recolored gradient layer of which the content of a reactant gas is decreased in a gradient manner, and a colored decorative layer having high decorativeness and color variations on the outermost layer are formed on a base using a film with an alloy of a metal having the high effect of adhering to a metal and high brightness (metal having poor corrosion resistance; Mo, W), a metal having high film hardness and high corrosion resistance (metal having poor adhesion; Nb, Ta), and a metal improving corrosion resistance performance (Cr, Ti, Hf, Zr).

Claims (33)

1. A colored rigid decorative member comprising:

a base;

an adhesion layer, stacked on the base, comprising a lower oxide layer of an alloy in which a metal M1 and a metal M2, and, in addition, selectively a metal M3 are combined;

an inclined adhesion layer, stacked on the adhesion layer, comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M4 and a metal M5, and, in addition, selectively a metal M6 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen;

an abrasion-resistant layer, stacked on the inclined adhesion layer, comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M7 and a metal M8, and, in addition, selectively a metal M9 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen; a recolored inclined layer, stacked on the abrasion-resistant layer, comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M10 and a metal M11, and, in addition, selectively a metal M12 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen; and

a colored decorative layer stacked on the recolored inclined layer, wherein

each of the metals M1, M4, M7, and M10 is selected from one or two of Mo and W;

each of the metals M2, M5, M8, and M11 is selected from one or two of Nb and Ta;

the metals M3, M6, M9, and M12 are selected from one or two or more of Cr, Ti, Hf, and Zr;

the content of a non-metallic element in a reaction compound included in the inclined adhesion layer is increased in an inclining manner in a thickness direction with departing from a substrate; and

the content of a non-metallic element in a reaction compound included in the recolored inclined layer is decreased in an inclining manner in a thickness direction with departing from the substrate.

2. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 1 , wherein

the colored decorative layer is a white noble metal film of Pt, Pd, or Rh; and

an intermetallic compound of a metal in the recolored inclined layer and the white noble metal is formed in a boundary between the colored decorative layer and the recolored inclined layer.

3. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 1 , wherein the colored decorative layer is a colored rigid film comprising a nitride, a carbide, a carbonitride, or a nitroxide of Ti, Zr, or Hf.

4. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 1 , wherein the colored decorative layer is a DLC (diamond-like carbon) rigid film.

5. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 1 , wherein the colored decorative layer is a dielectric layer obtained by forming a single- or multi-layered dielectric film.

6. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 4 , wherein a single- or multi-layered adhesion layer comprising Si or Ti is formed between the recolored inclined layer and the colored decorative layer.

7. The colored rigid decorative member according to claim 1 , wherein the decorative film comprises a two-tone structure.

8. A method for producing a colored rigid decorative member, comprising:

a step of forming, on a base, an adhesion layer comprising a lower oxide layer of an alloy in which a metal M1 and a metal M2, and, in addition, selectively a metal M3 are combined;

a step of forming, on the adhesion layer, an inclined adhesion layer comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M4 and a metal M5, and, in addition, selectively a metal M6 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen so that the content of a non-metallic element in a reaction mixture included in the inclined adhesion layer is increased in an inclining manner in a thickness direction with departing from a substrate;

a step of forming, on the inclined adhesion layer, an abrasion-resistant layer comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M7 and a metal M8, and, in addition, selectively a metal M9 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen;

a step of forming, on the abrasion-resistant layer, a recolored inclined layer comprising a reaction compound of an alloy in which a metal M10 and a metal M11, and, in addition, a metal M12 are combined and of a non-metallic element selected from one or two or more of nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen so that the content of a non-metallic element in a reaction compound included in the recolored inclined layer is decreased in an inclining manner in a thickness direction with departing from the substrate; and

a step of stacking a colored decorative layer on the recolored inclined layer, wherein

each of the metals M1, M4, M7, and M10 is selected from one or two of Mo and W;

each of the metals M2, M5, M8, and M11 is selected from one or two of Nb and Ta; and

each of the metals M3, M6, M9, and M12 is selected from one or two or more of Cr, Ti, and Hf.

9. The method for producing a colored rigid decorative member according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the adhesion layer, the inclined adhesion layer, the abrasion-resistant layer, the recolored inclined layer, and the colored decorative layer is formed by a reactive sputtering method.

10. The method for producing a colored rigid decorative member according to claim 9 , wherein

the inclined adhesion layer is formed by chronologically increasing or decreasing the amount of reactant gas containing the non-metallic element in a reactive sputtering method in the step of forming the inclined adhesion layer; and

the recolored inclined layer is formed by chronologically increasing or decreasing the amount of reactant gas containing the non-metallic element in a reactive sputtering method in the step of forming the recolored inclined layer.

11. The method for producing a colored rigid decorative member according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of applying a mask to a portion of the colored decorative layer and peeling a non-masked portion of the colored decorative layer with an acid or an alkali, to thereby allow the colored decorative layer to comprise a two-tone structure.

Assignments (2)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 31, 2017
From: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.; CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
To: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 041570/0566 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2014
From: TAKAZAKI, KOUTAROU
To: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.; CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 033735/0968 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-062471 · Mar 19, 2012 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150064469A1 · Mar 5, 2015