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Title:
METHOD AND ENAMEL FOR CARRYING OUT A PROTUDING PORTRAIT AND PORTRAIT OBTAINED THEREBY
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2010/040723
Kind Code:
A2
Abstract:
Method for carrying out a protruding portrait comprises at lest the following sequence of steps: - to acquire in a computer (C) a digital portrait image comprising at least an head or a bust and a background; to elaborate in the computer (C) by means of software the digital portrait image to obtain the contour of the head or bust and an output image of the portrait; - to produce, starting from a body (B) and by means of a cutting or milling device (M) operated by the computer (C) for cutting and or milling the body, an element (E) having a predetermined size and having a member (H) shaped as the contour of the head or bust and protruding from a base portion (F) of the milled element; said cutting or milling being carried out to obtain the joining wall between the base portion (F) and the member (H) preferably inclined in comparison with the two latter; - to produce, by means of an output device (P) operated by the computer (C) at least an ink or pigment image (T) of the output image of the portrait for the milled element (E); - to cause the adhesion of the ink or pigment image (T) to the element (E) with the head or bust part of the image (T) on register with the corresponding shaped member (H) obtaining the protruding portrait (PP).

Inventors:
VITALI GRAZIANO (IT)
Application Number:
PCT/EP2009/062921
Publication Date:
April 15, 2010
Filing Date:
October 05, 2009
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
IND UNIBIND S P A (IT)
VITALI GRAZIANO (IT)
International Classes:
B44B1/00; B44B3/00; B44C1/22; B44C3/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2007135207A12007-11-29
Foreign References:
US20080111816A12008-05-15
GB2296788A1996-07-10
US20030013027A12003-01-16
US6003228A1999-12-21
GB2315712A1998-02-11
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
NEGRINI, Elena (Via dell'Angelo Custode 11/6, Bologna, IT)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1) Method for carrying out a protruding portrait characterized in that it comprises at least the following sequence of steps: - to acquire in a computer (C) a digital portrait image comprising at least a head or a bust and a background; to elaborate in the computer (C) by means of software the digital portrait image to obtain the contour of the head or bust and an output image of the portrait; - to produce, starting from a body (B) and by means of a cutting or milling device (M) operated by the computer (C) for cutting and or milling the body, an element (E) having a predetermined size and having a member (H) shaped as the contour of the head or bust and protruding from a base portion (F) of the milled element; said cutting or milling being carried out to obtain the joining wall between the base portion (F) and the member (H) preferably inclined in comparison with the base portion (F) and the member (H); to produce, by means of an output device (P) operated by the computer (C) at least an ink or pigment image (T) of the output image of the portrait for the milled element (E); - to cause the adhesion of the ink or pigment image (T) to the element (E) with the head or bust part of the image (T) on register with the corresponding shaped member (H) obtaining the protruding portrait (PP).

2) Method according to claim 1 characterized in using any kind of direct or indirect offset printing, preferably a transfer printer type output device (P) for printing the ink or pigment image of transfer kind (T) of the output image of the portrait on a support approximately having the predetermined size of the element (E); to overlap the support having the transfer image (T) on the element (E) and to cause the transfer of the transfer image (T) from the support to the element (E) and the adhesion of the ink or pigment of the transfer image (T) to the element (E) by means at least of pressure and/or heat and/or damping of the support against the element. 3) Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in using a parallelepiped or prismatic body (B) made of ceramics material; using ink or pigment for ceramics and to bake the printed element (E) in a stove for ceramic

4) Method according to claim 1 characterized in using a scanner (S) or a digital camera for acquiring the digital portrait image from a paper picture (R).

5) Method according to claim 1 characterized in controlling by means of the computer (C) the cutting or milling device (M) to obtain from the body (B) the element (E) having the member (H) and the base portion (F) almost flat and defining respective offset geometrical planes.

6) Method according to claim 1 or 5 characterized in smoothing or making round the edges of the shaped member (H).

7) Method according to any one of preceding claims characterized in glazing the element (E) by applying thereon an enamel of predetermined composition and baking it at temperature ranging between 1200 0C and 1300 0C, preferably at about 1200 0C, causing the adhesion of the ink or pigment image (T) onto the element (E) on the baked enamel and, after said adhesion, to bake again the element (E) at a temperature ranging between 9000C and 10000C, preferably at about 950 0C.

8) Method according to any one of preceding claims characterized in that it comprises the step to use an enamel of predetermined composition comprising at least a percentage of phosphoric anhydride ranging between 1% - 3%; a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% -15% and a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2% - 10%.

9) Enamel for obtaining a protruding portrait according to the method in any one of preceding claims characterized in that it comprises at least 1% of phosphoric anhydride.

10) Enamel according to claim 9 characterized in that it comprises at least:

- a percentage of phosphoric anhydride ranging between 1% - 3%, - a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% - 15%; a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2% -10% .

11) Enamel according to claim 10 characterized in that it furthermore comprises: a percentage of silica ranging between 40% - 70%; - a percentage of aluminium oxide ranging between e 4% -15%;

- a percentage of potassium oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of zinc oxide between the 2% and 15%;

- a percentage of tin oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of magnesium oxide ranging between 0,5 % .- 5%.

12) Protruding portrait obtained by means of the method of any of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises a ceramic element (E) having a glazed member (H) shaped as the contour of an head or bust and protruding from a glazed base portion (F) of the element; said member (H) and base portion (F) being decorated respectively with said head or bust and with a background.

13) Portrait according to claim 12 characterized in that the member (H) and base portion (F) are almost flat and define respective geometric plane; the wall linking said member and portion, being preferably inclined in comparison with them.

14) Portrait according to claim 13 characterized in that the planes of the member (H) and of the base portion (F) are mutually spaced apart and parallel or convergent.

15) Portrait according to any one of claims 12 - 14 characterized in that the enamel of the ceramic element (E) comprises at least a percentage ranging between 1% - 3% of phosphoric anhydride; a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% - 15% and a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2% - 10%.

Description:
METHOD AND ENAMEL FOR CARRYING OUT A PROTRUDING PORTRAIT AND PORTRAIT OBTAINED THEREBY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field regarding the portraits and in particular it refers to a method for carrying out a protruding portrait, to an enamel for said portrait and to the portrait obtained thereby, particularly suitable for tombstones or for other graveyard elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are known methods for printing portrait images on flat, sphere section or with double convexity shaped supports. Said supports are in general made of ceramic to resist to atmospheric agents and are fit for tombstones, graves and loculus to portray the corresponding deceased person.

A drawback of said known methods and portraits consists in that they provide a representation which is not very evocative and not very realistic.

Other drawback of the known portraits made on flat, spherical and biconvex supports or consists in that they are well visible only if they are frontally observed and they do not provide a good visualization if they are positioned at a higher position in respect to the observer, for example for the upper graves, or if they are positioned in a lower position, for example for the tombs on the ground.

A further drawback of the known portraits carried out on spherical supports and particularly on those biconvex supports consists in that they can provide sometimes a distorted image which can be quite grotesque.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to propose a method for carrying out a protruding portrait and the portrait obtained thereby, in which the image of the face and/or of the bust raises above or clearly stands out from the background with a very evocative effect.

Another object is to propose a method able to provide a portrait assigned to give the optimal vision from the front side, at top view, at low view and side view.

Further object is to propose a portrait almost without distortions of the face.

Another object is to propose an enamel able to release a coating for the portraits with reduced brilliancy and optimal transparency for better observation of the portrait image.

Further object is to propose an enamel able to incorporate and to protect perfectly the image applied thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics of the invention are evidenced at followings with particular reference to the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 illustrates a schematic and partial view of steps of the method for carrying out a protruding portrait of this invention; figure 2 illustrates a schematic and axonometric view of the protruding portrait of this invention obtained by means of the method of figure 1; - figures 3 and 4 illustrate axonometric views of respective variants of the portrait of figure 2; figure 5 illustrates a schematic and axonometric view of a further variant of the protruding portrait of figure 2 in which the wall between background and portrait is inclined. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With reference to figures 1 and 2, the method to carry out a protruding portrait comprises at least the following sequence of steps:

to acquire, for example from a paper picture R by means of a scanner S or a digital camera, the digital image of a portrait comprising at least one head, bust or a whole figure on a background, and to provide said digital image to a computer C, for example a PC; - to elaborate in the computer C, by means of software, the digital image of the portrait to obtain the contour of the head, bust or whole figure, for example in vector digital format, and an image output, for example "raster scan" digital type, of the portrait eventually retouched and with the original or artificially applied background to the image; - to produce, starting from a body B, preferably of rough baked clay or clinker material or other ceramic kind, parallelepiped or prismatic shaped, and by means of a cutting or milling device M, for example comprising a milling head mounted on a arm or pantograph X Y, Z and operated by the computer C for cutting or milling the body, to make an element E having a predetermined size and having a member H shaped as the contour of the head or bust or whole figure and protruding from a base portion F of the milled element; to glaze the element E with ceramic enamel, applying it by spraying, brush painting, webbing or dipping, and baking it in a ceramic stove, not shown in the scheme of figure 1, under the known conditions for the enamelling; - to produce, by means of an output device P operated by the computer C, an image T, made of ceramics ink or pigment, of the output image of the portrait for the milled element E; to cause the adhesion of the ink image or to pigment image T to the element E with the head or of bust part of the ink or pigment image T on register with the corresponding shaped member H obtaining the protruding portrait PP with the image of the portrait to be consolidated; to bake the shaped member H printed with the element E in an stove for ceramics at a high temperature ranging around 700 0 C and 1200 0 C obtaining the protruding portrait PP having the resistant and consolidated image.

The method provide the use of any kind of direct or indirect offset printing but preferably it provides the use of a transfer printer type output device P to print the ink or pigment image, for example ground powders or ceramic oxides, on transfer kind sheets T, obtaining a transfer copy of the output image of the portrait having approximately the same predetermined size of the milled element E. Then it is provided to overlap the support having the transfer image T on the element E and the transfer of said transfer image T from the support to the element E and the adhesion of the ink or pigment transfer image T to the enamelled surface of the element E by means of pressure, and/or heat and/or damping of the support against the element. In order to facilitate the application of the transfer image on the element, the support is deformable, for example made of paper or of a deformable sheet material and/or can be shaped by humidifying with water and/or heating.

The method provides to control, by means of the computer C, the cutting or milling device M to obtain from the body B the element E having the member H and the base portion F almost flat and defining respective offset geometric planes; optionally the method also provides to smooth or to make round the edges of the shaped member H by means of the milling or by means of other automatic or manual means.

The planes defined by the element E and by the member H can be carried out in parallel manner or mutually tilted, for example to facilitate the vision of the portrait from certain points of view or to obtain particular aesthetic effects.

To facilitate milling of the member H, the method provides, in alternative, to bake said member firstly at a lower temperature, for example ranging around 800 0 C - 900 0 C, to mill this element after the first baking and to bake it again after the milling at a temperature of around 1200 0 C.

This second baking of the member H after the milling can be carried out after the enamelling of the milled member and before the application of the decorating pigments or inks and can take place at the same time with the first baking of the enamel as described in the followings.

The method provides, in alternative, the use of not-ceramic materials, for example of cement type, based on conglomerates, gypsum or scagliola, or of synthetic type that do not require the baking in a stove for ceramic. In these cases the protection and fixing of the image can be achieved by applying above it one or more layers of transparent vanish or resin eventually hardened in a stove at a medium or low temperature.

The method provides preferably the use of a milling or cutting device M whose head is provided with a proper tool, or is controlled, to carry out the joining wall of the member H to the base portion F inclined of an angle ranging between 25° - 65°, preferably around 45°, in respect with the geometric plane defined by the member H. Said inclined joining wall is therefore converging in the direction from the base portion F to the member H to form a kind of bevelling between these two latter which facilitates the application of the transfer sheet and the adhesion of the ink or pigment image to the base portion F, to the joining wall itself and to the member H.

The method provides to use an enamel of predetermined composition comprising at least a percentage of phosphoric anhydride ranging between 1% - 3%, preferably around 2%; a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% - 15% and a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2 % - 10%. Besides said components, the enamel further comprises other constituents such as a percentage of silica ranging between 40% - 70%; a percentage of aluminium oxide ranging between 4% - 15%; a percentage of potassium oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of zinc oxide ranging between 2% - 15%; a percentage of tin oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of magnesium oxide ranging between 0,5 % -5% .

It is important to observe that the use of the phosphoric anhydride at the indicated percentages, provides in a new and unexpected manner an enamel which allows the optimal vision of the portraiture image almost in any light condition. Furthermore, the indicated compositions provide an enamel that, in a new way and unexpected manner, it is homogenous in all the zones, also in proximity of the edges of the member H and in general at all the corners and/or connections even if with reduced curvature radius.

The method provides to enamel the element E applying thereon the special ceramic enamel having the above indicated predetermined composition and to subject it to a first baking at a temperature ranging between 1200 0 C - 1300 0 C, preferably at about 1200 0 C, where this first baking of the enamel can eventually take place at the same time with the second baking of the member H or separately and individually. After said first baking of the enamel, it is provided to carry out the adhesion of the ink or pigment image T to the enamelled element E. After this adhesion it is provided to bake again the element E at a temperature ranging between 800 0 C -1000 0 C, preferably at about 900 0 C. This combination of composition and of enamelling, baking and decoration steps, causes the incorporation of the transfer in the thickness of the enamel that, being transparent and not too much reflective, allows an optimal vision.

The enamel to obtain a protruding portrait, object of the present invention, comprises at least 1% of phosphoric anhydride.

In particular the enamel comprises: a percentage of phosphoric anhydride ranging between 1% - 3% a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% - 15%; - a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2 % - 10%.

Besides the enamel comprises further components that preferably are: a percentage of silica ranging between 40% - 70%; a percentage of aluminium oxide ranging between e 4% -15%; - a percentage of potassium oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of zinc oxide between the 2% and 15%; a percentage of tin oxide ranging between 2% - 10%; a percentage of magnesium oxide ranging between 0,5 % .- 5%.

The protruding portrait, object of the present invention, comprises an element E preferably made of ceramic having a shaped enamelled member H shaped as the contour of a head or bust or whole figure on a background and protruding from an enamelled base portion F of the same element. Said member H and said base portion F are decorated respectively with said head or bust or whole figure and with the background, they are mutually spaced apart and almost flat defining respective geometric parallel planes.

The variant of the protruding portrait of figure 3 differs from that of figure 2 due to the fact that the background has been milled in an inclined manner in respect to the plane of the member H so that the head appears more faraway from the background than the chest.

The variant of the protruding portrait of figure 4 differs from that of figure 2 due to the fact that the plane of the member H has been milled in an inclined manner in respect to the element E so that the head appears more protruding from the element in respect to the chest.

The variant of the protruding portrait of figure 5 is provided to facilitate the adhesion of the ink or pigment image T from the element E up to the base portion F and it provides that the joining wall between the element E and the base portion F is inclined and convergent in respect to said portion F toward the element E which vaguely assumes a truncated-pyramidal aspect. This inclination of the joining wall in respect to the element E and to the base portion F is preferably realizable in all forms and variants mentioned above.

The ceramic element E of the portrait and of its variations are preferably enamelled with a special enamel comprising at least a percentage of phosphoric anhydride ranging between 1% - 3%; a percentage of calcium oxide ranging between 2% - 15% and a percentage of zirconium oxide ranging between 2 % - 10% besides other components such as silica and metallic oxides.

The effected verifications have allowed to assure that the composition of the enamel object of the present invention allows to keep the same visual effect at the upper part, at the edges and at the flat portion of the photoceramics and it avoids excessive reflections of light. Furthermore, it is to be observed that the second baking of the enamel at a temperature ranging between 900 0 C - 1000 0 C, preferably at about 950 0 C, allows to incorporate perfectly in it the pigments or inks of the transfer, protecting it from the humidity and preserving it unaltered in time. It is also to be observed that this special enamel produces a very homogenous layer with almost constant thickness also on, or close to vertex, corners and portions with small curvature radius of the element E of the member H. Finally, it is to evidence that the use of phosphoric anhydride at the indicated percentages provides, in a new way and unexpected manner, an enamel which produces a white background and that, at the same time, it ensures an excellent vision of the portraiture image and that it presents an optimal reflection of the light.

An object of the present invention is to propose a method for carrying out a protruding portrait and the portrait obtained thereby, in which the image of the face and/or of the bust raises above or clearly stands out from the background with a very evocative effect.

Another object is to propose a method able to provide a portrait assigned to give the optimal vision from the front side, at top view, at low view and side view.

Further object is to propose a portrait almost without distortions of the face.

Another object is to propose an enamel able to release a coating for the portraits with reduced brilliancy and optimal transparency for better observation of the portrait image.

Further object is to propose an enamel able to incorporate and to protect perfectly the image applied thereon.