FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
1. Title of the invention
DIAMOND BRUTING MACHINE
2. Applicant(s)
Name Nationality Address
Sahajanand Technologies Pvt Ltd IN Sahajanand House, Parsi Street, Saiyedpura, Surat-395003 Gujarat


3. Preamble to the description
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention.
ORIGINAL


TECHNICAL FIELD
The subject matter described herein, in general, relates to a machine for processing a gemstone and in particular, relates to a gemstone bruting machine.
BACKGROUND
Typically, a raw gemstone i.e. a gemstone as found in its natural state has a highly irregular geometry and includes many contaminations. A series of steps are involved in processing the raw gemstone to obtain a finished gemstone. Major steps involved in the processing are planning, cleaving or sawing, bruting, polishing, and final inspection. A 3D profile of the raw gemstone is obtained during the planning process and a best shape for the finished gemstone to be cut from the raw gemstone is selected. Once the best shape of the gemstone is finalized, the gemstone is sent to sawing machine for sawing.
Precise sawing and bruting according to a selected best shape is especially important in case of gemstones, such as diamonds, where the monetary value of the gemstone depends on its size. To achieve precise cutting of a diamond, predetermined marking are made on the surface of the diamond prior to cutting and actual cutting and bruting is performed in accordance with the markings.
Once the diamond is cut, it is sent to a bruting machine that brutes the girdle of the diamond. Conventionally, the bruting was done by rubbing the diamond with another diamond. With recent advancement in technology, numerous computer assisted systems are employed to cut and brute a diamond by laser. Such systems perform the various

steps involved in the diamond processing. Such computerized laser cutting systems work effectively without or with very little human intervention.
Generally, laser bruting of a diamond leaves black marking on the girdle of the diamond. This marking on the girdle has to be removed in order to get the desired clarity of the diamond. For this purpose, the diamond is shifted from the bruting machine to a grinding machine where the marking on the girdle is removed by means of a rotating grinding wheel. Subsequently, the ground diamond from the grinding machine is transferred to a polishing machine to give the diamond the desired finished look.
The positioning of a diamond on different machines for different processes is a critical task. Particularly, bruting, grinding and polishing processes are very crucial as they decide the final shape and clarity of the diamond. The alignment and rotational angle of the diamond on different machines need to be accurate for precise processing of the diamond. Moreover, manual shifting of the diamond from the bruting machine to the grinding machine may lead to human errors and the centering of the diamond on the grinding machine may get affected. This may affect the precision with which the diamond is processed.
SUMMARY
The subject matter described herein is directed to a gemstone bruting machine. The bruting machine includes a spring action based holding mechanism for holding a gemstone such as a diamond. The holding mechanism is rotated by a motor and is configured in such a manner that the culet of the diamond aligns with the center of the motor. The machine further includes a non-contact type bruting mechanism that performs


the bruting process on the girdle of the diamond with the help of laser. The marking formed on the girdle of the diamond due to laser bruting is cleared by a contact type bruting mechanism of the bruting machine. The contact type bruting mechanism has a grinding wheel that grinds the girdle of the diamond in order to remove the marking formed on the girdle due to laser bruting. The contact type bruting mechanism and the non-contact type bruting mechanism are configured on a single machine and function independent of each other. Once the bruting process by the non-contact type bruting mechanism is complete, the non-contact type bruting mechanism gets shifted away from the diamond holding mechanism and the contact type bruting mechanism shifts towards the diamond in order to perform the bruting process.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a diamond bruting machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present subject matter.
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Fig. 2 illustrates a flow chart depicting the method for bruting and grinding a diamond in accordance with one embodiment of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Described herein is a gemstone bruting machine that includes a spring action based holding mechanism, a non-contact type bruting mechanism, and a contact type bruting mechanism. The holding mechanism is configured in such a manner that the culet of the diamond aligns with the center of the motor. The non-contact type bruting mechanism performs the bruting process on the girdle of the diamond with the help of laser. The marking formed on the girdle of the diamond due to laser bruting is cleared by a rotating wheel of the contact type bruting mechanism. The contact type bruting mechanism and the non-contact type bruting mechanism are configured on a single machine and function independent or semi-independent of each other. Once the bruting process by the non-contact type bruting mechanism is complete, the non-contact type bruting mechanism gets shifted away from the diamond holding mechanism and the contact type bruting mechanism shifts towards the diamond in order to perform the bruting process.
Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a diamond bruting machine 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present subject matter. The diamond bruting machine 100 includes a holding mechanism 102 for holding a gemstone. For instance and by no way limiting the scope of the present subject matter, the gemstone of the present embodiment is a diamond 104. Similarly, the holding mechanism 102 of the present embodiment is a spring action based holding mechanism. In one embodiment, glue based sticking of diamond instead of spring action based holding mechanism is used. The
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holding mechanism 102 includes a pair of holding members 106 and 108, which are rotated by means of a motor 110. In one preferred embodiment, the motor 110 for rotating the holding members 106 and 108 is an AC motor. However, any other rotating means can be employed to rotate the holding members 106 and 108 of the holding mechanism 102. The motor 110 rotates the holding members 106 and 108 and hence the diamond 104 in the direction as shown in Fig. 1. In another embodiment, the rotation of the holding members 106 and 108 can be in the other direction.
The holding members 106 and 108 hold the diamond 104 from both the ends. The first holding member 106 is configured to hold the culet of the diamond 104 in such a manner that the culet aligns with the center of the motor (110. The alignment of the culet with the rotation center of the motor 110 facilitates the accurate positioning of the diamond 104 in the bruting machine 100. The second holding member 108 has a flat surface, which contacts with the table of the diamond 104. The holding member 106 or 108 are provided with a spring 112 that facilitates positive gripping of the diamond 104 by the holding members 106 and 108.
Once the diamond 104 is gripped firmly by the holding members 106 and 108, the diamond bruting machine 100 performs the bruting process. The bruting machine 100 of the present subject matter includes a non-contact type bruting mechanism 114 and a contact type bruting mechanism 116 for performing the bruting process on the diamond 104. The non-contact type bruting mechanism 114 utilizes a laser beam to remove the excess surface from the diamond 104. A laser source 118 transmits the laser beam towards the diamond 104 with the help of at least one mirror 120. The laser source 118 of the present embodiment is the conventional laser source that is used for bruting
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diamonds. The mirror 120 is placed at an angle with respect to the incoming laser beam in order to direct the laser beam towards the diamond 104. in one embodiment an arrangement comprising a plurality of mirrors is used for beam delivery). A lens or concave mirror 121 focuses the laser beam to the desired location on the diamond 104 for performing the bruting process.
The laser bruting of the diamond 104 leads to black markings on the girdle of the diamond 104. In order to get the desired clarity on the diamond 104, such marking should be removed from the girdle of the diamond 104. For this purpose, the contact type bruting mechanism 116 having a grinding wheel 122 is provided in the bruting machine 100. Once the laser bruting of the diamond 104 is over, the non-contact type bruting mechanism 114 shifts away from the holding mechanism 102 and the contact type bruting mechanism 116 moves towards the diamond 104 along the grinding axis 124. The rotation of the grinding wheel 122 polishes the girdle of the diamond 104 and removes the stains or marks present on the girdle. The rotational motion of the grinding wheel 122 in the present embodiment is provided by another motor 126 attached to it. The motor 126 rotates a shaft 128 of the grinding wheel 122, which in turn rotates the grinding wheel 122. In one preferred embodiment, the contact type bruting mechanism 116 performs a wet grinding process in order to brute the girdle of the diamond 104.
The bruting machine 100 of the present subject matter can be embodied in many other ways as would be clear to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of the disclosure. The non-contact type bruting mechanism 114 and contact type bruting mechanism 116 slide in one direction in order to perform the bruting and grinding processes simultaneously on the diamond 104. In another embodiment, the non-contact


type bruting mechanism and contact type bruting mechanism can be stationary whereas the holding mechanism 102 can be slid towards the non-contact type bruting mechanism and towards the contact type bruting mechanism simultaneously for performing the bruting and grinding processes on the diamond 104.
For accurate bruting of the diamond 104, the whole process is required to be monitored as the bruting machine 100 is automated i.e. both the non-contact type bruting and the contact type bruting processes are performed by a dedicated software. An upper camera 130 and a side camera 132 are provided in the bruting machine 100 to monitor the bruting and the grinding processes.
Fig. 2 illustrates a flow chart depicting the method for bruting and grinding the diamond 104 in accordance with one embodiment of the present subject matter. The method involves various steps, which need to be performed on the sawed diamond 104 in order to give it the desired clarity. At block 200, the sawed diamond 104 is first set up in the fixture i.e. the holding mechanism 102. Once the diamond 104 is set in the holding mechanism 102, at block 202, it is aligned with the rotational center of the motor using 110 using cameras 130 and 132, and a CCTV monitor. At block 204, the parameters such as diameter of the girdle of the diamond 104 are entered into software. Subsequently, at block 206, the laser cutting parameters can be selected from a predefined set of parameters and/or entered manually into the software. Finally, at block 208, the mechanical grinding parameters can be selected from a predefined set of parameters and/or entered manually. Once all the parameters are entered, at block 210, the software is operated in order to perform the necessary cutting and/or grinding as per the parameters and/or algorithms. On successful achievement of the required diameter of the
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girdle of the diamond, the system will stop and notify the operator. In one embodiment the operator manually stops the process at a desired level.
The previously described versions of the subject matter and its equivalent thereof have many advantages, including those which are described below. By associating the non-contact type bruting process and contact type bruting process in a single machine, the possibility of error in centering, alignment or rotational angle of the diamond can be substantially reduced. Moreover, the machine facilitates elimination of the human error and setting time as the shifting of the diamond from one machine to the other is not required. The holding mechanism can also be automated to slide between the non-contact type bruting mechanism and contact type bruting mechanism for performing bruting processes. Thus the desired bruting of the diamond can be obtained without any error with the help of the bruting machine of the present subject matter.
Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiment contained therein.
Dated this 26th day of May 2008

To T SRINIVASAN
The Controller of Patents AGENT FOR THE APPLICANT
The Patent office at Mumbai
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