Patent ID: 8885252
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: A44C,G02B

Abstract:
1. An article comprising (i) a substantially flat substrate bearing a set of substantially flat, substantially coplanar diffraction gratings, and (ii) a jewelry mounting attached to the substrate, wherein: (a) the gratings of the set are arranged so as to occupy corresponding areas of the substrate; (b) each grating of the set differs from one or more other gratings of the set with respect to a corresponding grating wavevector direction so that each grating of the set differs from at least one other grating of the set with respect to a corresponding direction of dispersion of spectrally dispersed output directions of a diffracted portion of input light incident on the gratings along a given input direction; (c) the substrate comprises a first dielectric material that is substantially transparent over at least a first region of the visible electromagnetic spectrum; (d) each grating comprises a plurality of elevated spatial regions and recessed spatial regions; (e) each diffraction grating further comprises a second dielectric material that is substantially transparent over at least a portion of the first spectral region and that substantially covers the elevated and recessed regions; and (f) each diffraction grating further comprises a third material having, over at least a portion of the first spectral region, (i) optical transmissivity differing from that of both the first and second dielectric materials or (ii) a refractive index differing from that of both the first and second dielectric materials, and wherein either: (g) at least a portion of each elevated region comprises the first dielectric material, the third material at least partly fills each of the recessed regions, the first and second dielectric materials are separated by the third material at a bottom surface of each recessed region, and the first and second dielectric materials are in direct contact at a top surface of each elevated region; or (h) at least a portion of each elevated region comprises the third material, the second dielectric material substantially fills each of the recessed regions, the first and second dielectric materials are separated by the third material at the to surface of each elevated region, and the first and second dielectric materials are in direct contact at the bottom surface of each recessed region.