Coated article having the appearance of stainless steel

• US 6,548,193 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vapor Technologies, Inc. (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vapor Technologies, Inc. (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Guocun
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Deborah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piziali, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US09/827,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 428/621, 428/635, 428/660, 428/661, 428/627, 428/628, 428/629, 428/632, 428/666, 428/667, 428/668, 428/680, 428/687, 428/469, 428/472, 428/698, 428/702, 428/704, 428/547.2
• US Class Current: 428/687
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/321 with at least one metal alloy layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/322 only coatings of metal elements only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/34 including at least one inorganic non-metallic material layer, e.g. metal carbide, nitride, boride, silicide layer and their mixtures, enamels, phosphates and sulphates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/3455 with a refractory ceramic layer, e.g. refractory metal oxide, ZrO2, rare earth oxides or a thermal barrier system comprising at least one refractory oxide layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/347 with layers adapted for cutting tools or wear applications
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/36 including layers graded in composition or physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12535 with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12576 Boride, carbide or nitride component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12583 Component contains compound of adjacent metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1259 Oxide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12611 Oxide-containing component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12806 Refractory [Group IVB, VB, or VIB] metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12812 Diverse refractory group metal-base components: alternative to or next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12847 Cr-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12854 Next to Co-, Fe-, or Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12861 Group VIII or IB metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12944 Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12993 Surface feature [e.g., rough, mirror]

Abstract

An article is coated with a multi-layer decorative and protective coating having the appearance of stainless steel. The coating comprises one or more electroplated layers on the surface of said article and vapor deposited on the electroplated layers a color layer comprised of the reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen wherein the total nitrogen and oxygen content is from about 4 to about 32 atomic percent with the nitrogen content being at least about 3 atomic percent.

Claims

1. An article having on at least a portion of its surface a protective and decorative coating having the appearance of stainless steel said coating comprising:

at least one layer comprised of nickel on said surface of said article; and

a layer having the appearance of stainless steel on said at least one layer comprised of nickel comprised of reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen, wherein the total nitrogen and oxygen content of said reaction products is from about 4 to about 32 atomic percent with the nitrogen content being a substoichiometric amount of at least about 3 atomic percent.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said total nitrogen and oxygen content is from about 5 to about 28 atomic percent with the nitrogen content being at least about 4 atomic percent.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy is on said at least one layer comprised of nickel.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal oxide or refractory metal alloy oxide is on said layer having the appearance of stainless steel.

5. The article of claim 3 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal oxide or refractory metal alloy oxide is on said layer having the appearance of stainless steel.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein a layer comprised of chromium is on said at least one layer comprised of nickel.

7. The article of claim 6 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy is on said layer comprised of chromium.

8. The article of claim 1 wherein a layer comprised of tin and nickel alloy is on said at least one layer comprised of nickel.

9. The article of claim 8 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy is on said layer comprised of tin and nickel alloy.

10. The article of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer comprised of nickel is comprised of one nickel layer.

11. The article of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer comprised of nickel is comprised of two layers of nickel.

12. The article of claim 1 wherein said coating has the appearance of brushed stainless steel.

13. The article of claim 1 wherein said refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of zirconium, titanium and hafnium.