The present invention relates to an external assembly element of a timepiece made from a first material.
The present invention relates to a rotating bezel for a timepiece.
Bezel systems that rotate or not are known. A rotating bezel system comprises an annular bezel having an upper face and a lower face, the upper face being the face visible to the user. This bezel comprises a toothing system that cooperates with a spring element for rotating bezel systems. This cooperation between the spring element and the toothing of the bezel enables provision of a bezel that is rotatable in a stepwise manner.
As the development of communication functions progressed, it was necessary to find spaces for the communication circuits. One solution was to integrate these communication circuits into the bezel. A bezel fitted with a hollow space forming a slot, in which the communication circuit and the antenna are placed, is known for this. The whole assembly is then sealed with a cover.
The slot can be filled with a resin to restrict movement of the communication circuit and the antenna therein.
However, this construction has the disadvantage of being complex, since it requires a cover for close the slot and also communication devices in two component parts: circuit on the one hand and antenna on the other. Moreover, this is a construction that is easy to disassemble for an ill-intentioned person who might wish to retrieve the communication circuit and the data stored on it.
The aim of the invention is to remedy the disadvantages of the prior art by proposing to provide a bezel system fitted with a communication circuit that is simple, sealed and secure.
For this purpose, the invention relates to an external assembly element of a timepiece made from a first material, characterised in that it comprises a groove, in which a communication circuit is arranged, wherein said communication circuit is over-moulded with a polymer material filling said groove.
In a first advantageous embodiment the external assembly element additionally comprises a dial train element enabling indication of the minutes, wherein this dial train element comprises a strip made from a second material, this strip having areas of excess thickness forming index numbers.
In a second advantageous embodiment the second material forming the strip is a transparent material, wherein the dial train element additionally comprises a second strip made from a luminescent material.
In a third advantageous embodiment the dial train element is positioned between the communication circuit and the over-moulding of polymer material and is arranged so that the areas of excess thickness are flush with the surface of the over-moulding.
In a fourth advantageous embodiment the communication circuit is covered by a first over-moulding, on which the dial train element is positioned, a second over-moulding being arranged on the dial train element, and the first and second over-mouldings are arranged so that the areas of excess thickness are flush with the surface of the second over-moulding.
In a fifth advantageous embodiment the dial train element is made from a material chosen from the following list: metal, ceramic, wood, rock.
In a sixth advantageous embodiment the dial train element is made from a material comprising a polymer, into which a luminescent pigment is mixed.
In a seventh advantageous embodiment the polymer material forming the over-moulding is over-moulded in order to form hollow spaces and said hollow spaces are filled with a luminescent material.
The invention additionally relates to a timepiece comprising a case comprising a middle part closed by a back and a glass and fitted with a bezel, characterised in that the bezel is the external assembly element according to one of the preceding claims.
In a first advantageous embodiment the bezel and the middle part only form one and the same single piece.
The aims, advantages and features of the bezel system according to the present invention will become clearer in the following detailed description of at least one embodiment of the invention given solely as a non-restrictive example and illustrated by the attached drawings:
The present invention proceeds from the general inventive idea consisting of providing a rotating bezel system that is simpler to assemble.
This bezel 100 can be mounted to be rotating or not at the level of the middle part. In the case of a rotating bezel 100, a spring-catch assembly or a ratchet locking system (not shown) is provided. This spring-catch assembly comprises spring means and a toothed element. One of the elements of the spring-catch assembly will be angularly fixed to the middle part, whereas the other will be angularly fixed to the bezel 100 in order to allow the bezel to be indexed angularly in relation to the middle part.
For assembly of the bezel 100 the timepiece comprises a middle part 20, in which a shoulder 21 is arranged, this shoulder 21 being defined by a side wall 22 and a base 23. This shoulder serves as a seating for the bezel. In general, the side wall 22 comprises a protuberance 24 extending over the entire perimeter of the side wall 22. This protuberance 24 in cooperation with the base 23 and the wall 22 allows definition of a holding groove 25. This holding groove 25 enables the bezel to be inserted and held therein during its eventual assembly.
Advantageously, according to the invention the bezel 100 is fitted with a communication circuit 102, as visible in
The entire assembly is then placed in the groove 104 of the bezel 100 that serves as seating.
To close the entire assembly, a rubber-type polymer material is over-moulded directly into the groove 104 forming an over-moulding 106, as visible in
A second advantage of this arrangement is that it allows the security of this bezel to be improved. In fact, the communication circuits 102 for this bezel 100 can use non-contact NFC type communication protocols or other wireless telecommunication means. This system can also be used as an electronic tag for product recognition (or tracking). This protocol is principally used for payment functions which means that these circuits contain sensitive data. Consequently, it is necessary to protect them. Since the non-contact communication protocols have extremely close ranges, the recovery of sensitive data occurs directly on the circuit. Consequently, the fact that a polymer is over-moulded onto the communication circuit 102 makes the recovery of information more difficult, because the polymer will have to be dissolved before gaining access to the communication circuits 102.
Moreover, the presence of an over-moulding operation means an adaptive bezel can be provided, i.e. it is conceivable to not have just a communication circuit. In fact, it is conceivable to add dial train indications and/or other technical or decorative indications at the level of the bezel.
According to an advantageous embodiment the bezel 100 according to the invention additionally comprises a dial train element 108. This dial train element 108 is provided in the form of a strip or lamella 109, the dimensions of which allow it to be positioned in the groove 104 of the bezel 100, as visible in
Two alternatives are possible for this installation of the dial train ring 108.
The first alternative consists of dimensioning the groove 104 so that, when the dial train element 108 is positioned in the groove 104, the reliefs 110 are flush with the plane of the upper surface 100a of the bezel 100. The whole assembly is then over-moulded by the polymer forming the over-moulding 106. The flush arrangement of the index numbers 110 during the over-moulding results in reliefs that are visible to the user, as visible in
A second alternative consists of over-moulding a first polymer layer or over-moulding 106a on the communication circuit 102 before installing the dial train element 108. A second over-moulding operation is then conducted to deposit a second polymer layer or over-moulding 106b to hold the dial train element 108 in the groove 104 of the bezel 100. The thickness of the first deposited polymer layer 106a will be defined so that the reliefs of the dial train element 108 are flush with the plane of the upper surface 100a of the bezel 100, as visible in
In a variant of the two alternatives, the dial train element 108 is designed to comprise a first dial train strip 109 made from a transparent material and a second leaf 111 arranged below the dial train strip 109 that will be a luminescent leaf. Thus, it is possible to have a luminescent appearance in the case where a mixture of the material of the dial train strip 109 and the luminescent pigment is not possible, as visible in
According to another advantageous embodiment visible in
In another embodiment visible in
It will be understood that various modifications and/or improvements and/or combinations evident to the person skilled in the art can be made to the different embodiments of the invention outlined above without departing from the framework of the invention defined by the attached claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
15184594 | Sep 2015 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2016/070388 | 8/30/2016 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2017/042053 | 3/16/2017 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2252647 | Schmitz | Aug 1941 | A |
5798984 | Koch | Aug 1998 | A |
6825751 | Kita | Nov 2004 | B1 |
9153856 | Rappoport | Oct 2015 | B2 |
10361479 | Montevirgen | Jul 2019 | B2 |
20060140058 | Kalbermatten et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20110103199 | Winkler | May 2011 | A1 |
20110259753 | Grossenbacher | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20130208577 | Netuschill | Aug 2013 | A1 |
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20190250566 | Ferri | Aug 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
322541 | Jun 1957 | CH |
2228695 | Sep 2010 | EP |
9-119986 | May 1997 | JP |
2005065404 | Jul 2005 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Rolex, English Translation of CH 322541, originally published Jun. 15, 1957, retrieved from Espaceneton Sep. 13, 2019, full document (Year: 1957). |
International Search Report dated Nov. 8, 2016, in PCT/EP2016/070388, filed Aug. 30, 2016. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190271954 A1 | Sep 2019 | US |