Wristwatch having sliding shutter-type covers

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6739748
  • Patent Number
    6,739,748
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, November 15, 2001
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 25, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
The wristwatch of substantially rectangular shape includes two sliding shutter-type covers (6, 7) sliding over a case (1) to show or to conceal said case via manual action exerted on said shutters. The shutters are secured to the case by holding means (9) distinct from the guide means (8), said means being implemented to exert a vertical force (F) under each of the shutters tending to apply said shutters (6, 7) against the holding means (9) to reduce the shutter friction surface on the case.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a wristwatch of substantially rectangular shape including a case enclosing a movement, a wristband whose first strand is fixed onto a first side of the case and whose second strand is fixed onto the opposite side to the first, and two sliding shutter-type covers (hereinafter “shutters”) sliding over the case and capable of being open or closed to allow said case to appear or to be concealed respectively via manual action exerted on the shutters, guide and holding means being implemented to secure each of said shutters firmly to the case.




Abundant literature may be cited describing wristwatches fitted with sliding shutters. For example, Swiss Patent No. 144 055 discloses a timepiece comprising a watch with an aperture. This timepiece is characterised by two sliding shutters normally covering the aperture and guided into two slide-ways arranged in the case. Swiss Patent No. 337 138 is another example which may be cited wherein the wristwatch disclosed includes a sliding cover. In this document, the case is rectangular and has at its ends two studs onto each of which is hinged one of the ends of a wristband. The cover has an arc-shaped cross section, the longitudinal edges of the cover being engaged in guide grooves, which hold the cover, each arranged in the outer flank of a longitudinal edge of the middle part flanking the aperture of the protective crystal. A longitudinal groove is made in the outer flank of each edge, penetrated by a listel formed inside the longitudinal edge of the arc-shaped cover. The groove and the listel preferably have a triangular-shaped cross section.




In the two aforecited examples, as in numerous documents which the Applicant has been able to examine, the edge of the shutter or listel with which it is provided, rubs against the slide-way or groove arranged in the watch case, over its entire length and over all its surfaces. Moreover, in the documents consulted, the means for holding the shutter on the case are merged with the means for guiding said shutter on said case. This has the drawback of leading to a significant friction surface and consequently a significant friction force which the manual force of the person wearing the watch will have to overcome in order to open or close the shutter. It will also be noted that this friction force will tend to increase as the elements sliding into each other become dirty, such dirt being due for example to the combination of dust associated with the perspiration of the person wearing the watch.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It will be understood that the aforementioned drawbacks may be greatly reduced if one manages to reduce the effect of friction of the elements present, in particular by providing holding means which are separate from the guide means, the construction being arranged so that the friction forces essentially only affect the holding means, which is the main object of the present invention. The documents consulted on the means for holding the shutter on the case are merged with the means for guiding said shutter on said case. In order to do this the invention is characterised in that said guide and holding means are distinct from one another and in that means are implemented to exert a vertical force under each of the shutters tending to apply said shutter against said holding means.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Further innovations in addition to those cited above are also added to the opening and closing mechanism for the shutter in question and will be described hereinafter.





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the wristwatch of the invention shown with its shutters closed;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of the wristwatch of the invention shown with its shutters open;





FIG. 3

is a cross-section in the shutter and the watch case shown in

FIG. 2

, the cross-section being made along a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wristband;





FIG. 4

is a cross-section in the shutter and the watch case shown in

FIG. 2

, the cross-section being made along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wristband;





FIG. 5

is a top view of one of the shutters fitted to the watch of the invention; and





FIG. 6

is a top view of one of the sides of the watch case arranged to accommodate the shutter of FIG.


5


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




The wristwatch shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

has a substantially rectangular shape. It includes a case


1


enclosing a movement (not shown) above which is mounted a dial


30


above which the hour hand


31


and minute hand


32


move. The watch also includes a wristband whose first strand


2


is fixed onto a first side


3


of case


1


and whose second strand


4


is fixed onto a second side


5


opposite the first side. Two shutters


6


and


7


slide over case


1


and can be open or closed respectively to allow case


1


to appear (

FIG. 2

) or be concealed (FIG.


1


), via manual action exerted on shutters


6


and


7


. As is clear in

FIG. 4

, each of shutters


6


and


7


(here shutter


6


) is secured to case


1


by guide and holding means


8


and


9


, which will be described in detail hereinafter.




The wristwatch with shutter-type covers differs from the prior art in that guide means


8


are distinct from the holding means as is shown clearly in

FIG. 4

, which allows shutters


6


and


7


each to be applied against holding means


9


only if means are implemented to exert a vertical force F under each of the shutters. It will thus be understood that the friction surface between the shutters and the case is greatly reduced if compared to the friction surface seen in the aforecited documents. Consequently, this will make opening the shutter easier and will require less manual energy.




Different methods may be used to exert the required force F. Reference will be made to one such method which is preferred by the Applicant and which consists in using a ball


10


arranged under shutter


6


, this ball being secured to case


1


and pushed by a spring


11


, as is seen in FIG.


3


. The ball is held in a tube


33


driven into the case. A crimp connection arranged in the top of tube


33


allows the top of the ball to appear while preventing the latter from slipping out of the tube. Spring


11


is arranged between the bottom of the tube and the lower part of the ball.




When shutter


6


passes from the open position which is shown in

FIG. 3

, to the closed position, ball


10


travels under the shutter (see also

FIG. 5

) along a path


12


in the ends of which are made a first housing


13


and a second housing


14


in which ball


10


is able to enter partially to lock shutter


6


respectively in its open and closed positions. Thus, in the open position of shutter


6


, ball


10


is in housing


13


. When a force is exerted from right to left on shutter


6


, ball


10


leaves its housing


13


and moves along path


12


until it drops into housing


14


which marks the closing of the shutter. It will be noted here that by moving into housings


13


or


14


, ball


10


makes a clicking sound which alerts the person wearing the watch that the operation has finished while giving him the impression of possessing a well made object.




In order to prevent grinding the material on which it rubs, ball


10


is made of a hard material and preferably a ceramic material. Such a choice ensures that the mechanism has a very long lifetime before signs of weakness appear in the form of hard points or scratching during the shutter opening and closing movements.




Holding means


9


keeping each shutter


6


and


7


on case


1


will be described hereinafter. They comprise pins engaged in grooves. As

FIGS. 4

,


5


and


6


show, these holding means


9


include at least two cylindrical pins


15


and


16


whose ends emerge on either side of a listel


17


secured to case


1


, and two grooves


18


and


19


made in shutter


6


and located on either side of listel


17


, the ends of pins


15


and


16


engaging in said grooves.




As

FIGS. 4 and 5

show, groove


18


may be formed of a rail


20


added underneath shutter


6


by means of screws


34


and groove


19


formed of a rail


21


added underneath shutter


6


by means of screws


35


.




Although this is not shown, it will be noted that in order to facilitate assembly and to prevent pins


15


and


16


from inadvertently slipping out of their housing when shutter


6


is mounted on side


3


of case


1


, these pins


15


and


16


can be held in listel


17


by a resilient sealing gasket, i.e. an O-ring housed in a circular groove made in the listel and surrounding the pin.




Guide means


8


guiding each shutter


6


and


7


on the side onto which it is held are shown in

FIGS. 4

,


5


and


6


. These guide means include two rails


22


and


23


emerging from case


1


, each of these rails being engaged in a groove


24


, respectively


25


, made in shutter


6


. It can be seen clearly here that guide means


8


are independent and thus distinct from holding means


9


which were described previously.




Examining

FIG. 4

more particularly now, it can be seen that shutter


6


pushed by force F due to ball


10


is moved upwards, so that only pins


15


and


16


which form an integral part of case


1


rest on shutter


6


via rails


20


and


21


.




When the shutter is opened or closed, the friction between the case and shutter is transferred to the lines of contact existing between pins


15


and


16


and rails


20


and


21


and thus onto the generator lines of said pins. This results in an extremely reduced friction surface which makes opening and closing the shutter easier and thus much more gentle. An examination of

FIG. 4

also shows that guide means


8


formed by rails


22


and


23


co-operating with grooves


24


and


25


respectively, does not add any friction since force F referred to hereinbefore arranges a free space between the rails and grooves. It is thus clear that the construction which has just been described allows a carefully made high quality product to be proposed, which seems a necessity if the case and shutters are made of precious metal.




This description will end by highlighting another peculiar feature of the present invention. This concerns the attachment of the strands to the wristband which is achieved, as

FIG. 3

shows clearly, by means of screws


26


which are used both to prevent shutter


6


from being released from case


1


and to limit the travel of said shutter.




In order to do this, two screws


26


, whose heads


40


rest on a transverse bar


41


, pass through the end of wristband strand


2


. Screws


26


pass through said bar


41


then the end of strand


2


to be screwed into a projecting portion


42


of case


1


. Projecting portion


42


includes an internal screw thread


43


into which screw


26


is screwed. Screw


26


ends in an end or extension


27


which emerges from case


1


and engages in a machined portion


28


made in shutter


6


to limit thereby the travel of the shutter and prevent it from being released from the case. Thus, it will be understood that the assembly of the shutter on the case will have to precede the assembly of the wristband strand onto said case.



Claims
  • 1. A wristwatch of substantially rectangular shape comprising:a case having a first side and a second side, and enclosing a movement; a wristband having a first strand fixed onto said first side of the case, and a second strand fixed onto said second side opposite to the first side; two sliding shutters slidable over the case and being open or closed to allow said case to appear or to be concealed, respectively, via manual action exerted on said sliding shutters, means for guiding said sliding shutters in translation onto said case; and means for holding said sliding shutters secured onto the case while allowing them to slide onto said guiding means, wherein said guiding means and said holding means are physically separate from each other; and means for exerting a vertical force under each of said sliding shutters, said means for exerting said vertical force being interposed between said case and each of said sliding shutters and tending to apply each of said sliding shutters against said holding means.
  • 2. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein said means for exerting said vertical force consist of a ball arranged under each of the sliding shutters, each said ball being secured to the case and pushed by a spring.
  • 3. The wristwatch according to claim 2, wherein each of the balls is made of a hard material, in particular a ceramic material.
  • 4. The wristwatch according to claim 2, wherein each sliding shutter has a top face and a bottom face,wherein each said ball travels under the sliding shutters along a path on said bottom face, wherein said path has two opposite ends, wherein a first housing is provided at one of said ends, and a second housing is provided at the other of said ends, and wherein each said ball enters partially into said first and second housings to lock said sliding shutters respectively in its open and closed positions.
  • 5. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein said means for holding each of the sliding shutters onto the case include at least two cylindrical pins whose ends emerge on either side of a listel secured to the case, and two grooves made in the sliding shutters and located on either side of the listel, the ends of said pins engaging in said grooves.
  • 6. The wristwatch according to claim 5, wherein each of the grooves is formed of a rail added underneath the sliding shutters.
  • 7. The wristwatch according to claim 5, wherein each pin is held in the listel by a sealing gasket made of resilient material.
  • 8. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein said guiding means include two rails emerging from the case, each of said rails engaging in a groove in the sliding shutters.
  • 9. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein first and second wristband strands are secured to the case by means of screws used both to prevent the sliding shutters from inadvertently being released from the case and to limit the travel of said sliding shutters.
  • 10. The wristwatch according to claim 9, wherein an end of each of the screws is engaged in a machined portion in the sliding shutters.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
00204245 Nov 2000 EP
US Referenced Citations (10)
Number Name Date Kind
1907700 Alix May 1933 A
2236650 Pujol Apr 1941 A
2636338 Dinstman Apr 1953 A
3444685 Juillerat May 1969 A
4236239 Imgruth et al. Nov 1980 A
4941137 Kikuchi Jul 1990 A
5161130 Sato et al. Nov 1992 A
5805535 Guyard et al. Sep 1998 A
5881029 Kuo Mar 1999 A
6229768 Nakazawa et al. May 2001 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
144 055 Dec 1930 CH
331 285 Jul 1958 CH
337 138 Mar 1959 CH
345 5608 Mar 1960 CH