HK1129743B - Timepiece with a tiltable case - Google Patents

Description

Timepiece with pivoting case

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a timepiece, such as a wristwatch, which can have a chronograph function, with a case carrying a movement, pivotable about a hinge of a stationary case.

Background

In order to make it easier to read the time when the watch is worn on the wrist, or to make it usable as a desk clock, it has long been proposed to have a first stationary case attached to the wrist by means of a strap of a bracelet or wristband, or that can be placed on a desk, and a second case containing the movement of the watch and being movable and hinged on the first case, and the second case can have a first position in which it is locked inside the stationary case, and a second position in which it can have an inclined position.

Us patent No. 1804048 has disclosed a device in which the movable case can be unlocked by pressing a button through the middle part of the watch. In swiss patent No. 161610, the display is hidden when the two housings are nested within each other, and the display is made visible by pivoting the movable housing by grasping a lip disposed at 12 o' clock. In the device disclosed in swiss patent No. 343946, one side of the middle portion of the stationary housing is removed to allow the corresponding middle portion of the movable housing to be grasped to unlock the movable housing against the bias of the spring and to pivot said housing. In us patent No. 4168607, the movable housing is also placed in a protruding position by the action of a strip spring arranged in the back cover of the stationary housing, by pressing a button as in the first cited document.

These prior art devices can protect or hide the crown or another control member, but they have the disadvantage of making the button or unlocking lip visible, or of including a recess in the intermediate portion, in both cases inconvenient to handle or unsightly.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a timepiece, and more particularly a watch, comprising two shells nested inside one another, the inner shell carrying the movement being able to assume a tilted position with respect to the outer stationary shell by action of the fingers on the movable element and on the outer part to exert thereon a movement along the plane of the timepiece to cause unlocking of the movable shell.

The present invention therefore relates to a timepiece, and more particularly to a wristwatch, comprising a stationary outer casing and a pivoting inner casing carrying a movement and a display for time-related data or non-time-related data. The inner housing is hinged about an axis parallel to the data reading direction and arranged at the bottom part of the display, i.e. at 6 points of the housing of the analog display. The inner housing is held in a normal position in the stationary housing by locking means and can assume a tilted position by the action of a spring when said locking means are deactivated. The invention is characterized in that the locking means are formed by a movable element of the outer part, said movable element being able to be manipulated in rotation or translation within the plane of the timepiece. In other words, the timepiece no longer comprises a locking device of the push-button or lip type.

This movable element of the outer part of the watch may form part of the inner housing or of the outer housing. When the movable element forms part of the inner housing, it is preferably formed by a rotary bezel. When the movable element forms part of the outer casing, it is preferably formed by a sliding shutter arranged in the top of the bezel middle part.

Apart from timepieces which are controlled fully tactilely by means of sensors arranged on the glass, a prominent control device in the case of chronographs, such as a crown or a pusher, is necessary, but said control device can be damaged in the case of shocks and does not necessarily have an attractive appearance.

According to another aspect of the invention, the control member is protected by an outer housing and the movable element may conceal the control member.

According to a first embodiment, the movable element is a rotary bezel fixed to the inner casing and can have an asymmetric outer profile if the timepiece is provided with control members which must be easily accessible in the pivoted position, for example in the case of a chronograph watch. The movable element may also be just one sector of the bezel that is movable in rotation.

According to a second embodiment, the movable element is a sliding shutter arranged in the top of the bezel middle part of the outer casing. If the timepiece is provided with control means, the shutter may be arranged on said control member, so that the control member may be hidden in the normal position.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following description of various embodiments, given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figures 1 and 2 show perspective views of a first embodiment of a watch according to the invention, with the inner case in a normal position and a pivoted position, respectively;

figures 3, 4 and 5 schematically show the manoeuvres to be performed to pass the inner casing from the normal position to the pivoted position;

figures 6, 7 and 8 show the various parts to be assembled to obtain the table of figure 1;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 2 at an angle illustrating one portion of the locking mechanism;

fig. 10 corresponds to fig. 9 without the outer housing;

FIG. 11 is a cross-section of the chart shown in FIG. 1 along the 2-point to 6-point axis;

figures 12 and 13 show perspective views of the second embodiment with the inner housing in the normal and pivoted positions respectively;

figures 14, 15 and 16 schematically show the manoeuvres to be performed so that the inner casing passes from the normal position to the pivoted position;

fig. 17 and 18 show perspective views of only the inner housing with the shutter in locked and unlocked positions;

FIGS. 19, 20 and 21 show perspective views of only the shutter at three different angles; and

fig. 22 is a section through the locking device of the watch shown in fig. 12.

Detailed Description

With reference first to fig. 1 to 11, a first embodiment of a chronograph watch with a pivoting case will be described hereinafter, and in which the way the display passes from the normal position to the pivoted position allows a more convenient reading of the information displayed on the dial and gives access to the controls, time-setting, chronograph functions or other components.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view in the "normal position", i.e. the watch is normally visible when worn on the wrist, with one exception: there are no visible control members on the middle portion of the outer housing 1, which allows attachment of the bracelet strand or wristband 3.

The only part visible is the display 12, in this example the display 12 is an analogue display with a chronograph function, and the bezel 20 has an asymmetrical shape, wherein in particular the recess 21 is within the outer contour of the bezel 20. Bezel 20 is a rotating bezel that is rotatably manipulable in the plane of the watch.

The same watch is shown in figure 2 in a "pivoted" position, which facilitates reading of the information on display 12 and exposes the control members, such as crown 14 and the two buttons 16, 18, when the watch is worn on the wrist. The manner in which this is achieved from the normal position to the pivoted position will be better understood by referring also to fig. 3, 4 and 5. Starting from the normal position (fig. 3), an angular rotation (fig. 4) is applied to the rotary bezel 20, which positions the recess 21 above the position in which the control members 14, 16 and 18 are placed, and which, through the action of the helical torsion spring 7, which is not visible in these figures, will cause the inner case 10 to pivot, closing the watch movement with its display 12 and control members 14, 16 and 18. This pivoting takes place around pin 4, which pin 4 is arranged at 6 and passes through the extensions 5, 15 of the housing 1 and the housing 10.

Fig. 6, 7 and 8 show top views of the various parts to be assembled in order to obtain the tables shown in fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 6 shows that the outer housing 1 comprises a cavity 6, the contour of the cavity 6 corresponding to the outer contour of the pivoting housing 10 shown in fig. 7. Extensions 5a, 5b in the direction of bracelet strands 3 comprise in particular housings 6a, 6b for receiving control members 14, 16 and 18, respectively, and extension 15 of inner casing 10. As shown in fig. 8, in the example shown, the rotary bezel 20 has an asymmetrical shape with a recess 21. It is clear that the shape of bezel 20 is adapted to the contour of the stationary case, to any desired aesthetic effect and to the type of movement and control members integrated in said watch. For example, it is possible to have a bezel with an oblong shape in the direction of the bracelet strands, with an extended portion thereof covering the control member in the locked position and a narrow portion thereof exposing said member in the pivoted position after rotation of said bezel.

In the case of watches with purely tactile control by sensors arranged on the glass and therefore without providing any control member located on the middle part of the pivoted case 10, or watches whose control member is intended to remain permanently visible, it is even possible to have a perfectly circular annular bezel, which is manipulated only for the purpose of making the inner case pass from the normal position to the pivoted position or vice versa. In such an embodiment, it is even possible to limit the movable element to a bezel sector that can be rotationally manoeuvred between each locking position.

Referring now more particularly to fig. 9, 10 and 11, the locking/unlocking mechanism for passing from the normal position to the pivoted position will be described as follows.

The angle shown in figure 9 in the pivoted position shows that bezel 20 comprises an L-shaped projection 22 in its lower part, the small arms of L-shaped projection 22 being directed outwards to cooperate with said groove 2 of outer housing 1 through a channel 2a between groove 2 and a shoulder of the middle part of outer housing 1 in the principle of a bayonet assembly.

It is clear that the length of the groove 2 can be limited to a length only sufficient to allow the bezel 20 to rotate between a position in which the recess 21 is above the control members 14, 16, 18 and a position in which the widest part of the bezel conceals the control members 14, 16, 18. In the case of a completely circular bezel 20, the length of the groove 2 can be limited to the width of the small arm of the L-shaped projection 22, because the movement does not have a control member projecting onto the middle part of the pivoted case, or because it is chosen so that the control member is permanently visible. Also, more than one locking lug may be provided, for example by arranging two lugs symmetrically with respect to the centre of rotation of the rotary bezel.

It can also be seen that the pivoting housing 10 includes a battery compartment 19 opposite a corresponding aperture 9 in the stationary housing 1 to facilitate battery replacement. The cover of the cassette 19 is in fact rather difficult to reach even in the pivoted position.

Indeed, as can be seen in fig. 10, where the outer housing 1 is not shown, the clearance of the pivoting housing 10 is limited by a pin 13 positioned in the lower part of the extension 15 of the pivoting housing. It is clear that other equivalent devices can be used to control the pivoting angle.

The figure also shows the ends of the helical torsion spring 7, the coils of the spring 7 being contained within the housing 8 of the extension 15 of the pivoting housing 10. The other end of the spring 7 abuts against the rear cover of the stationary housing 1.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view through the center of the dial and through the positions of 2 o 'clock and 6 o' clock. This section shows more clearly the position of the housing 8 of the helical torsion spring 7. Since the position is within extension 5a of stationary case 2 for the fixing of the bracelet strands, the thickness and overall aesthetic appearance of the case of a watch that does not provide such a device is not altered in any way. This section also shows more clearly the position of the groove 2 in which the projection 22 is engaged.

In the description of this first embodiment, the helical torsion spring 7 is given by way of example only. Other types of springs, such as strip springs, or other resilient means may be used in practice.

Fig. 12 to 22 describe a second embodiment which relies on the same principle but differs from the embodiment just described in the arrangement of the locking/unlocking device. Those elements that are the same or similar to the elements of the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals.

Fig. 12 and 13 show a chronograph watch of rectangular shape, the control members of which formed by crown 14 and two buttons 16, 18 are arranged in the upper part of display 12, substantially between the corners for securing bracelet strands 3, with no other control members visible on the middle part of outer stationary casing 1.

Fig. 12 shows this watch in a perspective view in the normal position, the components 14, 16, 18 being visible but not accessible. Fig. 13 shows the same watch with the inner housing 10 in a pivoted position, i.e. allowing a better reading of the display 12 and providing access to the control members 14, 16 and 18.

Referring also to fig. 14, 15 and 16, how the passage from the normal position to the pivot position is performed will be explained as follows. Starting from the normal position (fig. 14), the fingers are used to slide the shutter 25 (fig. 15) towards the outside of the case, which, through the action of the spring not visible in the figures, will cause the inner case 10 (fig. 16) to pivot, with its display 12 and control members 14, 16 and 18, closing the watch movement, said pivoting taking place about a pivot point in the lower part of the outer case 1 for fixing the bracelet strands 3.

Fig. 17-22 describe in more detail an embodiment of the housing 10 that allows the sliding shutter to lock/unlock the pivot.

Fig. 17 and 18 show in perspective only the pivoting housing 10 and shutter 25, which are also shown at different angles in fig. 19, 20 and 21.

The shutter 25 is formed by a generally rectangular plate 26, the plate 26 comprising, in the example shown in figures 12 to 16, a recess 28, the recess 28 being such that the control member 14, 16, 18 is permanently visible in the normal position. As shown in fig. 20, the plate 26 may also not provide a recess if it is instead desired to conceal the control member in the normal position.

The plate 26 comprises, in the lower part of its shoulder which must slide over the middle part of the stationary housing 1, two parallel grooves 27 close to the edges of the small sides of the plate 26.

The channel 27 is closed at each end and limits the travel of the shutter 25 and activates the system for unlocking the pivoted housing 10.

Each groove 27 is in fact provided to receive the end of a pin 29 fixed perpendicularly to a slider 30, the slider 30 being housed in a slide 35 arranged in the middle portion of the stationary casing 1, the slide 35 being close to the back cover of the stationary casing 1 and opening towards the inside of said stationary casing 1. The pin 29 passes through the middle part via a countersunk groove 39 of oblong shape.

The end of the slider 30 directed towards the interior of the stationary housing 1 comprises a ramp 31 and the other end directed towards the bottom of the slide 35 is provided with a helical compression spring 33 abutting against the bottom of the slide 35.

Referring to the normal position shown in fig. 12, 14 and 17, it can be seen that the spring 33 urges the ramp 31 of the slider 30 to engage within the groove 11 of the pivoting housing 10, the groove 11 being located adjacent the rear cover of the pivoting housing 10, below the control members 14, 16, 18.

To access the pivoted position shown in figures 13, 16 and 18, the shutter 25 is slid outwardly. In a first phase (fig. 15), the housing is kept in the normal position, with the ends of the pins 29 sliding only in the grooves 27 to position the shutter 25 beyond the control members 14, 16 and 18. When the pin 29 comes to rest at the bottom end of the groove 27, the further thrust compresses the spring 33, releasing the ramp 31 from the groove 21 and thus pivoting the inner casing 10 by the action of a spring not shown but which may have the same arrangement as the spring of the first embodiment. The maximum dimension of the oblong-shaped counter sink 39 must therefore be matched to the necessary play of the slide 30 in order to release the bevel 31 from the groove 11 as a whole.

For shutters 25 whose plates 26 have recesses 28 (this is the case for the more specifically illustrated example), it is clear that the pins can be fixed simply, for example by driving into the base of the plates 26.

Other variants are conceivable, in particular as regards the shape of the housing and of the movable element for locking/unlocking, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. Timepiece comprising a stationary outer casing (1) and a pivotable inner casing (10), wherein the inner casing (10) carries a movement, a display (12) for time-related data or non-time-related data, and control means (14, 16, 18) on an intermediate portion of the inner casing,

said inner housing (10) being hinged about an axis parallel to the data reading direction and arranged in the bottom part of said display, while being held in a locked position in said stationary outer housing (1) by locking means, said inner housing (10) being able to assume a tilted position by the action of a spring (7) when said locking means are deactivated,

characterized in that said locking means are formed by a movable element (20, 25) of an external portion of said timepiece, said movable element (20, 25) being able to be manoeuvred in rotation or translation within the plane of said timepiece so as to protect said control member (14, 16, 18) in said external casing (1) in said locking position;

wherein the movable element (20, 25) has a profile capable of concealing and/or protecting the control member (14, 16, 18) also in the locked position and exposing the control member in the unlocked position.

2. The timepiece of claim 1, characterised in that said movable element (20) is associated with said internal casing (10).

3. The timepiece of claim 2, wherein said movable element is a rotary bezel (20) comprising at least one lug (22), said lug (22) being positionable opposite a groove (2) formed in an inner wall of said outer case (1) and being engageable in said groove to lock said inner case (10) when said bezel (20) is rotated.

4. The timepiece of claim 1, characterised in that said movable element (25) is associated with said outer case (1).

5. The timepiece of claim 4, wherein said movable element is a sliding shutter (25) arranged in a top portion of said outer case (1), said shutter (25) being able to lock and unlock said inner case (10) when said shutter (25) slides.

6. The timepiece of claim 1 wherein said control member (14, 16, 18) is disposed at 12 o' clock.

7. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that it is formed by a wristwatch, the hinge pins (4) of the outer case (1) and of the inner case (10) being incorporated with a bar for fixing the bracelet strand (3).

8. The timepiece of claim 7, characterised in that the means for securing the stem comprise a casing of a spring (7) for causing the inner case (10) to pivot.

9. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the movement is battery-driven, the back cover of the outer case (1) comprising an aperture (9), the aperture (9) reaching a battery compartment (19) arranged inside the back cover of the inner case (10).