Switch structure for electronic timepiece

• US 4,257,115 A
• Filed: 02/10/1978
• Issued: 03/17/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Hiroshi, Hatuse, Toshikazu, Natori, Minoru, Kawanobe, Kouhei, Shimazaki, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US05/876,733
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 58/23 R, 58/50 R, 58/57.5, 58/85.5, 58/152 R, 58/152 B, 58/127 R, 58/127 B, 200/DIG. 1, 340/324 R, 340/324 M, 340/712
• US Class Current: 368/69
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/026 acting at a number of different times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0082 by building-up characters using a combination of indicating elements and by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the positions of which represents the time, i.e. combinations of G04G9/02 and G04G9/08

Abstract

A switch structure for an analog quartz crystal timepiece having a watchglass plate, a time dial to display time in an analog mode, and a digital display device, which switch structure comprises a plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films provided on the watchglass plate at positions corresponding to numerical display indicia on the time dial to permit generation of input signals corresponding to the numerical display indicia, respectively.

Claims

1. In an analog quartz crystal timepiece providing a multi-alarm function and having a watch case, and a watch movement adapted to drive time indicating hands and having a circuit board mounted thereon, the improvement comprising:

a time dial disposed in said watch case and including a plurality of circumferentially spaced time-indicating numerical indicia, and an access window;

an electro-optical digital display device mounted on a bottom surface of said time dial at said access window to provide a display of said multi-alarm function;

a plurality of display indicia indicative of said multi-alarm function and formed on said time dial at an area other than those in which said time-indicating numerical indicia are formed;

a watch glass plate secured to said watch case above said time dial;

a plurality of first transparent electrically conductive electrode films formed on said watch glass plate at positions corresponding to said plurality of circumferentially spaced time-indicating numerical indicia, respectively, to permit generation of input signals corresponding to said time-indicating numerical indicia, each of said plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films having a terminal portion formed on a bottom surface of said watch glass plate;

a plurality of second transparent electrically conductive electrode films formed on said glass plate at positions corresponding to said plurality of display indicia, respectively and serving as switches for inputting a plurality of alarm time data;

a transparent insulating film formed over said watch glass plate and said plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films; and

a plurality of electrically conductive connectors disposed between said circuit board and the corresponding ones of said terminal portions of said plurality of electrically conductive electrode films.

2. In an analog quartz crystal timepiece equipped with an electronic calculation circuit to provide calculation data and having a watch case, a watch movement adapted to drive time indicating hands and having a circuit board mounted thereon, and an electro-optical display device to display said calculation data, the improvement comprising:

a time dial disposed in said watch case and including a plurality of circumferentially spaced time-indicating numerical indicia, a plurality of display indicia representing a plurality of function key symbols and formed on said time dial at an area other than those in which said time-indicating numerical indicia are formed, and an access window;

a watch glass plate secured to said watch case above said time dial;

a plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films formed on said watch glass plate at positions corresponding to said plurality of circumferentially spaced time-indicating numerical indicia and said display indicia, respectively, and serving as numeric and function key switches for said electronic calculation circuit to permit generation of input signals corresponding to said time-indicating numerical indicia and said display indicia, each of said plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films having a terminal portion formed on a bottom surface of said watch glass plate;

a transparent insulating film formed over said watch glass plate and said plurality of transparent electrically conductive electrode films; and

a plurality of electrically conductive connectors disposed between said circuit board and the corresponding ones of said terminal portions of said plurality of electrically conductive electrode films;

said electro-optical display device mounted on a bottom surface of said time dial at said access window and including a transparent upper glass plate, a transparent lower glass plate, and a shield layer formed over said transparent upper glass plate constituting said dial plate and said plurality of numerical display indicia and said display indicia being formed over said shield layer.