Skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it

• US 4,926,401 A
• Filed: 09/22/1989
• Issued: 05/15/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ETA SA Fabriques
• Original Assignee: ETA SA Fabriques
• Inventors: Muller, Jacques, Vuilleumier, Cyril
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US07/410,886
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: 368/76, 368/77, 368/80, 368/88, 368/223, 368/228, 368/233, 368/234, 368/318, 368/297-300, 368/309
• US Class Current: 368/88
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 37/225 Non-metallic cases
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 45/02 Time pieces of which the clockwork is visible partly or wholly figures or parts thereof moved by the clockwork G04B45/0038
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/008 Mounting, assembling of components

Abstract

The skeleton watch of this invention includes a caseband (1) bearing a frame (6) arranged between an upper crystal and a back cover (26), a leg (8) contiguous to the frame, a motor (10, 11, 12) secured to the frame and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel (15) bearing a minutes marker (17). An hours hand (18) is driven by the minutes wheel through motion work including a train of planetary gears (23, 24). Zones (27 to 32) and conductors (33 to 37) are metallized on the internal face of the back cover and are intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components and establish connections among such components. The arrangement as set forth permits a greatly bared skeleton watch with a minimum of noticeable elements.

Claims

1. A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination:

a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover,

a frame contiguous to the caseband and arranged in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover,

a leg contiguous to the frame and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center,

a motor secured to the frame and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker,

a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided in the leg at the location of the center of rotation of the display organs,

a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which are pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, said minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel,

zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the operation of the watch and to establish connections among such components, and

a time setting arrangement.

2. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the minutes wheel is a transparent toothed disc.

3. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the frame takes up space in a corresponding accommodation within the caseband.

4. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the back cover is a crystal.

5. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leg is integrally formed with the frame.

6. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leg is a bridge connecting two opposite edges of the frame.

7. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shaft united with the fixed pinion is of a length chosen in a manner such that said shaft provides a brace between the bottom of the upper crystal and the back cover.

8. A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the time setting arrangement includes a stem and crown arranged to assume a pushed-in rest position and a drawn-out working position, said stem bearing on one end thereof an annular accommodation cooperating with a jumper spring and a contact blade, said jumper spring and contact blade including fastening and positioning means on the frame arranged in manner such as to be substantially accommodated in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said stem.

9. A watch as set forth in claim 8 wherein the contact blade comes into contact with a contact stud arranged on the metallization of the back cover whenever the stem is in the drawn-out position.

10. A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination:

a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover,

a leg contiguous to the caseband and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center and emerging in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover,

a motor secured to the caseband and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker,

a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided the leg at the center of rotation of said display organs,

a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which area pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, the minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel,

zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the watch operation and to establish connections among said components, and

a time setting arrangement.

11. A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the minutes wheel is a transparent toothed disc.

12. A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the back cover is a crystal.

13. A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the leg is integrally formed with the caseband.

14. A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the leg is a bridge connecting two opposite edges of the caseband.

15. A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the time setting arrangement includes a stem and crown arranged to assume a pushed-in rest position and a drawn-out working position, said stem bearing an annular accommodation on one end thereof cooperating with a jumper spring and a contact blade, said jumper spring and contact blade including fastening and positioning means on the frame arranged in a manner to be substantially accommodated in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said stem.

16. A watch as set forth in claim 15 wherein the contact blade comes into contact with a contact stud arranged on the metallization of the back cover whenever the stem is in the drawn-out position.