Apparatus dial and watch

• US 4,982,388 A
• Filed: 10/03/1988
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raoul-Henri Erard
• Original Assignee: Raoul-Henri Erard
• Inventors: Erard, Raoul-Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/252,131
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 368/223-239, 368/184
• US Class Current: 368/223
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/065 with several parts
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/283 on rotatable rings, i.e. bezel for graduations on the bezels G04B19/18

Abstract

Apparatus comprising a dial provided with distinct zones formed by crown sectors 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 which are adjustable in function of a manual correction device respectively of a selecting device.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for analogic measurement, comprising at least one indicator hand rotatable relative to a dial about an axis, said dial being constituted at least in part by at least two separate dial crowns which are concentric to said axis and are radially slotted, one said dial crown passing through the slot of the other dial crown such that the dial crowns are partially superposed thereby to define plural dial crown sectors constituting distinct zones of the dial;

the improvement in which each dial crown has a radially extending arm thereon, a control crown concentric to said axis, said arm interconnecting the dial crown to the control crown, and a manually operable adjustment member engageable with at least one said control crown to modify the angular position of the dial crown which is connected by a said arm to said at least one control crown.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dial is comprised by several dial crowns of different colors but of identical shape, each dial crown being integral with an associated said control crown via a said arm, each control crown having teeth engaging teeth on said manually operable correction member.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, there being a plurality of said manually operable members in the form of pinions carried by a single correcting shaft perpendicular to the plane of the dial, all said pinions being rotatable at the same angular speed so as simultaneously to change the angular position of the various dial crowns relative to said at least one hand, and manual latch means for selectively stopping at least one said dial crown thereby to change the relationship of the dial crowns to each other.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said manual latch means comprises a latch for all the control crowns thereby to prevent accidental actuation of the correction member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dial crowns constitute arcs encircling a central dial.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a casing having a front face which is constituted by a movable dial crown supporting a transparent crystal and comprising a connection element rendering the movable dial crown fast with the radial arm of one of the dial crowns of which it constitutes the control crown as well as the manually operable adjustment member.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one said dial crown is normally fixed, having an angular position determined by its said slot, its radial arm comprising a resilient connection element bearing against a cylindrical wall of an internal recess within a casing for the apparatus whose wall constitutes the control crown, said connection element being adapted to slide in the recess when its radial arm is urged by the radial arm of an adjacent crown which thus drives the first-mentioned crown in rotation and modifies the angular position of its slot.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, the dial crowns having different decorative motifs thereon.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, one said dial crown having at least one opening through which appears a lower dial crown.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a timepiece in the form of a watch.