Timepiece and chronometer with overlapping, separately driven analog and digital displays

• US 6,084,828 A
• Filed: 04/12/1999
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fossil Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fossil Incorporated
• Inventors: Bruneau, Jeffrey Keith, Bland, Diarmuid John St. Colum, Carr, Carla Louise, Morgan, William Warren III
• Primary Examiner(s): MISKA, VIT W
• Application Number:
  US09/290,902
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 368/80, 368/82-84, 368/88, 368/107-113, 368/223, 368/239, 368/242
• US Class Current: 368/80
• 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 timepiece and chronometer with a superimposed analog/digital display arrangement. The timepiece comprises a watch case with a back and a display area, a transparent crystal, an electrically-driven digital LCD display, a superimposed analog display comprising an hour hand, minute hand, and interior bezel, an electrical analog watch movement, and a digital display driver. The digital LCD display indicates passing seconds by incrementally displaying either digits 00 through 59 or digits 01 through 60 for one second each, either in dark numerals over a light background, or vice versa. The analog display is driven by an electrical watch movement located beneath the LCD display that comprises a battery, a timing standard, timing circuitry, a stem and crown assembly, and a hand moving assembly that extends upward through the center aperture of the LCD display and couples to the analog watch hands. The digital display driver, also located behind the LCD display, couples to the digital LCD display and comprises a second battery, a timing standard, and timing and display driving electronic components and circuitry. The analog movement and the digital display driver may share the same electrical ground, but otherwise are electrically isolated from one another.

Claims

1. A timepiece and chronometer that displays the time of day using an analog display superimposed over passing seconds displayed on a digital display, comprising:

a watch case comprising a case back, a display opening, and an interior, said display opening comprises the total display area of said timepiece;

a transparent crystal coupled to said watch case covering said display opening,

a digital LCD display substantially the same size as said total display area of said timepiece, said digital LCD display couples to said interior of said watch case beneath said crystal, said digital LCD display indicates passing seconds by incrementally displaying alphanumeric digit, said digital display further comprises a center aperture;

an analog display comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, and an interior bezel, said interior bezel is symmetrically aligned with said display opening and said center aperture in said digital LCD display and overlaps said digital display in plan view, said interior bezel further comprises a plurality of markings that facilitate reading the time indicated by the position of said hour hand and said minute hand;

an analog watch movement within said watch case underneath said digital display, said analog watch movement comprises a first battery, a first timing circuit, a hand-moving assembly, and a stem and crown assembly, said hand-moving assembly extends from said analog watch movement through said center aperture in said digital display and couples to said hour hand and said minute hand of said analog display;

a digital display driver comprising a second battery, a second timing circuit further comprising an electronic timing standard, and electronic circuitry, said digital display driver couples to and provides signals that drive the digital LCD display.

2. The timepiece of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following components of said analog display further comprises a luminescent surface:

said hour hand, said minute hand, said interior bezel, or said plurality of markings located on said interior bezel.

3. A display system that simultaneously displays the time of day in analog format and passing seconds in alphanumeric digital format using two separately-driven, overlapping displays, comprising:

a watch case comprising a case back, a display opening, and an interior, said display opening comprises the total display area of said timepiece;

a transparent crystal coupled to said watch case covering said display opening,

a digital LCD display substantially the same size as said total display area of said timepiece, said digital LCD display couples to said interior of said watch case beneath said crystal, said digital LCD display indicates passing seconds by incrementally displaying alphanumeric digit, said digital display further comprises a center aperture;

an analog display comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, and an interior bezel, said interior bezel is symmetrically aligned with said display opening and said center aperture in said digital LCD display and overlaps said digital display in plan view, said interior bezel further comprises a plurality of markings that facilitate reading the time indicated by the position of said hour hand and said minute hand;

an analog watch movement within said watch case underneath said digital display, said analog watch movement comprises a first battery, a first timing circuit, a hand-moving assembly, and a stem and crown assembly, said hand-moving assembly extends from said analog watch movement through said center aperture in said digital display and couples to said hour hand and said minute hand of said analog display;

a digital display driver comprising a second battery, a second timing circuit further comprising an electronic timing standard, and electronic circuitry, said digital display driver couples to and provides signals that drive the digital LCD display.

4. The display system of claim 3, wherein one or more of the following components of said analog display further comprises a luminescent surface:

said hour hand, said minute hand, said interior bezel, or said plurality of markings located on said interior bezel.

5. A method of making a timepiece and chronometer that displays the time of day using an analog display superimposed over passing seconds displayed on a digital display, comprising:

providing a watch case comprising a case back, a display opening, and an interior, said display opening comprises the total display area of said timepiece;

coupling a transparent crystal to said watch case to cover said display opening,

providing a digital LCD display substantially the same size as said total display area of said timepiece, said digital LCD display couples to said interior of said watch case beneath said crystal, said digital LCD display indicates passing seconds by incrementally displaying alphanumeric digits, said digital display further comprises a center aperture;

providing an analog display comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, and an interior bezel, said interior bezel is symmetrically aligned with said display opening and said center aperture in said digital LCD display and overlaps said digital display in plan view, said interior bezel further comprises a plurality of markings that facilitate reading the time indicated by the position of said hour hand and said minute hand;

coupling an analog watch movement to said analog display, said analog watch movement further comprises a first battery, a first timing circuit, a hand-moving assembly, and a stem and crown assembly, said hand-moving assembly extends from said analog watch movement through said center aperture in said digital display and couples to said hour hand and said minute hand of said analog display;

coupling a digital display driver comprising a second battery, a second timing circuit further comprising an electronic timing standard, and electronic circuitry to said digital LCD display, said digital display driver provides electrical signals to said digital LCD display.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a luminescent surface on one or more of the following components of said analog display:

said hour hand, said minute hand, said interior bezel, or said plurality of markings located on said interior bezel.

7. A method of using a timepiece and chronometer that simultaneously displays the time of day and elapsed seconds with an analog display superimposed over passing seconds displayed on a digital display, comprising:

providing a watch case comprising a case back, a display opening, and an interior, said display opening comprises the total display area of said timepiece;

providing a transparent crystal coupled to said watch case to cover said display opening,

providing a digital LCD display substantially the same size as said total display area of said timepiece, said digital LCD display couples to said interior of said watch case beneath said crystal, said digital LCD display indicates passing seconds by incrementally displaying alphanumeric digits, said digital display further comprises a center aperture;

providing an analog display comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, and an interior bezel, said interior bezel is symmetrically aligned with said display opening and said center aperture in said digital LCD display and overlaps said digital display in plan view, said interior bezel further comprises a plurality of markings that facilitate reading the time indicated by the position of said hour hand and said minute hand;

providing an analog watch movement coupled to said analog display, said analog watch movement further comprises a first battery, a first timing circuit, a hand-moving assembly, and a stem and crown assembly, said hand-moving assembly extends from said analog watch movement through said center aperture in said digital display and couples to said hour hand and said minute hand of said analog display;

providing a digital display driver comprising a second battery, a second timing circuit further comprising an electronic timing standard, and electronic circuitry to said digital LCD display, said digital display driver couples to and provides electrical signals to said digital LCD display; and

setting the displayed time by arranging said hour hand and said minute hand to display the time of day, as indicated by the position of said hour hand and said minute hand relative to said plurality of markings located on said interior bezel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more of the following components of said analog display further comprises a luminescent surface:

said hour hand, said minute hand, said interior bezel, or said plurality of markings located on said interior bezel.