Portable timepiece

• US 7,255,473 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hiranuma, Haruki, Omori, Nobukazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska; Vit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Thanh S.
• Application Number:
  US11/332,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 368/184, 368/185, 368/288, 368/290, 368109-194, 368306-308, 368/319
• US Class Current: 368/288
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 3/043 Locking of the operating element, also by mounting in a concealed place

Abstract

To provide a portable timepiece having high durability constructed by a constitution capable of promoting operability of attaching and detaching a crown and holding a crown in an unoperated state so as not to rotate the crown unpreparedly. In a winding stem pipe attached to a case body, a crown urged in a direction of separating from the case body by a coil spring (urging member) included in a crown cylinder portion of the pipe is removably provided to a case body outside projected portion of the winding stem pipe. An outer periphery of the case body outside projected portion is formed with a plurality of communicating grooves along a rotational direction of the crown, a plurality of attaching and detaching through grooves communicated to the communicating grooves and opened to an end face of the case body outside projected portion, and a plurality of holding grooves communicated with the communicating grooves and formed in a dead end state and contiguous to the through grooves. A plurality of engaging projected portion brought to and from the respective grooves are provided at a cover portion of the crown covering the case body outside projected portion.

Claims

1. A portable timepiece comprising:

a case body having a pipe attaching hole;

a winding stem pipe having a case body outside projected portion arranged at an outer portion of the case body and insertingly attached to the pipe attaching hole;

a crown having a crown cylinder portion inserted into the winding stem pipe and removably provided to the case body outside projected portion;

an urging member included in the crown cylinder portion for urging the crown in a direction of separating from the case body; and

holding means having a plurality of communicating grooves along a rotational direction of the crown, a plurality of attaching and detaching through grooves communicated with the communicating grooves and opened to an end face of the case body outside projected portion, a plurality of holding grooves communicated with the communicating grooves, formed in a dead end shape and contiguous to the attaching and detaching through grooves and a plurality of engaging projected portions brought to and from the respective grooves for holding the crown attachably and detachably to and from the case body outside projected portion.

2. A portable timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the communicating groove, the attaching and detaching through groove and the holding groove are provided at an outer periphery of the case body outside projected portion and the engaging projected portion is provided at a cover portion for covering the case body outside projected portion of the crown.

3. A portable timepiece according to claim 2, wherein a guide portion for guiding to move the engaging projected portion when the engaging projected portion passes the communicating groove is formed at the outer periphery of the case body outside projected portion in a ring-like shape continuously in a peripheral direction.

4. A portable timepiece according to claim 2, wherein a case body outside face of the case body serves as the guide portion for guiding to move the engaging projected portion when the engaging projected portion passes the communicating groove.

5. A portable timepiece according to claim 3, wherein the communicating groove is formed between a peripheral face portion of the case body outside projected portion disposed between one end in the peripheral direction of the case body outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto and the guide portion, other peripheral face portion of the case body outside projected portion disposed between other end in the peripheral direction of the case body outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto serves as a rotation stop portion, and the rotation stop portion is made to be continuous to the guide portion.

6. A portable timepiece according to claim 5, wherein the communicating groove is formed between a peripheral face portion of the case body outside projected portion disposed between one end in the peripheral direction of the case body outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto and the guide portion, other peripheral face portion of the case body outside projected portion disposed between other end in the peripheral direction of the case body outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto serves as a rotation stop portion, and the rotation stop portion is made to be continuous to the guide portion.

7. A portable timepiece according to claim 2, wherein the cover portion is fixed with a ring projected with the engaging projected portion to direct in an inner direction.

8. A portable timepiece comprising:

a case back comprising a molded member having a crown inserting hole and integrally having a case body outside projected portion to which the inserting hole is opened;

a crown having a crown cylinder portion inserted into the crown inserting hole and provided removably at the case body outside projected portion;

an urging member included in the crown cylinder portion for urging the crown in a direction of separating from the case body; and

holding means having a plurality of communicating grooves along a rotational direction of the crown, a plurality of attaching and detaching through grooves communicated with the communicating grooves and opened to an end face of the case body outside projected portion, a plurality of holding grooves communicated with the communicating grooves, formed in a dead end shape and contiguous to the attaching and detaching through grooves, and a plurality of engaging projected portions brought to and from the respective grooves for holding the crown attachably and detachably to and from the case body outside projected portion.

9. A portable timepiece according to claim 8, wherein the communicating groove, the attaching and detaching through groove, and the holding groove are provided at an outer periphery of the case back outside projected portion and the engaging projected portion is provided at a cover portion for covering the case back outside projected portion of the crown.

10. A portable timepiece according to claim 9, wherein a case back outside face of the case back serves as a guide portion for guiding to move the engaging projected portion when the engaging projected portion passes the communicating groove.

11. A portable timepiece according to claim 10, wherein the communicating groove is formed between a peripheral face portion of the case back outside projected portion disposed between one end in a peripheral direction of the case back outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto and the guide portion, other peripheral face portion of the case back outside projected portion disposed between other end in the peripheral direction of the case back outside projected portion of the holding groove and the through groove contiguous thereto serves as a rotation stop portion, and the rotation stop portion is made to be continuous to the guide portion.

12. A portable timepiece according to claim 9, wherein the cover portion is fixed with a ring projected with the engaging projected portion to direct in an inner direction.