Watch and crown used in this watch

• US 7,591,582 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hiranuma, Haruki, Omori, Nobukazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska; Vit W
• Application Number:
  US11/353,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 368/190, 368/288, 368/289, 368/290, 368/319, 368/320, 368/321, 368/308
• US Class Current: 368/308
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 3/043 Locking of the operating element, also by mounting in a concealed place
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 37/103 by screwing the crown onto the case

Abstract

A watch is offered in which the life of the threadedly engaged portion between the stem pipe and the crown can be improved and which has an internal thread capable of being machined relative to the crown easily and accurately. The watch is based on a watch in which the crown is threadedly locked to a stem pipe mounted to a barrel. The stem pipe has a barrel outside protruding portion provided with an external thread. The crown has a crown shaft and a crown ring having an internal thread removably threaded to the external thread, the ring being connected to the crown shaft. The crown shaft has a barrel insertion cylindrical portion which is smaller in diameter than the crown ring and inserted in the stem pipe and a ring connection portion mounted integrally with this cylindrical portion and connected to one end portion of the crown ring.

Claims

1. A watch comprising:

a barrel;

a stem pipe disposed outside said barrel and having a barrel outside protruding portion provided with an external thread; and

a crown having a crown shaft and a crown ring connected to said crown shaft, the crown ring having an internal thread removably threaded to said external thread, said crown shaft having a barrel insertion cylindrical portion inserted in said stem pipe and a ring connection portion integral with the cylindrical portion, the ring connection portion being threadedly connected to said internal thread at one end portion of said crown ring, the barrel insertion cylindrical portion being smaller in diameter than said crown ring.

2. A watch according to claim 1, wherein said crown shaft and said crown ring are made of dissimilar materials.

3. A watch according to claim 1, wherein said crown ring and said crown shaft are made different in color.

4. A watch according to claim 1, wherein said crown ring is provided with a coupling hole that is larger in diameter than said internal thread, and wherein said ring connection portion has a connecting external threaded portion threaded into a part of said internal thread and a press-fitted portion press fitted in said coupling hole by threaded engagement between the connecting external threaded portion and said internal thread.

5. A watch according to claim 1;

wherein said ring connection portion has an external threaded portion threaded into a part of said internal thread.

6. A crown for a watch, comprising:

a crown shaft; and

a crown ring having an internal thread in its inner surface for threaded connection to a stem pipe of a watch;

said crown shaft having a barrel insertion cylindrical portion of a diameter smaller than that of said crown ring and a ring connection portion integral with said barrel insertion cylindrical portion and threadedly connected to the internal thread of said crown ring.

7. A crown for a watch according to claim 6, wherein said crown ring is provided with a coupling hole that is larger in diameter than said internal thread, and wherein said ring connection portion has a connecting external threaded portion threaded into a part of said internal thread and a press-fitted portion press fitted in said coupling hole by threaded engagement between the connecting external threaded portion and said internal thread.

8. A watch comprising:

a watch case having a pipe installation hole extending therethrough;

a stem pipe having an insertion portion inserted into the pipe installation hole and fixed to the watch case and a protruding portion connected to the insertion portion and protruding outside the watch case, the protruding portion having an external thread; and

a crown comprised of a crown shaft and a crown ring, the crown shaft being axially displaceable and rotatable in the insertion portion of the stem pipe and having an inner end portion slidably attached to a watch stem and an outer end portion disposed outside the watch case, and the crown ring being disposed circumferentially around and threadedly connected to the outer end portion of the crown shaft and having an internal thread threadedly engageable with the external thread of the stem pipe protruding portion in response to rotation of the crown ring in one direction to axially displace the crown ring inwardly into abutment with the watch case thereby locking the crown against inadvertent rotation and disengageable from the external thread in response to rotation of the crown ring in the opposite direction to permit the crown to be pulled outwardly and rotated to change a function of the watch.

9. A watch according to claim 8;

wherein the crown shaft and the crown ring are made of different materials.

10. A watch according to claim 8;

wherein the crown shaft and the crown ring are different in color from one another.

11. A watch according to claim 8;

wherein the crown ring has an annular groove at an outer end portion thereof, and the crown shaft has a connection portion at the outer end portion thereof, the connection portion being press-fitted in the annular groove.

12. A watch according to claim 11;

wherein the crown shaft has an external thread threadedly engaged with the internal thread of the crown ring.

13. A watch according to claim 8;

wherein the crown shaft has an external thread threadedly engaged with the internal thread of the crown ring.

14. A watch according to claim 13;

wherein the crown shaft and the crown ring are made of different materials.

15. A watch according to claim 13;

wherein the crown shaft and the crown ring are different in color from one another.

16. A watch according to claim 8;

wherein the outer end portion of the crown shaft has an external thread threaded into a part of the internal thread of the crown ring.