US3377860A

US3377860A - Combination watch depth meter

Info

Publication number: US3377860A
Application number: US512668A
Authority: US
Inventors: Masters Frederick James
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-05-27
Filing date: 1965-12-09
Publication date: 1968-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-16

Description

April 16, 1968 F. J. MASTERS 3, 0

' COMBINATION WATCH DEPTH METER Filed Dec. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTQR g a I frag/(A Jamf: 174st er:

ATTORNEY April 1968 F. J. MASTERS 3,377,860

COMBINATION WATCH DEPTH METER Filed Dec. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 5 INVENTOR Q- fled/wk Ja mes fi ls/6V5 ATTOR NEY United States Patent 1 Claim. 61. 73-291 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a combination timepiece watch and a depth guage mechanism for use by a diver. More specifically, the invention embodies a waterproof watch casing having a dial indicia carrying face therein, and a watch timepiece adjacent the dial face with hollow concentrically mounted stems extending from the timepiece through the dial face and carrying indicating hands. Next, the invention includes a Bourdon tube depth measuring mechaism mounted in the watch casing adjacent the timepiece disposed between the Bourdon tube and the dial face and with the Bourdon tube actuating a sector, a pinion and a second stem passing through said hollow concentrically mounted stems and which second stern carries an indicating hand. The indicating hands register with the time and depth indicia on said dial face.

The present invention relates to a combination timepiece and depth pressure guage for use by underwater divers.

The invention which combines a timepiece and depth guage is similar in appearance and wearing ease with a common wristwatch, represents a single article combining two very important instruments to underwater diving which in the past were available only as separate items. The advantages of such a combination is believed to be quite obvious because of the wearing ease of the unit and facility of checking both depth, and time and length of time underwater, at a single glance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a combination timepiece (hereafter called watch) and depth meter Within a unitary casing similar in appearance to a common wristwatch and which straps to the wrist of an underwater diver. The combination article has a single face upon which are marked depth increments such as feet, and the numerals found on watch and clock faces, with the usual hour and minute hands of a Watch, and a pointer or hand indicating depth. The stems supporting the various time hands and the depth pointed being positioned concentrically in the center of the dial face. By superimposing the Watch mechanism directly over the depth guaging mechanism it is possible to position the depth guage pointer supporting stem within the watch hand supporting stems, thus enabling manufacture of a very compact and relatively small combination instrument.

It is another object of the invention to provide a relatively small (no bigger than known divers writswatches), economically manufactured, wristwatch and depth guage combination, which will eliminate the necessity of the diver carrying two independent instruments as is done at present.

In a preferred form of the combination the numerals and time (including second) hands and depth pointer will be luminous for night diving, and all the components will be manufactured from non-magnetic materials to fulfill the demands of mine-countermeasure rules. The combination may also 'be provided with a recorder for maximum depth dived, and a tbezel for decompression purposes.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 illustrates the invention in top plan view showing the single dial face and the watch hands and depth indicator positioned thereon;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1 showing the stem supporting the depth pointer positioned within and concentric with the watch stems supporting the hour and minute hands;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section view along line 33 of FIG. 2, and shows the components of the pressure guage mechanism in plan view;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section view along line 44 of FIGURE 1, and shows the positioning of the minute and hour hands of the watch positioned in relation to the depth guage pointer; and

FIG. 5 illustrates in partial cross-section view, two further embodiments of the present invention.

In FIGURE 1, numeral 2 indicates the casing housing the watch and depth guage mechanisms.

Numerals

4 and 6 indicate watch strap attaching supports and pins respectively, to which a watch strap is attached as is well known. The combination time and depth guage dial face is shown at 8, and the depth guage pointer or hand at 10, and the watch hour hand at 12 and the minute hand at 14. A watch second hand 16 may also be provided. A stem for regulating the watch hands, and for winding the watch if the watch is not of the selfwinding type is provided at 18, and an orifice opening to the depth guage is provided by drilled screw 20.

FIG. 2 shows the combination structure in cross-section along line 22 of FIG. 1, and illustrates the waterproof casing 2, enclosing therein conventional Watch timepiece mechanism (not shown) positioned in the combination cas'mg 2 and above the depth guage mechanism. The depth pointer stem 10 is shown mounted concentric and within the stems 12' and 14 supporting the watch hands.

FIG. 3 illustrates the depth guage mechanism in plan view taken generally along line 33 of FIG. .2. The main component of the depth guage is the Bourdon tube 30. The Bourdon tube 30 is anchored within the casing at 32, and its free link end 34 is attached to lever sector 36 by link 38 and

pins

40 and 42. Sector 36 is pivotally mounted within the casing at 44. The inner end of sector 36 is in the form of a gear rack in meshing engagement with pointer pinion 46 to which depth pointer stem 48 is securely fixed. As the combination unit is submersed the increase in pressure is transmitted to the open and fixed end 32 of the Bourdon tube 30 via orifice opening in screw 20. With the increase in pressure within the Bourdon tube, the tube tends to straighten from its curved at rest form as is well known. With this straightening, the tube end 34 moves downwardly and to the right when viewed in FIG. 3. This causes link 38 to pivot sector 36 at 44, and the rack and gear arrangement rotates pinion 46 and attached stem 48 to move pointer 10 relative to the dial face.

At the surface of the water, the pointer 10 will read zero feet, but as the unit is submerged the increase in pressure tends to straighten the Bourdon tube with resulting movement to pointer 10 so the same will be in indicating position relative to appropriate marked depth increments.

In FIG. 4, which is a cross-section along line 44 of FIGURE 1, the watch mechanism is indicated as positioned above the depth guaging linkage, and it will be noted that depth pointer stem 48 passes up through the watch mechanism and is mounted concentrically within the minute hand stem 14' and the hour hand stem 12'.

The dial face 8 is covered by the transparent watch crystal 50. The watch crystal 50 is mounted in a waterproof manner in bezel 52. by means of seal 54, and bezel is similarly mounted in casing 2 by seal 56. The bottom 2, of the casing is also mounted in a watertight manner by seal 58, and similarly watch stem 18 is sealed at 60.

Water enters the combination unit only via the orifice in screw 20' and into and partially filling Boudron tube 30. The remainder of the unit is completely waterproof.

FIG. 5 illustrates in enlarged partial cross-section a simple arrangement for a maximum depth recording pointer. A maximum depth pointer 62 is rotatably but frictionably suspended from the top center of the watch crystal as shown at 64 in FIG. 5. As pointer 10 turns or angularly moves due to increasing depth pressure, a post 66 provided thereon contacts pointer 62 and causes pointer 62 to move therewith. Pointer 62 will thus be turned to register with the maximum depth indication of that encountered. As the diver begins the ascent and pointer 10 begins to return to zero, pointer 62 will remain at miximum depth reading due to the frictional engagement at 64. Upon surfacing or at any desired time, the pointer 62 can be reset at zero by manual rotation of friction head 68.

Another embodiment which may usefully form part of the present structure is a milled verge time-elapseindicating ring 70 provided encircling the casing and rotatably frictionally mounted thereon (see FIG. 5). This verge ring has a single radial mark (not shown) on the upper surface thereof, and as the diver commences his dive the verge ring may be rotated and the radial mark positioned in registration with the minute hand 14 of the watch. As said minute hand '14 moves, the dilference in time between said minute hand 14 and the radial mark will be apparent and such difference will be useful to determine the time length of dive, and as an aid to navigation.

Obviously, changes may be made in forms, dimensions and arrangements of the parts of my invention without departing from the principles thereof.

Iclaim:

1. In combination, a watch timepeace and depth gauge meter comprising a waterproof watch casing and a dial face therein having indicia on said dial face designating both time and depth; a verge time elapse indicating ring rotatably mounted on said casing adjacent said dial face; a waterproof watch timepiece mechanism mounted within said casing and adjacent said dial face; hollow concentrically mounted stems connected with said timepiece mechanism and projecting therefrom through said dial face and supporting hour and minute indicating pointers registering with time indicia on the said dial face; a Bourdon tube depth measuring mechanism mounted in said casing and having one end portion thereof in communication with exterior liquid pressure through an opening in the casing, a rotatably mounted sector disposed in said casing and connected with the other end portion of the Bourdon tube, and a pinion engaging said sector, whereby variations in external pressure effects movements of said Bourdon tube and of said pinion; a depth gauge stern connected with said pinion and projecting through and concentric with the openings in said hollow concentrically mounted stems of said watch mechanism and through said dial face; and a depth gauge pointer carried by said depth gauge stem and disposed to register with depth indicia on the said dial face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1912 Nelson 73417 X 1,913,481 6/1933 Gody 58152 3,124,004 3/1964 Zenger 73431 X 3,124,928 3/1964 Brunet 5857 LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

D. WOODIEL, Assistant Examiner.