WO2002046846A2

WO2002046846A2 - Analog timepiece having hands-free dial area

Info

Publication number: WO2002046846A2
Application number: PCT/IL2001/000964
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yuval Shomroni
Original assignee: Yuval Shomroni
Priority date: 2000-12-06
Filing date: 2001-10-18
Publication date: 2002-06-13
Also published as: IL140112A0; AU2002212644A1; WO2002046846A3

Abstract

An analog timepiece having a circular dial (14) along whose periphery on the face of the dial are measure scale indicia, e.g. hour and minute indicia of a time scale (S). Behind the dial is a movement mechanism (11) to drive a hand that terminates in a U-shaped hand section that straddles the periphery of the dial and is attached to said mechanism. The hand (12P, 13P) has a pointer that points as the hand is turned by the movement. The central area of the dial (Z) is a hands-free zone reserved for a decorative display, display of data appearing on an LCD screen mounted thereon, and others.

Description

ANALOG TIMEPIECE HAVING HANDS-FREE DIAL AREA

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to analog timepieces having hour and minute hands, and more particularly to a watch having a circular dial along whose periphery on the face of the dial is a time scale that is traversed by hour and minute pointers, the area of the dial encompassed by the scale being hands-free and reserved for decorative or other displays.

STATUS OF PRIOR ART

A conventional analog time piece in a watch or clock format is provided with a spring-powered movement which turns hour and minute hands extending radially from a driven shaft at the center of the dial toward a time scale on the periphery of the dial. The hour hand is shorter than the minute hand, but the area of the dial encircled by the scale which is swept by the hands is normally vacant.

In a so-called "designer " watch, such as the well-known SWATCH brand, the area of the dial encircled by the scale is exploited to display a multi-colored or other decorative design. German patent DE 19514217 discloses an analog designer watch having exchangeable dials which cany different designs or photos.

The main drawback of known types of analog designer watches is that the decorative area of the dial is swept by the hour and minute hands of the watch which overlie this area, this activity disturbing the visibility of the design. In the well-known MICKEY MOUSE watch, the hands have a figurative form which is related to the decor of the watch dial. But the hands nevertheless sweep over the face of the dial underlying the hands.

In an analog electronic watch, the movement driving the hands is constituted by a battery-powered quartz-crystal generator whose frequency is divided down to produce pulses at a rate of one per second. These pulses actuate a stepping motor which drives the gear train operating the hour and minute hands, and in some cases, also a seconds hand. But here too the area of the dial which is swept by the hands is usually vacant, for should a decorative display be put in this area, the sweeping hands would interfere with its visibility.

In a digital electronic watch, the movement has no mechanical parts, for pulses yielded by the quartz crystal generator are applied to an LCD display mounted on the face of the dial whose digits give the time. This arrangement preempts the face of the dial so that it cannot be decorated. In the watch disclosed in German Patent 29706122, an analog hands display is associated with an LCD display on a common dial. Hence in this arrangement there is little room for a decorative display.

Inasmuch as an analog watch in accordance with the invention has mounted on the face of the dial an LCD screen on which is displayed messages or other data stored in a data bank housed in the watch or transmitted to the watch from a remote station, of particular prior art interest is the Casio WQVI-ICR VISUAL data bank watch. This Casio watch is disclosed in the CYBERSCOPE column in the 16 October 2000 issue of Newsweek magazine. This watch has a dial that is fully occupied by an LCD screen on which is displayed photos or data derived from a data bank housed in the watch, or transmitted thereto by infrared from an external source. Also presented on the LCD screen of the Casio watch is a digital time display. Hence the Casio watch functions as a digital watch as well as an information center.

The drawback of all digital watches, including the Casio watch, is that while the time is given precisely in digital terms, it is far more difficult than an analog watch to read and understand. Thus when a digital watch gives the time as 12:37, one who can see this display then knows the precise time. However, a digital time display in a watch is in a small scale and can only be read without difficulty by bringing the display close to the eye. Even then, ambient light conditions may interfere with the readability of the digital display. In a corresponding analog display of the time 12:37, the hour hand is then between 12 and 1 on the time scale while the minute hand is between 35 and 40. Hence one viewing these hands with respect to the scale can only closely approximate the exact time. However, one who possesses an analog watch does not usually rely on its scale to tell the time but on the angular positions of the hands. These can be discerned even under poor light conditions at some distance away from the dial.

Thus if the hour hand is pointing in the North direction and the minute hand is at an angle with respect to the hour hand to point in the North-East direction, the viewer then knows that the time is a few minutes after 12 o'clock. It is because of its greater readability that analog watches now dominate the market.

The concern of the present invention is with analog watches, and in particular with the region on the face of the dial bounded by the time scale running along the periphery of the dial, for the aim of the invention is to fully exploit this region.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the main object of the invention is to provide an analog timepiece in a watch or clock format having a circular dial on whose face along the periphery thereof is a time scale which is swept by hour and minute pointers, the area of the dial face encompassed by the scale being hands-free and being reserved for decorative or other displays.

A significant advantage of an analog timepiece of the above type is that the hands-free dial area can be exploited to display decorative images, messages or other useful data, the visibility and appearance of which is not obscured by hour and minute hands.

More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an analog watch of the above type in which the hands-free area in the dial has mounted thereon a liquid crystal or other display screen which presents messages or data fed thereto by a miniature electronic message center housed in the watch. The screen may also be a touch-sensitive screen for inputting data, including, for example, telephone numbers, appointments, etc.

Also an object of the invention is to provide an analog watch which is linked to a paging system whose messages appear on an LCD screen mounted over the hands-free area on the face of the dial.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an analog watch in which time in one of a local zone or another zone is given by pointers sweeping a peripheral scale on the dial, while time in the other zone is given by hour and minute hands extending radially from the center of the dial. Still another object of the invention is to provide an analog watch in which

Universal time is given by a single pointer sweeping a 24 hour time scale on the periphery of the dial, whereas local time is given by hour and minute hands extending radially from the center of the dial.

A further object of the invention is to provide an analog watch combined with a depth meter, altimeter or another analog measuring device whose pointer traverses a scale on the periphery of the watch dial.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained by an analog watch or timepiece having a circular dial along whose periphery on the face of the dial are the hour and minute indicia of a time scale. Behind the dial is a movement mechanism to which time-pointing hands, e.g. hour and minute hands, are attached. Each hand is formed by an arm that is linked to the movement mechanism below the dial face.

Each arm terminates in a U-shaped hand section that straddles the periphery of the dial and includes an upper finger which overlies the face of the dial. The finger functions as a pointer that traverses the scale when the hand is turned by the movement. The area of the dial encompassed by the peripheral scale is hands-free, this zone being reserved for a decorative display or for the display of data appearing on an LCD screen.

The present invention thus provides an analog timepiece comprising: (a) a circular dial having a face on whose periphery is a time scale; (b) a movement mechanism behind the dial; and (c) at least one first time-indicating hand extending radially towards the dial's center from a U-shaped hand section straddling the periphery of the dial, said U-shaped hand section linked to the movement mechanism operating to drive the hand in a timed fashion around the dial to indicate the time on said time scale.

Typically said at least one first time-indicating hand comprises an hour hand and a minute hand. The hour and the minute hand rotate around the dial, unconventionally and conventionally, over a 12 hour and 1 hour period, respectively. As will no doubt be appreciated, in addition to an hour and a minute hand, the timepiece of the invention may also comprise a second hand.

The arms of the hour and the minute hand typically turn in parallel planes with the hand section of one hand being smaller than that of the other hand, whereby when the hands turn, the smaller section passes through the larger one. According to one embodiment of the invention the analog timepiece includes at least one second time-indicating hand overlaying the face of the dial and extending radially from a shaft on the center of the dial. The at least one second hand may, similarly to the case of said at least one first hand, comprise an hour and a minute hand. In a timepiece comprising the first and the second hands, one set may serve for indicating a local time zone and the other another time zone.

The hands free central zone may serve a number of purposes. Additionally, the central zone may be a display screen, e.g. based on LCD technology, for display of various types of data, e.g. a digital measure of some sort (such as temperature, pressure, altitude, and others). The display is coupled to a control module. The LCD display may also be a touch screen for inputting of data such as telephone numbers, details of appointments, etc. The control module may be linked to a transceiver for communication over a wireless communication medium. Such a wireless communication medium may be a paging system permitting to display paging messages on said screen. Additionally, the wireless communication medium may also be a cellular telephone medium permitting two-way communication, for transmitting messages, etc. A timepiece of the invention may even function as a full-fledged cellular telephone for two-way voice or data communication. For voice, the timepiece may have an associated head set with an earphone and a microphone while the data may be displayed on the server in the hand-free zone and data may be imputed by a variety of user means such as knobs or a touchscreen.

By another aspect the invention provides an apparatus for measuring one or more of a variety of different conditions including time, depth, altitude and others. This apparatus comprises: (a) a dial having a face on whose periphery is a scale graduated in accordance with changes in said condition;

(b) a hand extending radially towards the dial's center from a U-shaped hand section straddling the periphery of the dial, said U-shaped hand section being attached to a mechanism behind the dial adapted to turn the hand to an extend which depends on the degree to which said condition has changed, the hand having a pointer to indicate a measure of said condition on the dial;

(c) minute and hour hands radiating from a shaft at the center of the dial; and (d) a movement mechanism behind the dial to drive said minute and hour hands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and features thereof, reference is made to the annexed drawings wherein: Fig. 1 illustrates schematically a preferred embodiment of an analog watch in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 illustrates the relationship of the hour and minute hands of the watch when the time is 3 : 15; Fig. 4 shows an electronic message center housed in the analog watch and how it is wired to an LCD screen mounted on the face of the dial;

Fig. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of an analog watch in accordance with the invention having two sets of hour and minute hands; Fig. 6 illustrates the relationship of these two sets of hands;

Fig. 7 shows the relationship of the two sets of hands where one set gives the time in one time zone, and the other set gives the time in another time zone, and

Fig. 8 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention in which hour and minute hands are attached to ring gears driven by cog wheel; Fig. 9 shows schematically the relationship of the ring gears to a timepiece movement;

Fig. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of an analog watch in accordance with the invention in which a single pointer traversing a 24-hour scale on the periphery of the dial indicates Universal time, while hour and minute hands extending radially from the center of the dial give the time in a local time zone; and

Fig. 11 illustrates schematically a timepiece combined with a depth meter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Some currently preferred embodiments will now be described. It will no doubt be clear to the artisan that the invention is not limited to these embodiments.

First Embodiment: In a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, the analog timepiece which may be in a clock or watch format is provided with a casing 10 in which there is housed a mechanical or electronic movement 11. Movement 11 acts to turn an hour hand 12 and a minute hand 13, the pointers of which traverse a time scale S that runs along the periphery of a circular dial 14 on the face thereof. The scale is provided with hour and minute indicia.

Hour and minute hands 12 and 13, as shown in Fig. 2, are each in the form of an arm which lies below dial 14 and extends radially from a shaft 15 at the center of the dial that is driven by movement 11. The shaft is in coaxial form, the inner member of which is attached to the hour hand and makes one full revolution per 12-hour period. The outer member of the coaxial shaft which makes one full revolution per hour is attached to the minute hand. The arm of hour hand 12 is below dial 14 and terminates in a U-shaped hand section 12X that straddles the periphery of dial 14 so that it can travel around the periphery. The upper finger 12P of hand section 12X overlies the face of dial 14 and acts as an hour pointer that traverses scale S as the hour hand turns.

The arm of minute hand 13 is under the arm of the hour hand and turns in a parallel plane. The arm of the minute hand terminates in a U-shaped section 13X that straddles the periphery of the dial so that its upper finger 13P which overlies the dial face acts as a pointer that traverses scale S.

As shown in Fig. 2, the U-shaped minute hand section 13X is wider than the hour hand section 12X and its pointer 13P is longer than pointer 12P of the hour hand section. Hence as the hands turn, the shorter hand section passes through the wider hand section. When the time is 3:15, as shown in Fig. 3, the hour and minute hands are then in a common vertical plane.

The area encircled by the circular scale on the face of the dial is a hands-free zone Z which is available to present a decorative or data display. Thus zone Z may have printed thereon a multi-colored design or a reproduction of a classic painting, or a photo. Preferably, to provide an information display, mounted on zone Z is a liquid crystal display 16 which is connected to an electronic control module 17 mounted below the movement in the watch casing. Instead of an LCD display screen, use may be made of an LED or any other known similar display. Control module 17 may take the form of a battery-powered data bank in chip form as in the above-identified Casio watch, so that the LCD screen can display information useful to the wearer of the watch.

The manner in which control module 17 is electrically coupled to LCD screen 16 mounted on the dial is illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be seen that the coaxial shaft 15 to which the hour and minute hands 12 and 13 are attached includes an outer tube Tl to which hand 13 is attached and an inner tube 12 coaxial with the outer tube to which hand 12 is attached. A cable C contai-ning wires W is connected to control module 17 and runs through hollow inner tube T2 to connect with the LCD screen 16. When the LCD 16 is included in a paging system to present messages to the wearer of the watch, then microwave signals from an external site are picked up by an antenna 18 connected to a miniature microwave receiver in control module 17. This signal is decoded to supply the message to the LCD screen. For example if the watch is worn by a doctor associated with a hospital, then the doctor can be paged wherever he can be reached from a site at the hospital. In this instance, the message could simply be: "Return Immediately to Hospital" Or the message center may be microwave coupled to a web site on an Internet highway. Instead of microwave transmission, infrared radiation transmission may be used.

The mode in which the message center operates is selected by push button switches 19, 20, 21 and 22 projecting from case 10. The hands of the watch are set by means of a knob 23.

Thus in the embodiment of the watch shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the zone Z on the face of the dial is hands-free and therefore fully available for decorative or data display purposes. Second Embodiment: A wearer of an analog watch in accordance with the invention must in some cases not only know the time in his home zone but also the time in another zone. This is useful to those who travel, say from New York City to London, for when this individual is on route to London, he should then know the London time, and when in London he should know New York time in order, for example, to then phone New York.

The analog watch so shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is a two-zone timepiece. The circular dial 14 of this watch which has a peripheral time scale S is traversed by an hour pointer 12P and a minute pointer 13P such as in the watch shown in Fig. 1. These pointers give the time in one zone. However, the area of zone Z encompassed by time scale S is not hands-free. Radiating from the center of dial 14 and overlying its face is a short hour hand 24 and a somewhat longer minute hand 25 to give time in another zone.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the arms of the four hands turn in parallel planes and both sets of hands are set to give the same time. To illustrate how the two sets of hands give the time in different time zones, Fig. 7 shows the same analog watch but with the hands 24 and 25 of one set giving the time in one zone and pointers 12P and 13P giving the earlier time in another zone. Third Embodiment: In the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 the hour and minute hands of the timepiece are attached to a shaft placed below the dial at its center. Hence it is not only possible with this arrangement to support the dial by means of a center post placed below the dial.

In the embodiment of the watch shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the hour hand 12 is attached to a ring gear 26 whose teeth on the inner periphery are driven by a cog wheel 27. Cog wheel 27 is rotated by a gear box 28 operated by the watch movement 11. The minute hand 13 is attached to a ring gear 29 concentric with ring gear 26 which is driven by a cog wheel 30 rotated by a gear box 31 operated by the movement.

In this embodiment, the appearance of dial 14 and the pointers traversing the scale are the same as those shown in Fig. 1. Here too, the dial has mounted in the hands-free zone Z, an LCD screen to display data.

However, in this embodiment movement 11 does not drive a coaxial center shaft to which hour and minute hands are attached. The movement drives gear boxes 28 and 31 which cause the ring gear to which the minute hand is attached to make one full revolution per hour, and to cause the ring gear to which the hour hand is attached to make a full revolution per 12 hour period. Fourth Embodiment: In the embodiment of the watch shown in Fig. 10, the inner set of hands 24 and 25 as in Fig. 7 extend radially from the center of the dial to give the time in a local zone. However, in this instance local time is compared with Universal Internet or GMT time so that one then knows the time difference. Scale SI on the periphery of the dial is calibrated in the increments of a 24 hour period, and a single pointer UP is provided which is driven by a central shaft as is the hour pointer 12P in Fig. 1. However, the pointer in this instance takes 24 hours to traverse the 24 hour scale SI. The advantage of a single pointer traversing a 24 hour scale is that it provides military time as in airline schedules, not in AM and PM terms in military time, 8PM is 20 hours and 12 midnight is 24 hours.

Thus in the watch shown in Fig. 10, the hands 24 and 25 may be omitted, with a resultant large area encompassed by the Universal time scale to display decorative images or data on an LCD screen.

Dual Function Watches: In the watch shown in Fig. 10 the single pointer UP which traverses a 24 hour scale provides a universal time reading, whereas the minute and hour hands radiating from the center of the dial give the local time.

In some situations, a wearer of a watch needs to be informed not only of the changing time but also of changes in his environment. Thus a scuba diver whose environment is an underwater region carries on his back an oxygen or compressed air tank which makes it possible for him to breathe. The scuba diver knows the capacity of his oxygen tank and how long it will take before this supply is exhausted. But he must also know, while underwater, his existing depth and how long he has been underwater, for without this information, he may misjudge the point in time at which he can safely return to the surface.

When a scuba diver return to the surface from an underwater depth, he must do so slowly. Otherwise the driver may suffer from the bends, a condition caused by the release of gas bubbles into the tissues upon too rapid a decrease in water pressure on the body of the diver. If therefore a diver when his supply of oxygen is close to exhaustion then seeks to return slowly to the surface, he may not then have sufficient oxygen for this purpose.

When therefore a scuba diver is underwater it is important for him to know just how long he has been there and his existing depth - only then can the diver know when it is still possible to safely return to the surface and have enough oxygen left in his tank to do so.

In the dual function watch schematically illustrated in Fig. 11, the watch is provided as is the watch in Fig. 10, with a single pointer UP that traverses a peripheral scale on the face of the dial, and hour and minute hands 24 and 25 radiating from the center of the dial.

However, pointer UP in this instance does not give the time but gives the underwater depth of the wearer of the watch. To this end, pointer UP is rotated by a miniature depth meter 32 housed in the watch and responsive to the water pressure to which the watch is subjected. The meter may be of a standard type provided with an evacuated cell whose diaphragm is deflected to cause the pointer UP coupled thereto to swing to a degree that depends on the underwater pressure. In this arrangement therefore the scale is graduated in meters or feet to indicate depth.

A scuba diver knows the rated capacity of the oxygen tank he is carrying and therefore how long it takes for the supply of oxygen to become depleted. The diver wearing the watch can zero set it before diving into the water. Thereafter, the hour and minute hands will not give the local time but give the time that has elapsed from the moment the diver entered the water.

And the depth reading of the watch tells the diver how deep he is in the water. The diver having this information is able to judge when it is best for him to return to the surface.

A similar dual function watch can be used by gliders or air balloon pilots who must know their existing altitude and how long they have been aloft. To this end, instead of a depth meter, there is housed in the watch a miniature altimeter provided with a barometric cell operatively coupled to pointer UP which now traverses a scale calibrated in height graduations.

While there has been shown preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

CLAJMS:

1. An analog timepiece comprising:

(a) a circular dial having a face on whose periphery is a time scale;

(b) a movement mechanism behind the dial; and (c) at least one first time-indicating hand extending radially towards the dial's center from a U-shape hand section straddling the periphery of the dial, said U-shaped hand section linked to the movement mechanism operating to drive the hand in a timed fashion around the dial to indicate the time on said time scale.

2. An analog timepiece according to Claim 1, wherein said at least one first time-indicating hand comprises an hour hand and a minute hand.

3. An analog timepiece according to Claim 2, wherein the hour hand is drawn by said movement mechanism to make one revolution around the dial over a twelve hour period and the minute dial is drawn by said mechanism to make one revolution around the dial over a one hour period.

4. An analog timepiece according to Claim 1, in which the arms of the hour and minute hands turn in parallel planes and the hand section of one hand is smaller than that on the other hand, whereby when the hands turn, the smaller section passes through the larger section.

5. An analog timepiece according to any one of Claims 1-4, further including at least one second time-indicating hand overlying the face of the dial and extending radially from a shaft at the center of the dial.

6. An analog timepiece according to Claim 5, wherein said at least one second hand comprises an hour hand and a minute hand.

7. An analog timepiece according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein one of said at least one first or at least one second hand serves to show local time while the other serves to show time in different time zones.

8. An analog timepiece according to Claim 1, comprising a hands-free central zone.

9. An analog timepiece according to Claim 8, in which said central zone has a decoration image thereon.

10. An analog timepiece according to Claim 1, in which mounted over said central zone is an LCD display screen presenting data.

11. An analog timepiece according to Claim 10, further including a control module to supply said data to said screen.

12. An analog timepiece according to Claim 8, wherein said control module is linked to a transceiver for communication over a wireless communication medium.

13. An analog timepiece according to Claim 8, in which said control module is provided with a data bank to present data on said screen.

14. An apparatus for indicating a changing condition such as time, depth or altitude, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a dial having a face on whose periphery is a scale graduated in accordance with changes in said condition;

(b) a hand extending radially towards the dial's center from a U-shaped hand section straddling the periphery of the dial, said U-shaped hand section being attached to a mechanism behind the dial adapted to turn the hand to an extent which depends on the degree to which said condition has changed, the hand having a pointer to indicate the measure of said condition on the dial;

(c) minute and hour hands radiating from a shaft at the center of the dial; and

(d) a movement mechanism behind the dial to drive said minute and hour hands;

15. An apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein the mechanism is a timepiece movement and said scale is calibrated in military time or Internet time.

16. An apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein the mechanism is a depth meter and the scale is graduated in degrees of depth.

17. An apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein the mechanism is an altimeter and the scale is calibrated in degrees of height.