GB2079990A - Quartz wrist-watch with sealed unit snapped into a casing - Google Patents

Abstract

A quartz crystal wrist-watch is made up of a sealed unit containing the pilot quartz crystal 1, printed circuit board 2 complete with integrated circuit, connector 3, (liquid crystal) display 4, battery (5), watch- glass 11 and rear cover 7, the said unit being removably snapped into a casing 20. The casing 20 is adapted for the attachment thereto of a watch strap, and has an inwardly extending peripheral rim 24 to surround the glass 11, the rim 24 thus having the appearance of a bezel. The watch may have an alarm vibrator plate held by the rear sealing gasket 10. The parts of the unit are supported in a plastics holder 12 injected in a metal sleeve 13, or alternatively in a support which is entirely of plastics. The unit also carries the push-buttons used to control the circuitry and can be rapidly replaced in case of failure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Quartz watch This invention relates to quartz watches and more particularly to quartz wrist-watches with liquid crystal display, in which the battery, the pilot quartz crystal, the circuitry and the display are mounted on a supporting member.

With the known watches of that type said supporting member is located in a complete watertight casing including a bottom and the glass and carrying the usual control buttons or pushers.

These known watches have, however, the drawback that in case of a failure of the work, the watch owner is deprived of his watch often during many weeks, because the watch has to be returned to the factory for the repair.

Now, the invention aims to provide a quartz watch which, in case of a failure of the work, can immediately be reconditioned in every shop selling such watches.

Therefore, the quartz watch according to the invention is characterized in that the work supporting member carrying the battery, the pilot quartz crystal, the circuitry and the display also carries the control buttons or pushers thereof and forms together with the glass and the watchcase bottom, both being secured thereto, a watertight unit removably secured by snap-in locking to a casing formed with horns for attachment of a watchband or a wrist-watch strap and, at its upper edge, with an inwardly extending annular rim surrounding the glass, thus appearing as a bezel.

Due to the cheapness of the work of a quartz watch nowadays produced in great series and to the fact that the elements exposed to failure are altogether located in a sealed unit, every shop selling quartz watches of that type can stock up some of said sealed units, so that when a customer comes with a defective watch the shopkeeper will be able in two shakes to substitute a new unit for the defective one at quite reasonable costs.

Mechanical watches are already known in which a sealed unit is removably secured to a casing by snap-in locking. With these known watches the sealed unit also includes the watch movement, the display and the winding and handsetting crown. The casing, for its part, is formed with horns for attachment of a watchband or a wrist-watch strap and, at its upper edge, with an inwardly extending annular rim surrounding the glass so as to appear as a bezel. The glass and the watch case bottom of these known watches are, however, secured to a separate case-band which surrounds the watch movement and the display, so that the sealed unit already comprises a complete casing which, together with the outer casing to which it is secured, constitutes a rather large and heavy watch.

One embodiment and two modifications of the watch according to the invention are represented diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diametrical cross-section of that embodiment also showing the first modification, the sealed unit having been separated from the casing; Fig. 2 is a part sectional view showing further details of that embodiment and illustrating the second modification, and Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section of the part shown in Fig. 2.

As well known to those skilled in the art, the work of the watch represented comprises a pilot quartz crystal 1, a circuitry including a printed circuit board 2, an integrated circuit (not shown) carried by board 2 and a distributor 3, a liquid crystal cell 4 in contact with the distributor 3 and receiving the impulses therethrough for the display, and a battery 5 for energizing all these elements. These work elements are supported by a plastic member 6 having the general form of a plate and being formed with recesses for locating the work elements.

As shown in Fig. 2, the lower part of member 6 is conically undercut for fastening the bottom 7 to member 6 by a snap. The holding effect of the undercut portion 8 of member 6 is reinforced by a metal ring 9. A packing 10 tightly closes the gap between member 6 and bottom 7. The watch glass 11 is, for its part, glued on the upper surface of member 6. Member 6, bottom 7 and glass 11 thus form a tightly sealed envelope enclosing all the work elements and forming therewith a single units.

Instead of being homogeneous the work supporting member could also be composite as exemplified by the modification illustrated in Fig.

1. In this first modification the plastic 1 2 of the work supporting member 6a has been injected in a metal sleeve 1 3 affording member 6a a better resistance to wear.

The indications displayed by the liquid crystal cell 4 can either be set or selected as usual by means of conventional pushers like that shown at 14 in Figs. 2 and 3. Such a pusher comprises a button 1 5 secured to a stem 1 6 shiftably mounted in a tube 1 7 and arranged for co-operation with a contact-blade 18 to supply the circuitry of the work with control impulses upon depressing button 1 5. According to a feature of the invention, this tube 1 7 is tightly inserted in a hole provided through a wall 19 of member 6.

The unit disclosed hereabove thus constitutes a fully operative time-keeper. To obtain a wristwatch, that unit is merely inserted into a casing 20. A spring wire 21, which can yieldingly be urged fully into a peripheral groove 22 of member 6, 6a, secures the unit including the work within the casing 20 by expanding into a peripheral groove 23 provided in the inner wall of casing 20.

All round its inner upper edge casing 20 comprises an inwardly extending rim 24 which covers the stepped peripheral portion 25 of the glass 11, thus appearing as a bezel. Horns 26 are formed on casing 20 for attaching thereto a wristwatch strap or a watchband by means of spring lugs fitted to the horns 26 by spring pressed pivots entering blind holes 27 provided in horns 26. Cutouts 28 are formed in casing 20 for accommodation of the pushers 14.

The modification illustrated by Fig. 2 consists in the addition of an alarm device to the work elements already disclosed. The sounds of the alarm are produced by a diaphragm 29 having its periphery secured to the bottom 7. Diaphragm 29 receives the oscillatory impulse from a piezocrystal (not shown) fixed thereto and connected to the circuitry of the work. In this modification the tightly sealed envelope enclosing the work elements is formed on the bottom side by the diaphragm 29 which extends under packing 10. The bottom 7 shall namely be provided in this case with openings (not shown) in order to afford a good propagation of the sound-waves.

It should be observed that the sealed unit inserted in casing 20 is composed of standardized elements which are manufactured in great series, so that said unit is not expensive. Therefore, the manufacturer of the watches according to the invention can at low costs supply everyone of his retailers with some spare units, so that if a customer happens to come back with a defective watch work, every retailer will be able to cure the default immediately by simply pushing the defective unit out of its casing and by inserting a new one thereinto. The defective unit can even be thrown away, because a new unit costs less than the repair of the defective one.

In view of the low price of the components of said sealed unit, the watch manufacturer can also produce different types of such units, for instance one type displaying only the time, another type displaying the data in addition to the time, still another type provided with a chronograph device, everyone of these types being with or without alarm and so on, thus giving a customer the possibility of either changing the type of unit of his watch or buying units of different types, since he can change them himself in accordance with his needs at a given time.

It should also be noted that the single piece 20 of the casing, which, to some extent, individualizes the watch and is anyway responsible for its appearance, is easier and accordingly cheaper to be manufactured than the corresponding piece of the conventional casings, because it has not to be', provided with precise seats for receiving a glass and a bottom.

Thus it appears from the preceding disclosure that the watch according to the invention has several substantial advantages with respect to the quartz watches known heretofore.

Claims (2)

1. A quartz watch, characterized in that the works supporting member carrying the battery, the pilot quartz crystal, the circuitry and the display also carries the control pushers or buttons thereof and forms together with the glass and the watchcase bottom, both being secured thereto, a sealed unit removably secured by snap-in locking to a casing formed with horns for attachment of a watchband or a wrist-watch strap and, at its upper edge, with an inwardly extending peripheral rim surrounding the glass, thus appearing as a bezel.

2. A quartz watch substantially as disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings.