GB2083664A

GB2083664A - Timepiece

Info

Publication number: GB2083664A
Application number: GB8028456A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MASEK PAUL ANTHONY
Current assignee: MASEK PAUL ANTHONY
Priority date: 1980-09-03
Filing date: 1980-09-03
Publication date: 1982-03-24

Abstract

A timepiece has a face composed of a fixed outer surround section 2, a central revolving disc-shaped section 9 and an intermediate revolving annular section 10 which surrounds the section 9 within a circular aperture 3 in the section 2. The latter section is provided by the front panel of a rectangular casing 1 which houses a battery- operated quartz-crystal clock movement with three coaxial output shafts - a seconds shaft 6, a minutes shaft 7 and an hours shaft 8. The face section 9 is directly mounted on the seconds shaft 6 and carries a seconds-indicating member 13 of triangular shape, as a radially- outwardly pointing arrow head. The face section 10 is directly mounted on the hours shaft 8 and similarly carries a triangular hours-indicating member 14. A triangular minutes-indicating member 15 is mounted on a driving member 16 which is coupled to the minutes shaft 7 of the clock movement and which projects through a gap between the face sections 9 and 10. The face 2, 9, 10 is of a plain colour, for example black, and the triangular time-indicating members 13, 14, 15 are of a plain contrasting colour, for example red. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Timepiece This invention relates to timepieces and is of particular, but by no means exclusive, application to free-standing clocks, especially quartz-crystal clocks.

The invention has for its main object to provide a timepiece with a novel and advantageous functional arrangement of time-indicating elements, which at the same time presents an unusual and aesthetically pleasing facial appearance for the timepiece.

According to the invention a timepiece comprises a driving movement with at least two coaxial and time-synchronised output shafts, and a face composed of a central section, a coaxial annular section encircling the central section, and a fixed surround, the central and annular sections being coupled respectively to said output shafts for rotation thereby and each carrying a time-indicating element.

Although the driving movement may be clockwork it is preferably a battery-operated quartz-crystal movement, with said rotatable face sections coaxially aligned with the output shafts and directly mounted thereon. The output shafts may be three in number- an hours shaft, a minutes shaft and a seconds shaft. In this case the intermediate third shaft, namely the minutes shaft, is conveniently coupled to a minutes-indicating member by a cranked connection which projects through the gap between the rotatable central and annular sections of the face.

The central section of the face is conveniently in the form of a circular disc, and the face as a whole preferably has a plain coloured surface. The timeindicating members may be indicia or the like, but they are conveniently plain elements of contrasting colour attached to the respective face sections and to the connecting member. They may be of simple triangular shape disposed as radially-outwardly pointing arrow heads.

The surround of the face may be an integral part of a box-like casing of the timepiece and substantially the whole of the latter, apart from the driving mechanism, may be fabricated from a suitable plastics material, for example an acrylic material.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a quartz-crystal clock representing a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front face view of the clock; Figure 2 is a side view; Figure 3 is a rear view with a back panel of a casing of the clock removed; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line IV - IV in Figure 1.

The clock illustrated comprises a casing 1 fabricated from plain black acrylic sheet plastics material, with a front panel which provides a surround section 2 of a face of the clock with a central circular aperture 3. The casing 1 houses a battery-operated quartzcrystal clock movement 4, visible in Figure 3 because a back closure panel 5 of the casing 1 has been removed in that Figure. The movement 4 has three coaxial output shafts aligned with the centre of the face aperture 3 - namely a central seconds shaftS, an intermediate cannon minutes shaft 7 and an outer cannon hours shaft 8.

The face of the clock is completed by a central section 9, in the form of a plain circular disc, and an annular section 10 positioned within the aperture 3 around the section 9. The sections 9 and 10 are coplanar with, and of the same plain black material as, the surround 2 and they are respectively mounted on the shafts 6 and 8 for rotation therewith.

The section 9 is directly mounted on the shaft 6; the section 10 is a peripheral flange of a dished annular member 11 with a back wall 12 which is spaced some distance behind the disc section 9 and which is directly mounted on the corresponding shaft 8. A seconds-indicating member 13 and an hoursindicating member 14, each in the form of a triangular piece of acrylic plastics material, are respectively mounted on the rotatable face sections 9 and 10 so as to be disposed, as shown clearly in Figure 1, as radially-outwardly pointing arrow heads.

A minutes-indicating triangular member 15, of the same acrylic material and similarly of triangular shape, is coupled to the intermediate minutes shaft 7 of the driving movement 4. The member 15 is disposed forwardly of the face so as to clear the hours-indicating member 14 over which it has to pass, and it is coupled to the shaft 7 through a cranked connecting member 16. This member 16 of sheet metal and projects through the gap between the face sections 9 and 10; it has an outer portion 1 spa secured to the back of the member 15 and an inner portion 1 6b secured to the front of a driving disc 17 which is mounted directly on the shaft 7.

It will be appreciated that in addition to a novel and advantageous functional arrangement of the time-indicating elements, the invention provides a timepiece with an unusual and aesthetically pleasing facial appearance. The indicating elements 13, 14 and 15 are conveniently of plain contrasting colour, for example red against the black facial background.

The described embodiment is fabricated substantially entirely from acrylic plastics sheet material, apart that is from the movement 4 and the element 16. The material used may at least in part be translucent, to enhance the general appearance when viewed against the light; for example the face and casing generally may be of opaque coloured material whereas the back panel is of the same or differently coloured translucent material. The timepiece may if desired be provided with internal illumination.

It will be appreciated that other materials may be used instead of the acrylic material mentioned, and that as an alternative to the described manufacture from sheet material some or all of the plastics components may be in the form of injection mouldings.

1. Atimepiececomprising a driving movement with at least two coaxial and time-synchronised output shafts, and a face composed of a central section, a coaxial annular section encircling the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Timepiece This invention relates to timepieces and is of particular, but by no means exclusive, application to free-standing clocks, especially quartz-crystal clocks. The invention has for its main object to provide a timepiece with a novel and advantageous functional arrangement of time-indicating elements, which at the same time presents an unusual and aesthetically pleasing facial appearance for the timepiece. According to the invention a timepiece comprises a driving movement with at least two coaxial and time-synchronised output shafts, and a face composed of a central section, a coaxial annular section encircling the central section, and a fixed surround, the central and annular sections being coupled respectively to said output shafts for rotation thereby and each carrying a time-indicating element. Although the driving movement may be clockwork it is preferably a battery-operated quartz-crystal movement, with said rotatable face sections coaxially aligned with the output shafts and directly mounted thereon. The output shafts may be three in number- an hours shaft, a minutes shaft and a seconds shaft. In this case the intermediate third shaft, namely the minutes shaft, is conveniently coupled to a minutes-indicating member by a cranked connection which projects through the gap between the rotatable central and annular sections of the face. The central section of the face is conveniently in the form of a circular disc, and the face as a whole preferably has a plain coloured surface. The timeindicating members may be indicia or the like, but they are conveniently plain elements of contrasting colour attached to the respective face sections and to the connecting member. They may be of simple triangular shape disposed as radially-outwardly pointing arrow heads. The surround of the face may be an integral part of a box-like casing of the timepiece and substantially the whole of the latter, apart from the driving mechanism, may be fabricated from a suitable plastics material, for example an acrylic material. The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a quartz-crystal clock representing a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front face view of the clock; Figure 2 is a side view; Figure 3 is a rear view with a back panel of a casing of the clock removed; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line IV - IV in Figure 1. The clock illustrated comprises a casing 1 fabricated from plain black acrylic sheet plastics material, with a front panel which provides a surround section 2 of a face of the clock with a central circular aperture 3. The casing 1 houses a battery-operated quartzcrystal clock movement 4, visible in Figure 3 because a back closure panel 5 of the casing 1 has been removed in that Figure. The movement 4 has three coaxial output shafts aligned with the centre of the face aperture 3 - namely a central seconds shaftS, an intermediate cannon minutes shaft 7 and an outer cannon hours shaft 8. The face of the clock is completed by a central section 9, in the form of a plain circular disc, and an annular section 10 positioned within the aperture 3 around the section 9. The sections 9 and 10 are coplanar with, and of the same plain black material as, the surround 2 and they are respectively mounted on the shafts 6 and 8 for rotation therewith. The section 9 is directly mounted on the shaft 6; the section 10 is a peripheral flange of a dished annular member 11 with a back wall 12 which is spaced some distance behind the disc section 9 and which is directly mounted on the corresponding shaft 8. A seconds-indicating member 13 and an hoursindicating member 14, each in the form of a triangular piece of acrylic plastics material, are respectively mounted on the rotatable face sections 9 and 10 so as to be disposed, as shown clearly in Figure 1, as radially-outwardly pointing arrow heads. A minutes-indicating triangular member 15, of the same acrylic material and similarly of triangular shape, is coupled to the intermediate minutes shaft 7 of the driving movement 4. The member 15 is disposed forwardly of the face so as to clear the hours-indicating member 14 over which it has to pass, and it is coupled to the shaft 7 through a cranked connecting member 16. This member 16 of sheet metal and projects through the gap between the face sections 9 and 10; it has an outer portion 1 spa secured to the back of the member 15 and an inner portion 1 6b secured to the front of a driving disc 17 which is mounted directly on the shaft 7. It will be appreciated that in addition to a novel and advantageous functional arrangement of the time-indicating elements, the invention provides a timepiece with an unusual and aesthetically pleasing facial appearance. The indicating elements 13, 14 and 15 are conveniently of plain contrasting colour, for example red against the black facial background. The described embodiment is fabricated substantially entirely from acrylic plastics sheet material, apart that is from the movement 4 and the element 16. The material used may at least in part be translucent, to enhance the general appearance when viewed against the light; for example the face and casing generally may be of opaque coloured material whereas the back panel is of the same or differently coloured translucent material. The timepiece may if desired be provided with internal illumination. It will be appreciated that other materials may be used instead of the acrylic material mentioned, and that as an alternative to the described manufacture from sheet material some or all of the plastics components may be in the form of injection mouldings. CLAIMS

1. Atimepiececomprising a driving movement with at least two coaxial and time-synchronised output shafts, and a face composed of a central section, a coaxial annular section encircling the central section, and a fixed surround, the central and annular sections being coupled respectively to said output shafts for rotation thereby and each carrying a time-indicating element.

2. Atimepiece according to claim 1,wherein said central and annular face sections are coaxially aligned with the output shafts and directly mounted thereon.

3. A timepiece according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the output shafts are three in number - an hours shaft, a minutes shaft and a seconds shaft with the minutes shaft providing an intermediate third shaft coupled to a minutes-indicating member by a cranked connection which projects through a gap between the rotatable central and annular face sections.

4. Atimepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central section of the face is a circular disc.

5. Atimepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the time-indicating elements are indicia or the like.

6. Atimepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the time-indicating elements are plain elements attached to the respective face sections, and to the connecting member when present.

7. A timepiece according to claim 6, wherein said time-indicating elements are of simple triangular shape disposed as radially-outwardly pointing arrow heads.

8. A timepiece according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the face as a whole has a plain coloured surface and the time-indicating elements are of contrasting colour.

9. A timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said surround of the face is an integral part of a box-like casing containing the clockword of the timepiece.

10. Atimepiece according to claim 9, wherein substantially the whole of the timepiece, apart from the driving mechanism thereof, is fabricated from a plastics material.

11. Atimepiece according to claim 10, wherein the material used is at least in part translucent.

12. Atimepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the face and a casing generally are of opaque coloured material whereas a back panel of the casing is of the same or a differently coloured translucent material.

13. Atimepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the timepiece is provided with internal illumination.

14. A timepiece according to claims 2, 3 and 4, or any one of claims 5 to 13 as dependent thereon, wherein said annular face section is of dished form with an outer peripheral flange which surrounds the central disc face section, this flange having a frontfacing surface which is substantially coplanar with the front-facing surfaces of the central and surround face sections.

15. A timepiece according to claim 14, wherein said cranked connection is fixed to a driving disc mounted on the intermediate third shaft within the dished form of the annular face section and behind the central disc section of the face.

16. Atimepiece constructed and arranged substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.