GB2378266A

GB2378266A - Clock or watch face

Info

Publication number: GB2378266A
Application number: GB0118904A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lorna Stone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-08-02
Filing date: 2001-08-02
Publication date: 2003-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 2021-08-02
Also published as: GB2378266B; GB0118904D0

Abstract

A clock or watch face which separates the hour hand 3 and its numerals from the minute hand 4 and its numerals. The minute hand of the clock or watch indicating minutes independently of the hour numerals, but continuing to move with the hour hand in a conventional clock manner, and vice versa. The clock or watch has two independent faces, within one face, one for hour and one for minutes. The clock or watch mechanism may be omitted to provide an educational device.

Description

CLOCK OR WATCH FACE The invention relates to the face of a clock or watch. The clock or watch having a conventional clock mechanism, if one is used.

Telling the time comprises of two pieces of information. One information relates to the hour and the other, the minutes in relation to the hour.

On a conventional clock or watch face both hands of the clock in the course of its rotation will point to all the numerals on the clock face. This causes confusion when learning to tell the time in childhood, as the number one on the clock face means one if the hour hand is pointing to it, but five if it is the minute hand is pointing to it.

In many cases the minutes on a clock or watch face are understood to exist within the face. Where the minutes are indicated, it can further cause confusion as the hour hand also points to the minutes.

The object of this invention is to provide a clock face, which separates the hour hand and its numerals from the minute hand and its numerals, yet keeping the corresponding numerals for the minutes and hours linked together.

The minute hand of the clock indicating minutes independently of the hour numerals, but continues to move with the hour hand in a conventional clock manner.

This clock or watch face also keeps the simple two-handed clock to maintain the convention that the short hand of the clock indicates the hour and the long hand indicates the minutes.

The clock face can be of whatever shape is desired as long as the numbers on the minute clock corresponds to the numbers that would normally indicate those minutes on the hour clock. The word minutes and hour can be written on the relevant clock hand.

The body of the clock or watch and its mechanism would be whatever is conventionally used.

However neither is necessary, as the clock face can be made from card or plastic with moveable hands, so that practise at telling the time can be had by physically moving the clock hands around.

An attachment to cover the numbers on the right side of the minute clock to continue the numbers from 30 to 60 can be made to further its use as a teaching aid.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows front view of the clock or watch face, with its separated hour and minute faces, and separate numerals. This example does not show the body of a clock or it's working mechanism.

The hour face 1 and its hand 3 are position centred in the minute face 2 and are smaller in size. The proportions will vary with design.

The minute hand 4 moves behind the hour face 1 and is of a length to touch the numbers on the minute face 2.

The position of the hour facel and the minute face 2 is fixed, so that the numbers of the hour face always correspond to the numbers on the minute face which would indicate those minutes on a conventional clock. That is the number one corresponds to the numeral five on the minute clock, the numeral two to the number ten on the minute clock and so on FIGURE 2 shows a side view.

The smaller hour face 1 is fixed to the larger minute face 2, at central point 5.

The minute hand 4 moves behind the hour face 1 and its length are in relation to the

minute face.

The hour hand 5 operates on the front of the hour face and within the confines of it.

When used with a conventional clock mechanism the minute and hour hands would move in normal relationship to each other but indicating separate set of numbers at the same time.

Claims

1 A clock or watch face which separates the hour hand and its numerals, from the minute hand and its numerals.

2 The hour hand of the clock or watch face as claimed in claim 1, points only to the numbers that indicate hours, and the minute hand points only to the numbers that indicate minutes.

3 The clock or watch face as claimed in claim 1 has separate numerals for the hour and separate numerals for the minutes.

4 The clock or watch face as claimed in claim 1 has two independent faces one for the hours and one for the minutes within one face.

S The minute hand of the clock as claim in claim 2 rotates behind the face representing the hours, restricting the minute hand to indicating only the minutes.

6 The hour hand of the clock or watch as claimed in claim 2 rotates in front of the hour face and within the confines of it.

7 The hour hand and the minute hand as claimed in claim 1 moves together in a normal clock mechanism, but indicates separate numerals.

8 The clock or watch face as claimed in claim 1 can be used as a teaching aid when not incorporating a body or clock mechanism.

9 The position of the numbers on the minute face is fixed to the numbers that would normally indicate those minutes.

10 A clock or watch face substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 & 2 of the accompanying drawing.