US1594527A - Combined timepiece and indicating device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 3 1926. 1,594,527

G. E. HUNTER COIBINBD TIME-PIECE AND INDICATING DEVICE "1 1 Filed March 20, 1915 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I L I 9 9 I R H O UR o L 11 W (mama) IIuJenZO r.

, (ieoryefiffiwder; 04m 15? v Jttorwqy Aug. 3 1926. 1,594,527

G. E. HUNTER COIBINED TIMEPIECE AND INDICATING DEVICE Ofllnal Filed March 20 1915 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor: fieoryeflfiwder;

Aug. 3 1926. 1,594,527

' G. E. HUNTER COIBINED TIMEPIECE AND INDICATING DEVICE ori i Filed March 20 191 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 3, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. HUNTER, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

STEWART-WARNER SPEEDOMETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR- PORATION OF VIRGINIA.

COMBINED TIHEPIECE AND INDICA'IING DEVICE.

Original application filed larch 20, 1916, Serial No. 85,500. Divided and this application filed November 38, 1920. Serial No. 426,422.

This invention relates to a combined timepiece and indicating device and dials with the arrangement of timepieces and the combination thereof with other indicating devices.

This application is a division of my pending application, Serial No. 85,500, filed March 20, 1916, for combination timepieces and indicating devices.

The principal object of my invention is to combine a timepiece, such as a watch or clock, with another indicating device such,

for instance, as a speedometer, so that the readings of the two instruments, so combined, may be read simultaneously for the purpose of comparison.

In accomplis ing this object of my invention, the dial of the time iece is combined with the face or cover p ate of the other indicating device, such as a speedometen or odometer, and means are provided for setting and winding the timepiece from a position adjacent to the face plate of the speedometer. This is of particular importance because it is usually desirable to mount a speedometer flush with the dash or instrument board of the automobile or other vehicle by which it is carried with the result that parts associated with the rear of the speedometer casing. and that at the rear of its face are ordinarily inaccessible to the operator.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for transmitting the motion from the train of the watch, located at the rear of the speedometer casing to the hands of the watch which are movable in the face of the speedometer.

Another object of my invention is to combine a watch with a speedometer casing so that the watch movement will actuate the hands of the watch located in the face plate of the speedometer without interfering with the parts of the speedometer mechanism and without rendering the instrument unduly large and bulky.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a deviceof the class referred to in which a watch or timepiece is combined with a speedometer and in which the various parts of the mechanism are readily detachable and accessible for the purpose of inspection and repair.

Further objects and additional objects relating to details of construction and economy of operation will definitely appear in the detail description to follow.

I accomplish the object of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specification.

My invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims.

A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a speedometer embodying the principles of my invention, showing the dial of the watch located within the face plate of the speedometer.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the pendant block through which a connection is made between the pendant arbor and the extension thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the bell crank lever by means of whi rependant block.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation of the watch dial showing the hands of the watch and the hour train through which the hands are connected. v

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the speedometer casing with part 'thereof broken away, showing the means for winding and setting thewat'ch from a position accessible from the front of the speedometer and the connection between the watch movement and hands.

Fig. 6 shows a partial side elevation of a modified form in which the pendant. head projects outwardly parallel to the plane of the watch casing.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view through the pendant block and a part of the watch casing showing the means for transmitting motion to the pendant arbor from the angularly disposed extension thereof.

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged perspective view of the thimble and retaining clip which cooperates with the pendant arbor.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the pendant arbor.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevation of the bearing member of the watch dial with parts broken away showing the hour train in sections.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the hearing member.

Fig. 12 is a view showing the details of the element for connecting the center staff and connecting arbor, and

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the lower portion of the spacing ring which separates the cover plate from the bearing member.

In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the respective views.

Referring to the numbered parts of the drawings, I have shown a speed-ometer casing 15, which is provided at its open end with an enlarged annular cylindrical flange 15, the peripheral surface of which forms a seat for the inwardly directed annular flange 16 of the plate or bezel flange 16. The casing 15 is adapted to set within an opening 17, formed in a suitable frame member which may be the dash or instrument board of an automobile. The annular flange 16 of the face plate fits closely within this opening and the face plate rests upon the outer face of the instrument board 18, being secured thereto by screws which engage the apertures 19 in the plate; The bezel QO-is formed inte rally with or carried by the plate 16 and iolds the cover plate 21 in position against the flange 15.

The cover plate of the speedometer is preferably made of glass and provided with a suitable coating which renders the body portion of the plate opaque and the plate is prov ded with a number of transparent apertures such as the aperture 22 which re-" veals the floating dial 23 by which, the speed of the vehicle is indicated, the openings 24 and 25 through which the dials of the indicating devices or odometer registering the total and trip mileageare visible and an opening through which the watch is visible as will be described hereinafter. At the right of the cover plate is the odometer reset by means of which the odometer trip register can be reset to zero when desired.

It is the usual practice in the construction and assembly of automobiles to place the speedometer and other indicating devices in position adjacent to the dash or instrument board of the automobile so that the bezel plate is substantially flush with the dash or instrument board and the other parts of the speedometer or indicating devices are concealed behind the dash or instrument board so that they are not readily accessible to the'operator;

The casing 30 for the watch movement is mounted upon the speedometer casing 15, preferably at the rear end thereof, and means are provided at the face of the speedometer for registering the time indications of the watch and for winding or setting the watch from a position adjacent to or in front of the dash or instrument board in which the speedometer is mounted. The watch casing 30 is provided with a detachable cover-31 which may be screw-threaded or otherwise secured to the casing end, as indicated above, this casing contains the time train and other usual parts of a watch mechanism. The center staff 32 which actuates the hour train and the hands of the watch extends through the pillar plate 30 and the watch casing 30 is provided with usual or regular cannon pinion, having a toothed ortion 33 engaging with the minute wheel 33 which latter wheel is arranged to be operated by the hand setting mechanism (not shown). The cannon-pinion is provided with the usual tubular bearing ortion 214 having a driving engagement witii the apertured plug 35. This plug 35 has a noncircular periphery and engages a recess of similar cross sec tion, 86, formed in the end of the connecting arbor 37. The connecting arbor'is, in effect, a continuation of the center staff and it serves to transmit the motion of said staff to the forward end of the s eedomcter casing, where the arbor is provided with a tapered recess adapted to be frictionally engaged by the tapered projection on the supplementary center staff 08. This supplementary center staff 38 is journalled in the bearing member 39 carried by 'the bearing ring 40 which seats within the annular flange 15 of the casing 15 and is prevented from relative rotation with respect to the casing by means of the slot 40, which is engaged by a projecting pin fixed on the flange 15. The bearing member 39 is'recessed at 39 to receive the end of the connecting arbor 37. The hearing member 39 forms a support for the dial 41 of the watch which is located between the bearing ring 40 and the cover plate 21 and secured to the bearing member by screws or the like. I

l The face of the dial is located just behind the cover plate and opposite to a transparent portion thereof, so that the position of the hands on the dial may bevisible through said opening. The bearing ring is spaced from the cover plate by the annular spacing ring 42, which is split or notched at 42' to accommodate the downwardly projecting portion of the dial. The supplementary center stafi 38 projects through the dial and carries at its end the minute hand 43 which moves over the dial at the same rate of rotation as the center staff. The hour hand 43 also moves over the dial 41 in the usual manner but its speed of rotation is stepped down from that of the center stafi by means of the usual dial train which is contained within suitable recesses 45, formed in the body of the dial. The dial train, in this instance, comprises cannon-pinion 46 which is mounted upon the center staff and which meshes with the minute wheel 47. The minute pinion 48 is mounted upon the same hearing as the minute wheel and is movable therewith, and the minute wheel in turn meshes with the hour wheel 49. The hour Wheel which rotates upon the supplementary cannonpinion comprises the forwardly projecting sleeve 50, by which the hour hand is carried. These gears and pinions are so selected and proportioned relative to each other that the speed of rotation of. the hour hand is onetwelfth of that of the minute hand, as is well known in the art.

It will be seen that in the construction which I have just described, the motion of the center staff of thewatch is transmitted through the speedometer casing to the hour and minute handswhich are movable over a dial located just behind the cover plate. The connecting arbor is the only part which projects within the speedometer casing to any considerable degree, and this part does not interfere with any of the working parts of the speedometer mechanism. T is arrangement of parts in which the watch movement is attached to the speedometer casing at one part thereof, and the dial and its train is fastened at the face of the speedometer with a connecting arbor between the watch movement and the dial which extends through the speedometer casin leavesythe interior of the speedometer casing free and unencumbered so that a designer or manufacturer does not have to change the arrangement or size of the speedometer mechanism or enlarge or otherwise alter the speed ometer casing in order to incorporate a.

watch movement therein.

I am able to secure certain decided advantages by reason of the arrangement and location of the three indicating devices described in close adjusted positions relative to each other. In the first place, the floating dial which gives the speed or miles per hour, is so arranged that it can be checked by the watch at the end of each fraction of a mile, mile, or hour, or it can be checked at the end of each minute, ten minutes, or any other unit of time, and, in the second place, the arrangement of the watch close to the trip indicator permits the number of the miles or fractions of the miles, as they are registered to be checked by the time indicated b the watch. At the present time, I do not now of any device on the market by which this can be done for the reason that the driver has to depend upon some associate holding a watch and checking the time for him in order to accomplish this result.

In addition to providing means for transmitting the motion of the center staff to the supplemental staff at the face of the speedometer, it is desirable to provide means for setting and winding the watch movement, which means may be manipulated from a position adjacent the cover plate.

Fig. 6 of the drawings shows a modified construction in which the pendant stem 55 projects downwardly from the watch in the usual manner, carrying the knurled pendant head 56, which may be manipulated to wind the watch or to set the hands thereof. It is well known that the winding. of a watch is effected by rotating the pendant head, in some instances after pushing inwardly thereon, and the setting of the watch is effected by rotating the pendant head in a similar manner after it has been pulled outwardly to render the winding element inoperative. But although the construction shown in Fig. 6 may be adopted in connection with the other features of this invention, the milled head 56 is, in a great many instances, inaccessible to the operator on the forward side of the dash or instrument board 18, and .means have therefore been provided for transmitting motion to the pendant arbor through an angularly disposed member which pro'ects through the dash or instrument board.

This winding and setting mechanism comprises the pendant winding arbor 60 located within the pendant sleeve 61 which has a screw threaded engagement with the watch casing. The pendant'stem is thus normally fixed in the stem with respect to the watch casing and'it serves as a bearing for the reciprocatory pendant block 62 through which a connection is made to the right angularly disposed extension 63 of the pendant arbor. This extension extends forward beneath the speedometer casing through the frame member or instrument bpard 18 and forms a screw-threaded connection at its forward end with the knurled pendant head 64.

The winding arbor 60 carries at its lower end the bevel gear 65, which meshes with the bevel gear 1 66, being mounted within the chamber of the pendant block which chamher is closed by the inset covers 62. The gear 66 is provided with a hub 66 which is journalled in the pendant block and which is provided with a central aperture of square or other non-circular cross section adapted to form a non-rotative sliding engagement with the projection which has a similar cross section and which is carried by the extension arbor 63; In this manner, a connection is made for transmitting the motion of rotation from the extension arbor 63 to the winding arbor 60, and in order to effect the necessary reciprocation of the windin a rbor without disengaging the gears and 66, I provide means for effecting a reciprocatory movement of the pendant block and the winding arbor by a corresponding movement ct the extension arbor. The bracket 67 is secured to the watch casing by a stud 6S and a bell crank lever 69 is pivotally mounted on this bracket. This ell crank lever comprises two downwardly extending arms 69 and two transversely extending arms 61)", each of said arms terminating n a circular extremity 69, as fully shown in Fig. 3. The downwardly extending arms 69 pass on opposite sides of the grooved collar 70, carried by the extension arbor, and from which the part 63 projects and the ends 69 of the lever arms engage the flanges 71 ot the grooved collar so that when extension arbor is reciprocated, a pivotal movement. will be imparted to the bell crank lever which movement will be transmitted through the arms (59 to the pendant block. The upper part of the pendant block is provided on opposite sides with grooves 72, which are engaged by the circular extremities (35) so that as the lever 69 rotates the extremities 69 will slide in the grooves T2 and at the same time move the pendant block upwardly or downwardly which movement will be permitted by the arms of (39, since the collar may move freely in a vertical plane between the last mentioned arms.

It will be seen that the bevel gear 65,, fixed upon the winding arbor 6O rests against a washerbo which engages the annular shoulder 73 of the pendant block, and the lower end of the winding arbor is adapted to engage the pin Tat which extends transversely through said block, so that the reciprocatory movement imparted to the block will be transmitted to the winding arbor. Thus the winding arbor may be pushed upwardly to cause the actuation of the winding mechanism or it may be pushed downwardly to render the winding mechanism inoperative, and to effect the operation of sett ng mechanism, all of which will be understood by those skilled in this art.

In order that the winding arbor may be retained in either of these positions during the necessary rotation of the arbor, a thimble T5 is provided, which thimble forms a screw-threaded engagement with the inner wall of the pendant sleeve and carries the split retaining clip 76. This split spring clip surrounds the winding arbor, seating upon the tapered portion 77 thereof, and the extremity of tli'lclip is adapted to pass in either direction over the annular shoulder Tb. which is formed on the winding arbor, and which is provided with oppositely beveled surt'acesiadapted to permit the necessary relative movement of the clip and arbor when the latter is reciprocated. Thus, when the arbor is pushed inwardly to effect the actuation of the winding mechanism, the beveled flange 78- will pass out of engagement with spring clip 76, and will be retained in the necessary position by the co-action of the said clip with the lower surface of the flange. IVhen the arbor is pulled downwardly, the sprin clip will be. forced apart and passed over the flange 7 8 and thus operate to hold the arbor in the necessary position for the purpose of setting the wat"h. c

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that this invention permits the setting and wind of the watch from a point located in front of the plane of the cover plate of the speedometer, so that these operations may be readily performed even though the rear part of the speedometer is inaccessible from the front of the instrument board. hen the operator desires to wind the watch he grasps the knurled end 64 and rotates it, such motion being transmitted through bevel gear (35 and 66 to the main winding arbor 60 thereby winding the watch movement. When he desires to set the watch. the operator pulls outwardly on the knurled head 64 thereby pulling outwardly on the extension arbor which will operate the bell crank lever 69 and pull downwardly the pendant block and the main winding arbor 60. This movement is effected without disengaging the gears 65 and 66 and these gears are always enmeshed with each other. It will be noted that the watch movement is located in a casing 31 and is mounted at the rear of the speedometer casing where itis entirely out of the way of the speedometer mechanism and where the watch movement is accessible for the purpose of repair or adjustment without opening the speedometer casing and without interfering in any manner with the speedometer mechanism. Notwithstanding this advantageous location of the watch movement, the dial and the hour and minute hands, together with the train which actuates them are located at the face of the speedometer, being driven from the watch movement by the connecting arbor which extends through the speedometer casing and which permits the removal of the'speedometer face plate and the dial carried thereby without interfering with the watch movement or the speedometer mechanism.

It will be noticed, by those skilled in the art, that I have disclosed my invention in connection with the usual pendant setting and winding watches of American manufacture, and that I am not illustrating either the winding or hand-setting mechanism. I have left out all detailed description of these mechanisms, as they are well-known to those skilled in the art and do not form a material part of my invention. It will be understood that I contemplate the use of my invention in connection with watches of Swiss manufacture where the pendant arbor is directly engaged for connectedwith the watch movement instead of being a part of the watch case, as is usual in watches of American manufacture.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention which is here shown is susceptible of considerable variationwitliout departing from the spirit thereof and, therefore, I desire to claim the same, broadly as well as specifically.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a carrying-case-in-common for a plurality of mechanisms, having a face plate; a watch movement having a separate casing mounted (n the carrying-case-in-common, exteriorly thereof so as to be removable with its contained mechanism without disturbing or displacing or permitting access to other mechanism in said case in common, the connections between the hands of the watch being mounted in the casing-in-common with the hands and dial visible at the face plate of the latter, and an arbor operatively connecting the movement in the watch casing with a hands-train adapted to be disengaged in separating the watch casing and contained movement from the carrying-case-in-common.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, the watch movement in said separate casing comprising the regular center staff, and coupling means thereon extending out through said casing, the hands-train in the carrying case-in-common comprising a su plemental .center staff and means by whicli the arbor mentioned is disengageably engaged at its opposite ends respectively with said regular and supplemental center staffs.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, the watch movement in said separate casing comprising the regular cannon pinion, and the hands-train in the carrying case-in-common comprising a similar supplemental cannon pinion, the arbor mentioned being adapted for operative engage- -ment at its opposite ends respectively with 1, the watch movement in said separate cas-oo ing comprising the regular cannon pinion and the hands-train in the carrying case-incommon comprising a similar supplemental cannon pinion, the arbor mentioned being adapted for operative engagement at its op posite ends respectively with said regular and supplemental cannon pinions, the two cannon pinions being in axial alignment, whereby the engagement of said arbor may be effected in the movement of applying the watch movement casing to the carrying case-m-common.

5. In the construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, the watch movement in said separate casing comprising the regular cannon pinion, the same being prov ded with a sleeve in driving en agement therewith which protrudes from tie watch casing and is exteriorly non-circular, the arbor mentioned having its rear end socketed for driving engagement for said non-circular sleeve.

6. A device of the class described comprising the combination of a casing having an annular shoulder adjacent the front end thereof, speed and distance indicating mechanisms carried within said casing, a bearing ring fitted upon said annular shoulder, a face plate supported by said bearing ring and provided with a plurality of sight 0 enings, there being a sight opening for eac of said distance and speed indicating mechanisms, a watch movement, a watch dial carried by said nearing ring and positioned to be visible through another of said sight openings, and hands co-operating with said dial'and actuated by said watch movement.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

GEORGE E. HUNTER.

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