US2777281A - Time zone timepiece - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1957 J. E BERRY TIME ZONE TIMEPIECE Filed April 27, 1954 Jaara Zi United States Patent TIME ZONE TIMEPIECE Jean E. Berry, Paris, France Application April 27, 1954, Serial No. 425,940

4 Claims. (CI. 58-80) This invention relates to a movement for a watch having hands for simultaneously indicating two different times. There are many people who for business reasons or otherwise travel frequently to different time zones. if such trips are frequent between two time zones, it is desirable to have a watch which shows the time for both zones so that it will not be necessary to set the hands frequently when travelling back and forth between the zones. According to the present invention, an extra hour hand is provided which is mechanically connected to the regular hour hand in such a way that the two hour hands turn as a unit but the angle between them can be changed by any whole number of hours so that the watch can be set to show times for any two zones of standard time.

In a modified form of the invention, an extra minute hand is provided and is geared in the usual manner to an extra hour hand so that the watch can show simultaneously two different times which are not necessarily spaced by a whole number of hours.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawing, of which- Figure l is a plan view of a watch embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, both sectional figures showing, on an enlarged scale, some of the works within the watch;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a watch embodying a modified form of the invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of some of the gearing in the watch shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 77 of Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a modified part of the watch mechanism.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, a watch 10 is provided with the usual case 12 in which is housed a dial and a movement, only a portion of the latter being shown. A minute hand 16 is mounted on a central spindle '18 which is driven by a spring through the customary gear train (the spring and gear train not being shown). The spindle 18 is connected through reducing gears 19 to a hollow spindle 20 which carries the regular hour hand 22. The watch has a third hand 24 which in this case corresponds to the hand 22 and is therefore another hour hand. The third hand 24 is mounted on a hollow spindle 26 which is coaxial with the other spindles. The spindles 20 and 26 carry gear wheels 28 and 30, respectively, which usually mesh with gear wheels 32 and 34, respectively, but can be disconneeted therefrom. The gear wheels 32 and 34 are coaxial and revolve together about a shaft which is carried by a block 36. When these gear wheels are in mesh as illustrated in Figure 3, the hands 22 and 24 turn together as a unit, maintaining a constant angle between them. In this embodiment of the invention it is desirable that 2,777,281 Patented Jan. 15, 1957 the angle between the hands 22 and 24 always representan integral number of hours. In other words, the angle between these hands must always be 30 or a multiple thereof since an angle of 30 represents one hours movement of the hour hand on the dial. To ensure the desired angular relation between the hands 22 and 24, the gear wheels 30 and 34 may be in the form of star-wheels as shown in Figure 2, each wheel having twelve teeth. These gear wheels can be separated to permit adjustment of relative angles of the hands 22 and 24, but when moved again into meshed relation they will necessarily assume a relation such that the angle between the hands 22 and 24 will be 30 or a multiple thereof.

The block 36 which carries the wheels 32 and 34 has a rotatable stem 40 extending through it. Collars 42 and 44 pinned on the stem on either side of the block cause the block to move with the stem when the latter is shifted axially. The stem 40 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings in the case 12 but is free to slide axially a limited distance as well as to rotate. A second block 46 is on the shaft 40 and is held against axial movement thereon by two collars 48 and 50. The block 46 carries a short shaft 52 on which are mounted a gear wheel 54 and a pinion 56, the latter meshing with a worm 58 which is fixed on the stem 40. The wheel 54 is a star-wheel adapted to mesh with the wheel 30 but normally out of contact therewith. When the stem 40 is shifted toward the left from the normal position illustrated in Figure 3 the wheel 34 is moved out of mesh with the wheel 30 and simultaneously the wheel 54 is moved into mesh with the wheel 3t). If the stem 40 is then rotated, the wheel 3% will be rotated so as to change the angular relation between it and the wheel 34, that is, the angular relation between the hands 22 and 24. The stem may be manipulated by means of a smalltknob 60 which is secured on an end thereof projecting outside of the case 12. When the knob is released, the stem is pushed back to its normal position by a spring 62. This moves the wheel 34 into mesh with the wheel 30. If when the stem moves back the angle between the hands 22 and 24 is not a multiple of 30, the teeth of the wheels 30 and 34 which engage each other when the wheels come together cam each other to rotate the wheel 30 sufficiently to restore the desired angular relation between the hands 22 and 24. Thus the hands of the watch can be set to show times differing by any whole number of hours, but not otherwise. Such a watch is useful for one travelling frequently between places in different zones of standard time.

While the star- wheels 30 and 34 are convenient and effective means for ensuring a desired angular relation between the hands 22 and 24, other equivalent means may be employed. For example, the hand 22 may be mounted on a spindle 64 which carries a disk 66 having a central recess 68 in the shape of a regular dodecagon. The hand 24 would then be mounted on a hollow spindle 70 which carries a dodecagonal plate 72 adapted to fit into the recess 68. The hands 22 and 24 are arranged so that when the plate 72 fits into the recess 68, the angle between the hands is 30? or a multiple thereof. The plate 72 must be lifted from the recess 68 before the angle between the hands can be changed, Such a change must be for an exact number of hours before the disk can be restored to the recess 68.

The watch shown in Figures 4 to 7 is to show diflierent times which may differ by an interval other than an integral number of hours. In such case an additional minute hand is needed. Thus the watch has a minute hand and a corresponding extra hand 82 which is also a minute hand. It also has a regular hour hand 84 and a corresponding extra hand 86 which is also an hour hand.

The hands 80, 82, 84 and 86 are mounted respectively on nested spindles 90, 92, 94 and 96. The minute hand 80 is connected to the hour hand 84 by the customary reducing gearing consisting of gear wheels 98' on the move into mesh with the Wheel 108 when the pinion 1'20 moves out of mesh with the wheels 98 and 108, both pinions being carried by a stern 124 which may be arranged to operate similarly to the stem 40. Thus when the stem is pulled axially to shift the pinions 1'25 and 122 to disengage the pinion 120 from the wheels 98 and 108, it can be turned to rotate the pinion 122 so as to adjust the hands 82' and 86' to indicate any time desired, the hands 80 and 84 not being shifted. The stem 124 is then moved back to move the pinion 120 into engagement with the wheels 98 and- 108' whereby the two sets of hands maintain the time interval to which they have been adjusted as they continue to revolve in the usual manner.

For convenience in distinguishing between the hands 22 and 24, they are preferably made to differ in form or color or both, whether luminescent or not. If luminous, they may differ in the degree of luminosity. In like manner, the hands 82 and 86 are made to differ from the hands 80 and 84 for the same purpose.

I claim:

1. In a watch movement having a minute hand, a regular hour hand, an extra hour hand and reduction gearing connecting said minute hand and regular hour hand; means for operatively connecting the two said hour hands to move as a unit, said last named means including two 'mutually engageable elements constructed and arranged to be fully interen'gag'ed' only when the angle between said two hour hands is a multiple of 30, and means for moving said elements into and out of operative engagement.

2. Mechanism as in claim 1, each of said two mutually engageable elements being constructed to engage the other fully in any one of twelve angular relations.

3. In a watch movement having a minute hand, a regular hour hand, arr-extra hour hand and reduction gearing connecting said minute hand and regular hour hand; a gear train normally connecting the two hour hands, said gear train including a pair of twelve-pointed star wheels, at setting device normally disconnected from said hour hands, and means for'simultaneously separating said star Wheels and operatively connecting said setting device with one of said hour hands.

4. Mechanism as in claim 3, said setting device comprising a rotatable and axially shiftable stern, means on said stern supporting one of said star wheels and shiftable with the stem to disengage said star wheels, 21 third star wheel carried by said stern and shiftable thereby into en gagement with one of said pair of star wheels simultane ously with the separation of said pair of star wheels, and means carried by said stem for rotating said third star wheel by rotation of the stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,551,100 Davis May 1, 195] FOREIGN PATENTS 827,921 Germany Ian. 14, 1952

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