US2988870A - Watch with movable eyes - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 A. TUPONE 2,988,870

WATCH WITH MOVABLE EYES Filed July l5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

\ ALBERT TUPONE June 20, 1961 A. TUPONE 2,988,870

WATCH WITH MOVABLE EYES Filed July l5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LWENTORA ALBERT TU PONE BygQw United States Patent 2,988,870 WATCH WITH MOVABLE EYES Albert Tupone, 1738 57th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed July 15, 1957, Ser. No. 671,789 1 Claim. (Cl. 58-127) This invention relates to watches, clocks, and similar timepieces, and more particularly has reference to a watch the ydial of which has depicted thereon the face of an animal, with said face having openings at the locations of the eyes. Actuated in a back-and-forth, oscillating motion in back of the eye openings is a member connected to a selected portion of the watch movement and marked with spaced dots or the like, simulating eyeballs. When the watch is running, the eyeballs are moved back and forth within the eye openings, so that the animal appears to be rapidly moving his eyes back and forth, so as to seemingly look rst to one side and then to the other.

The main object of the invention is to provide a generally improved device of this nature, characterized by its particularly attractive and interesting motion that provides a life-like and highly amusing, animated appearance to the animal depicted upon the watch face.

A further object is to incorporate the above described, desirable characteristics of a watch while modifying the watch to no more than a minimum extent, thus to permit the watch to be made with watch components of conventional design, already on the market.

A further object is to incorporate in the watch an animation as described above, at a cost little greater than that required for making a watch not having the characteristics or features of the invention.

Still another object is to insure that the design will be such as to not alfect adversely the normal running of the watch.

Another object is to provide an animation as stated, in a watch, capable of being embodied in highly inexpensive watches, so that the invention can be incorporated in watches intended to be sold at low cost, as for example for use by children.

Still another object, in one form of the invention, is to incorporate in the construction not only a back-andforth motion, but also a vibratory motion of the eyeballsimulating elements in paths perpendicular to the plane.

in which said elements are mainly rocked or oscillated, thus to seemingly cause the eyes to bulge out, further adding to the amusing, interesting action, with the movement of the eyeballs forwardly through the openings occurring at the same time as the side-to-side movement thereof.

Another object, in the form of the invention mentioned immediately above, is to form the eyeball-simulating elements as means that will reflect light, said elements being colored pieces of glass having a plurality of facets designed to catch the light responsive to the backand-forth and the vibratory motion of the eyeball elements.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a watch according to the invention, portions of the watch strap being broken away.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the movement of the watch, removed from the case, the oscillating member being shown in opposite extreme positions in full and dotted lines, respectively.

Patented June 20, 1961 FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the oscillating means of the watch, and of the components of the watch movement that cooperate directly therewith.

FIG. l4 is an enlarged sectional view substantially on line 4--4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is :a view like FIG. l showing a modied construction.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational View of the watch movement in the form of the invention shown in FIG. 5, showing the oscillating means mounted on said movement.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the dial or watch face, the rockable means, and the movement components associated `directly with said rockable means.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a second modication.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, detail sectional view substantially on line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. l0 is an enlarged, fragmentary front elevational view of the watch movement, as seen from the line 10-10 of FIG. 9, on the same scale as FIG. 9, showing the rockable, eyeball-carrying means.

FIG. l1 is a still further enlarged perspective view of the rockable means, per se.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 there is illustrated a watch generally designated 10 including a case back 12, bezel 14 carrying crystal 16, the pairs of ears 18 rigid with and projecting outwardly from diametrically opposite portions of the bezel, the watch strap portions 20, and the usual pins 22 connecting the watch strap to the ears.

The dial of the watch is designated at 24, and has the usual numerals provided thereupon. Designated generally at 26 is the watch movement, having the top plate 28. The movement includes, in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, a balance wheel 30 mounted upon the balance wheel stai 32, said balance wheel being rotatable with the disc 34 from which projects radially a short arm or lug 36. The balance wheel staif is journalled in a bearing arm 38 carried by the movement.

This is, per se, conventional, except that in accordance with the invention the balance wheel stai 32 is projected forwardly beyond the plate 28 a suitable distance as shown in FIG. 4, with the arm 38 constituting the bearing. Normally, the balance wheel staff would be of a length such that it would not project beyond the plate 28. Further, the plate 28 may in accordance with the present invention be formed with a large opening 39 through which the balance wheel statt` projects.

It will be understood that the balance wheel has the usual oscillating motion, that is, the balance wheel rst turns in one direction to a predetermined number of degrees, and then in the opposite direction, being associated with a hairspring, not shown, disposed directly in back of the balance wheel upon the staff 32. The projection 36 is engaged by one end of the usual pallet, also not shown, which extends, of course, to the escapement wheel, causing timed, step-by-step rotational movement of the escapement.

All this is conventional watch construction and does not per se constitute part of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an obtusely angular arm 40, overlying the plate 28 and secured to the plate at one end of said arm by means of a screw 42 or the like. The plate, it shouldbe noted, is illustrated in FIG. 2 without the several openings, bearings, and other portions of the watch movement that would ordinarily be visible, since it is not necessary to proper illustration of the present invention that these components lbe shown, in view of which they have been omitted for the sake of clarity of understanding. The

movement would, of course, be conventional, eXcept as indicated herein.

In any event, the arm 40 can be adjusted about the axis deiined by the screw 42, so as to selectively locate the distalY end ofthe arm, whereby to in turn adjust the location of the pivot axis of a rockable arm or fulcrum member. When the arm 40 has been selectively positioned, the screw 42 is turned home so as to secure the arm 40 in the proper position found to produceaccur'ate operation.

An elongated, substantially straight, narrow fulcrum member or rockable arm'44 is pivotally connected or fulcrumed intermediateits ends on a' pin '46 carried by the distal end of arm 40. The major part of the length of arm 44 is disposed to one sideV ofthe pivot-t6, extending to the balance wheel staff 32, and on the end ofthe arm 44 adjacent theV balance wheelstaff, there is 'provided a bifurcation 43, comprising apair of `fork elements symmetrically disposed in respect to the longitudinal median of the arm 44, said elements diverging in the direction of the balance wheel shaft 3.2. Medially between the elements 48 there is a protective finger 50 disposed a slight distance laterally out of the plane of the elements 4S as clearly shown in FIG. 4f

At its other end, the arm `44 has a slightly widened portion 52, having longitudinally spaced openings.A A fiat, light plate 54 overlies the plate 28 of movement 26 in a plane parallel to the plane of the plate 26, and at one corner has a tail 60 having openings registering with those of the enlarged portion 52, to receive screws 56 or equivalent connecting means, whereby the plate 54 is iixedly secured Vto the arm 44`for rockable rmovement therewith about the pivot 46.

Marked upon the face of the plate 54 are spaced dots or other markings 58 simulating eyeballs, and these are visible through the respective openings 64 in dial 24 in opposite extreme positions of the plate 54.

In operation, when Vthe watch is running the eyeballs 53 willy be seen through spaced openings 64 `formed in the simulation 66 of a cat or other animal, the pictureV 66 being painted or otherwise provided upon the face of'the dial 24. The animal, in a preferred embodiment, has arms 68, 70 which are theminute and hour hands, respectively, of the watch.V

' At this point, it will bel understood that the word animal`is not to be restricted to cats, or even to other four-footed animals, birds or lish, and is intended to apply to the representations of humans, as well.

In any event, when the watch is running,v the balance wheel staif 32 will be rocked in'opposite directions, and as a result, a disc 61, secured to the forwardly projecting end of the balance wheel staff 32and having a radial projection 62, will be caused to be correspondingly rocked in opposite directions. The projection 62 will thus be oscillated, and as seen in FIG. 2, engages tirst one and then the other of the downwardly diverging bifurcated or fork arms 48. As a result, the fulcrum member `44 is rocked or oscillated about its pivot 46, imparting corresponding movement to the plate 54; This causes the eyeball markings 58 to move back and forth from one to the opposite end of the respective openings 64, so that the animal appears to be casting his glance from side to side.

Selected positioning of the fork arms 48 relative to the projection 62 can be effected by pivotal adjustment of the arm 40 about the axis defined by its connection 42 to the movement.

Further, should one desire to check the operation of the watch without the rockable plate and related components, the arm 40 could be swung away from the balance wheel, to an extent suliicient to completely disengage the fork arms 48 from the projection 62, temporarily. In this way, it can Ibe determined whether the device econstituting the invention is having any eifect upon the operation of the watch.

In FIGS. 5-7, there is shown a construction having the same operating principles, except that the rockable plate is mounted upon the pallet staff rather than upon the balance wheel staff. In this form the watch 72 has a bezel 74 carrying a crystal 76. The watch includes a movement 78 having a top plate 8,0. In opposite sides of the top plate there are formed recesses or notches S2. A dial 84 has rearwardly projecting side anges 86 (see FIG. 7) formed with rearwardly extending tongues 88 engageable in the notches S2 so that the watch dial can be snapped into engagement with the watch movement 78. Depicted upon the face ot the dial is an animal 9i), having eye openings 92. In this form of the invention, purely by Way of illustration of various arrangements which could be utilized, the minute and hour hands 94, 96 respectively constitute the ends of a bow tie worn by the animal 9G.

Constituting conventional components of the movement are a pallet staff 98 to which is xedly secured a conventional pallet 100, two of the projections of which control the rotational movement of the ecsapement wheel 102', a third projection of the pallet controlling the oscillation of the balance wheel 104. Thus, statt 98 becomes a rockshaft, rocking in opposite directions.

In accordance with the invention, a T-shaped plate 106 has one leg formed intermediate its ends with an opening receiving the pallet staff 93, with the plate being secured to the pallet staff for rocking movement therewith. The plate includes a crosshead 108 disposed in back of the openings 92 and having eyeball markings 110. On rocking of the shaft 98, the eyeballs 119 are shifted back and forth within the eye opening 92, as in the iirst form of the invention.

In FIGS. 8-ll, there is shown another form of the invention. This is embodied in a watch identical to that of FIGS. 5-7, and the only difference resides in the construction of the plate secured to the pallet stati 98. In this form, a flat, wide elongated plate 112- has at one end a reduced longitudinal extension 114. A crosshead 116 is in overlying relation to extension 114 and is iixedly secured thereto, as by a spot of cement 118.

The crosshead 116 is of very thin, highly resilient spring metal, and cemented to or otherwise axed to the opposite ends of the crosshead 116 are eyeball-simulating elements 120. In accordance with the invention, these are of raised formation, so that they project through the eyeball openings 92, as clearly shown in FIG. 9. The openings 92, of cou-rse, are of sufiicient size and elongated to permit the back-and-forth movement of the eyeball elements 120 without said elements striking the edges of the openings v92. The elements 120 may be in the form of colored glass beads, having a plurality of facets so as to reflect light coming from various directions, particularly on vibratory and back-and-forth movement of the eyeball elements.

The weigth of the elements on the ends of the crosshead 116 causes said elements to vibrate, in the direction of the arrows a shown in FIG. 9, the eyeball elements oscillating in paths generally perpendicular to the plane of oscillating movement of the plate 112. This results from the thin, springable formation of the crosshead,

As a result, when the watch is running and the plate 112 is oscillated about the axis 98, not only will the eyeballs move from side to side within the openings 92 as in the previous forms of the invention, but also, the eyeballs will seemingly move forwardly and rearwardly within the openings, that is, the eyeballs may seem to bulge out at times, due to their vibration as the plate 1 12 is oscillated. This causes the eyeballs to catch light and flash, to a particularly,V great extent, not only byreason ofthe bak-and-forth motion of theeyeballs, but also by reason of theirfront-to-.back movement.

While I have illustrated and Ldescribedthe.preferred 5 embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

In a timepiece with a dial having depicted thereon a -face of an animal and elongated eye openings, minute and hour hands rotatably mounted on said dial and simulating portions of a bow tie under said face, a pallet disposed behind said dial and operatively connected to control rotation of said hands in response to regular oscillations, a shaft carried by and movable by said pallet, l5

a flat Wide plate secured to said shaft and oscillating with said pallet, a crosshead centrally secured to the free end of the plate being a highly resilient leaf spring having its ends spaced from said plate, and a weighted faceted bead secured on each end of the crosshead projecting forwardly therefrom into said eye openings and defining eyeballs for said face, the Weights of the beads in Iresponse to the regular oscillations effecting vibratory motions thereof in paths substantially perpendicular to the plane of rocking of said plate and crosshead so that said beads alternately project and recede at said openings while the beads move from side to side and the bow tie portions rotate over the animal face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 858,057 Boismaure lune 25, 1907 2,574,048 Marmor Nov. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,622 Great Britain of 1893 264,667 Switzerland June 16, 195() 426,080 Germany Mar. 4, 1926

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