US3062491A

US3062491A - Ornamental watch stand

Info

Publication number: US3062491A
Application number: US13359A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Green
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-03-07
Filing date: 1960-03-07
Publication date: 1962-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1979-11-06

Description

Nov. 6, 1962 J. w. GREEN 3,062,491

ORNAMENTAL WATCH STAND Filed March 7. 1960 James W. Green IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent 3,062,491 ORNAMENTAL WATCH STAND James W. Green, 125 S. Main St., Roxboro, N.C. Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,359 4 Claims. (Cl. 248116) This invention comprises a novel and useful ornamental watch stand and more particularly relates to a device for supporting and displacing in a convenient and attractive manner watches of different sizes.

It is frequently desirable for a variety of reasons, as for example, for sentimental reasons as well as for utilitarian purposes, to mount and display a watch upon a desk or the like. Owing to its general delicate construction as well as to the limitations imposed by its physical characteristics, a supporting means for such purpose must be specifically constructed and especially adapted to support the watch in an attractive manner, in a readily visible position and with safety and security for the watch so supported. It is therefore a very important purpose of this invention to provide a stand particularly adapted to perform these functions.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a support stand by which various types of pocket watches may be safely, and in a utilitarian manner supported for ready visibility and in a highly attractive and ornamental manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device in accordance with the preceding objects wherein there are provided in connection with a base a pair of upwardly and outwardly projecting opposed arms each having a clip with a concave supporting surface adapted to engage and embrace the rim of a watch for supporting the latter therebetween.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an ornamental watch stand in accordance with the preceding objects wherein the supporting arms are pivotally carried by the stand, have end portions projecting through the interior of the stand and which cooperate with an actuating means to effect a positive movement of the arms towards or from each other to thereby apply the clips of the arms in a compressive embracing engagement upon the rim of a watch or release the same therefrom.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view showing a preferred embodiment of the ornamental support stand in accordance with this invention and illustrating its use in supporting a watch; 7

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of FIGURE 1 taken from the right side thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a view partly upon elevation and partly in vertical section through the stand and showing details of the mechanism by which the support arms of the stand are positively actuated;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the stand of FIG- URE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the supporting arms and the end portion thereof which comprises an actuating finger for the arm.

In the accompanying drawings, the ornamental watch stand is designated generally by the numeral 10. The same includes a base indicated generally at 12 upon which is mounted a pair of support arms each shown at 14 and through the instrumentality of which a conventional type of pocket watch 16 is releasably supported.

Referring first to FIGURE 3 primarily it will be seen 3,062,491 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 that the base 12 has a lower portion 20 which is generally rectangular or square in horizontal section and from the corners of which are provided dependent supporting legs 22 which are L-shaped in horizontal section. The side walls of the lower portion 20 are sloped slightly downwardly and outwardly to produce a pleasing flared appearance of the lower portion of the stand and the side walls are upwardly scalloped or recessed or notched as at 24. The upper part of the lower portion 20 has a horizontal flat wall or partition 26 from which rises an upper portion 28 having a top wall or closure 30 therefore. The portion 28 is circular in cross-section as shown best in FIGURE 4 so that the entire stand 12 has a chamber opening from the lower end thereof, thus reducing the weight of the stand, providing space within the stand for a purpose to be subsequently set forth enabling the entire stand to be economically formed as a casting if desired. Needless to say, the stand is preferably of a suitable material which will afford an attractive appearance as well as provide suitable physical structural characteristics.

Extending through the upper portion of the bell-shaped section 28 of the base are a plurality of openings or apertures 32. These openings provide access to the chamber in the interior of the base and are located at the uppermost end of this chamber and immediately below the top wall 30.

The pair of opposed arms 14 are of suitable configuration, preferably comprising lower horizontal portions 34 together with curving portions 36 by which the inwardly curving upper portions 38 are united into a single graceful structure. Enlarged balls or spheres 40 are formed at the upper ends of these arms both to impart ornamental appearance thereto as well as to furnish handle grip means which will facilitate the manipulation of the arms as found to be subsequently necessary. At their end portions the aligned horizontal sections 34 of the arms are adapted to extend through the openings 32 into the chamber in the interior of the base and are provided with pivot apertures 42 which are adapted to be mounted for pivotal movement in the openings by the pivot pins 44. At their extremities these portions 34 are provided with inwardly projecting relatively small extensions comprising fingers or finger portions 46 which constitute a means whereby the arms may be adjusted pivotally towards or from each other and may be retained in adjusted position as set forth hereinafter.

Adjacent their upper ends each of the opposed arms is provided with a gripping means or clip in the form of a strap 50 of suitable material which may be resilient in nature if desired, and with the adjacent faces of the two straps being provided with or constituting concave surfaces of sufficient size and shape to firmly and securely grip, embrace and retain therebetween the rim or periphery of the watch 16. It will be observed in this manner that the watch is supported by its periphery between the two arms and completely out of contact with any other elements of the device, whereby to attractively but clearly and fully display the watch out of contact with the other elements of the stand as shown clearly in FIGURE 1.

If desired, the fasteners 52 by which these gripping members are secured to the arms may be in the form of rivets or the like, and may constitute if desired a pivotal connection whereby the straps 50 may be pivotally positioned with respect to their support arms.

A fastening means is provided for adjustably pivoting the arms and locking them in their adjusted position and in gripping engagement upon the watch. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 3 there is provided a means in the form of a screw 54 which is threadedly engaged in an internally threaded bore 56 in the top wall 30 of the base or stand. This screw is provided with a relatively large annular lower flange 58 together with a relatively smaller upper flange 60 which define therebetween an annular channel or groove 62. Consequently, the adjacent surfaces of the two flanges constitute shoulders between which are received and positioned the fingers 46 of the pair of arms. By this arrangement, the screw may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly by inserting an appropriate tool to the open lower end of the chamber thereby causing pivotal movement of the arms towards and from each other as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 3. By this means the clamping straps 56 are moved towards or from each other and are caused to compressibly embrace the rim of a watch therebetween.

Although there has been illustrated a construction in which both of the arms are pivoted upon the base, it Will be understood that one arm may be rigid and non-pivoted and the relative pivoting action of the arms with respect to each other may be effected solely by movement of the other arm. For this purpose, one of the arms could have its finger portion 46 omitted so that the adjusting means consisting of the actuator 54 will operate to effect pivotal movement of the other arm only.

Although the arm actuating means is illustrated as fingers 46 engaging the channel 62, it is within the comprehension of this invention to form the ends of either one or both of the finger portions 46 with threads engaging the threads on the adjusting screw 54; and for this purpose the thread carrying finger portions could be arcuate to maintain operative connection with the screw threads during the adjustment of the latter.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling Within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An ornamental stand for watches comprising a support base, a pair of rigid upwardly projecting opposed arms carried by and rising above said base, a pair of clips facing each other and having concave surfaces for gripping the rim of a watch case therebetween and each secured to the upper part of one of said arms, two-way actuating means for effecting movement of said clips towards and away from each other for positively positioning said clips to compressively grip a watch case therebetween, means pivotally mounting at least one of said arms at its lower end to said base for swinging movement toward and from the other arm, said actuating means being connected to said base and to said one arm, said base having a chamber therein opening upwardly from the lower side thereof, said actuating means being disposed within said chamber and comprising a screw having shoulders thereon, said one arm having a finger 4 positioned within said chamber and disposed between and operated by said shoulders to eifect pivoting of said one arm.

2. An ornamental stand for watches comprising a support base, a pair of rigid upwardly projecting opposed arms carried by and rising above said base, a pair of clips facing each other and having concave surfaces for gripping the rim of a watch case therebetween and each secured to the upper part of one of said arms, two-way actuating means for effecting movement of said clips towards and away from each other for positively positioning said clips to compressively grip a watch case therebetween, said base having a chamber opening upwardly from its lower end, said base having lateral openings therethrough communicating with said chamber, said arms being pivoted to said base and having end portions disposed in said chamber, said actuating means being carried by said base, disposed in said chamber and connected to said end portions.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said actuating means consists of a screw having an annular groove therein, said end portions being engaged in said groove to effect pivoting of said arms.

4. In an ornamental stand for watches, the combination of a hollow base including a side wall and a top wall defining a chamber in said base, said side wall being provided adjacent said top wall With a pair of opposed lateral openings in communication with said chamber, a pair of watch supporting arms extending upwardly from opposite sides of said base and having lower end portions projecting inwardly through the representative openings into said chamber, transverse pivot pins provided in said openings and pivotally connecting the lower end portions of said arms to the side wall of the base whereby upper end portions of the arms may be moved toward and away from each other, said top wall of the base being provided with a vertical screw-threaded bore, a screw operatively engaging said bore and disposed in said chamber between the inner ends of said arms, a pair of spaced annular shoulders provided on said screw and defining an annular groove therebetween, and fingers provided at the inner ends of said arms and extending into said groove, said fingers being engaged selectively by said shoulders to move the upper end portions of said arms selectively toward and away from each other by rotation of said screw selectively in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 424,555 Hofman Apr. 1, 1890 483,963 Leger Oct. 4, 1892 1,199,052 Crawford Sept. 20, 1916 1,326,671 Kossmann Dec. 30, 1919 1,877,532 Reitz Sept. 13, 1932 2,227,626 Blila Jan. 7, 1941