US3719038A - Watchcase - Google Patents

Abstract

A comprehensive member combining both the case-band and the glass is made out of one piece of a homogeneous translucent material. The peripheral wall of this member surrounds the watch movement and it is thick enough to be practically opaque and to hide the movement edge. The central portion of this member is, on the contrary, made thin enough to form a screen allowing time reading.

Description

United States Patent [191 Klingenberg WATCHCASE [76] Inventor: Hans Ulrich Klingenberg, St.

Niklaus near Merzligen, Switzerland [22] Filed: June 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 154,761

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 25, 1970 Switzerland ..9665/70 [52] US. Cl. ..58/88 R, 58/91 [51] Int. Cl. ..G04h 37/00, G04b 39/00 [58] Field of Search ..58/88 R, 88 G, 91

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Gisiger ..58/9l X 1 March 6, 1973 2,224,421 12/1940 Aaron ..58/9l X 2,256,200 9/1941 l-leilman ..58/9l X Primary Examiner-George l-LMiller, Jr. Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [5 7] ABSTRACT A comprehensive member combining both the caseband and the glass is made out of one piece of a homogeneous translucent material. The peripheral wall of this member surrounds the watch movement and it is thick enough to be practically opaque and to hide the movement edge. The central portion of this member is, on the contrary, made thin enough to form a screen allowing time reading.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures WATCHCASE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the watchcases of this type, which are known in lo the art, this one-piece member is made of a transparent material, such as plexiglass. To hide the movement either an opaque ring is inserted into the peripheral portion of said member or the inner surface of this peripheral portion is coated with a paint.

There are also watchcases known in the art in which such a member has been obtained by welding a ring and a plate together. In this event both the ring and the plate consist of the same material, but the ring has colored particles in suspension which render it opaque, while the plate remains transparent.

It will thus be observed that all the known watchcases have the common drawback to require some additional piece or operation to hide the movement edge, because in each one of these watchcases the material of the member substituted for both the caseband and the glass is originally transparent.

SUMMARY. OF THE INVENTION Furtherobjects of my invent-ion will become apparent inthe courseof the following description.

' BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Two embodiments of the watchcase according to my invention are represented diagrammatically'and by way of example in the accompanying drawing.

ln the drawing FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment, and

FIG. Zisa similar'view-of the'se'condembodiment.

DESCRIPTION-OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The watchcase represented in FIG. 1 comprises a member 1 made-of sintered aluminum oxide n.0,). Member 1 has'thegeneralshape-of-a cup. Its-peripheral portion constitutes a thick and :heavy opaque --wall la portion lb to which wall Ia additionally confers a great mechanical stability. Thus, even if the time indication has to be ensured in the conventional manner, i.e. by means of hands extending outwards to the periphery of the watch, portion 1b may be substantially thinner than the known usual glasses. This is enough to render watch hands visible through portion lb, especially when these hands are black and the sintered corundum is white without coloring additives.

With a watch having a digital time indication member 1 can be made with one or more thin portions which need not extend over the whole visible surface of the watch. According to the distribution of the time indicators member 1 could be made thinner only at one or several separate places. At such places the outer surface of member 1 could be made concave. The smaller the extent of these thinner portions of member 1 the more their thickness can be reduced and the easier time can be read. Reading the time indications of the watch is, of course, best ensured when they are produced by light sources fed from the watch movement. In this event, the screen portion of member 1 operates in a similar manner as a TV-screen.

The manufacture of member 1 does not raise any problem. Before sintering, the aluminum oxide powder can be given such a shape that the piece obtained after sintering only requires a minimum of final machining operations. For instance, holes 2 and 3 provided for the attachment of a wrist-band and securing the watchcase bottom 8, respectively, can be bored after sintering. A boring (not shown) for the passage of a control stem can similarly be provided across wall 1a after sintering. Recess 4 provided for forming screen 1b, shoulder 5 for the abutment of the movement baseplate, recess 6 for a watertight packing l1 and projections 7 constituting the wrist-band attaching lugs shall, on the contrary, be

molded before sintering member 1.

For securing bottom 8 consisting of a metal plate.

holes 3 are provided in the lower face of wall la and tapped bushes 9 are glued in these holes so that bottom 8 can be fixed to member 1 by screws 10. Different securing means could also be provided for the bottom 8 as it will appear obvious to those skilled in the art.

Packing ll sealing the joint between bottom 8 and I member I can be previously glued or secured in any appropriate manner to either one of these two pieces.

Member 1 can also be sintered with facets so as to appear like a gem after polishing.

The watch movement (not shown) can be held within the watchcase disclosed in any conventional manner, for instance by spring means bearing on bottom "8 and pressing the movement baseplate against shoulde'rS.

The onlydifference between the second embodiment (FIG. 2) and the first one resides in the attaching means which have been provided for the wristband. In the second embodiment the bottom 8a consists of a rectangular plate made integral with four projections 12 at its corners. The end of projections 12 is overlapped so as to form anchoring means for a bar 13 to be inserted in the loop of a wrist-band. With a circular watchthe bar in question could also be held by a single overlapped projection of the bottom. This-bar would only-need have its centralsection held by the bottom projection.

hide the movement, and a portion being thin enough to form a screen permitting reading time.

2. A watchcase as claimed in claim 1, said member being made of sintered corundum.

3. A watchcase as claimed in claim 1, said member having as its thin portion a screen capable of producing time images thereon when light sources are fed. from the watch movement.

* s a r

Claims (3)

1. A watchcase comprising, in lieu of a case-band and a separate glass, a one-piece member made of a homogeneous translucent material, said member having a peripheral portion adapted for receiving and surrounding a watch movement and being thick enough to hide the movement, and a portion being thin enough to form a screen permitting reading time.

1. A watchcase comprising, in lieu of a case-band and a separate glass, a one-piece member made of a homogeneous translucent material, said member having a peripheral portion adapted for receiving and surrounding a watch movement and being thick enough to hide the movement, and a portion being thin enough to form a screen permitting reading time.

2. A watchcase as claimed in claim 1, said member being made of sintered corundum.

Images