US3748456A - Illuminated instrument dials - Google Patents

Illuminated instrument dials Download PDF

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Publication number
US3748456A
US3748456A US00212103A US3748456DA US3748456A US 3748456 A US3748456 A US 3748456A US 00212103 A US00212103 A US 00212103A US 3748456D A US3748456D A US 3748456DA US 3748456 A US3748456 A US 3748456A
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United States
Prior art keywords
dial
instrument
housing
bulb
groove
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US00212103A
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English (en)
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A Brien
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
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Publication of US3748456A publication Critical patent/US3748456A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D11/00—Component parts of measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable
    • G01D11/28—Structurally-combined illuminating devices

Definitions

  • lt is known to provide certain instruments, for example wrist watches and pocket watches, with a miniature electric bulb for illuminating the dial, this bulb being connected by conducting wires to an electrical cell.
  • the bulb is generally mounted in a housing in the watch case middle at the level of the dial and under the watch glass; this arrangement has the drawback of requiring the watch to be dismantled by a qualified watch repairer when it is necessary to replace the bulb.
  • the bulb is therefore mounted in an element in a supple light-transmitting material, this element being removably fitted in a housing accessible from outside the instrument and located in the vicinity of the dial.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross section through a watch including a dial illuminating device, this cross section being taken along line H of FlG. 2;
  • H0. 2 is a partial plan view showing the illuminating device.
  • the watch 1 shown comprises in the middle 2 of the watch case a groove 3 surrounding the periphery of a glass 4 or other transparent covering fitted in the middle 2.
  • the groove 3 accomodates a tubular element 5 forming a device for illuminating the watch dial 6.
  • the element 5 is made of a supple and transparent or at least translucid material and contains a bulb 7 connected by leads 8 to electrical contacts 9 and 10 also located inside the tubular element 5.
  • Two sharp terminals 11 and 12 respectively connected by an insulated lead 13 to the positive pole of a cell (not shown) and by the conducting mass of the watch case to the negative pole of the cell are provided protruding from the bottom of the groove 3 up to and firmly bearing against the contacts 9 and 10.
  • a switch not shown, and preferably in the form of a push button device, can be mounted in the middle 2 along the lead 13 so as to enable a manual control of the illumination of the dial 6.
  • a bezel ring 14 is removably fitted over the groove 3 and can be easily detached, when it proves necessary to replace the bulb 7, to enable the element 5 to be extracted and substituted by a new intact tubular element 5 provided with a bulb 7, leads 8, and contacts 9 and 10 as before.
  • the element 5 is preferably in a transluscent synthetic plastic material which may be tinted so as to provide colored illumination. Instead of being tubular and having two distinct ends, as shown in FIG. 2, the element 5 could be annular in the form of a closed loop.
  • the bezel ring 14 closing the groove 3 could be eliminated, in which case the groove could have a narrow upper neck defined between an upper edge of the middle 2 and the glass 4 so as to be able to hold the element in position. Of course such a neck would have an appropriately placed widened part to allow for passage of the bulb 7.
  • the bulb 7 is advantageously disposed along the edge of the dial adjacent to the said window 15.
  • an instrument having a dial, a miniature electric bulb for illuminating the dial and means for supplying current to said bulb
  • the improvement comprising an element of supple light-transmitting material having at least a hollow portion for receiving the bulb, a housing in the instrument adjacent the dial and accessible from the outside of the instrument, said element being removably fitted in said housing, two sharp edged terminals in the housing positioned to pierce the supple material of said element when fitted in the housing, contact means within said element positioned to make contact with the terminals when the element is fitted in the housing.
  • the instrument of claim 1 including a transparent covering for the dial with an edge of the transparent covering forming a wall of the housing.
  • the instrument of claim 1 including a bezel ring, said housing being positioned adjacent at least part of the periphery of the dial and the element is an elongated tubular member.
  • the instrument of claim 1 including calendar means viewable in the dial between the center and periphery thereof, said element and housing cooperating to locate thebulb at a peripheral position adjacent said calendar means.
  • An instrument comprising a dial, a hollow element made of flexible light-transmitting material, a miniature electric bulb located in said hollow element, said element being shaped as a loop around said dial, said instrument having a casing and a glass covering said dial, said casing having a circular groove around the glass and adapted to receive said hollow element, a removable bezel ring, said groove being open on the outer face of the instrument and being covered by said removable bezel ring, said groove being opened to the edge of the glass to provide a passage for light toward the dial, and sharp terminal means in said groove to pierce the element and provide current to the bulb.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
US00212103A 1970-12-28 1971-12-27 Illuminated instrument dials Expired - Lifetime US3748456A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH1923970A CH549237A (is") 1970-12-28 1970-12-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3748456A true US3748456A (en) 1973-07-24

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Family Applications (1)

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US00212103A Expired - Lifetime US3748456A (en) 1970-12-28 1971-12-27 Illuminated instrument dials

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CH (2) CH549237A (is")

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3949546A (en) * 1973-03-13 1976-04-13 Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha Illuminating device for digital display wristwatches
USD303937S (en) 1986-05-16 1989-10-10 King Jr M Frazier Watch with neon-like illumination ring
US4875200A (en) * 1988-11-01 1989-10-17 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Illuminating bezel
US4908739A (en) * 1988-09-29 1990-03-13 Andre Brien Light diffusing ring for wristwatch
US5604716A (en) * 1994-12-22 1997-02-18 Cheung; James Black light illuminated analog watch
US5669692A (en) * 1995-11-17 1997-09-23 Timex Corporation Fiber optic lighting system
US5873647A (en) * 1997-03-27 1999-02-23 Kurtz; Rodney Nozzle mounted lamp
EP0973077A1 (de) * 1998-07-09 2000-01-19 Greiner Vollelektrische Quarz-Uhren GmbH Mondphasenuhr, insbesondere Mondphasenuhr mit elektromechanischem Quarzuhrwerk
US6183099B1 (en) 1999-06-09 2001-02-06 Timex Corporation Light guide for illuminating a dial
US6487143B1 (en) * 1999-10-19 2002-11-26 Eta Sa Fabriques D' Ebauches Electroluminescent lighting device for a dial
US20030103418A1 (en) * 2001-12-04 2003-06-05 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Light-emitting display device using light-emitting element and electronic apparatus
US20050002190A1 (en) * 2003-07-02 2005-01-06 Kramer Eric W. Soft light fixture
US20090268566A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2009-10-29 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. Instrument Display Board and Process for Producing Instrument Display Board
US20100046199A1 (en) * 2008-08-22 2010-02-25 Kip Carter Plumbing fixture with light pipe illumination
US11334029B2 (en) * 2017-03-17 2022-05-17 Fgp Capital Sa Apparatus comprising a glass or a screen

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0860755B1 (fr) 1997-02-20 2002-06-12 Asulab S.A. Dispositif d'illumination uniforme du cadran d'un appareil d'affichage

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1850642A (en) * 1930-04-22 1932-03-22 Joseph G Strock Illuminating means for telephone calling devices
US2227368A (en) * 1935-07-01 1940-12-31 Bendix Aviat Corp Illuminating adapter for instruments
US2480393A (en) * 1947-10-06 1949-08-30 Mark W Bossert Dial light
US2974474A (en) * 1957-03-30 1961-03-14 Globo Invest Trust Luminous watch
US3278740A (en) * 1964-03-02 1966-10-11 California Plasteck Inc Illuminating apparatus
GB1079222A (en) * 1964-02-12 1967-08-16 Elliott Brothers London Ltd Lighting especially for instrument panels

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1850642A (en) * 1930-04-22 1932-03-22 Joseph G Strock Illuminating means for telephone calling devices
US2227368A (en) * 1935-07-01 1940-12-31 Bendix Aviat Corp Illuminating adapter for instruments
US2480393A (en) * 1947-10-06 1949-08-30 Mark W Bossert Dial light
US2974474A (en) * 1957-03-30 1961-03-14 Globo Invest Trust Luminous watch
GB1079222A (en) * 1964-02-12 1967-08-16 Elliott Brothers London Ltd Lighting especially for instrument panels
US3278740A (en) * 1964-03-02 1966-10-11 California Plasteck Inc Illuminating apparatus

Cited By (19)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3949546A (en) * 1973-03-13 1976-04-13 Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha Illuminating device for digital display wristwatches
USD303937S (en) 1986-05-16 1989-10-10 King Jr M Frazier Watch with neon-like illumination ring
US4908739A (en) * 1988-09-29 1990-03-13 Andre Brien Light diffusing ring for wristwatch
US4875200A (en) * 1988-11-01 1989-10-17 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Illuminating bezel
US5604716A (en) * 1994-12-22 1997-02-18 Cheung; James Black light illuminated analog watch
US5669692A (en) * 1995-11-17 1997-09-23 Timex Corporation Fiber optic lighting system
US5873647A (en) * 1997-03-27 1999-02-23 Kurtz; Rodney Nozzle mounted lamp
EP0973077A1 (de) * 1998-07-09 2000-01-19 Greiner Vollelektrische Quarz-Uhren GmbH Mondphasenuhr, insbesondere Mondphasenuhr mit elektromechanischem Quarzuhrwerk
US6183099B1 (en) 1999-06-09 2001-02-06 Timex Corporation Light guide for illuminating a dial
US6487143B1 (en) * 1999-10-19 2002-11-26 Eta Sa Fabriques D' Ebauches Electroluminescent lighting device for a dial
US20030103418A1 (en) * 2001-12-04 2003-06-05 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Light-emitting display device using light-emitting element and electronic apparatus
US7063429B2 (en) * 2001-12-04 2006-06-20 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. Light-emitting display device using light-emitting element and electronic apparatus
US20050002190A1 (en) * 2003-07-02 2005-01-06 Kramer Eric W. Soft light fixture
US7063441B2 (en) 2003-07-02 2006-06-20 Kramer Eric W Soft light fixture
US20090268566A1 (en) * 2005-03-30 2009-10-29 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. Instrument Display Board and Process for Producing Instrument Display Board
US8758884B2 (en) * 2005-03-30 2014-06-24 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. Instrument display board and process for producing instrument display board
US20100046199A1 (en) * 2008-08-22 2010-02-25 Kip Carter Plumbing fixture with light pipe illumination
US8360590B2 (en) 2008-08-22 2013-01-29 Kip Carter Plumbing fixture with light pipe illumination
US11334029B2 (en) * 2017-03-17 2022-05-17 Fgp Capital Sa Apparatus comprising a glass or a screen

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH549237A (is") 1974-05-15
CH1923970A4 (is") 1973-12-14

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