US3810357A

US3810357A - Timer device

Info

Publication number: US3810357A
Application number: US00342249A
Authority: US
Inventors: K Murata
Original assignee: Nidec Copal Corp
Current assignee: Nidec Precision Corp
Priority date: 1972-03-17
Filing date: 1973-03-16
Publication date: 1974-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 1991-05-14
Also published as: JPS5333580Y2; DE2313309A1; DE2313309B2; JPS48107066U; DE2313309C3

Abstract

A timer device comprising seven settable operating members radially arranged being equally spaced on a calendar day indicating drum of a clock device and a switch device operable by said operating members only in the set position in order to actuate said switch at the pre-selected time on pre-selected days of a week.

Description

United States Paten 1191 1111 3,810,357 Murata May 14, 1974 [54] TIMER DEVICE 3,690,058 9 1972 Kurita 58/23 R 2,651,166 9/1953 Dorfman.... [75] Inventor: Kmgo Murat, Japan 3,686,879 8/1972 Hummel 58/38 [73] .Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Koparu, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS ItabasmKu Tokyo'To 1,523,717 7 1969 Germany 58/6 [22] Filed: Mar. 16, 1973 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson g [21] I Appl' 342f249 Assistant Examiner-Edith Simmons Jackmon 7 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cushman, Darby & [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Cushman Mar. I7, 1972 Japan 47-3l970 [57] ABSTRACT v [52] U.S. Cl. .f. 58/33, 58/17 A timer device comprising seven settable operating [51] Int. Cl. G04b 23/08 members radially arranged being equally spaced on a [58] Field of Search 58/4, l7, 19 R, 38, 33, calendar day indicating drum of a clock device and a 58/ 152 B switch device operable by said operating members only in the set position in order to actuate said switch [56] References Cited at the pre-selected time on pre-selected days of .a

UNITED STATES PATENTS Week- 3,564,836 2/1971 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Boyles 58/17 PATENTEIJHAY 14 I914 3.8 10.35?

SHEET 3 BF 3 TIMER DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The present invention relates to a timer and, more particularly, a timer device arranged to actuate a switch at a pre-selected time on pre-selected days of a week. i

2. Description of the prior art In conventional timer devices built in clocks, the switch is turned on and off repeatedly at. the set time with the interval of 12 or 24 hours, when the timer is once set, regardless of the days of the week.

Generally, however, rhythm of human life is controlled by the days of the week besides the time. For example, it is usually necessary to get up at the same time of the day from Monday through Friday in one week. On Saturday and Sunday it is not always necessary to get up at the same time of the day as above. This type of life rhythm can be maintained easily by using a timer device. But, conventional timer devices have a disadvantage that, when the timer device is once set to the hour of rising and is left as it is, the alarm device such as a buzzer is actuated at the same time every day regardless of the days ofthe week.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION motor I is transmitted through a gear box 2 to a minute drum 3' for minute indication and, then, to an hour drum 4 for hour indication through a speed reduction device. A calendar day indication member 5 of regular septangular drum shape, which bears names of 7 days of a week being engraved on each peripheral face of the drum, is interlocked with the hour drum 4 through a suitable intermittent feed mechanism (not illustrated) and is instantaneously turned every l/7 turn a day. The calendar day indication drum 5 is usually turned at the moment when the time indication changes from 23:59 to 0:00. The timer setting drum 6 has time graduations (24 hours or 12 hours) for the timeto be set being engraved on its peripheral surface and the timer device is set by matching the graduation for the time to be set to the fixed pointer 7. That is, by setting the timer setting drum 6, the switch is closed and the alarm device is operated every 24 or 12 hours at the set time. Numeral 8 designates a calendar adjusting knob, numeral 9 .designates a calendar setting lever to be described later and numerals 10 and 11 designate base plates.

a timer device as mentioned above and which can be set and reset easily.

Still another object of the present invention is to providea timer device as mentioned above which can be easily arranged into a conventional clock device having a calendar indicating drum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I shows a front view of'a digital-indication clock provided with the timer device according to the present invention;

clock shown in-FIG. I;

FlG."2 shows a rear view of the digital-indication I FIG. 3 shows an enlarged front view of the major part of the timer-device according to the present invention;

bodiment of the present invention for the partencircled by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 shows aview corresponding to FIG. 4 but showing a different embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 showing a leaf-type digital-indication, clock provided with the timer device according to the present invention, the clock mechanism part has a structure as described in US. Pat. No. 3,697,770. Rotation of a In FIG. 2, numeral 12 designates a microswitch to be operated by a lever 13 which is actuated at the time set by the timer setting drum 6. The switch 12 is connected in series to a micro-switch 14 which is operable by rotation of the calendar day indication drum 5. The micro switch 14 is further connected in series to an electric load 15 such as a buzzer or radio. Reference symbols a and 'a designate power terminals.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 clearly show thestructure of the device according to the present invention. Numeral l6 designates a hollow cylindrical member secured to one end face of the calendar day indication drum 5 and is made of synthetic resin. On the peripheral surface of the-hollow cylindrical member 16, seven rectangular holes 16a are provided for slidably inserting seven operating members 17. On the outer end face of the hollow cylindrical member 16, guide groove portions 16c are provided to engage with each pin 17a of each operating member 17. One side of the guide groove 16c is formed by a side edge of a flexible projecting portion 1612, which is formed as a holding member-for holding the pin 17a at two different positions (a position where the operating member 17 is pulled outward and a position where the member 17 is pushed in toward the center) as clearly shown in FIG. 4. Though the cylindrical member 16 is secured to the calendar day indication drum 5 by screws 19, it is also possible to form this cylindrical member 16 integrally with the calendar day indication drum 5 as shown in FIG. 8. Operating mern bers 17 are movable in radial direction and those pulled-out operating members 17, through 17,, push the switch actuating piece 14a of the microswitch 14 as the calendar day indication drum 5 rotates. Those pushedin

operating members

17 and 17 do not push the ing member 17 and projecting portion 16b is as shown in FIG. 5. When the lever 9 is manually turned around the shaft 18 mounted to the base plate 11, the operating member 17 can be moved in radial direction through the pin 17a.

In the above arrangement, the timer is actuated only on the desired days of the week, for example on Monday through Friday, when the operating members 17 through 17 for the desired daysof the week are pulled outward and the

other operating members

17 and 17 are pushed inward by operating the lever 9 for every day of the week. As to be understood from FIG. 4, the

indicating surface for every day of the week and the operating member 17 corresponding to that day are being opposed in radial direction, for example, the operating member for Friday is shown by numeral 17 When operating members 17 through 17 are in the abovementioned condition (as shown in FIG. 4), the micro switch 14 closes only on Monday through Friday as time (days of the week) passes. Therefore, when the micro-switch 14 is connected in series to the microswitch 12 which closes at the set time every day as shown in FIG. 2, the electric load 15 can be actuated at the pre-selected time on Monday through Friday only and can give notice to a man that it is the preselected time. I

In the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the projecting member 16b formed in the hollow cylindrical member 16 is used for holding the operating member 17 at two different positions respectively. Instead of the above, it is also possible to use, for

the same purpose, a spring 20 as shown in FIG. 7 having one end of which is fixed to the cylindrical member 16 and also having two curved portions 20a and 20b on the free end which are capable of holding the pin 17a. Besides, it is also possible to arrange the operating members 17 as cylindrical pins as shown in FIG. 8 providing a pair of adequately spaced annular grooves 17 17 I7 I7 I7 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 and 17 17,", on the circumference near the top of each of pins 17,through 17 In these annular grooves, an endless coil spring 22 wound along the periphery of the cylindrical member 16 and fixed to the cylindrical member by a screw 21 may be engaged alternatively to elastically hold each operating member 17 in either one of two different positions.

I claim:

1. A timer device comprising a clock device; a calendar day indication member connected to said clock de vice and rotated intermittently by said clock device and having indications of each day of the week provided on its circumference; a cylindrical member fixed to one end of said calendar day indication member; seven operating members having a pin projecting therefrom and being slidably arranged on said cylindrical member along radial directions thereof and being equally spaced; holding members provided to said cylindrical member and capable of holding said operating members in first and second positions; a setting lever selectively engageable with one of said pins to move one of said operating members to either said first or second position; and a switch provided adjacent to said calendar day indication member and closed in accordance with rotation of said calendar day indication member only by those of the operating members which are held in said first position.

2. A timer device according to claim 1, in which said holding members are springs fixed to said cylindrical member and having two curved portions engageable with said pin.

3. A timer device according to claim 1, in which said holding member is an endless coil spring wound on and fixed to the circumferential surface of said cylindrical portion and engageable with a pair of annular grooves formed on each of said operating members for holding said operating members in the first and second positions, respectively.

Claims

1. A timer device comprising a clock device; a calendar day indication member connected to said clock device and rotated intermittently by said clock device and having indications of each day of the week provided on its circumference; a cylindrical member fixed to one end of said calendar day indication member; seven operating members having a pin projecting therefrom and being slidably arranged on said cylindrical member along radial directions thereof and being equally spaced; holding members provided to said cylindrical member and capable of holding said operating members in first and second positions; a setting lever selectively engageable with one of said pins to move one of said operating members to either said first or second position; and a switch provided adjacent to said calendar day indication member and closed in accordance with rotation of said calendar day indication member only by those of the operating members which are held in said first position.