WO2006097439A2

WO2006097439A2 - Watch

Info

Publication number: WO2006097439A2
Application number: PCT/EP2006/060641
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pierre Koukjian
Original assignee: Piallo G.M.B.H.
Priority date: 2005-03-15
Filing date: 2006-03-13
Publication date: 2006-09-21
Also published as: EP1859325B1; EP1859325A2; EP1703342A1; ATE420393T1; WO2006097439A3; DE602006004716D1

Abstract

The invention concerns a watch comprising: a case (10) including a middle (12), a glass (14) and a back (16) defining a housing assembly (18), a movement (24), display means (28) driven by said movement (24), and correction means (32) to enable the information displayed by the display means to be modified. The invention is characterized in that the watch further comprises a hollow pad (20) wherein are mounted said movement (24), the display means (28) and the correction means (32), arranged in the housing (18) and dimensioned so that it can move freely therein.

Description

WATCH

The present invention relates to watches intended to be worn on the wrist or in the pocket. These watches generally include a box defining a housing, a movement arranged in the housing and fixed in the box, a dial and hands arranged at the front of the dial and carried by movement of the mobiles.

Some of them, for example that described in EP 0965071, comprise a second housing in which are arranged decorative stones capable of moving there. These stones, mounted on kittens, give the watch a particular aesthetic, due to their movement at the front of the hands and the dial.

UK 2 218 228 discloses a watch comprising a box having a middle, an ice and a bottom defining together a housing, in which is disposed a tablet that can move freely in the housing, and in which is mounted a watch movement . Both the box and the pellet are in the form of a flat cylinder portion.

FR 2 613 849 describes a similar watch, in which the housing and the pellet are spherical. In this variant, the housing contains a liquid in which the pellet floats.

In the variant described in document UK 2 218 228, the pellet is subjected to major shocks against the inner wall of the housing, which may affect the operation of the part. The presence of the liquid in the second variant avoids this problem. However, the presence of this liquid makes the after-sales service difficult. In addition, in case of shock destroying the ice, which can not be avoided, especially because the ice is prominent, it can spread.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages. For this purpose, the watch according to the invention comprises:

• a box that has a middle, an ice and a bottom defining together a housing,

A movement, display means controlled by said movement, and

Correction means for allowing a modification of the information displayed by the display means

A hollow pellet, in which said movement is mounted, the display means and the correction means, disposed in said housing and dimensioned so that it can move freely there.

The watch according to the invention is characterized in that the pellet is surrounded by elastic material, preferably an elastomer.

In the present document, a tablet is called a structure similar to a watch case, but does not include fixing means.

Advantageously, the pellet is provided with a bottom and the correction means comprise a pusher disposed in the bottom of the pellet.

In order to facilitate the correction:

• the pusher is arranged in the center of the bottom of the pellet, • the box is also provided with a pusher in its bottom, and

• The housing of the box defines a cell in which the chip takes place in a position such that the buttons are arranged at least partially in the extension of one another.

In order to allow the extraction of the pellets from the box and thus to make the corrections directly on them, the watch has the following characteristics:

In a first embodiment, the bottom is removable and the presence of a grid interposed between the bottom of the box and the pellet makes it possible to retain the latter inside its housing, even when the bottom of the box is removed, while allowing access to the pusher,

In a second embodiment, the middle part has a lateral opening capable of allowing the pellet to pass, and sealing means that are sealed or not,

In an unsealed variant, the box comprises a telescope mounted free to rotate on the middle part, and the closure means comprise a shutter secured to the telescope, extending towards the bottom of the box and able to close the opening, In a sealed variant, the closure means comprise a cover that can be folded over the opening, and provided with fixing means cooperating with the middle part, and a seal inserted between the cover and the middle part,

In a third embodiment, the middle part comprises a main element in which is formed the lateral opening and a folding element forming, with a seal interposed between these elements, the closure means. The main element and the folding element are connected to each other by means of a hinge and fixed to each other by means of a fastening system able to keep them contiguous, and

In a fourth embodiment, the box comprises a bezel mounted hinged to the middle part and provided with fixing means, a seal being inserted between the bezel and the middle part.

By putting several mobile tablets in the housing, it is possible to display the hours of several places in a particularly interesting way, the user can, in the store, choose the places from which he wishes to have the time.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference to the drawing in which: - Figures 1 and 2 illustrate, respectively seen from above and in section, a first embodiment of a watch according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a second embodiment of a watch according to the invention allowing the easy placement and removal of pellets,

- Figures 4 to 6 are partial sectional views of three variants of the watch according to Figure 3,

- Figures 7, 8 and 9, 10 are views, respectively, in perspective and, in perspective and in section, a third and a fourth embodiment of the watch according to the invention, allowing the implementation easy removal and removal of tablets

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a part of the watch according to FIG. 1, and

- Figure 12 shows a variant of the watch according to the invention. The watch shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a box 10 provided with a lens 12, a bezel 13, a middle part 14 and a bottom 16, together defining a housing 18 whose walls form a cylinder. Pellets 20 are arranged in the housing 18. They have a thickness slightly smaller than the distance separating the bottom 16 from the ice 12, and a diameter close to one-third of the diameter of the cylinder, so that they can be to move freely.

Each pellet 20 is formed of a shell 22 in which is arranged a movement 24, which is surmounted by a dial 26 and carries needles 28. The shell 22 comprises, like a watch case, a middle part 30, a bottom 32 and an ice 34.

The caseband 30 carries, at its periphery and substantially in the middle of its height, a rubber ring 35 protruding and acting as a shock absorber. The movement can be of the type marketed by ETA (Switzerland) under the reference 201.001. It is very small. Its setting is performed by means of a pusher 36 disposed at the center of the bottom 32 of the pellet 20. This pusher is advantageously provided with a seal, so that the shell 22 can be sealed.

Each of the tablets 20 is associated with the display of a different time, one indicating the time of the place of residence, the others of other time zones, the names of these being indicated on the corresponding dials 26. . The bottom 16 may, for example, be transparent, provided with a mirror or may carry a decoration.

To ensure the time setting of this watch, which must be done rarely since it is a quartz watch, several solutions are proposed, allowing direct access to the pellets 20, or indirectly, through the bottom 16.

In a first embodiment, the bottom 16 is removable and simply unscrew it to access the pellets 20 and act on the pusher of the patch to be corrected.

Advantageously, a grid not shown in the drawing could be interposed between the bottom 16 and the pellets 20 and fixed to the middle part 14, so that there is no risk of losing one or the other. pellets 20 when the bottom 16 is removed. This grid makes it possible to access the push-buttons 36 but prevents the pellets 20 from leaving the housing 18.

In a second embodiment, shown in Figure 3, a side opening 38 is formed in the middle part 14, about three hours. This opening 38 makes it possible to extract the pellets 20 from the housing 18, and then to introduce them after having made the adjustments. Various closure members, sealed or not, of the opening 38 are shown in FIGS. 4 to 7. These are enlarged views of axial sections of the box 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates a first unsealed sealing member of the opening 38. In this embodiment, the telescope 13 is rotatably mounted on the middle part 14. The closure member is formed of a integral flap 40 of the telescope

13 and extending towards the bottom 16 of the box 10, inside the middle part 14. When the bezel 13 is actuated in rotation, the flap 40 closes the opening 38, or on the contrary, to disengage it.

FIG. 5 represents a sealing member of the opening 38, formed of an articulated cover 42 provided with a seal 44. A clearance 46 made in the outer face of the caseband 14, all around the case. opening 38, defines a housing 48 for the cover 42, and a bearing surface 50 involved in sealing the closure. The lid 42 is hingedly mounted in the housing 48, so as to fall back on the opening 38, or to disengage. The seal 44 seals the lid 42 when it bears on the surface 50. A fastening system 51 such as a spring ball holds the cover 42 against the bearing surface 50. The lid opening 42 is made using a thin object that is introduced between the cover 42 and the side wall of the clearance 46.

For greater security of the sealing system shown in Figure 5, an alternative is to combine the flap 40 of the unsealed solution and the cover 42 of the sealed solution. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 6. The lid 42 is of the same type as the lid described above. It is however thinner, so as not to occupy the clearance 46 over its entire depth. A groove 52 forming an annular portion extends axially in the box 10 from the top of the telescope 13 to the lower wall of the recess 46, and angularly on either side of the recess 46. The flap 40 integral with the rotating bezel 13 slides in the groove 52 so as to mask the cover 42, or to disengage it. Advantageously, the flap 40 exerts pressure on the cover 42 when it masks it, so as to increase its sealing. In a third embodiment illustrated by FIGS. 7 and 8, the middle part

14 is formed of a main element 54 and a folding element 56, articulated relative to each other by means of a hinge 57 and provided with a fastening system 58. The folding element 56 is formed of two neighboring horns 59a and 59b and a middle section 61 connecting one to the other. The main element 54 forms the complementary piece of the folding element 56 to the middle part 14. In the closed position, the elements 54 and 56 are joined together so as to form a middle part of one-piece appearance.

The main element 54 has a six-hour lateral opening 60 for the passage of the pellets. It further comprises two recesses 62a and 62b located on either side of the lateral opening 60, forming notches not visible in the drawing and intended to cooperate with the fastening system 58.

The folding element 56 is provided with a seal 64 (Figure 7) slightly larger dimensions than the opening 60, intended to seal. It comprises a recess 65 (Figure 8) in which is housed the fastening system 58, closed by a plate 67 fixed by four screws not referenced.

The fastening system 58, better visible in Figure 8, consists of two pushers 66a and 66b with two hooks 68a and 68b for cooperating with the recesses 62a and 62b, and a spring 70. The pushers 66a and 66b are partially housed in the recess 65, a portion of each of them forming a protuberance accessible from the outside. Alternatively, and to prevent inadvertent opening, the protuberances could be embedded in the horns 59a and 59b, and manipulable only with the aid of a pointed instrument. The spring 70 is disposed between the pushers 66a and 66b and holds them in the remote position. In the closed position, the hooks 68a and 68b are housed and hooked respectively in the notches of the recesses 62a and 62b, and hold the elements 54 and 56 in abutment against each other. The seal 64 seals the opening 60. A pressure on the pushers 66a and 66b releases the two hooks 68a and 68b and allows the articulation of the elements 54 and 56 relative to each other. The opening 60 is thus released and the pellets 20 can to be released or put in place. Of course, any other locking clasp, known to those skilled in the art, can be used in place of the fastening system 58 described, without departing from the scope of the invention.

In a fourth embodiment shown in perspective and in section in FIGS. 9 and 10 respectively, the telescope 13 is articulated on the middle part 14 by means of a hinge 71. For this purpose, the upper surface of the middle part 14 and the lower surface of the bezel 13 form two flat annular portions, respectively 72 and 74, of substantially the same radial dimensions, intended to come into contact with one another when the bezel 13 is closed. In addition, the surface 72 is provided with an inner circular shoulder 76 for the positioning of the telescope 13 with respect to the middle part 14. Furthermore, the surface 72 comprises an annular recess 77 close to the shoulder 76, in which is housed a circular seal 78 sealing the entire bezel 13 - middle 14. The bezel 13 is, in turn, provided with a clasp 80. It is formed of a substantially parallelepipedal element 82, mounted articulated on the telescope 13 to 3 hours using a hinge 81, and a fastener 84, articulated at the end of the element 82 by means of a hinge 83. The fastener 84 is in addition, terminated by a hook 85. The middle 14 has a groove 86 located at 3 o'clock and passing through its entire thickness. The width and the depth of the groove 86 correspond respectively to the width and the thickness of the element 82, for reasons which will appear subsequently. The bottom 16 has a recess 88, also at 3 o'clock, provided with a notch 90. When the bezel 13 is closed, the parallelepipedal element 82 is folded into the groove 86, which it occupies completely. The fastener 84 is, in turn, folded into the recess 88 and fixed to the bottom 16 by engagement of the hook 85 in the notch 90. The bezel 13 is thus held in the closed position by the clasp 80. The latter can be sized from so that a pulling force is exerted on the telescope 13, thus making it possible to compensate for any games. The clasp 80 is operated by simple pressure, for the closure of the bezel 13, or traction, for its opening. Very discreet, it preserves the aesthetics of the watch, in which it fully integrates.

In a last embodiment partially shown, in section, in FIG. 11, the access to the pellets 20 for setting the time is done indirectly through the bottom 16 of the box 10. To do this, the pusher 36 has, in its outer part a plate 36a occupying the greater part of the bottom 32.

Furthermore, the bottom 16 of the box 10 includes a pusher 92 which, when pushed by the user, actuates the plate 36a of the pellet 20 being in alignment. To ensure the correction of the hours displayed by the various pellets, simply scroll them one after the other in the box 10 zone with the pusher 92.

As can be seen in Figure 12, and to facilitate the positioning of the pellets 20, the middle 14 has a cavity 94 in which a pellet 20 is positioned when inclining the watch along the axis midday to six o'clock, the part of the box in the vicinity of which is usually displayed midday lying at the top.

This last embodiment making it possible to access the pellets indirectly through the bottom 16 of the box 10, for setting them on time, is compatible with the embodiments represented in FIGS. 3 to 10. These enable the insertion and the exit of the pellets 20 by a lateral or upper opening, but do not exclude that the time setting of the pellets 20 can be performed via the pusher 92 located on the bottom 16 of the box 10.

In most of the embodiments described above, the seal of the watch can be ensured both at the box 10 and pellets 20. This therefore provides a high degree of operational safety.

With the solution described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, it is possible to place the pellets 20 in a liquid contained in the housing 18. appropriate choice of the position of the center of gravity and the constituent materials of the pellets 20 on the one hand, the liquid contained in the housing 18 on the other hand, it is possible to allow the pellets 20 to orient themselves when the shows, so that the midi of the pellets is at the top, making reading easier.

For example, one will choose a liquid whose specific mass is substantially equal to or greater than that of the or pellets 20, and position the center of gravity of the latter between their geometric center and the six o'clock position of the display means 28. The solutions as defined offer particularly varied possibilities, the buyer being able to choose himself the pellets 20 that he intends to have in the box 10.

In a variant that has not been shown, but which does not present any particular difficulty for the skilled person, it is also possible to fix a movement in a housing in the box 10. In this way, the watch could display a fixed local time, while the hours of other time zones, each associated with a pellet 20, would be mobile in the housing 18.

It is also conceivable to provide pellets with devices capable of displaying anything other than the hour, for example temperature, or simply to have a decorative or commemorative function. The very mark of the watch could also be associated with the bottom of the box or be the subject of a pellet in itself.

In the various embodiments described, the pellets are of cylindrical shape. It is obvious that it is also possible to have other shapes, for example with polygonal or oval section.

Moreover, in one of the described embodiments, the middle part comprises two elements articulated with respect to each other, one of them being formed by two neighboring horns and a middle part connecting them together. . In Alternatively, the middle part could include a folding element formed of a portion of middle perpendicular to the axis nine hours - three hours.

Claims

1. Watch comprising:

A box (10) having a middle (12), an ice (14) and a bottom (16) together defining a housing (18),

• a movement (24),

Display means (28) controlled by said movement (24),

Correction means (32) to allow a modification of the information displayed by the display means, and a hollow pellet (20) in which said movement is mounted.

(24), the display means (28) and the correction means (32) disposed in said housing (18) and dimensioned so that it can move freely therein, characterized in that said tablet (20) is surrounded by (35) elastic material, preferably an elastomer.

2. Watch according to claim 1, characterized in that said wafer (20) is provided with a bottom (32), and in that said correction means comprise a pusher (36) disposed in the bottom (32) of the pellet (20).

3. Watch according to claim 2, characterized in that:

Said pusher (36) is disposed in the center of the bottom (32) of the pellet (20),

The box (10) is also provided with a pusher (38) in its bottom (16), and

• said housing (18) defines a cell in which the wafer (20) takes place in a position such that said pushers (36, 38) are arranged, at least partially, in the extension of one another.

4. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said bottom is removable and a grid is interposed between the bottom (16) of the box (10) and the pellet (20), to retain this last inside his dwelling (18).

5. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said middle part (14) comprises a lateral opening (38, 60) capable of passing said pad (20) and sealing means (40, 42). 56) of said opening.

6. Watch according to claim 5, characterized in that said box (10) further comprises a telescope (13) rotatably mounted on the middle part (14) and in that said closure means comprise a flap ( 40) secured to said bezel (13) extending towards the bottom (16) of said box (10) and able to close said opening (38).

7. Watch according to claim 5, characterized in that said closure means comprise a folding lid (42) on said opening (38) and provided with fastening means (51) cooperating with said middle part (14), and a seal seal (64) interposed between said cover (42) and said middle part (14).

8. Watch according to claim 7, characterized in that said box (10) further comprises a bezel (13) rotatably mounted on the middle part (14) and in that said closure means comprise, in addition , a flap (40) secured to said bezel (13) and cooperating with said folding lid (42).

9. Watch according to claim 8, characterized in that said middle (14) further comprises a groove (52) forming an annular portion extending angularly on either side of said folding lid (42), wherein slides said shutter (40).

10. Watch according to claim 5, characterized in that said middle part comprises a main element (54) in which said lateral opening (60) is formed, and a folding element (56) forming, with a seal (64) interposed between said members (54,56), said closure means, said members (54,56) being connected to each other by means of a hinge (57) and secured to one another by means of a fastening system (58) able to keep them contiguous.

11. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said box (10) further comprises a bezel (13) mounted articulated on the middle part (14) and provided with fixing means (80) to the middle 14.

12. Watch according to claim 11, characterized in that said fixing means (80) are formed of a clasp mounted articulated on the bezel (13) and having a folding element (82) against the middle part.

(14) and a fastener (84) foldable against the bottom (16) of the box (10) and fixable to said bottom (16).

13. Watch according to claim 12, characterized in that said middle (14) comprises a groove (86) in which is folded said element (82) and in that said bottom (16) comprises a recess (88) in which flap said fastener (84), said recess being provided with a notch (90) to which said fastener (84) attaches.

14. Watch according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that a seal (78) is interposed between the bezel (13) and the middle part (14).

15. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that at least one additional pad (20) is movably disposed in said housing (18).