Abstract:
A golfer&#39;s watch mechanism includes a first mechanical counter for counting a number of strokes of a golf hole. The first mechanical counter has a mechanical display and a mechanical drive for advancing the count and for positioning the mechanical display based on the count. A second mechanical counter counts a total number of strokes played for a series of golf holes. The second mechanical counter includes a second counter mechanical display and a second counter mechanical drive for positioning the mechanical display based on the total number of strokes. A mechanical control is provided with first and second push-buttons connected to the mechanical drive of said first mechanical counter and connected to the second counter mechanical drive. The mechanical control increments and decrements the first mechanical counter and resets the first mechanical counter and resets the second mechanical counter to zero and increments the second mechanical counter when the first mechanical counter is reset to zero.

Description:
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a golfer&#39;s watch, of the type including at least: 
     first and second counters, intended to count respectively the number of strokes necessary for the golfer to putt his ball into a hole of the course and the total number of strokes played, and each including display means, means for driving and means for positioning the display means, 
     control means, connected to said drive means and arranged to enable the user to increment the counters and to reset them to zero. 
     Golfer&#39;s watches provided with several counters are known, for example from Swiss Patent No. 663,318. Such watches enable the golfer to regularly follow the progress of the round, with the indication of the results relating to the hole being played and the sum of the strokes played in the preceding holes. 
     It happens, relatively often, that an error in handling the control means, generally a push-button, leads to an erroneous result being displayed. In such case, the golfer resets this counter to zero and increments it to the correct result, or he does not count the next stroke. In the first case, the golfer has to perform a relatively long manipulation, in the second case, he has to remember not to count the next stroke. In both cases, his concentration and pleasure are reduced. This drawback makes the use of the watch tedious and results in a lack of interest in this type of product by the player, who then prefers to count the strokes by other means. 
     The invention proposes to overcome this drawback. This object is achieved owing to the fact that, in the watch according to the invention, the control means are arranged to also enable the user to decrement, at least, the first counter. 
     In a first embodiment, the control means are arranged to increment and decrement the first counter and to increment the second counter when the first counter is reset to zero. In this case, the second counter displays the number of strokes played as far as the last hole reached. Its total is only modified when the following hole is reached. The first counter is reset to zero after the stored number is added to the content of the second counter. In this embodiment, correction by decrementing only acts on the first counter. 
     This embodiment uses control means which include first and second push-buttons for respectively incrementing and decrementing the first counter, a third push-button for resetting the first counter to zero and for incrementing the second counter by as many strokes as the first counter counted prior to being reset to zero and a fourth push-button for controlling the resetting to zero of the second counter. 
     In a second embodiment, the control means are arranged to drive the first and second counters simultaneously during incrementing and decrementing. Consequently, the second counter displays the number of strokes played, including those of the last hole. Also, when a correction has to be made, it has to be made to both counters. 
     In this embodiment, it is advantageous for the control means to include a first push-button for incrementing the two counters, a second push-button for decrementing them, a third push-button for resetting the first counter to zero and a fourth push-button for resetting the first and second counters to zero. 
     Advantageously, the watch further includes a dial provided with apertures and the display means of the first counter are formed of a disc arranged behind the dial and provided with at least one portion forming a contrast with the latter, to display the number of strokes by means of dots visible through the apertures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages and features of the invention will appear from the following description, made with reference to the annexed drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows an external view of the watch according to the invention; and 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate two embodiments of a mechanism enabling the watch according to the invention to be controlled. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, the term “o&#39;clock ” preceded by a number is used to designate a position on the watch dial, this position corresponding to that occupied by an hour hand at the time considered. 
     FIG. 1 shows a watch according to the invention, including a case  10  and a wristband  12 . Case  10  defines a housing in which is fixed a watch movement carrying a dial  14  and hands  16  intended to display the hours and the minutes. 
     Dial  14  is provided with ten round apertures  18 , arranged in the arc of a circle at the periphery of the dial, between “9 o&#39;clock ” and “2.30” approximately and forming a first counter  19 , and a rectangular opening  20  arranged at “3 o&#39;clock ” and defining a second counter  21 . Counters  19  and  21  allow respectively the number of strokes necessary to reach a given hole and the total strokes played to be displayed. 
     The watch is controlled by means of four push-buttons  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28 , respectively arranged at 2, 4, 8 and “10 o&#39;clock”. 
     As can be seen in FIG. 2, the movement includes a plate  29  acting as a support for various components. 
     At the back of dial  14  there are three discs  30 ,  32  and  34 , mounted so as to pivot on plate  29 . Disc  30  is visible in FIG,  2  while discs  32  and  34  are only visible in FIG. 1, through opening  20 . 
     First disc  30  is arranged on plate  29  and positioned by means of a spring  31  and two pins  33 . Spring  31 , fixed onto plate  29 , exerts a radial force in the “3 o&#39;clock”-“9 o&#39;clock ” direction. Pins  33  are driven into the plate respectively at “7.30” and “10.30”. 
     In the rest position, this disc  30  is concentric with hands  16 . It carries, on its face arranged under the dial, ten dots  36  whose appearance contrasts with the background of dial  14  and which are arranged so that they may be visible, in whole or in part, through apertures  18 . The disc allows the number of strokes necessary to reach a given hole to be displayed. 
     Disc  30  is provided with two outer toothings, a first  38  in the shape of an isosceles triangle and a second  40  which is serrated, both including ten teeth. At each end of toothing  38  there is a stop  39  the function of which will be specified hereinafter. It is also provided with an inner toothing  42 . These three toothings have the same angular pitch. 
     The second disc  32  is off-center and arranged at “3 o&#39;clock ”. It carries, on its face under the dial, the figures from 0 to 9, oriented tangential to its periphery and appearing sequentially in opening  20 . This disc  32  assures the display of the units of adding counter  21 . Its lower face carries a star wheel  44  with ten teeth which are arranged so as to be able to mesh or not mesh with inner toothing  42 , depending upon the position of disc  30 , as will be explained hereinafter. The plate of wheel  44  carries a finger  46 , which is advantageously resilient radially, the function of which will be explained hereinafter. Disc  32  is advantageously provided with a heart-piece, which has not been shown in the drawing, like that of disc  34  which will be described hereinafter. 
     The third disc  34  is also concentric with hands  16 . It carries, on its face under the dial, the numbers from 0 to 11 which appear in sequence in opening  20 , to the left of the figure carried by disc  32 . It permits the display of the tens and hundreds of adding counter  21 . It is provided with a star wheel  48  with twelve teeth, arranged at the same height and on the path of finger  46 , and a heart-piece  50  such as those fitted to chronographs. 
     The three discs  30 ,  32  and  34  are positioned by means of jumper springs. In order to avoid overloading the drawing, only one of them has been partially shown at  52 , which cooperates with toothing  42 . 
     The discs are driven by means of four levers  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60 , arranged respectively facing push-buttons  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28 , at the periphery of plate  29 . Each of them is mounted so as to pivot on the plate at a and includes a bent portion at b arranged in proximity to the push-button with which it cooperates. 
     Lever  54  is intended to reset counter  21  to zero. It includes two hammers, only one of which is shown at  54   c , arranged so as to cooperate with heart-piece  50 , and a resilient arm  54   d  abutting against lever  60  and generating a return torque tending to return lever  54  to the rest position when pressure is applied by means of push-button  22 . The second hammer is intended to cooperate with the heart-piece carried by disc  32 . 
     The function of lever  56  is to reset counter  19  to zero. It is provided with a resilient arm  56   c  abutting against lever  58  and arranged so as to generate a torque tending to return lever  56  to the rest position when pressure is exerted by means of push-button  24 . It carries an articulated finger  62  and a spring  64  arranged so that an application of pressure onto push-button  24  causes finger  62  to mesh with toothing  40 , to allow the disc to move in the anti-clockwise direction. 
     Lever  58  is intended to increment counter  19 . It includes a pin  58   c , which is arranged on the opposite side to pivoting point  58   a  and which extends into the thickness of disc  30 . It is more precisely placed so that any action on push-button  26  causes pin  58   c  to abut against the flank of a tooth of toothing  38 , driving disc  30  in rotation in the clockwise direction. Moreover, resilient arm  56 c, which abuts against the body of lever  58  between the pivoting point and pin  58   c , generates a torque tending to return lever  58  to the rest position when pressure is exerted by means of push-button  26 . 
     Lever  60  has a comparable structure to that of lever  58 , also with a pin  60   c , arranged so as to cooperate with the other flank of the teeth of toothing  38 , so that an application of pressure on push-button  28  drives disc  30  in the anti-clockwise direction. Moreover, resilient arm  54 d, which abuts on the exterior against a finger  60   d  extending lever  60  beyond its pivoting point  60 a, generates a torque tending to return lever  60  to the rest position when pressure is exerted by means of push-button  28 . 
     The device described operates as follows. 
     At the beginning, the two counters  19  and  21  are at zero. After the golfer has played his first stroke, he exerts pressure on push-button  26 , which drives lever  58 . Pin  58   c  acts on toothing  38  and causes disc  30  to jump through one step in the clockwise direction. A dot  36  then appears in one of apertures  18 . 
     During this operation, disc  30  moves on the plate in the “9 o&#39;clock”-“3o&#39;clock” direction, spring  31  deforming, so that inner toothing  42  does not mesh with toothing  44 . In other words, the state of counter  21  is not modified. While the golfer is playing the same hole, at each stroke, he applies pressure once to push-button  26 , which increments counter  19  by one step. 
     When the ball has reached its target, the golfer changes hole. He then resets counter  19  to zero by successive applications of pressure on push-button  24 . In this case, disc  30  remains concentric with the hands, so that inner toothing  42  meshes with toothing  44 . The second disc is thus driven in rotation, by as many steps as disc  30  displayed dots. Consequently, by resetting counter  19  to zero, counter  21  is incremented by as many dots as counter  19  counted. 
     The golfer can then start counting strokes again for the second hole, by successive applications of pressure on push-button  26  and so on until the last hole. 
     If, on the way, the golfer has made a counting error, by pressing one time too many on push-button  26 , he can correct his error by pressing on push-button  28 , which will decrement counter  19 , without modifying the content of counter  21 . 
     At the end of the round, counter  19  is reset to zero a last time. Consequently, counter  21  indicates the total number of strokes played for the whole of the round. 
     Before beginning a new game, the golfer has to reset counter  21  to zero. One application of pressure on push-button  22  has the effect of bringing the hammers of lever  54  against heart-pieces  50  of discs  32  and  34 , so as to return them to zero. The two wheels can move freely one facing the other, because they are connected to each other by means of resilient finger  46 . 
     It should be noted that, in the position shown in FIG. 2, disc  30  is arranged so that all of dots  36  appear in apertures  18 . Consequently, counter  19  is saturated. This is why, if the golfer wanted to add another dot by pressing on push-button  26 , he could not do so, since pin  58 c would abut against stop  39 . 
     The mechanism shown in FIG. 3 is similar to that of FIG. 2 with the exception of levers  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  and disc  30 , which are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane passing through “6 o&#39;clock” and midday. 
     In this configuration, push-button  22  acts on lever  60  whose function is still to decrement disc  30 . Push-button  24  controls lever  58 , to decrement counter  19 . Push-button  26  is arranged to cooperate with lever  56 , which resets counter  19  to zero. Finally, push-button  28  cooperates with lever  54  to reset counter  21  to zero. 
     The effect of this modification is that an action on push-buttons  58  and  60  simultaneously drives discs  30  and  32 . Indeed, during this action, disc  30  remains concentric with the hands, so that toothing  42  meshes with toothing  44 . Thus, the two counters  19  and  21  are incremented and decremented at the same time. 
     When the units counter is reset to zero, by means of lever  56 , controlled by push-button  26 , disc  30  moves laterally along the “9 o&#39;clock ”-“3 o&#39;clock ” direction, so that toothing  42  is not meshed with toothing  44 . In other words, resetting counter  19  to zero does not modify the state of counter  21 . 
     It should be emphasized again, that with this embodiment, dots  36  appear in apertures  18  from “2.30” in the anti-clockwise direction. 
     It is clear that the watch according to the invention may the subject of numerous other variants, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. Amongst these, counter  19  could also be achieved by digital means. This would of course result in a different arrangement of the different components of the watch. 
     It also goes without saying that the means for driving the display means could be achieved in numerous ways, without this changing the principles listed above.