Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/7137732
Timestamp: 2019-10-18 15:49:12
Document Index: 275935422

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 11', 'art 3', 'art 11', 'art 3', 'art 11', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 27', 'art 27', 'art 5', 'art 33', 'art 34', 'art 34', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 22', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 22', 'art 3', 'art 8', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 8', 'art 8', 'art 27', 'art 5']

US Patent for Portable timepiece Patent (Patent # 7,137,732 issued November 21, 2006) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents Of Bezel OnlyUS Patent for Portable timepiece Patent (Patent # 7,137,732)
Dec 8, 2004 - Seiko Instruments Inc.
A portable timepiece has a bezel rotatably disposed on a case body, and an elastically deformable gasket interposed between the case body and the bezel in an elastically deformed state to exert a frictional force on the case body and the bezel sufficient to maintain the bezel in a stationary rotational position though permitting the bezel to be manually rotated to any desired position by overcoming the frictional force. One or more lock members are movably disposed on the bezel and contact a slip-preventing part provided on the case body. A manually rotatable holding ring engages with the lock members and is rotatable in one direction to increase the contact pressure between the lock members and the slip-preventing part to thereby prevent unintended rotation of the bezel, and is rotatable in the other direction to decrease the contact pressure to thereby permit manual rotation of the bezel by overcoming the frictional force exerted by the elastically deformed gasket. In this manner, inadvertent rotation of the bezel is prevented by structure other than the gasket thereby preventing undue wear of the gasket.
The bezel rotatably attached to the case band of the portable timepiece can exhibit various functions by rotating it to be set to an optional position, and can contribute to increase 1n additive value of the portable timepiece.
Heretofore, there is known a wristwatch in which, in order to rotatably attach the bezel to the case band, a step part, to whose inner periphery there is attached a cover glass, is formed in an upper part outer periphery of the case band over its whole periphery, an annular protrusion is formed in an outer periphery of the step part, a protrusion which is formed in an inner periphery of the bezel rotatably fitted to the step part of the case band is engaged from below with the protrusion of the step part outer periphery part to thereby prevent the bezel from disengaging, and an O-ring is interposed between the bezel and the step part (refer to JP-A-10-239454 Gazette (paragraphs 0002–0005, FIG. 19–FIG. 23)).
In view of this point, in a case where a frictional resistance force is increased by strengthening a gripping force of the O-ring, the careless or unintended rotation of the bezel can be suppressed. However, reversely to this, in a case where the user rotates the bezel, the rotation of the bezel becomes difficult and thus an operability becomes deteriorated.
Further, in a preferred mode of the present invention, the holding mechanism possesses a slip-preventing part provided in the case band, a lock member movably provided in the bezel so as to contact with the slip-preventing part, and a holding ring which has an operating face pressing the lock member to the slip-preventing part and is provided so as to be capable of performing a rotating operation. For this reason, by the rotating operation of the holding ring, the lock member can be moved with respect to the bezel through an operating face of the holding ring. With this, it is possible to exhibit a holding function which holds the bezel to the stationary state with respect to the case band by pressing the lock member to the slip-preventing part. Conversely to this, by releasing the pressing by the rotating operation of the holding ring, the function of holding the bezel to the stationary state is released and thus the bezel is made possible to be rotation-operated. It is preferable in a point that the holding mechanism can be operated by the simple rotating operation of the holding ring.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a holding mechanism surrounding along a line F2—F2 in FIG. 1;
A first embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference to FIG. 1–FIG. 3.
In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 1 denotes a portable timepiece, for example, a wristwatch used by being mounted on an arm. Inside a timepiece exterior packaging assembly 2 that the wristwatch 1 possesses, there are accommodated a dial 10, a timepiece movement not shown in the drawing, and so forth. As shown in FIG. 2, the timepiece exterior packaging assembly 2 possesses a case body in the form of a case band 3 which is annularly made of a metal or a hard synthetic resin and the like. A cover glass 4 is liquid-tightly mounted to one face (front face) in a thickness direction of the case band 3, and a case back (not shown in the drawing) is detachably mounted to the other face (back face) in the thickness direction of the case band 3. The dial 10 is visible through the cover glass 4.
In an outer periphery face of the annular protrusion part 3a, there are formed a protrusion 6, an escape groove 7, and a slip-preventing part 8 for a later-mentioned holding mechanism 21, all of which are annularly continuous along their circumferential direction. The outer periphery face of the annular protrusion part 3a, located in a tip end side of the annular protrusion part 3a, is used as a gasket-receiving face 9 with the protrusion 6 being made a boundary. The escape groove 7 is formed in a side opposite to the gasket-receiving face 9, i.e., in a base end side of the annular protrusion part 3a, with the protrusion 6 being made the boundary. The slip-preventing part 8 is located further in the base end side of the annular protrusion part 3a than the gasketreceiving face 9.
The slip-preventing part 8 is made of a knurled face which is formed by working knurled grooves to the outer periphery face of the annular protrusion part 3a with using a knurled tool. FIG. 3 exemplifies the slip-preventing part 8 in which the longitudinal knurled grooves extending in an axial direction while intersecting at right angle to the circumferential direction of the annular protrusion part 3a are provided with a constant interval in the circumferential direction of the annular protrusion part 3a. Since the slip-preventing part 8 is formed by the knurled face which is directly worked in the outer periphery of the annular protrusion part 3a, no slip-preventing member is required especially.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in an inner periphery of the bezel 11 there are provided, along this inner periphery, an annularly continuing groove ha and an engaging protrusion part 11b, and a gasket 12 is attached to the groove 11a. The gasket 12 is made in a ring-like form by an elastic material such as elastomer and synthetic resin. The bezel 11 is attached to the case band 3 by being fitted to an outer periphery of the annular protrusion part 3a. Under a mounted state of this bezel 11, the engaging protrusion part 11b enters into the escape groove 7 and is hooked to and engages with the protrusion 6, and the gasket 12 is interposed between the gasket receiving face 9 in the outer periphery of the annular protrusion part 3a and an inner periphery of the bezel 11. By an engagement of the protrusion 6 with the engaging protrusion part 11b, the bezel 11 is prevented from disengaging.
That is, in at least one place, preferably plural places at the same interval in the circumferential direction of the bezel 11, for example two places corresponding to a radial direction of the bezel 11, stepped holes or openings 25 (only one is shown in FIG. 2) are opened along the radial direction of the bezel 11. A lock member 22 (only one is shown in FIG. 2) is inserted through each of these stepped holes 25. The fact that the lock members 22 are disposed in the plural places in the circumferential direction of the bezel 11 preferably at the same interval is preferable in a point that a balance is good because a prevention of a careless rotation of the bezel 11 by the lock member 22 is performed in the plural places along the circumferential direction of the bezel 11.
Incidentally, the lock member 22 is not limited to the pin-like form, and its main part may have a plate shape extending in the circumferential direction of the bezel 11. For example, an end face of the lock member 22 that contacts with the slip-preventing part 8 may have a hemispherical shape. However, it is more preferable that, in place of this, the end face is configured as an arc-like face along the outer periphery face of the annular protrusion part 3a to thereby increase an area contacting with the slip-preventing part 8.
The holding ring 23 consists of a metal or a hard synthetic resin, and its outer diameter is larger than a maximum diameter of the bezel 11. As shown in FIG. 2, in an outer periphery part of the holding ring 23 there are formed irregularities 26 for preventing the finger from slipping and a male thread part 27 while their positions being deviated in the thickness direction of this ring 23. The male thread part 27 of the holding ring 23 is meshed with the female thread part 5 of the case band 3. The holding ring 23 is attached so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the case band 3 by changing this meshing state. Under this attached state, in order that a rotating operation of the holding ring 23 can be performed while suppressing an interference with the bezel 11, the irregularities 26 are located further radially outwardly than the irregularities 11c of the bezel 11.
In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 31 denotes a moderation-exerting mechanism. This moderation-exerting mechanism 31 comprises a plate spring 33 accommodated in an annular groove 32 formed in the case band 3 while being opened to its external packaging shoulder face 3b, and locking concave parts (only one is shown in the drawing) 34 formed in a back face of the bezel 11 along its circumferential direction at every constant interval. The plate spring 33 has spring pieces 33b slantingly cut and raised from plural places of an annular part 33a fixed to the groove 32. A tip part of the spring piece 33b is engaged with and disengaged from the locking concave part 34 while accompanying with an elastic deformation of the spring piece 33b, thereby being capable of giving a click feeling to the rotation operation of the bezel 11. Incidentally, by taking shapes of the tip part of the spring piece 33b and the locking concave part 34 into consideration, it is also possible to regulate the rotation of the bezel 11 under the state of being exerted the moderation to one direction and, further, to allow the rotation in both directions. Further, it is also possible to omit the moderation-exerting mechanism 31.
In the wristwatch 1 having the above constitution, the holding ring 23 is moved in an arrow A direction in FIG. 2 by manually rotating the holding ring 23 in a loosening direction, i.e., a screw-out direction. With this, the lock member 22 is pressed back by the coil spring 24, and a state is reached in which the cam face 28 of the holding ring 23 does not press the lock member 22 to the slip-preventing part 8 of the case band 3, i.e., the contact pressure between the lock member 22 and the slip-preventing part 8 is decreased. In other words, the fact that the bezel 11 under the stationary state is held (fixed) under the stationary state by the holding mechanism 21 is released, so that the bezel 11 becomes in a manually rotatable state.
Accordingly, under this rotatable state, it is possible to rotation-operate the bezel 11 to the desirable rotated position with respect to the case band 3 while resisting against the frictional resistance force given by the gasket 12 and the moderation-exerting mechanism 31. After this rotating operation, by rotation-operating the holding ring 23 of the holding mechanism 21 in the clamping direction, the bezel 11 having been rotated to the desirable position can be held under the stationary state so as not to be moved from that position.
That is, the holding ring 23 moves in an arrow B direction in FIG. 2 by manually rotating the holding ring 23 in a tightening direction, i.e., a screw-in direction, so that it approaches the external packaging shoulder face 3b of the case band 3. For this reason, by the cam face 28 of the holding ring 23 contacting with the head part 22a of the lock member 22, the lock member 22 is pressed to the slip-preventing part 8 in the outer periphery of the annular protrusion part 3a thereby increasing the contact pressure between the lock member 22 and the slip-preventing part 8. This pressed state is maintained so long as the holding ring 23 is not loosened, by the fact that the holding ring 23 is supported while meshing with a ring-supporting part 3c of the case band 3.
In the final stage of screwing-in the holding ring 23 in order to fix the bezel 11 in the desired position, a large operating force is applied to the holding ring 23. However, notwithstanding this, since the holding ring 23 is supported by being meshed with the ring-supporting part 3c of the case band 3, the rotation operating force given to the holding ring 23 is exerted on the case band 3 but not transmitted to the bezel 11. By this, there is no fear that the bezel 11 is carelessly or accidentally rotated.
Under this state, the lock member 22 is interposed between the slip-preventing part 8 and the holding ring 23 and the lock member 22 is strongly pressed to the slip-preventing part 8, i.e., at a strong contact pressure. For this reason, in a case where an external force which tends to rotate the bezel 11 is applied to it without being desired, the lock member 22 which is suppressed from being deviated in the circumferential direction becomes a stopper by the rotation resistance in the slip-preventing part 8, so that the bezel 11 is suppressed form carelessly deviating in the circumferential direction of the case band 3.
Like the above, by exhibiting the holding function of the holding mechanism 21 thereby to restrict rotation of the bezel 11 from the desirable position, it is possible to suppress the bezel 11 from being carelessly rotated to thereby cause positional deviation and, in the case where the holding state which makes the bezel 11 stationary is released by reducing the holding function owing to the holding mechanism 21, it is possible to rotate the bezel 11 to the desirable rotated position under this released state. In these operations, in order to operate the holding mechanism 21, since it suffices if its holding ring 23 is rotation-operated, the operations are simple.
Owing to such a dimensional relation, under a state that the arc face 28a of the cam face 28 contacts with the head part 22a of the lock member 22 by the rotating operation of the holding ring 23, the lock member 22 approaches the annular protrusion part 3a and is strongly pressed to the slip-preventing part 8. For this reason, by restricting rotation of the bezel 11 from the desired position, it is possible to suppress the bezel 11 from being carelessly rotated and causing positional deviation. Further, under a state that the head part 22a of the lock member 22 is disposed in the deepest part of the escape face 28b of the cam face 28 by the rotating operation of the holding ring 23, the lock member 22 is moved by the biasing force of the coil spring 24 such that its head part 22a contacts with the deepest part of the escape face 28b. For this reason, it is possible to make the lock member 22 into a state of lightly contacting with the slip-preventing part 8 or to separate the lock member 22 from the slip-preventing part 8.
In the third embodiment, the bezel 11 has a bezel body 11C, and a bezel plate 110 fixed to the former from a front side. The bezel plate 110 having the irregularities 11c in its outer periphery part is fixed to the bezel body 11C after the holding ring 23 has been attached to the bezel body 11C. In the bezel body 11C there is provided the stepped hole 25 penetrating through in its thickness direction. The bezel body 11C is one functioning also as the ring-supporting part and, therefor, the male thread part 27 is formed in an outer periphery part of the bezel body 11C. The female thread part 5 possessed by the holding ring 23 is meshed with the bezel body 11C, not the case band 3. For this reason, by rotating the holding ring 23, this holding ring 23 is moved along the thickness direction of the bezel 11.
a case body having an annular protrusion part to whose inner periphery there is attached a cover glass;
an annular bezel rotatably disposed around the annular protrusion part;
an annular gasket made of an elastic material and interposed between the bezel and the case body in a state giving a frictional force to the bezel and the case body to maintain the bezel in a desired rotated position with respect to the case body; and
a holding mechanism which is provided separately from the gasket and which releasably holds the bezel in a stationary state with respect to the case body, the holding mechanism comprising a slip-preventing part provided in the case body, a lock member movably provided in the bezel so as to contact with the slip-preventing part, and a rotatable holding ring which has an operating face pressing the lock member to the slip-preventing part and capable of performing a rotating operation.
2. A portable timepiece as set forth in claim 1; wherein the holding ring is rotatably supported by the case body.
3. A portable timepiece as set forth in claim 1; wherein the slip-preventing part is formed by a knurled face provided in the case body.
4. A portable timepiece as set forth in claim 1; wherein the slip-preventing part is formed by a hard rubber fixed to the case body.
5. A portable timepiece as set forth in claim 1 wherein the holding mechanism has a biasing body which biases the lock member toward the holding ring.
6. In a portable timepiece having a case body: a bezel rotatably disposed on the case body; an elastically deformable gasket interposed between the case body and the bezel in an elastically deformed state to exert a frictional force on the case body and the bezel sufficient to maintain the bezel in a stationary rotational position on the case body though permitting the bezel to be manually rotated to any desired rotational position by overcoming the frictional force; a slip-preventing part provided on the case body; one or more lock members each movably disposed on the bezel so as to contact the slip-preventing part; and a manually rotatable holding ring engageable with the one or more lock members and rotatable in one direction to increase the contact pressure between the one or more lock members and the slip-preventing part to thereby prevent unintended rotation of the bezel and rotatable in the other direction to decrease the contact pressure between the one or more lock members and the slip-preventing part to thereby permit manual rotation of the bezel by overcoming the frictional force exerted by the elastically deformed gasket.
7. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; wherein the holding ring is threadedly engaged with the case body.
8. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; wherein the one or more lock members each has a cam follower face, and the holding ring has a cam face in sliding contact with each cam follower face.
9. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; further including a biasing body that biases each lock member toward the holding ring.
10. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; wherein the holding ring is rotatably supported by the case body.
11. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; wherein the slip-preventing part has a knurled face.
12. A portable timepiece according to claim 6; wherein the slip-preventing part is comprised of a hard rubber.
6599009 July 29, 2003 Terasawa et al.
6821014 November 23, 2004 Hiranuma et al.
10239454 September 1998 JP
Patent number: 7137732
Patent Publication Number: 20050141347
Inventor: Koremoto Takeda (Chiba)
Current U.S. Class: Of Bezel Only (368/295); With Bezel Or Crystal Details (368/294)