HK1033285B - Mechanical golf counter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to golf counters, and in particular to those of a type which allow the number of holes played, the number of strokes played for a given hole and the total of strokes played for a course to be displayed mechanically from pushers or other actuators.

Document US-A-1 714 070 describes a corresponding golf meter.

Such meters are known to operate electrically or electronically with stepper motors or integrated circuits, and are expensive, bulky and complex and do not lend themselves to the production of a high-end product in small batches.

The purpose of the present invention is to enable golf counters of the above type to be made purely mechanical and thus suitable for the manufacture of small series of high-end products.

Another purpose of the present invention is to enable the manufacture of a mechanical golf meter module which can be integrated into a mechanical wristwatch preferably between the movement and the dial of that watch.

The invention relates to a mechanical golf meter which is distinguished by the characteristics listed in claim 1.

The attached drawing schematically illustrates a design of the golf meter according to the invention. Figure 1 shows a wristwatch with the golf meter according to the invention.Figure 2 is a close-up view of the golf meter mechanism according to the invention.Figure 3 is a cup following the A-A line of Figure 2.Figure 4 is a cup following the B-B line of Figure 2.Figure 5 is a cup following the C-C line of Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 1, the golf meter has a case containing a mechanism and a clock movement, the dial of which has a gradation 3 of a cooperating time display with a 4 and 5 minute hand, driven by the clock movement.

The dial 2 also has two meter gradations, one 6 forming with a hand 7 the display of the number of holes played and the other 8 forming with a hand 9 the display of the number of strokes played for the hole displayed on the meter 6.7.

The dial 2 also has a 10 window through which numbers carried by display discs can be displayed, this window and discs forming a total counter of the number of moves played.

Box 1 has a lift rod 11 and two pushers P1 and P2 actuating p1 and p2 adjustment swings acting on the golf meter mechanism as described below.

In the example shown, the case 1 containing the watch movement and the golf meter mechanism, located between the watch movement and the dial 2, is fixed on a bracelet 12.

It is obvious that in a simplified design the box 1 could contain only the golf meter mechanism, the dial 2 then does not have a time-dilation.

In other variants the case may not be attached to a bracelet and may have, for example, a ring to hang it from a lace or a chain to wear the golf meter as a pocket watch or pendant.

Figures 2 to 5 show in detail the purely mechanical mechanism of the golf counter for operating displays 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 by means of pushers P1, P2 and the lifting crown 11.

The mechanism consists of a second star with eighteen teeth 13 pivoted on a base plate 14 of the golf meter module. The 15th axis of this star of eighteen 13 carries the 7th hand of the meter displaying the number of the hole played. The angular position of this star of eighteen 13 is maintained between its successive step actuations by a jumper 16.

This mechanism also features a first twelve-toothed 17-point star also pivoted on base plate 14 of the golf meter module whose axis carries the 9-point hand of the 8.9-point meter totaling the number of strokes played for a given hole. This twelve-point star carries a stop finger 18 cooperating with a 19-point pin driven into base plate 14 to define the zero position of the 9-point hand of the hole-play meter. This twelve-point star is subjected to the action of a 20-point spring and a 21-point jumper maintains its angular position between its successive strokes.

The p2 rod of the P2 pusher carries at its end a pin 23 acting on one of the arms of a second swing 24 pivoted at 25 on the base plate 14. This first arm of the second swing 24 ends with a nozzle 26 designed to cooperate with the gingiva of the second star of eighteen teeth 13. This first arm of the second swing 24 is subjected to the recall action of a spring 27 fixed on the base plate 14 with two branches, the first of which is pressed on the pin 23. This first branch of the spring 24 tends to keep the P2 pusher rod in the inactive position.

The second arm of twenty-four is supported by its end twenty-eight on the twenty-first leap of the first twelve-toothed star.

The p1 rod of the P1 pusher rests on a hoist of a first swing 30 pivoted in 31 on the base plate.

The other end of the first pendulum 30 has a drive face 32 and a control beak 33 designed to act on the denture of the first twelve-toothed star 17. This control beak 33 only comes into contact with the lower half of the teeth of the twelve-toothed star 17. This first twelve-toothed star 17 has a tooth 34 which is reduced in thickness and therefore cannot cooperate with this beak 33.

This mechanism also has a first crown 35 with an internal gear, conventionally actuated by the mounting rod 11 when the latter is in the intermediate position.

The mechanism also has a disk of units 38 with the numbers 0 to 9 evenly distributed on its top face, figures appearing successively in the right part of dial 10's dial. This disk of units 38 is connected to an axis 39 pivoted on base plate 14, this axis also bearing a star of units 40 with nine truncated teeth and one full tooth 41, and a gear 42 subjected to the action of a jumper 43.

Finally, this mechanism has a disc of 44 tens bearing on its upper face the digits 0 to 9 placed in order to appear successively in the left part of dial 10 of dial 2. This disc of 44 tens is connected to an axis 45 pivoted on base plate 14, this axis bearing a star of 46 tens whose ten teeth cooperate with the tooth 41 of the star of units 40 and a pinion 47 subject to the action of a jumper 48.

The unit disk 38 and the tens disk 44 are tangent and arranged so that two digits can appear in dial box 10, each of these digits being carried by one of the said discs.

The operation of this golf meter mechanism is as follows:

In the initial or zero position, the 7 hand is opposite the number 1 of the grade 6 indicating that it is the first hole of the course that is played. The 9 hand indicates 0 on the grade 8 indicating that no stroke has been played for the number 1 hole. Finally, the dial's 10 window shows the 00 indicating that the total number of strokes played is zero.

The player can then count the number of strokes needed to reach the first hole. Each time he presses the P1 pusher, causing the first swing 30 to tip, his 33 beak engages with the star of twelve 17's gear to move forward one step, which places the 9 hand on the number 1 of the gradation 8 of the dial 2. Simultaneously the 32 actuator face of this first swing 30 comes into contact with the crown 37's gear and moves it one step causing the second to be driven one step, by the 42 pin, 38 of the unit disk of the totaliser counter which now indicates 01.

Thus, following each push of the P1 pusher, the player increases by one point the display 8.9 indicating the number of strokes for the first hole and on the other hand the totaliser counter 10.

The maximum value of the 8.9 display of the meter for the number of strokes per hole is limited in the example shown to eleven. If, however, the user pushes the P1 pusher twelfth time, the 33 beak of the 30 swing does not cause the twelve 17 to be struck, this beak passing by the truncated tooth 34 of this 17 spring, thus preventing the locking capacity of the 20 spiral spring from being exceeded and from being damaged.

The maximum value of the meter 8.9 depends of course on the number of teeth in the first star 17 and the number of marks in the gradation 8.

When the P1 pusher is operated for the tenth consecutive time, the 41 tooth of the units star pulls the tens star one step. This is repeated each time the P1 pusher is operated for the tenth consecutive time. Thus the totaliser counter is incremented from 0 to 99 at most for each pusher pressure of P1.

Once the first hole is completed, the player presses the P2 pusher once, which causes the second swing 24 to pivot and the 21 pusher to move through the 28 support face of the second arm of that swing 24. As soon as the 21 pusher is lifted, the star of twelve 17 is pulled counterclockwise by the 20 booster spiral spring to its initial position defined by the 18 stop finger and the 19 pin. The 9 pusher pusher pusher returns the 26 of the first swing arm to zero.

These functions of resetting the count of 8,9 strokes per hole and increasing the count of 6,7 strokes per hole do not in any way influence the totaliser count 10.

These operations are repeated until the end of the game, either the sum of the number of strokes played for the eighteenth hole on the 8.9 meter and the sum of the total number of strokes of the game on the totaliser meter 10.

Before starting a new game the player resets the totaliser by placing the 11th reel in the intermediate position if it is a golf meter clock, and then by using this 11th reel to operate the first 35th reel which, by driving the 37th reel, allows a manual reset of the totaliser.

The mechanism described is interesting because it is simple, with few easy-to-machine parts, and is much less complex than a mechanism that would have hearts for resetting the counters, as found in chronograph mechanisms.

Many variations of the described mechanism are possible. It has already been mentioned that it could be integrated into a watch or not and that the maximum value of the meter 8.9 of the number of strokes per hole was adjustable at will. The same applies to the maximum value of the meter 6.7 of the number of holes.

A simplified version of the mechanism could also be implemented without a totalisator.

In addition, the 6.7 of the number of holes played and the 8.9 of the number of holes played could have a rotating disc with numbers on the top of the needle, which would be visible one by one through a dial.

Claims (8)

1. Golf counter comprising at least one counter indicating the number of the hole played and a counter of the number of strokes per hole; a pushbutton (P1) incrementing the counter of the number of strokes per hole and a pushbutton (P2) incrementing the counter of the number of the hole played and simultaneously resetting to zero the counter of the number of strokes per hole, the mechanism of this golf counter being entirely mechanical, characterized by the fact that it comprises a first lever (30) actuated by a first pushbutton (P1) against the action of a return spring (27) provided at its end with a nose (33) coacting with a first star wheel (17) bearing the movable member (9) of the counter of the number of strokes per hole (8, 9); this first star wheel being subjected to the action of a spring detent (21) and a spiral return spring (20) and by the fact that it comprises a second lever (24) whose first arm is subjected to the action of a return spring (27) and operationally connected to the second pushbutton (P2), this first arm having a nose (26) coacting with the teeth of a second star wheel (13) carrying the movable member (7) of the counter of the hole number (6, 7) and subject to the action of a spring detent (16); by the fact that the second arm (28) of this second lever actuates during its pivoting under the action of the second pushbutton (P2) the spring detent (21) thereby freeing the first start wheel (17) leading to its zero resetting by the spiral spring (20); and by the fact that in the course of returning to the rest position of the second pushbutton (P2) the nose (26) of the first arm of the second lever (24) causes the incrementation of the second star wheel (13).
2. Counter according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the counter of the hole number (6, 7) and the counter of the number of strokes per hole (8, 9) comprise a graduation (6; 8) fixed to a dial (2) and a hand (7; 9) coacting with the corresponding graduation.
3. Counter according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the counter of the number of the hole played (6, 7) and the counter of the number of strokes per hole (8, 9) comprise a window provided in a dial and a rotatable disc bearing the numerals on its upper surface and appearing in turn in the corresponding window.
4. Counter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it also comprises a totalizing counter of the number of strokes taken, formed by two tangential rotatable discs (38, 44) bearing numerals on their upper surface and appearing in turn through a window (10) of the dial (2); the fact that the tens disc (44) is secured to a tens star wheel (46) with six teeth and a pinion (47) subject to the action of a spring detent (48); by the fact that the units disc (38) is secured to a units star wheel (40) comprising a tooth (41 ) coacting with the teeth of the tens star wheel (46) and a pinion (42) subject to the action of a spring detent (43); by the fact that it also comprises a second crown (37) having internal teeth coacting with the teeth of the pinion (42) of the units star wheel (40) and with an actuating surface (32) of the first lever (30).
5. Counter according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that it comprises a zero resetting device for the totalizing counter (10, 38, 44) comprising a first crown (35) having internal teeth, this first crown (35) being secured to the second crown (37); and by the fact that the first crown (35) is angularly movable thanks to a rewinding crown (11).
6. Counter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the mechanism is mounted on a base plate thereby forming a module.
7. Counter according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the module constituting the mechanism of the golf counter is integrated between a timepiece movement and its dial.
8. Counter according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that the nose (33) of the first lever (30) coacts with only a portion of the height of the teeth of the first star wheel (17), and by the fact that this star wheel (17) comprises a tooth (34) of less height that cannot be actuated by said nose (33).