US2974474A - Luminous watch - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1961 J. WEGNER LUMINOUS WATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 51, 1958 March-14, 1961 J. WEGNER LUMINOUS WATCH I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1958 United States Patent LUMINOUS WATCH Josef Wegner, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Globo Investment Trust, Schaan, Liechtenstein Filed Mar. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 725,408

Claims priority, application Switzerland Mar. 30, 1957 6 Claims. (Cl. 58-50) This invention relates to luminous watches, and in particular to luminous wrist-Watches comprising within the watchcase an incandescent lamp to enlighten the dial, a source of electric energy and a circuit breaker, said watches further comprising outside the case a control member to actuate said circuit breaker.

An example of such a watch is described in my copending application Ser. No. 599,638, now Patent No. 2,916,- 871. In that watch the source of electric energy is constituted by an accumulator fixed to the watchcase bottom and the control member of the circuit breaker is constituted by a pusher mounted at the periphery of the caseband. As regards the incandescent lamp it is carried by the base-plate of the watch movement. The wires connecting these electric elements with one another extend at the periphery of the watch movement either between the latter and the watchcase or between the movement and the dial.

In the luminous wrist-watch described in my copending application mentioned above it is the watchmaker who sets the watch movement into the case who must also ensure all the necessary electrical contacts and that is a great drawback, because the watchmaker is usually not skilled for such a work.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a luminous watch of the type indicated above, in which setting the movement into the watchcase can be done as with usual nonluminous watches, i.e. without taking care of the electric equipment of the watch.

A further object of the invention consists of providing the watch with a member made of insulating material and carrying both the incandescent lamp and the electrical wires which connect the electric elements of the watch with one another, said insulating member being arranged so that it can be set into the watchcase as a single unit, said wires having bare end portions outsidesaid member where electrical contacts must be established withthe electric elements carried by the watchcase, and said portions being so arranged as to establish automatically the necessary electrical contacts when the said member of insulating material is set into the watchcase together with the watch movement.

Still further objects of the invention will appear from the following description.

' One embodiment of the luminous watch according to the invention is represented diagrammatically and by way of example in the drawings annexed to this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of said embodiment;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view partly in section of a member of the watch of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the member of Fig. 2.

In the watch represented 1 designates a ring made of insulating plastic. This ring 1 surrounds the movement 12 of a standard wrist-watch. It is fixed to the movement 12 as if it were a usual enlargement or casing ring, by

2,974,474- Patented Mar. 14, 1961 ring 1 is set into a case-band 13 in the same manner as a movement surrounded by a usual casing or enlargement ring.

The ring 1 is provided with an axial bore forming a lodging to receive an incandescent lamp 2. This lamp 2 extends above the upper face of the ring 1, through an aperture 14 of the dial 15. The latter covers not only the watch movement 12 but also the ring 1. Below the lamp 2 a lodging 3 is provided in the ring 1 to enable establishing the electrical connections when mounting the lamp 2 in the ring 1. As shown in Fig. 2 the terminal 4 of the lamp 2 is connected to the bare end portion projecting into the lodging 3 of a wire 5 which is embedded in the ring 1 and the terminal 6 of the lamp 2 is similarly connected to the bare end portion of a wire 7 also embedded in the ring 1. Fig. 3 shows the other end portion of the wire 5 at the periphery of the ring 1. This bare end portion of this wire 5 automatically comes in contact with the case-band 13 of the watch, when the ring 1 is set in place into the watchcase. As regards the other end portion of wire 7 it extends into a notch 8 of the ring 1, which is provided opposite a pusher 16 mounted in the case-band 13. The pusher 16 is of a usual type well known in the art. It is slidably mounted in a body member 17 set I with force fit into a bore provided through the case-band 13. To insulate the pusher 16 a sleeve 18 of insulating material is interposed between the case-band 13 and the body member 17. The pusher 16 comprises a rod 19 which can be moved inwards in the direction of arrow a of Fig. 3 against the action of a return spring 20. Eventually the ring 1 carries a wire 9 having also one end 10 projecting into the notch 8 of ring 1. This end 10 of wire 9 is permanently in contact with the rod 19 of pusher 16, Whereas the other end 11 of wire 9 extends towards the watchcase bottom 21 and comes in contact with the inner pole 25 of an accumulator 22 fixed to the bottom 21 by means of a ring 23 screwed into an axially extending peripheral rim of the watchcase bottom. Details about this accumulator are described in my copending application Ser. No. 599,638.

It follows from the description above that the end portions of wires 5, 7 and 9 automatically establish all the ring 1 is merely set together with the watch movement 12 into the case thereof.

When actuating the pusher 16 in the direction of arrow a the end 10 of wire 9 comes in contact with the adjacent end of wire 7 thus closing the lamp circuit through the I following elements: inner pole 25 of the accumulator 22,

wire end 11 in contact therewith, wire 9, wire 7, lamp 2, wire 5, case-band 13 to which the bare end portion of wire 5 is electrically connected, and outer pole of the accumulator 22 which is constituted by the watchcase I bottom 21 as described in my copending application menmeans well known in the art but which are not shown. 4

tioned above.

As in said copending application Ser. No. 599,638 the accumulator 22 can be recharged by merely connecting the terminals of a battery for instance of a common torch to the watchcase and to the pusher 16, respectively, since the watchcase belongs to the ground to which the outer .accumulator pole is connected, while the pusher 16, which is insulated from the watchcase by the sleeve 18, is electrically connected in permanence with the inner pole of the accumulator through the wire 9.

To prevent the end 10 of wire 9 from passing at the side of rod 19 when actuating the pusher 16 a diametrical slot 24 is provided in the inner end face of rod 19 to receive the end 10 of wire 9.

To embed the wires 5,7 and 9 in the ring 1, the latter is preferably made of two pieces which are glued on to one another, said wires being merely set between said two pieces before gluing.

As is apparent from the above description, the case 13 together with the crystal carried thereby and the cover 21 form a hollow outer unit of the watch, while the watch movement 12 and the dial 15 carried thereby form together with the ring 1 an inner unit which is received in and carried by the outer unit when the watch is assembled. An electrical circuit means is formed by the lamp 2, the source of electricity 22, the manually operable switch formed by the plunger 19 together with the free end of the wire 7 which is in the notch 8 and the free end 10 of the wire 9, and the electrical circuit means also includes electrical conductors which interconnect the lamp 2, the source 22, and the switch formed by the plunger 19 and the free ends of the wires 7 and 9 which are located in the notch 8 for forming between these elements an electrical circuit which is closed when the switch is closed so as to energize the lamp 2 upon closing the switch. The electrical conductors of the electrical circuit means include not only the wires 5, 7, and 9, but also the case 13 and cover 2 1 which serves to provide the electrical connection between the wire and the source of current 22, and of course the conductors of the electrical circuit means also include the free end 11 of the wire 9 and the part of the source 22 which is engaged by this free end 11 of the wire 9. This electrical circuit means includes a number of exposed electrically conductive ,portions at the inner unit and an equal number of exposed electrically conductive portions at the outer unit, and all of these electrically conductive portions form parts of the conductors. Thus, the free end of the wire 5 at the outer periphery of the ring 1 forms one of the exposed electrically conductive portions carried by the inner unit, and the free surface at the inner periphery of the case 13 which is engaged by the end of the wire 5 forms a corresponding exposed electrically conductive portion carried by the outer unit. In the same way the free end 11 of the Wire 9 forms an exposed electrically conductive portion carried by the inner unit while the surface of the source 22 which is engaged by the free end 11 of the wire 9 forms a corresponding exposed electrically conductive portion carried by the outer unit. Thus it is clear that the electrical circuit means of the invention is carried in part by the outer unit and in part by the inner unit, and the exposed portions of the inner unit, which is to say the free end of wire 5 at the outer periphery of the ring 1 and the free end 11 of the wire 9, respectively contact the exposed portions of the outer unit, which is to say the surface portion of the case 13 engaged by the wire 5 and the surf-ace portion of the source 22 engaged by the free end 11 of the wire 9, so that when the inner unit is assembled within the outer unit these engaging exposed electrically conductive portions of the electrical circuit means will provide continuity of the circuit between the inner and outer units exclusively by engagement between the electrically conductive exposed portions which are carried by these units. Of course, the exposed electrically conductive portions of the inner unit will be spaced from and out of electrical conductivity with the exposed electrically conductive portions of the outer unit when the inner unit is disassembled from the outer unit.

It is obviously not necessary to locate the lamp and the wires used for automatically establishing tall the necessary electrical contacts in a ring surrounding the watch movement. With a shaped movement set in a circular case the lamp and the said wires could be located in an insulating member set in the free space remaining between the straight sides of the watch movement and the case thereof. Eventually the member carrying the incandescent lamp and the wires could also be constituted 'by a plate which can be fixed on to the watch movement as a bridge thereof when setting the movement into the case.

While I have described in detail one embodiment of my invention, I wish to be understood that various changes in the shap sizes and arrangement of parts could be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing the advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. In a watch, in combination, a hollow outer unit including a watchc-ase, crystal and cover; an inner unit including an insulating member, a watch movement and dial, said inner unit being received in and carried by said outer unit when the Watch is assembled; and electrical circuit means carried in part by said outer unit and in part by said inner unit and including a lamp for illuminating the dial, a source of electricity, a manually operable switch, and electrical conductors interconnecting said lamp, source and switch and providing between them an electrical circuit which is closed when said switch is closed, so as to energize said lamp upon closing of said switch, said electrical circuit means including a number of exposed electrically conductive portions carried by said inner unit and an equal number of exposed electrically conductive portions carried by said outer unit, all of said electrically conductive exposed portions forming parts of said conductors, and said exposed portions of said inner unit respectively contacting said exposed portions of said outer unit, when said inner unit is assembled within said outer unit, and providing continuity of said circuit between said units exclusively by engagement between said exposed portions of said units, said exposed electrically conductive portions of said inner unit being spaced from and out of electrical conductivity with said exposed electrically conductive portions of said outer unit when said inner unit is disassembled from said outer unit.

2. In a watch as recited in claim 1, said insulating member having embedded therein, at least in part, a plurality of wires which form parts of said electrical conductors.

3. In a watch as recited in claim 2, said insulating member being fixed to said watch movement.

4. In a watch as recited in claim 3, said insulating member being in the form of a ring surrounding said movement and fixed thereto.

5. In a watch as recited in claim 1, said manually operable switch including a stationary switch contact and a movable switch contact both carried by said inner unit and a manually operable means carried by said outer unit and engaging said movable switch contact when said inner unit is assembled within said outer unit for moving said movable switch contact into engagement with said stationary switch contaotupon actuation of said manually operable means by the operator.

6. In a watch, in combination, an electrically conductive watch case; a cover removably connected to said case; a battery connected to said cover and carried thereby and having a ground connection with said cover and case; a watch movement surrounded by said case a ring of electrically nonconductive material surrounding and fixed to said movement and also surrounded by said case, said ring being formed in its outer periphery with a notch directed toward said case; a lamp carried by said ring for illuminating a dial carried by said movement when said lamp is energized; a pair of electrical conductors embedded in said ring and respectively connected electrically with said 'lamp, one of said conductors extending through said ring to an outer surface thereof where said one conductor engages said case to be grounded thereto, and the other of said conductors extending into said notch Where a free end portion of said other conductor forms a stationary contact of a switch; a third conductor having a free end located in said notch at a greater radial distance from the center of said ring than said free end portion of said other conductor and said free end portion of said third conductor forming a springy movable contact adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with said stationary contact, said third conductor also being embedded in said ring and having distant from said notch a second free end portion bearing directly against a pole of said battery so that when said movable switch contact engages said stationary switch contact a circuit through said lamp will be closed to energize said lamp and illuminate the dial; and a manually operable plunger carried by said case for radial movement toward and away from the center of said ring, s-aid plunger having a free end located within said notch and engaging said movable contact so that when said plunger is moved by the operator toward the center of said ring said movable contact will be placed in engagement with said stationary contact to complete the circuit, whereby when the watch is disassembled said ring upon movement out of said case will simply move 15 1,851,688

said one conductor out of contact with said case and said second free end portion of said third conductor out of contact with said battery while also moving said movable contact out of contact With said plunger, and when the watch is assembled said free end of said one conductor again engaging said case, said second free end portion of said third conductor again engaging said pole of said battery, and said plunger again engaging said movable contact simply by assembly of the watch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Olson July 10, 1917 Warren Mar. 29, 1932

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