US3712044A

US3712044A - Electric clock mounting and contact apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3712044A
Application number: US00194726A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Wolber; F Assmus
Original assignee: INGHAMS FA GEB GmbH
Current assignee: INGHAMS FA GEB GmbH
Priority date: 1970-11-06
Filing date: 1971-11-01
Publication date: 1973-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-23
Also published as: DE2054757B2; FR2112498A1; DE2054757A1; GB1329324A; FR2112498B1

Abstract

An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus including an electric clock housing, an electric drive circuit positioned within the housing, pillar means extending between the housing and the electric drive circuit for supporting said electric drive circuit, the pillar means being electrically conductive and in electrical contact with the electric drive circuit, an electrical contact means connected exteriorly of the electrical clock housing and to the pillar means, said electrical contact means being operable for electrical contact with a voltage source exterior of the electric clock housing.

Description

United States Patent 91 Wolber et al.

[ 1 Jan. 23, 1973 [54] ELECTRIC CLOCK MOUNTING AND 3,418,802 12/1968 Little et al. ..58/55 CONTACT APPARATUS 3,635,011 1/1972 Pindell, Jr. et al. ..58/145 R [75] Inventors: Robert Wolber, 7233 Lauterbach; Primary Examiner Richard B Wilkinson Fnednch Assmus 723 Schramberg Assistant Examiner-Edith C. Simmons Jackmon both of Germany Attorney-James E. Cockfield [73] Assignee: Firma Gebruder Inghams Gmbll,

Schramberg, Germany [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1971 An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus in- A l No v 194 726 cluding an electric clock housing, an electric drive circuit positioned within the housing, pillar means extending between the housing and the electric drive cir- Foreign Application Priority Data cuit for supporting said electric drive circuit, the pillar Nov. 6 1970 Germany ..P 20 54 757.3 means being electrically conductive and elecmcal contact with the electric drive circuit, an electrical [52] [1.8. CI. ..58/23 R, 58/52 Contact means connected exteriorly of the electrical 51 lm. CI. ..G04c 3/00 Clock housing and to the Pillar means, Said electrical 5 Field f Search 58/23 R, 41 R, 4 41 3 contact means being operable for electrical contact 5g 53 5 with a voltage source exterior of the electric clock housing. [56] References cued 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,912,368 6/1933 Holinger ..58/41 B ELECTRIC CLOCK MOUNTING AND CONTACT APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION electrically conductive path from the works to exterior l0 plug contacts disposed on the housing for connection with a source of voltage.

In the case of known automobile clocks, flat or round plugs connected with the poles of the battery via suitable bushings are provided on the backside of the case for the mechanism. In the case of most constructions, the plug connected with the negative pole of the battery is welded onto the case of the mechanism, while the plug connected with the positive pole of the battery is disposed on an element of insulating substance attached to a clock mechanism and projects through an opening of the clock casing provided with an insulating plug.

Automobile clocks also have been known where the case for the mechanism is not used as a connection with the mass. In that case both connecting plugs are disposed on a plate of insulating material attached to a watch mechanism and they project from the casing of the mechanism through appropriate insulations of said casing. At the same time, the case of the mechanism itself has been attached by additional means to the clock mechanism, for example on the base plate.

The known embodiments require considerable expenditure for bringing out the plug contacts, for their attachment and for the additional attachment of the plate made of insulating material receiving the electricaldriving circuits, as well as of the case of the clock mechanism.

At least one object of the present invention is the production of an electric clock of the initially mentioned'type where the current supply connection for the electric driving circuit is accomplished in a particularly simple manner with little expenditure.

According to the subject invention this and other objects will be achieved 'by the provision of plug contacts in electrically conductive contact with pillars of the clock mechanism which may be connected electrically with the electrical driving circuit for the clock. Further, at least one of the pillars of the clock mechanism is disposed electrically insulated with respect to the clock mechanism.

The pillars feeding in the current, which are connected with the plug contacts, can be developed preferably as attaching elements of a carrying part for the mechanism case and for the plug contacts, said part containing the driving circuit. The carrying element for the electrical driving circuit can be a plate made of insulating material, connected with printed circuits and also receiving the electronic construction elements.

The plug contacts may be provided with projections or recesses which are engaged with suitable recesses or projections of the mechanism case of of a part connected with said case, whereby at least one of these recesses or one of these projections is insulated with regard to the case of the mechanism.

Through the development according to the invention a very simple attachment of various parts can be achieved, whereby this attachment at the same time is used as the current supply. At the sametime, various operational steps, which heretofore were required for attachment of the plug contact, have become superfluous.

The invention may be explained in more detail in the following paragraphs on the basis of the drawings.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an electric clock mechanism according to the invention and particularly discloses a pair of spaced electrical contact plugs suitable for connection with an exterior voltage source;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along section line lllI of FIG. 1 and particularly discloses the connection of pillars between an electric clock housing and an electric drive circuit positioned within the interior of the housing;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view partially broken away to disclose a plate receiving an electrical drive circuit;

FIG. 4 discloses a sectional view taken along section line lV-IV in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 discloses a sectional view taken along section line V-V in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the reference number 10 indicates a clock mechanism, which is held together by

means ofpillars

12, 13 and 14 of the frame and with the help of

nuts

15, 16 and 17, and is attached to a base plate 11. Nuts 15 and 17 serve at the same time as spacers, on which a plate 18 made of insulating material and carrying the printed circuits and electrical switching elements 20 for the driving circuit has been attached with the help of

pillars

21 and 22. This conductor plate also carries for example a coil 19.

Pillars

21 and 22 have thread lugs 21a and 22a, which are screwed into the distancing nuts 15 and 17. Distancing nut 15 consists of electrically non-conductive material.

The printed circuits, for example 29 and 30 in FIG. 3, are arranged for practical purposes on the right side of plate 18 in FIG. 2, and printed circuits 29 and 30 (FIG. 3) have been provided running around the attaching holes in plate 18 and, of course, in such a way that

shoulders

21c and 22c provided on

pillars

21 and 22 will fit against these printed

circuits

29 and 30, and thus establish an electric contact.

Pillars

21 and 22 furthermore are provided with

thread lugs

21b and 22b, on which attaching

nuts

23 and 24 can be screwed on. These

nuts

23 and 24 serve for attachment of the clock housing 27 and at the same time for attachment of the

contact plugs

25 and 26, of

I which plug 26 fits directly, that is to say electrically conductively against housing 27, while between housing 27 and plug 25 a part 28 made ofinsulating material has been inserted, which, for practical purposes, also will engage with the appropriate perforation of housing 27 example can be pressed out of case 27, as can be seen in FIG. 5. Plug 26 has been provided with an appropriate recess 26a, which receives projection 27a. A suitable arrangement also has been provided in the case of plug 25, which likewise has been provided with a recess 25a, which receives a projection 28a of part 28 made of insulating material. In this manner both

plugs

25 and 26 are secured on case 27 to prevent twisting. In

order to prevent twisting of part 28, made of insulating material, in case 27, said part has been provided with an additional projection 28b which engages with a perforation of case 27.

The development according to the invention makes it possible to attach the mechanism case and at the same time and simultaneously to use the attaching elements for the case as a current supply for the electrical driving circuit, whereby these attaching elements additionally will hold the current supply plugs. The clock according to the invention therefore can be produced with a particularly small cost.

Although the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those 2. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said electric drive circuit includes:

a plate composed of insulating material operable to support printed circuits in electrical'contact with a said pillar means and to support electronic drive circuit elements.

3. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said pillar means comprises:

a pair of spaced electrically conductive pillars,

at least one of said pair of pillars being electrically insulated from said electric clock housing.

4. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said contact means comprises:

a pair of plug contacts, one electrically connected to each of said electrically conductive pillars, said plugs having recesses suitable for non-rotatable engagement with projections extending from said electric clock housing, and at least one of said plug contacts being electrically insulated from said electric clock housing.

UNlTED STATES PATENT ()FFECE T CETEFEQATE @FQQRREQTiO-N I Patent No. 3, 712, 044 Dated January 23, 1973 Inventor(s) Robert Wolber and Friedrich Assmus It is certified that err or appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

' On page 1, following Assignee: Gebrude r delete "Inghams" and'insert Jqnghans- Signed ahd sealed this 10th day of July 1973.

(SEAL) Attestz.

EDWARD M. FLETCHERJR.

Rene Tegtmeyer Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents RM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING omcs: mm 0- fifififi u TED STATES PATENT OFFiCE. j TEIATE @F REQ'NQN Patent No. 3, 712, 044: Dated January '23, 1973 Inventor(s) Robert Wo1ber and Friedrich Assrnus It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that .said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On page 1, fol lowing "Assignee: C-(elorudler delete Tngldarns" I andinsert JLinghans- Signed arid sealed this'lOth day of July l97 3.- V

(SEAL) Attestz.

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Rene Tegtmeyer v a Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents )RM PO-1050(10-69) SCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 urs. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1069 o--'-\ aaaa u

Claims

1. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus comprising: an electric clock housing; an electric drive circuit positioned within said housing; pillar means extending between said housing and said electric drive circuit for supporting said electric drive circuit, said pillar means further being electrically conductive and in electrical contact with said electric drive circuit; and electrical contact means connected exteriorly of said electrical clock housing to said pillar means and being operable for electrical contact with a voltage source exterior of said electric clock housing.

2. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said electric drive circuit includes: a plate composed of insulating material operable to support printed circuits in electrical contact with said pillar means and to support electronic drive circuit elements.

3. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said pillar means comprises: a pair of spaced electrically conductive pillars, at least one of said pair of pillars being electrically insulated from said electric clock housing.

4. An electric clock mounting and contact apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said contact means comprises: a pair of plug contacts, one electrically connected to each of said electrically conductive pillars, said plugs having recesses suitable for non-rotatable engagement with projections extending from said electric clock housing, and at least one of said plug contacts being electrically insulated from said electric clock housing.