Patent US3685280A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3685280A
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US
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Manual setting mechanism for digital alarm clock
Assignee: Kieninger and Obergfell GmbH and Co
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Filing: 1971-06-10
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Granted: 1972-08-22
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Expires: 1991-06-10
Abstract
Abstract An alarm clock with coaxial digit wheels for 1-minute, 10-minute and hour indications has a pair of contact-carrying disks, rotatable about the same axis, mechanically coupled with the 1minute wheel and with the hour wheel, respectively, for entrainment thereby. Each disk confronts an associated selector drum bearing minute and hour indications, respectively, these disks being independently settable to display the time when the alarm is to ring. Each drum consists of insulating material and carries a terminal of an alarm circuit positioned to engage a contact near the periphery of the associated disk whenever the latter occupies a position corresponding to the selected drum setting; the disks are always conductively interconnected, by a contact spring on one disk engaging a metallic track on the other disk, so that the alarm circuit is completed when both disks occupy their preselected positions. To set the time, the disks are independently steppable by toothed actuators manually reciprocable in a slotted guide plate; a swingable detent interposed between the two lower order digit wheels prevents the resiliently indexable 10-minute wheel from overshooting its next position in response to a too rapid stepping of the 1-minute wheel through the associated disk.
Inventors
- 👤 Wolfgang Fehrenbacher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 23:26
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04B; G04B19/00; G04B19/20; G04B19/21; G04C; G04C21/00; G04C21/16; G04C21/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
265 words
A timepiece comprising: a set of operatively interconnected digit wheels including a first wheel provided with time indications of a relatively high denominational order and a second wheel provided with time indications of a relatively low denominational order; drive means for rotating said first wheel at a relatively slow rate and said second wheel at a relatively fast rate; a first contact carrier and a second contact carrier juxtaposed for independent rotation about a common axis; transmission means positively linking said first and second contact carriers with said first and second wheels, respectively, for rotary entrainment thereby; first and second stepping means normally disengaged from but respectively engageable with said first and second contact carriers for selectively advancing same together with the associated digit wheels independently of said drive means; a first rotary selector and a second rotary selector centered on said axis and confronting said first and second contact carriers, respectively, said selectors being independently settable to any one of a multiplicity of angular positions; retaining means for holding each of said selectors in a chosen angular position; co-operating first contacts on said first contact carrier and said first selector making in a predetermined relative position thereof; co-operating second contacts on said second contact carrier and said second selector making in a predetermined relative position thereof; conductor means maintaining a continuous conductive connection between the contacts on said contact carriers; and a load circuit including a source of current and a controlled device connected across the contacts of said selectors for actuation of said device upon simultaneous making of said first and second contacts.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
265 words
A timepiece comprising: a set of operatively interconnected digit wheels including a first wheel provided with time indications of a relatively high denominational order and a second wheel provided with time indications of a relatively low denominational order; drive means for rotating said first wheel at a relatively slow rate and said second wheel at a relatively fast rate; a first contact carrier and a second contact carrier juxtaposed for independent rotation about a common axis; transmission means positively linking said first and second contact carriers with said first and second wheels, respectively, for rotary entrainment thereby; first and second stepping means normally disengaged from but respectively engageable with said first and second contact carriers for selectively advancing same together with the associated digit wheels independently of said drive means; a first rotary selector and a second rotary selector centered on said axis and confronting said first and second contact carriers, respectively, said selectors being independently settable to any one of a multiplicity of angular positions; retaining means for holding each of said selectors in a chosen angular position; co-operating first contacts on said first contact carrier and said first selector making in a predetermined relative position thereof; co-operating second contacts on said second contact carrier and said second selector making in a predetermined relative position thereof; conductor means maintaining a continuous conductive connection between the contacts on said contact carriers; and a load circuit including a source of current and a controlled device connected across the contacts of said selectors for actuation of said device upon simultaneous making of said first and second contacts.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
97 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises mechanism for intermittently advancing said first and second wheels through successive indicating positions corresponding to the multiplicity of angular positions of said first and second selector means, respectively, whereby said load circuit remains closed for a period equaling the residence time of said second wheel in any of its indicating positions, each of said digit wheels being provided with indexing means for yieldably retaining same in each indicating position thereof, said stepping means being operable to advance the associated digit wheels by one indicating position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
A tiMepiece as defined in claim 2 wherein said contact carriers are provided with a pair of peripherally toothed rotary bodies respectively coupled therewith for joint rotation, said first and second stepping means comprising each a reciprocably guided slider with a working formation positioned to engage the toothed periphery of the associated rotary body for unidirectionally entraining same upon reciprocation between a normal and an off-normal position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 3 wherein said transmission means is provided with a fixed frame, further comprising a guide plate on said frame having a pair of slots respectively accommodating said sliders.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
84 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said sliders comprises two interfitted parts, one of said parts resting against a surface of said guide plate, the other of said parts having a set of sawteeth constituting said working formation and being movable with reference to said one of said parts, in a direction transverse to said surface, against a biasing force for clearing the toothed periphery of the associated rotary body upon a return of the slider to said normal position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
67 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 5 wherein said other of said parts has a web traversing the corresponding slot of said guide plate and a flange rigid with said web extending laterally beyond said corresponding slot, said web bearing said sawteeth, each slider being further provided with spring means bearing upon said web and said guide plate alongside said corresponding slot to generate said biasing force.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 6 wherein said one of said parts has a stem inside said corresponding slot and said web comprises two jaws bracketing said stem, said jaws and said stem being provided with interengaging retaining means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 7 wherein said one of said parts is formed with a milled ridge carrying said stem.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 5 wherein said rotary bodies have undercut peripheral teeth engageable by said sawteeth.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 4 wherein said sliders are provided with resilient restoring means anchored to said plate for tending to maintain each slider in said normal position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 10 wherein said slots are parallel to each other, said restoring means comprising an arm generally perpendicular to said slots having opposite extremities in engagement with said sliders and a tension spring attached to a midpoint of said arm.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 3 wherein said contact carriers are two peripherally toothed disks, said rotary bodies being a pair of pinions respectively meshing with said disks.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
125 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 2 wherein said first and second wheels are of like diameter and centered on said common axis, said digit wheels including a third wheel of smaller diameter centered on a further axis offset from said common axis and interposed between said first and second wheels, said third wheel being provided with time indications of an intermediate denominational order, the time indications of all digit wheels being displayed on peripheral portions thereof lying substantially in a common plane parallel to said common and further axes, said mechanism including a prime mover for said first wheel and coacting projections on confronting sides of said first, third and second wheels intermittently engageable with one another in the vicinity of said common plane.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 13 wherein said first and second wheels are provided with concave sides facing said third wheel and receiving said coacting projections thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
76 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 14 wherein said transmission means is provided with a fixed frame including an outer bracket spanning all said digit wheels and an inner bracket on said outer bracket received partly in said concave sides and spanning said third wheel, said digit wheels being provided with fixed axles secured to adJoining arms of said inner and outer brackets, said indexing means including co-operating members on said axles and on said wheels.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
66 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 15 wherein said third wheel is provided, on its side confronting said first wheel, with a lever carrying one of said projections and with biasing means normally holding said lever in a position for periodically advancing said first wheel but enabling manual rotation of said first wheel independently of said third wheel under the control of said first stepping means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 16 wherein said co-operating members include a pawl on the side of said third wheel confronting said first wheel, said biasing means comprising a spring anchored to both said lever and said pawl.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
100 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 15, further comprising stop means pivoted on said inner bracket in the concave side of said second wheel facing said third wheel and resilient means normally holding said stop means in the path of several projections present on the confronting side of said third wheel for preventing the latter from substantially overshooting an indexed indicating position thereof, a coacting projection in the concave side of said second wheel being engageable with said stop means for momentarily deactivating same upon engagement with any of said several projections to permit the advance of said third wheel.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
64 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 1 wherein said selectors are a pair of peripherally toothed drums, said transmission means being provided with a frame supporting said stepping means, further comprising a shaft on said frame parallel to said axis, a pair of setting wheels for said selectors independently rotatable on said shaft, and gear means positively coupling said setting wheels with said drums.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
58 words
A timepiece as defined in claim 19 wherein said first and second stepping means are a pair of sliders reciprocably guided in said frame for parallel motion transverse to said axis, said sliders and said setting wheels projecting from the underside of said frame at spaced-apart locations in coplanar relationship to form a set of supporting legs therefor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-22 | 1976-02-21 | 1976-08-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-22 | 1980-02-21 | 1980-08-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-22 | 1984-02-21 | 1984-08-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |