Patent US3775968A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3775968A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Drive mechanism for a watch having a balance motor
Assignee: Les Fabriques dAssortiments Reunies SA FAR
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Filing: 1971-06-29
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Granted: 1973-12-04
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Expires: 1991-06-29
Abstract
Abstract Anomalous operation of a lever-driven escapement type wheel driving the hands of a watch is prevented by mounting the two pallets on springs or forming them from a spring, the pallets having free resilient but limited movement in slots formed in the lever, which itself is driven from a balance wheel motor. The dimensions of the parts are such that while one pallet is engaged with the drive face of one tooth of the escapement wheel, the other pallet, engaged with one end of its slot, lodges between two teeth, providing spring-loaded locking of the wheel against reciprocating movement while enabling it to be driven.
Inventors
- 👤 P Tuetey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:02
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04B; G04B11/00; G04B11/02; G04B11/04; G04B15/00; G04B15/14; G04C; G04C3/00; G04C3/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A drive mechanism for a watch having a balance motor, comprising an inverse pallet lever and a toothed escapement wheel, said lever having a pair of spaced slots juxtaposed with the periphery of said wheel, resilient means fixed on said lever and carrying a pair of pallets respectively extending through said slots for engagement with the teeth of said wheel and movable longitudinally of the respective slots in a plane parallel with the plane of said lever, the teeth of said wheel extending radially thereof and having end faces substantially uniformly inclined to the radius of the respective tooth for engagement by said pallets to initiate rotation of said wheel, and said teeth being spaced a distance substantially equal to the width of a pallet to preclude play therebetween, engagement of the end face of a tootH by one pallet driving said wheel and causing movement of the other pallet in its slot until said other pallet is freed from the teeth between which it is engaging.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
167 words
A drive mechanism for a watch having a balance motor, comprising an inverse pallet lever and a toothed escapement wheel, said lever having a pair of spaced slots juxtaposed with the periphery of said wheel, resilient means fixed on said lever and carrying a pair of pallets respectively extending through said slots for engagement with the teeth of said wheel and movable longitudinally of the respective slots in a plane parallel with the plane of said lever, the teeth of said wheel extending radially thereof and having end faces substantially uniformly inclined to the radius of the respective tooth for engagement by said pallets to initiate rotation of said wheel, and said teeth being spaced a distance substantially equal to the width of a pallet to preclude play therebetween, engagement of the end face of a tootH by one pallet driving said wheel and causing movement of the other pallet in its slot until said other pallet is freed from the teeth between which it is engaging.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A drive mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said pallets are maintained at rest against the ends of said slots by said resilient means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
A ratchet mechanism as recited in claim 2, wherein each of said pallets returns to its rest position under the effect of the resilient means only when said pallet arrives outside the outer diameter of the wheel teeth.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
A ratchet mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the path of the lever is such that an in-going pallet not engaged in the teeth of the ratchet wheel starts to operate on the impulse plane of a tooth of the wheel before the out-going pallet has ceased to lock the wheel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A ratchet mechanism as recited in claim 4, wherein during the moment of return to rest of one pallet, the other pallet is lockingly engaged between the teeth of the wheel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A drive mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said resilient means is constituted by a thin wire spring fixed to the lever pivot.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A drive mechanism as recited in claim 6, wherein said pallets are constituted by bent-up ends of said spring.
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) | 1976-12-03 | 1977-06-04 | 1977-12-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-03 | 1981-06-04 | 1981-12-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-03 | 1985-06-04 | 1985-12-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |