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US3857274A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Apparatus for rapidly evaluating the rate of a timekeeper

Assignee: Omega Louis Brandt and Frere SA
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Filing: 1971-08-10
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Granted: 1974-12-31
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Expires: 1991-08-10
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Abstract

Abstract A device for rapidly evaluating the rate of a timekeeper such as an oscillator-controlled watch. The watch is placed on a microphone, the frequency of its oscillator is divided by a number equal to its normal operating frequency. A standard oscillator is also connected to a divider where its frequency is also divided by a number equal to its frequency. The outputs of the dividers, which are pulses 1 second long (in the case of the standard) and approximately 1 second (in the case of the watch) are applied to a gate which passes impulses at the standard frequency rate during the difference in time between the two pulses. The passed impulses are counted and displayed, together with a + or - sign, as the inaccuracy of the watch in fractions of a second per day. The sensitivity of the device is adjustable.

Inventors

  • 👤 P Desarzens
  • 👤 J Vogt

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-04 04:03
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04D; G04D7/00; G04D7/12; G04D7/1207; G04D7/1214

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 171 words
Measuring apparatus for measurment of the instantaneous rate of a time-keeper, comprising a pick-up for detecting the beats of said timekeeper, a standard oscillator, and means for counting a number of periods of said standard oscillator during an interval of time depending upon the instantaneous rate of said timekeeper, wherein said means comprises a first divider for the frequency of said timekeeper, said first divider being adjustable to any of a plurality of timekeeper oscillation rates, a filter regulatable to the frequencies of different timekeepers preceding said first divider, and a second divider for said standard frequency, the two frequencies being divided to produce each an output pulse of the same nominal duration, a comparator to determine an interval fo time equal to the difference between the duration of the output impulses of said two dividers, a gate controlled by said comparator to transmit said standard frequency during said interval and a counter-display means to receive, count and display the number of periods of said standard frequency transmitted by said gate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 171 words
Measuring apparatus for measurment of the instantaneous rate of a time-keeper, comprising a pick-up for detecting the beats of said timekeeper, a standard oscillator, and means for counting a number of periods of said standard oscillator during an interval of time depending upon the instantaneous rate of said timekeeper, wherein said means comprises a first divider for the frequency of said timekeeper, said first divider being adjustable to any of a plurality of timekeeper oscillation rates, a filter regulatable to the frequencies of different timekeepers preceding said first divider, and a second divider for said standard frequency, the two frequencies being divided to produce each an output pulse of the same nominal duration, a comparator to determine an interval fo time equal to the difference between the duration of the output impulses of said two dividers, a gate controlled by said comparator to transmit said standard frequency during said interval and a counter-display means to receive, count and display the number of periods of said standard frequency transmitted by said gate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 25 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said nominal duration is 1 second and the frequency of said standard oscillator is 8.64 X 106 Hz.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 22 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the rate of division of said dividers is equal to the frequency to be divided.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 25 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said nominal duration is 10 seconds and the frequency of said standard oscillator is 8.64 X 105 Hz.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 21 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, including an indicator of the sign of the difference of duration of said output impulses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 34 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, including a signal level detector responsive to the signal from said timekeeper, and means for resetting the counter-indicator to zero, said means being controlled by said level detector.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 86 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said divider for the frequency of the timekeeper is adjustable to a number of rates equal to usual frequencies of timekeeprs and to rates equal to 10 times said usual frequencies of timekeepers, while said divider for the standard frequency is adjustable to a first rate equal to said standard frequency and to a seocnd rate equal to 10 times said standard frequency, such that the duration of said output pulses is adjustable selectively to 1 to 10 seconds.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 41 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein a frequency divider is connected between said standard oscillator and means for counting output pulses from said second frequency divider, the rate of said second frequency divider being selectively adjustable to 1 and 10.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3229203A Cited
US3238764A Cited
US3395566A Cited
US3370456A Cited
US3777547A Cited
US3756066A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1977-12-30 1978-07-01 1978-12-31 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1981-12-30 1982-07-01 1982-12-31 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1985-12-30 1986-07-01 1986-12-31 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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