US4926401A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it
Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
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Filing: 1989-09-22
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Granted: 1990-05-15
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Expires: 2009-09-22
Abstract
Abstract The skeleton watch of this invention includes a caseband (1) bearing a frame (6) arranged between an upper crystal and a back cover (26), a leg (8) contiguous to the frame, a motor (10, 11, 12) secured to the frame and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel (15) bearing a minutes marker (17). An hours hand (18) is driven by the minutes wheel through motion work including a train of planetary gears (23, 24). Zones (27 to 32) and conductors (33 to 37) are metallized on the internal face of the back cover and are intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components and establish connections among such components. The arrangement as set forth permits a greatly bared skeleton watch with a minimum of noticeable elements.
Inventors
- 👤 Cyril Vuilleumier
- 👤 Jacques Muller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 23:52
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04B; G04B45/00; G04B45/02; G04B37/00; G04B37/22; G04B37/225; G04C; G04C3/00; G04C3/008
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
213 words
A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination: a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover, a frame contiguous to the caseband and arranged in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover, a leg contiguous to the frame and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center, a motor secured to the frame and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker, a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided in the leg at the location of the center of rotation of the display organs, a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which are pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, said minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel, zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the operation of the watch and to establish connections among such components, and a time setting arrangement.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
213 words
A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination: a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover, a frame contiguous to the caseband and arranged in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover, a leg contiguous to the frame and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center, a motor secured to the frame and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker, a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided in the leg at the location of the center of rotation of the display organs, a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which are pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, said minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel, zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the operation of the watch and to establish connections among such components, and a time setting arrangement.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the minutes wheel is a transparent toothed disc.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the frame takes up space in a corresponding accommodation within the caseband.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the back cover is a crystal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leg is integrally formed with the frame.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leg is a bridge connecting two opposite edges of the frame.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shaft united with the fixed pinion is of a length chosen in a manner such that said shaft provides a brace between the bottom of the upper crystal and the back cover.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
82 words
A watch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the time setting arrangement includes a stem and crown arranged to assume a pushed-in rest position and a drawn-out working position, said stem bearing on one end thereof an annular accommodation cooperating with a jumper spring and a contact blade, said jumper spring and contact blade including fastening and positioning means on the frame arranged in manner such as to be substantially accommodated in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said stem.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A watch as set forth in claim 8 wherein the contact blade comes into contact with a contact stud arranged on the metallization of the back cover whenever the stem is in the drawn-out position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
201 words
A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination: a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover, a leg contiguous to the caseband and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center and emerging in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover, a motor secured to the caseband and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker, a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided the leg at the center of rotation of said display organs, a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which area pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, the minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel, zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the watch operation and to establish connections among said components, and a time setting arrangement.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
201 words
A skeleton watch allowing sight of all or some of the elements forming it including in combination: a caseband bearing an upper crystal and a back cover, a leg contiguous to the caseband and extending toward the center of rotation of the watch display organs, said leg covering at least said center and emerging in the space circumscribed by the caseband between the upper crystal and the back cover, a motor secured to the caseband and including a rotor directly driving a minutes wheel bearing a minutes marker, a fixed pinion driven into an orifice provided the leg at the center of rotation of said display organs, a shaft united with said fixed pinion around which area pivotally mounted the minutes wheel and an hours wheel bearing an hours marker, the minutes wheel carrying first and second coaxial planet pinions displaced from its center, the first planet pinion meshing with the fixed pinion and the second planet pinion meshing with the hours wheel, zones and conductors metallized on the internal face of the back cover intended respectively to accommodate the electrical and electronic components necessary for the watch operation and to establish connections among said components, and a time setting arrangement.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the minutes wheel is a transparent toothed disc.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the back cover is a crystal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the leg is integrally formed with the caseband.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the leg is a bridge connecting two opposite edges of the caseband.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
A watch as set forth in claim 10 wherein the time setting arrangement includes a stem and crown arranged to assume a pushed-in rest position and a drawn-out working position, said stem bearing an annular accommodation on one end thereof cooperating with a jumper spring and a contact blade, said jumper spring and contact blade including fastening and positioning means on the frame arranged in a manner to be substantially accommodated in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said stem.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
A watch as set forth in claim 15 wherein the contact blade comes into contact with a contact stud arranged on the metallization of the back cover whenever the stem is in the drawn-out position.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-05-14 | 1993-11-13 | 1994-05-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-05-14 | 1997-11-13 | 1998-05-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-05-14 | 2001-11-13 | 2002-05-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |