Patents by Inventor Haruki Hiranuma

Haruki Hiranuma has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120257481
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a movement, a ring member, and an hour plate. Upward engagement convex portions of the ring member have contact parts placed near an outer peripheral surface of the ring member. The hour plate has a plurality of interposition portions and a plurality of convex portion accommodation grooves opened to the peripheral surface thereof. The interposition portions divide the convex portion accommodation grooves, come into close contact with the contact parts in the state of being elastically deformed, and interpose the engagement convex portions therebetween along a direction perpendicular to a radial direction of the ring member. The convex portion accommodation grooves are housed in the respective engagement convex portions, and the hour plate is attached to the ring member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Inventor: Haruki HIRANUMA
  • Patent number: 8272778
    Abstract: A bezel member rotatably mounted to a case band member is provided with an accommodating groove, a pair of passing portions continuous with the accommodating groove at positions spaced apart by approximately 180°, and a pair of escape grooves continuous with both passing portions from the center side of the bezel member and open to the exterior of the case band member. The case band member is provided with engagement grooves arranged in a ring-like fashion so as to be opposed to the accommodating groove, and a ring-like reception groove surrounded by the engagement grooves and continuous with the engagement grooves. A lock member retains the bezel member at an arbitrary rotating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20120236693
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a movement contained in a timepiece exterior assembly. A panel is fixed onto the movement. Upward engagement convex portions having pressing portions in upper portions thereof are formed in a plurality of locations of the ring member, and a ring member is fixed to the peripheral portion of the movement. A display plate has a plurality of reception portions in a peripheral portion thereof with which the pressing portion comes into contact from above. The reception portions are vertically interposed by an upper surface of the ring member and the pressing portions, the display plate is attached to the ring member, and the panel is covered with the display plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventor: Haruki HIRANUMA
  • Patent number: 8235587
    Abstract: A portable device, such as a wristwatch, has a push-button that includes an engaging portion, and the push-button is mounted on a watch sheath. A locking member and a leaf spring are arranged on the watch sheath. The locking member is movable between a locked position in which the push-button is held at a predetermined position by engagement with the engaging portion and an unlocked position where operation of the push-button is allowed. The locking member is urged by the leaf spring toward the unlocked position. A circular operating ring surrounds an hour plate mounted on the watch sheath and the operating ring is rotatably mounted to the watch sheath from the front side. The movement of the locking member between the locked position and the unlocked position is interlocked with a rotating operation of the operating ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20120120777
    Abstract: A wristwatch includes a case formed of a glass and a back lid attached to a case body that has an annular receiving portion on an inner peripheral surface thereof. An inner frame is integrated into the case body by engaging an engaging portion of the inner frame with the annular receiving portion from the side of the back lid. A movement is supported inside the inner frame, and a plurality of resilient bodies are attached to the inner frame and project from the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame. The resilient bodies are clamped between the inner peripheral surface of the case body and the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame, and are resiliently deformed so as to match a gap between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventor: Haruki Hiranuma
  • Publication number: 20120120778
    Abstract: A wristwatch case includes a case body, an edge member, and a mounting ring. The case body has a circular fitting hole, an edge receiving surface, and an engaging surface. The edge member includes a cylindrical portion extending through the fitting hole, a cover portion, a male screw portion, and a receiving portion. The cover portion is provided on an outer periphery of the cylindrical portion that projects out of the case body and overlaps the edge receiving surface. The male screw portion is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion that is inserted into the case body. The receiving portion is formed on the cylindrical portion and receives a peripheral portion of a dial of the movement. The mounting ring is screwed onto the male screw portion and comes into contact with the engaging surface to fix the edge member to the case body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventor: Haruki Hiranuma
  • Publication number: 20110235476
    Abstract: To provide a portable timepiece in which water is not easily allowed to enter the timepiece exterior assembly with the completion of venting, the timepiece is equipped with a vent valve mounted to a timepiece exterior assembly. The vent valve is equipped with a valve body holder fixed to the timepiece exterior assembly, a ring-shaped packing supported by the holder and elastically deformable, and a valve body movable between a valve-closed position and a valve-open position. The valve body has a valve body shaft portion, a valve body head integral with this shaft portion, and an exhaust recess formed in the valve body shaft portion. The valve body shaft portion axially extends through the valve body holder while in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the packing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventor: Haruki Hiranuma
  • Publication number: 20110235477
    Abstract: To provide a portable timepiece whose vent valve construction is simple, in which the vent valve is not easily erroneously opened, and in which water is not easily allowed to enter the timepiece exterior assembly with the completion of venting. A wristwatch is equipped with a vent valve mounted to a timepiece exterior assembly. The vent valve is equipped with a pipe, a valve body, a retaining member, and packing formed of a seal material capable of elastic deformation. The timepiece exterior assembly is equipped with the pipe establishing communication between the interior and exterior thereof. The pipe has a valve seat surface, a stopper portion, and a male screw portion. The valve body is equipped with a valve body shaft portion inserted into the pipe, and a valve body head integral with this shaft portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventor: Haruki Hiranuma
  • Publication number: 20110228645
    Abstract: A timepiece is equipped with a movement (module), a solar cell panel, a ring member, and a dial (timepiece display plate). The panel is fixed to the module. The ring member is fixed to the peripheral portion of the movement. The ring member has, at a plurality of positions thereof, recesses, and a pair of engagement protrusions protruding upwardly from the bottom of each recess. The recesses are respectively open in an upper surface and the outer peripheral surface of the ring member. The pair of engagement protrusions form a gap G between them, and are capable of elastic deformation. A proximal portion of each engagement protrusion is situated below the upper surface of the ring member. The dial has cutouts at a plurality of positions of its peripheral portion. Each of these cutouts is engaged with each pair of engagement protrusions to cover the panel, and the dial is mounted to the ring member such that the peripheral portions of the cutouts cover the recesses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Patent number: 7976214
    Abstract: A portable watch has a watch case body having front and back sides. A time display portion is disposed at the front side of the case body for displaying time. The back side of the case body has a lid-receiving surface and a concavity that opens at the lid-receiving surface. A back lid is disposed on the lid-receiving surface to close the interior of the watch case body from the back side thereof, and the back lid has marking indicia and a projection that engages with the concavity in the back side of the watch case body to position the back lid in a predetermined position in which the marking indicia align with the 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock direction of the time display portion. A holding ring is threaded onto the watch case body with the back lid clamped therebetween to removably attach the back lid to the watch case body while maintaining the back lid in the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Patent number: 7909503
    Abstract: A portable timepiece has a timepiece movement disposed in a case band. A pipe extends through and is attached to the case band and has a male screw portion on a part of the pipe that extends outside the case band. A crown has a crown head and a crown shaft, and the crown head has a female screw portion threadedly engaged with the male screw portion and disengageable therefrom in response to rotation of the crown head in a loosening direction accompanied by axial movement of the crown head in a direction away from the case band. The crown shaft has one end portion that extends into the pipe and is connected to a hand setting stem of the timepiece movement and another end portion that extends outside the case band beyond the pipe and slidably contacts an inner peripheral surface of the crown head to support the crown head and guide the axial movement thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Haruki Hiranuma
  • Publication number: 20110051564
    Abstract: A portable timepiece has a timepiece exterior assembly having a case band containing a movement having a one-way clutch transmitting rotation to wind up a mainspring to the mainspring and preventing transmission of rotation to rewind the mainspring to the mainspring, and a winding stem, a winding stem pipe with a male screw portion arranged outside the case band being fixed to the case band, a crown connected to the winding stem being detachably brought into the male screw portion, an engagement end surface of the crown being brought into contact with a lock surface of the case band to maintain the crown in a lock state. The portable timepiece is characterized in that when placing the crown in the lock state, the crown is rotated in a direction opposite to the winding-up direction of the mainspring, and when releasing the lock state to wind up the mainspring, the crown is rotated in the same direction as the mainspring winding-up direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20110051571
    Abstract: A wristwatch is equipped with a timepiece exterior assembly, a valve member, a coil spring, and seal members. A pipe provided in the exterior assembly so as to establish communication between the interior and exterior thereof has seal surfaces and escape portions. The valve member is equipped with a valve member shaft portion inserted into the pipe and exhibiting a detachment preventing portion to be caught by a pipe edge portion from the outside of the exterior assembly, and a valve member head portion arranged inside the exterior assembly. The spring, which urges the valve member toward the inner side of the exterior assembly, is provided between the valve member head portion and the timepiece exterior assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20110051570
    Abstract: A wristwatch is equipped with a timepiece exterior assembly, an exhaust button, a coil spring, and seal members. A pipe provided in the exterior assembly so as to establish communication between the interior and exterior thereof has seal surfaces and escape portions. The button is equipped with a shaft portion inserted into the pipe and exhibiting a detachment preventing portion to be caught by a pipe edge portion from within the exterior assembly, and a button portion depressed from the outside of the exterior assembly. The spring, which urges the button in an anti-pushing-in direction, is provided between the button portion and the timepiece exterior assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Patent number: 7815365
    Abstract: A diver's watch includes a timepiece exterior assembly including a movement, a hand setting stem pipe, a crown for operating the movement, and a cover pipe. A locking face is formed at an outer peripheral portion of a case body provided to the timepiece exterior assembly. The hand setting stem pipe is fixed to the case body and includes a pipe side screw portion. The crown includes a crown cylinder inserted to inside of the hand setting stem pipe, and a crown head integral with the crown cylinder. The crown head is formed with a crown side screw portion attachably and detachably screwed to the pipe side screw portion, and an engaging end face brought into contact with and separated from the locking face. The cover pipe is arranged to be more proximate to the crown cylinder than the engaging end face. Thereby, the hand setting stem pipe is covered by the cover pipe and the covered state is maintained regardless of a movement in an axial direction of the crown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20100220560
    Abstract: A bezel member rotatably mounted to a case band member is provided with an accommodating groove, a pair of passing portions continuous with the accommodating groove at positions spaced apart by approximately 180°, and a pair of escape grooves continuous with both passing portions from the center side of the bezel member and open to the exterior of the case band member. The case band member is provided with engagement grooves arranged in a ring-like fashion so as to be opposed to the accommodating groove, and a ring-like reception groove surrounded by the engagement grooves and continuous with the engagement grooves. A lock member retains the bezel member at an arbitrary rotating position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20100142332
    Abstract: A wristwatch having a lid marking on a back lid which is screwed into a body is predicted. The body includes a lid mounting portion, and a lid receiving portion includes a thread and lid receiving surface on the side of an interior of the body with respect to the thread. The back lid includes a lid plate superimposed on the lid receiving surface and a holding ring. The lid plate includes an annular projection on a peripheral surface thereof and the lid marking on the front surface thereof. The holding ring includes a thread screwed in the thread. The holding ring is mounted on the lid mounting portion by screwing the both threads, and an annular projection is clamped between the ring and the lid receiving surface to fix the lid plate. A detent portion is provided on the lid mounting portion. An engaging portion to be engaged with the detent portion is provided on the lid plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Publication number: 20100142333
    Abstract: In a wristwatch (portable device), a push button (push-pull operating member) includes an engaging portion, and the push button is mounted on a watch sheath (watch outer sheath). A locking member and a leaf spring (urging member) are arranged on the watch sheath. The locking member is movable between a locked position in which the push button is held at a predetermined position by the engagement with the engaging portion and an unlocked position where an operation of the push button is allowed. The locking member is urged by the leaf spring toward the unlocked position. A circular operating ring surrounding an hour plate (display portion) mounted on the watch sheath is rotatably mounted to the watch sheath from the front side. The invention is characterized in that the movement of the locking member between the locked position and the unlocked position is interlocked with a rotating operation of the operating ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai
  • Patent number: 7614785
    Abstract: A timepiece has a case body and a bezel rotatably and detachably connected to the case body. A ring-shaped guide groove formed in the bezel opposes a ring groove formed in the case body, and a plurality of holding members are slidable in the guide groove into and out of the ring groove to respectively prevent and permit detachment of the bezel from the case body. A plurality of operating screws are screwed into the bezel from an outer side thereof and are rotatably connected at their front end portions to respective holding members. Rotation of the operating screws in tightening and loosening directions moves the holding members into and out of the ring groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Kazutaka Imai, Koremoto Takeda
  • Patent number: 7591582
    Abstract: A watch is offered in which the life of the threadedly engaged portion between the stem pipe and the crown can be improved and which has an internal thread capable of being machined relative to the crown easily and accurately. The watch is based on a watch in which the crown is threadedly locked to a stem pipe mounted to a barrel. The stem pipe has a barrel outside protruding portion provided with an external thread. The crown has a crown shaft and a crown ring having an internal thread removably threaded to the external thread, the ring being connected to the crown shaft. The crown shaft has a barrel insertion cylindrical portion which is smaller in diameter than the crown ring and inserted in the stem pipe and a ring connection portion mounted integrally with this cylindrical portion and connected to one end portion of the crown ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Haruki Hiranuma, Nobukazu Omori