Abstract: A timepiece push-button structure comprising a spring member composed of tongue portions interconnected by a connection portion, each tongue portion being bridge-shaped so that the central portion is raised while both end portions of the central portion abut against a pressure conductive rubber holder, each tongue portion further including a substantially centrally located arcuate notch and a bifurcation extending therefrom. A push-button having a groove is adapted to engage said notch, and a pressure conductive rubber is adapted for the application of pressure and disposed directly below the push-button.

Abstract: A case is disclosed for containing an electronic watch module of the type having a display face and internal function switches manually operable by means of externally protruding depressible control buttons. The case includes a base component defining an open cavity for receiving the watch module, and a cover component with a window. Fasteners are employed to assemble the cover component to the base component at a position overlying the watch module, with the module display face visible through the cover window. Access openings in the assembled combination of the base and cover components are aligned with the module control buttons, and a spring is interposed between the module and the base component to resiliently urge the module into a fixed position within the case. The control buttons are concealed behind depressible spring contact sections which protrude outwardly through the access openings to provide a neat decorative appearance.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises commutating means 10 operated by the rotation in one direction or the other of the watch spindle 1, which rotation produces trains of commutation pulses that are phase-displaced with respect to each other. The watch circuit produces from the trains of commutation pulses a signal indicating the direction of rotation of the spindle and produces selection or correction pulses. The commutating means comprise two cams 2, 3 mechanically coupled to the rotatable spindle 1, angularly displaced one with respect to the other and arranged to actuate two resiliently flexible strips 4, 5 which are fixed at one of their free ends and the other free ends of which are alternately brought into contact with and removed from respective fixed contacts 7, 8. The watch circuit can include means for rendering ineffective a predetermined number of selection pulses at the beginning of the rotation of the spindle in one direction or the other.

Abstract: In an electronic timepiece the digital display of time functions is corrected by the manipulation of a multi-contact rotary switch. Rotation of the switch in one direction corrects one displayed function, e.g., hours and minutes, and rotation of the switch in the other direction corrects another displayed function, e.g., day and date. The rate of display correction is responsive to the rate of switch rotation. Rotational direction is electronically determined by detecting which contact in the rotary switch is the first to close. Rate of switch rotation is determined by measuring the time required in cyclic actuation of the rotary switch contacts.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece including an external member which by linear and rotating motion actuates three switch functions, comprises circuits to correct for inadvertent improper sequencing in actuation of the external member. A counter-timer discriminates between inadvertent actuations occurring at abnormally short time intervals and normal actuations at longer intervals, and in cooperation with memory circuits, restores conditions which have been inadvertently altered.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical pulse generator for producing electronic pulses to set or correct the readout of an electronic digital display. Two contact assemblies rotatable relative to one another cooperate to close at least two pairs of electric contact elements to produce at least two pulses. The pulses have a phase shift relative to one another which is dependent upon the direction of relative rotation of the contact assemblies and a frequency which is proportional to the speed of rotation. Control logic determines the phase shift of one pulse relative to another, i.e. lead or lag, and causes an UP-DOWN counter to produce an up-count or down-count accordingly.

Abstract: A single external stem member of an electronic timepiece operates independent switches by push-pull motions and by a rotary operation. Many functions are controlled or adjusted with signals generated by particular sequential combinations of stem member operations in the push-pull and rotary modes. In an alarm timepiece, the rotary switch controls the alarm time setting, and the push-pull switch determines whether an audible alarm and hour markers are to sound, no sounds are to be emitted, or only the alarm is to sound.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece including timekeeping means, an electro-optical time display, and a circuit for setting the display is disposed within an electrically conductive case and an electrically conductive, optically transmissive face cover. A battery is coupled to energize the timekeeping means continuously and the display setting circuit selectively. The electrically conductive face cover and the electrically conductive case are insulated from one another and constitute electrodes of a switching circuit for selectively connecting the battery to energize the display circuit. The battery is electrically connected in series with the conductive case and display circuit, and the display circuit is electrically connected in series with the conductive face cover and battery, whereby the display circuit may be selectively energized by simultaneously contacting the exterior conductive surfaces of the face cover and case with a conductive body disposed outside of the case.

Abstract: A plurality of mechanical switches in an electronic timepiece having a timepiece circuit which performs frequency division and which has a plurality of terminals for controlling frequency division within the timepiece circuit according to external connections made to the plurality of terminals. The plurality of mechanical switches includes at least one rotary switch. The plurality of mechanical switches is connected to the timepiece circuit terminals for making a number of different external connections to the terminals which exceeds the sum of the different possible switch settings of the respective individual switches of the plurality of mechanical switches.

Abstract: A manually-actuated contact switch arrangement for an electronic watch in which an electronic circuit board is mounted on a base plate fitted within a case, the board having a contact extending therefrom which when electrically connected to the case completes a circuit effecting a command or setting function. The arrangement includes a return spring anchored on the base plate. A section of the free end portion of this spring is received in a transverse groove in a push member displaceably seated within a bore in the case whereby the spring imposes an initial tension on the member to maintain it at a predetermined rest position. By depressing the spring-biased push member, the free end of the spring is caused to engage the contact to close the circuit.

Abstract: A switch structure for an electronic timepiece including a multi-position external operational member is provided. The structure includes a click lever and a switch lever, each operationally engaged with the external operational member. Rotation of the external operational member pivots the switch lever for making a first switching connection. Axial displacement of the external operational member shifts the switch lever for making a second switching action upon operation of the external operational member. In a digital electronic timepiece including the switch structure, adjustment of time may be made when the click lever is in a first position and a calendar adjustment may be made once the click lever is in a second position.

Abstract: Touch sensitive key switches of an electronic watch which control functions of the watch such as time setting, are gated to reduce the power consumption of the watch. The key switches are capacitive and are fed signals derived from the time standard oscillator of the watch. A change in the key switch signals when the switches are touched by the user activate the time setting functions. Gates are provided coupling the signals derived from the oscillator to the key switches so that the signals are applied to the key switches either under control of the user or during repetitive time periods, reducing the time the signals are applied to the key switches and the power necessary to continuously supply such signals to the key switches.

Abstract: A click mechanism for a timepiece winding stem comprises a plurality of circumferential grooves axially spaced along the length of the winding stem, and a detent spring resiliently engageable within respective ones of the grooves to retain the winding stem in the desired axial operating position and enabling manual axial movement of the winding stem between different operating positions with a click action. The detent spring has an elongate portion which extends in side-by-side relationship along the length of the winding stem, and a detent portion connected to the elongate portion for engagement with the winding stem grooves. The thickness of the detent spring is no greater than the thickness of the winding stem and by arranging the two in side-by-side relationship, a thinner timepiece can be formed than would be possible if the detent spring extended above or below the winding stem.

Abstract: A touch sensitive device for controlling a function of a timepiece is formed with a condenser having a capacity independent of the area of the device touched. A conductive stem is fixed in a timepiece case and is electrically insulated from the case by a mounting member. A head is fixed on an end of the stem adjacent the outside of the timepiece to form one of the condenser electrodes. A thin layer of insulating material covers the outside of the head and forms the condenser dielectric. A layer of conductive material is fixed on a side of the dielectric material opposite the head and forms the second condenser electrode. When the second electrode is energized by the touch of the user, the entire second electrode is energized independent of the area touched by the user, giving the condenser a capacity independent of the area of the second electrode touched.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical watch for advancing the uncorrected watch indicating members to their correct time indicating positions, after a correction period during which one of the indicating members is adjusted and the advancement of the uncorrected members is interrupted. In regular operation, a pulsed signal at a normal frequency from a watch frequency divider drives a stepping motor to advance the indicating members. At the beginning of the correction period, the pulsed signal is switched from the stepping motor to a pulse counter which counts the pulses occurring during the correction period. After the correction period, the pulsed signal is switched back to the stepping motor and a number of signal pulses at a higher than normal frequency, equal to the count of the pulse counter are applied to the stepping motor to advance rapidly the uncorrected indicating members to their correct time indicating positions.