Patents Examined by Edwin A. Léon
  • Patent number: 11942285
    Abstract: An electronic device has a keyboard with an internal membrane. The membrane has a set of strain gauges configured to respond to a key press, such as when a collapsible dome collapses into contact with the membrane. The strain gauges are connected in a half Wheatstone bridge configuration and are positioned on the membrane in order to limit effects of temperature and subtle flexure of the membrane. The strain gauges are also configured to magnify detection of a resistance differential when a keycap is pressed with sufficient force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Chia Chi Wu, Michael Vosgueritchian, Ming Gao, Nan Chen, Vyom Sharma, Wenhao Wang
  • Patent number: 11940760
    Abstract: A moon phase display mechanism driven by a horological movement, this moon phase display mechanism including a transparent support provided with an upper face and a lower face which extends at a distance from the upper face, a representation of the Moon being transferred, for example by printing or by engraving, to one of the upper or lower faces of this transparent support, a substrate being disposed under the transparent support, at a distance therefrom, the moon phase display mechanism also including a shutter which is driven by drive means moved by the horological movement and which is arranged so as to displace between the transparent support and the substrate, the shutter and the substrate having display contrasts which are inverted relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Blancpain SA
    Inventors: Nicolas Debaud, Bernat Monferrer, Pierpasquale Tortora, Cédric Blatter
  • Patent number: 11940763
    Abstract: There is provided a display assembly for a wearable device, the display assembly comprising: a solar cell layer; and a touch sensor layer, wherein the solar cell layer is arranged above the touch sensor layer, wherein the solar cell layer comprises photovoltaic material arranged at an edge region of the display assembly leaving a uniform central region of the touch sensor layer uncovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Suunto Oy
    Inventors: Ari Hurtta, Tapio Savolainen, Kari Mäkeläinen
  • Patent number: 11934150
    Abstract: A horological movement includes a resonator and an escapement wheel with flexible teeth, and an anchor formed of two mechanical pallets capable of abutting, when the anchor switches between its two rest positions, with any one of the flexible teeth depending on the angular position of the escapement wheel. Each flexible tooth is arranged to bend by undergoing an elastic deformation under a radial force that can be exerted by one of the two mechanical pallets abutting against this flexible tooth while the escapement wheel has an unfavourable angular position and the resonator is braked by the anchor. Each tooth has an elastic capacity to elastically absorb, in a radial direction, most of a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator may have during normal operation of the horological movement, to avoid breakage or deterioration of the escapement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Gianni Di Domenico, Gérard Surmely, Marc Stranczl
  • Patent number: 11934154
    Abstract: A timepiece includes three types of decorative plates. A first type of decorative plate includes numbers from 1 to 12 indicative of time in hours and is rotatable around a central axis of the time piece. A second type of decorative plate includes a plurality of second type of plate pieces collectively rotatable relative to the first type of decorative plate and each rotatable around its respective axis. The third type of decorative plate includes a plurality of third type of plate pieces collectively rotatable relative to the central axis of the timepiece and each movable radially with respect to the central axis of the timepiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO TIME CREATION INC.
    Inventor: Toyonori Muraji
  • Patent number: 11936322
    Abstract: System for driving motors for operating switching units, in particular for an electrical supply substation, comprising control units for controlling the motors, wherein the control unit comprises, to have only one of the motors in operation at a time, a device for managing the priority of operation of the motors which is provided with a first line, referred to as the parallel line, carrying a binary datum comprising a first state representative of the stopping of all of the motors and a second state representative of the operation of any one of the motors, to which the units are connected in parallel, the parallel line being connected to a device for preventing/allowing the starting of the motor of each of the units and a second line, referred to as the series line, to which the units are connected in series in an upstream/downstream chain, the series line constituting a means for preventing the operation of the motors downstream of the any one of the motors on detection of a signal for starting the any one o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
    Inventor: Christophe Mollier
  • Patent number: 11936140
    Abstract: A radio frequency connector with high transmission performance includes a male terminal and a female terminal which are plugged and matched with each other, wherein both the male terminal and the female terminal further includes shielding cases which include convex parts for isolating two signal terminals; and the shielding cases of the male terminal and the female terminal are matched and connected, and the two convex parts are matched with each other. An electromagnetic shielding case is formed and an isolation cavity for shielding signals is formed, so that signals transmitted by the radio-frequency connector will not be disturbed by external signals or internal signals, and the transmission stability of the signals in the radio-frequency connector is guaranteed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: SUNWAY COMMUNICATION (JIANGSU) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yule Su, Stanley Wang, Ren-Chih Li
  • Patent number: 11934151
    Abstract: Exemplary arrangements relate to a universal world timepiece such as a clock having a movement (11) in connection with indicators such as hands (16, 18, 20). The timepiece includes a stationary oriented 24-hour clock face (101, 301, 401, 501) including hour marks for each hour, and a dial (103, 303, 403, 503) which is movable relative to the 24-hour clock face. The example dial has a unique icon such as a different Latin letter for each hour of the 24 hours. A computer (10) of the timepiece may operate to determine geographic coordinates and/or or to receive wireless time signals and to determine the time zone in which the timepiece is currently located. The computer operates to cause the dial to be rotatably positioned responsive to the time zone determination, to cause a particular icon to be linearly aligned with a particular hour mark of the clock face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Inventor: Hussam Hebbo
  • Patent number: 11927922
    Abstract: A coiling limitation device for a timepiece barrel includes at least one non-return notch arranged to cooperate with a sliding flange of the spring of the barrel, which is integrated in a watch including a resonator cooperating with an escapement mechanism. This device includes an acoustic device for the acoustic monitoring of the coiling of the barrel of a watch positioned on a receptacle included by the device, which acoustic devices are arranged to identify a click noise during each start of cooperation between the sliding flange and a notch. The device includes piloting devices arranged to stop the coiling of the barrel at the instant of the perception of the click noise or the repetition of the click noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jérôme Favre, Jean-Jacques Born, Nakis P. Karapatis, Michel Willemin, Jean-Claude Martin
  • Patent number: 11927920
    Abstract: Disclosed is a case including a first compartment capable of accommodating a first device, possibly associated with a first display, the first compartment being delimited by at least a first wall delimiting a first opening and a first bottom integral with or capable of being fixed to the first wall. The case includes a second compartment which is removable with respect to the first compartment and which is delimited by at least one second wall and a second bottom which is integral with or capable of being fixed to the second wall and which extends along or parallel to a plane forming an obtuse angle with an extension plane of the first wall and/or the first bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: IMERIUM SÀRL
    Inventor: Bernard Schenk
  • Patent number: 11925209
    Abstract: There is provided an aerosol generating device including: an aerosol generating material delivery element configured to absorb an aerosol generating material stored in the cartridge; a heating element configured to heat the aerosol generating material; a support that includes a through-hole and accommodates the heating element and the aerosol generating material delivery element such that an end of the heating element passes through the through-hole and is exposed to an outside of the support; and a connector comprising a terminal providing power, and coupled to the support such that the end of the heating element contacts the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: KT&G CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jong Sub Lee, Kyung Moon Ji
  • Patent number: 11927916
    Abstract: For example, an escape gear wheel part as a watch component includes a base member including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the base member being mainly composed of silicon, and a light reflecting layer provided at the first surface of the base member, the light reflecting layer having a three-layer structure in which a first silicon oxide layer, a silicon layer, and a second silicon oxide layer are layered in this order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Miyashita
  • Patent number: 11927917
    Abstract: The horological movement includes a mechanical resonator and an escapement including an escapement wheel, which has a plurality of teeth, and an anchor formed by a stick and two arms having respectively two mechanical pallets likely to come into contact, when the anchor is subject to an alternative movement, with any of the teeth according to the angular position of the escapement wheel. To avoid damage to the escapement during rocking of the anchor while the escapement wheel is positioned in an unfavourable angular position, the anchor is arranged, during the rocking of this anchor, to be able to bend being subjected to an elastic deformation. The anchor has an elastic capacity between each of the two mechanical pallets and a fork of the anchor, enabling it to absorb elastically, during the elastic deformation, a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator can have during the normal functioning of the horological movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Gianni Di Domenico, Dominique Lechot, Marc Stranczl, Benoît Légeret
  • Patent number: 11927918
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mechanism for displaying an information for a timepiece, comprising a mobile (10) intended to be driven in rotation by the movement of the timepiece about a display axis (17), a satellite (20) pivoted on the mobile (10) about a satellite axis (27) parallel to the display axis (17) and remote from a non-zero distance d1 thereof, a display area (80), an indicator (50) secured to the satellite (20) and the position of which relative to the display area (80) provides the information, and a crown (30) centered on the display axis (17) and kinematically connected to the satellite (20). The mechanism is particular in that the indicator (50) is located at a distance d2 from the satellite axis (27), which is greater than or equal to the distance d1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Manufacture D'Horlogerie Audemars Piguet SA
    Inventors: Gilles Rey-Mermet, Sylvain Cornibé
  • Patent number: 11921465
    Abstract: An electronic watch including an exterior case including an opening, a crystal disposed in the opening, an hour hand and a minute hand that indicate the time of day, a dial including an indicium, a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure, and a controller configured to determine a water depth based on the output from the pressure sensor, indicate the water depth with the hour hand, and indicate an elapsed time with the minute hand, the elapsed time being time elapsed after the predetermined water depth value is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshinori Nakazawa
  • Patent number: 11921460
    Abstract: A device (100) for display of an indication of the time or derived from the time includes: a first display mobile unit (10) including a first toothing (11b), a second toothing (11c) and a first disk (12) carrying digits (13) intended to indicate the units of indication of time or derived from time; a second display mobile unit (20) including a third toothing (21b), a fourth toothing (21c) and a second disk (22) carrying digits (23) intended to indicate the tens of indication of time or derived from time; and a mechanism (90) for driving the first and second mobile that includes a command mobile unit (30) including a fifth toothing (30a) adapted to cooperate by obstacle, in particular by meshing, with the first and third toothings, and a second command mobile unit (40) including a sixth toothing (40a) adapted to cooperate by obstacle with the second and fourth toothings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: ROLEX SA
    Inventor: Pierre-Alain Graemiger
  • Patent number: 11921463
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a case body configured to accommodate a movement, and a rotating bezel attached to the case body. The rotating bezel includes a bezel body having an annular shape, and a display plate detachably attached to the bezel body. An engagement protrusion protruding toward the bezel body and being continuous in a circumferential direction is provided at the display plate. A plastic gasket having an annular shape is disposed between the bezel body and the engagement protrusion. A first recessed portion is provided in an outer circumference of the display plate. A second recessed portion is provided in the engagement protrusion of the display plate so as to correspond to a position of the first recessed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichiro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11921464
    Abstract: A timepiece according to an embodiment enables a crown to be rotated even when it is locked, using a structure that does not cause constraints of design. The timepiece includes an outer case having a movement therein, the outer case having a crown hole through a portion thereof, an engagement member connected to the outer case, and a crown. The crown includes a shaft part inserted into the crown hole and connected to the movement, an operation part holding the shaft part movably along an axial direction of the shaft part and enabling the shaft part to rotate in a circumferential direction, and an engagement part disposed between the engagement member and the operation part and restricting movement of the operation part in the axial direction when engaged with the engagement member, the engagement part rotatably holding the operation part whether or not engaged with the engagement member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Yahara
  • Patent number: 11921467
    Abstract: A watch includes a crystal oscillator, a controller including an oscillation circuit configured to cause the crystal oscillator to oscillate, wiring that couples the crystal oscillator with the controller, and the crystal oscillator, a storage container that stores the crystal oscillator, the wiring, and the controller, and an outer case that stores the storage container, in which the crystal oscillator and the controller are placed side by side inside the storage container in plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeaki Seki, Yutaka Yamazaki, Atsushi Miyazaki, Toshiya Usuda
  • Patent number: 11923635
    Abstract: A protective cover protects a connector coupling portion which is an electrical connection between an on-vehicle sensor to be mounted on a vehicle body component and a wiring. This protective cover includes a protection portion and a fixing portion. The protection portion covers the connector coupling portion at which a sensor-side connector which is provided on the on-vehicle sensor side and which extends in an extending direction is coupled to a wiring-side connector which is provided on the wiring side and which is to be coupled to the sensor-side connector while moving relatively with respect to the sensor-side connector in a coupling direction opposite to the extending direction. The fixing portion is integrally provided with the protection portion so as to be fixed on the on-vehicle sensor side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kawashima, Taketo Harada, Keisuke Ueda