Patents Examined by Kevin Andrew Johnston
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 11921461
    Abstract: The invention relates to an elastic retaining member (1) for fixing a timepiece component (2) on a support element (3), comprising an opening (5) into which said support element (3) can be inserted, the retaining member (1) comprising rigid arms (6) and elastic arms (7) defined between connection areas (9) contributing to ensure elastic clamping of the support element (3) in the opening (5) each rigid arm (6) being provided with two flat contact areas (8) of the retaining member (1) able to cooperate with corresponding convex contact portions (10) of the support element (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nivarox—FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Ivan Hernandez, Pierre Cusin
  • Patent number: 11921462
    Abstract: Timepiece calendar device (100) including a first display disk (1) for displaying dates having a first face (11) bearing date indications (10) and mobile about an axis (A), and a second display disk (2) for displaying days having a second face (21) bearing day indications (20) and mobile about the axis (A), the first and second disks being such that the first and second faces are coplanar, the second face being disposed around the first face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: ROLEX SA
    Inventor: Elvis Caron
  • Patent number: 11914327
    Abstract: A timepiece indexing element (10), coaxially cooperating with a component (20) including an indexing relief (30), including indexing parts (13) cooperating with this indexing relief (30) for their relative indexing in a plurality of indexing positions, and carried by first elastic arms (14) each including a first indexing surface (15), each first elastic arm (14) being arranged to exert a pushing force that is substantially radial relative to this component (20), and this indexing element (10) includes at least a first bearing surface (11) arranged, in the free state in a service position, to remain at a distance from a second complementary bearing surface (21) that a component (20) includes, and in the event of impact, to cooperate in abutment and/or guide bearing with the second complementary bearing surface (21), each first bearing surface (11) being carried by a second elastic bearing arm (40) cantilevered in the indexing element (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventor: Julien Saglini
  • Patent number: 11906930
    Abstract: An elastic retaining member for fixing a timepiece component on a support element includes an opening into which the support element can be inserted, and rigid arms and elastic arms defined between connection areas of the member. The rigid arms and the elastic arms are configured to ensure elastic clamping of the support element in the opening, each of the rigid arms being provided with a single flat contact area and configured to cooperate with a corresponding convex contact portion of the support element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Ivan Hernandez, Pierre Cusin
  • Patent number: 11906929
    Abstract: A detent escapement includes an escape wheel with teeth regularly spaced along a perimeter and a balance having an impulse pallet and receiving driving impulses via the teeth, the balance performing an alternation during which it receives a driving impulse and an alternation without a driving impulse, the detent escapement also including a hook pivotally mounted on the balance and held bearing by an elastic member against an abutment, the detent escapement including a pivotable detent which includes a first arm which collaborates with the escape wheel to block the latter before the start of the driving impulse, as well as a second arm to allow the escape wheel to disengage from its engagement with the first arm at the start of the driving impulse, and which limits the pivoting of this detent to only part of the oscillation of the balance, the detent being configured to again block the escape wheel after the latter has finished providing the driving impulse to the impulse pallet of the balance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Jérôme Macé, Benoît Légeret
  • Patent number: 11899403
    Abstract: A method (P1) for coding a solar time, called the initial solar time (Hs1), associated with a geographical location (Loc) and with a day (J1) of the year, wherein the method includes selecting SEL(Href, Nb1) a reference time (Href) and an initial number of bits (Nb1) as a function of the type of initial solar time (Hs), computing CALC(Nm1) a number of minutes (Nm1) separating the initial solar time (Hs1) and the reference time (Href), coding COD(Hs1) the number of minutes (Nm1) in the initial number of bits (Nb1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Thierry Bonnet, Jiri Husak
  • Patent number: 11899408
    Abstract: A pointer controller includes at least one processor; and a display that includes a pointer. The at least one processor is configured to control the display so as to display an elapsed time, switching between (i) a first display mode for display of the elapsed time cumulatively by causing, upon resumption of display, movement of the pointer that inherits a previous display time and (ii) a second display mode for display of the elapsed time non-cumulatively by causing, upon resumption of display, movement of the pointer that does not inherit the previous display time. The movement of the pointer controlled by the at least one processor is such that the first display mode and the second display mode differ from each other in a way of movement that indicates how the pointer moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoki Ishikawa, Shuto Oikawa, Hitoshi Tanaka, Chiharu Shiratori
  • Patent number: 11899405
    Abstract: An electronic watch includes a driver controlled to be in an ON state in which a drive current is supplied to a coil of a motor and an OFF state in which the drive current is not supplied to the coil, a target current value setter configured to set a target current value in accordance with a drive voltage for driving the motor, and a driver controller configured to compare a detected current value of a current flowing to the coil with the target current value, control the driver to be in the ON state or the OFF state in accordance with a result of the comparison, and switch polarity of the drive current when detecting that an ON time, which is a duration of the ON state of the driver, meets a predetermined condition or an OFF time, which is a duration of the OFF state of the driver, meets a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Inventor: Tomoki Okuhata
  • Patent number: 11892807
    Abstract: A method for measuring the medium frequency of a digital signal derived from a reference periodic signal generated by an electronic oscillator (quartz oscillator) forming a timepiece (2) which includes an analogue time display device and a continuous rotation electromechanical transducer (generator or continuous rotation motor) which is kinematically linked to this display device and wherein the medium rotational speed is regulated by a regulation device. The medium frequency of the digital signal is determined by a measurement device (70) without galvanic contact with the movement of the timepiece. The measurement method makes it possible to determine the rate of the timepiece and the precision of the electronic oscillator based on regulation impulses detected by a magnetic sensor (72) and over a measurement period limited to the duration of an inhibition cycle of periods of the reference periodic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Born, Laurent Nagy
  • Patent number: 11874632
    Abstract: An optical device including a transparent support provided with an upper face and a lower face which extends at a distance from the upper face, the transparent support forming a lens of plano-concave shape delimited on a first side by a planar surface, and delimited on a second side, opposite the first side, by a concave surface, the optical device also including a shutter which is disposed under the concave surface of the transparent support, at a distance therefrom, the optical device finally including a substrate disposed after the shutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Blancpain SA
    Inventors: Pierpasquale Tortora, Cédric Blatter, Nicolas Debaud, Bernat Monferrer
  • Patent number: 11868092
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a mechanical movement with a mechanical oscillator and an electronic device for regulating the medium frequency of this mechanical oscillator. It includes an electromagnetic transducer and an electric converter which includes a power supply capacitor for powering the regulation circuit. The electromagnetic transducer is arranged to supply a voltage signal exhibiting first voltage lobes in first half-alternations and second voltage lobes in second half-alternations of the oscillations of the mechanical oscillator. The regulating device includes a load pump arranged to store momentarily electric loads which are extracted selectively in different time zones according to a time drift detected in the functioning of the mechanical oscillator relative to an auxiliary oscillator, particularly quartz-based. The electric loads extracted are rendered after a certain delay to the power supply capacitor also according to the time drift detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventor: Lionel Tombez
  • Patent number: 11868093
    Abstract: A method that is for manufacturing a timepiece provided with a personalized decoration, visible in particular when the timepiece is worn, includes constructing the timepiece and producing the personalized decoration on all or part of a body of the timepiece. Producing the personalized decoration includes selecting from a human-machine interface of an electronic device a single portion of a reference digital graphical representation, in particular of an ephemeral reference digital graphic representation, and applying a coating of decorative material on all or part of the body of the timepiece as a function of the descriptive characteristics of the selected single portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventor: Stefan Stark
  • Patent number: 11868089
    Abstract: An escape wheel serving as a watch component that constitutes a drive mechanism of a watch includes a tooth portion, and a base mainly composed of silicon. A contact surface where the tooth portion makes contact with another component includes a recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventors: Takeo Funakawa, Katsuo Takano
  • Patent number: 11860576
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a direct escapement mechanism (1) having an escape wheel (2) provided with a series of peripheral teeth (3), and an anchor (4), having an entry-pallet (10) and an exit-pallet (11) each having a locking plane (10p, 11p) and also having a fork (43). It also comprises a pin (6) which can be rigidly connected to a regulating organ (5) to cooperate at each alternation of said regulating organ (5) with the fork (43) of the anchor in order to unlock at least partially said anchor from the escape wheel (2) as well as at least one impulse pallet (9) which can be rigidly connected to said regulating organ (5) to cooperate with a tooth (3) of the escape wheel to transmit a direct impulse to said regulating organ (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Inventor: François Besse