Patents Examined by Matthew Hwang
  • Patent number: 11977355
    Abstract: A spring (1) for a notching system, the spring including at least two elastic arms (11, 12), and a first toothset javomg first notching teeth (11a, 12a) disposed on each of the arms, the spring being designed such that, in a position in which one of the arms of the spring is not loaded, the arm is convex as seen from the top of the first notching tooth of this arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: ROLEX SA
    Inventors: Arthur Devillard, James Rejzner
  • Patent number: 11971687
    Abstract: A mechanical horological movement (1) including at least one barrel system (2) for driving a set of wheels and power reserve detector. The detector (10) includes a control wheel (3) disposed opposite the cage of the barrel system (2) and is rotated by a complementary wheel (8) at the differential output to determine a power reserve level. An aperture (13) has a first end (21) to define a complete charge of the barrel system and a second end (22) to define a complete discharge. A lever (4) is rotatably mounted about a lever axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the control wheel. A contact element (5) disposed in the aperture contacts the second end during a zero power reserve indication. A portion of the lever contacts a component of the movement to stop its operation when power reserve indication is at zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventors: Stephane Bachmann, Julien Saglini, Laurent Klinger, Baptist Wyssbrod
  • Patent number: 11960244
    Abstract: A timepiece (100) including a case (10) including a middle (1), the top part whereof is closed by a bezel (2) and the bottom part whereof is closed by a back (3), a horological movement (4) mounted against the middle (1) by means of a casing ring (5), wherein the casing ring (5) comprises at least two clippable parts (50, 51) which hold the horological movement (4), the two parts being inseparable once mounted against the middle (1) when closing the case (10) of the timepiece (100).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventor: Philipp Tschumi
  • Patent number: 11947318
    Abstract: A Dewar device for mechanical and/or functional components of a watch, this device including a wristlet, a case including a chamber wherein a case of the watch is capable of being disposed in such a way that a glass of this case is arranged facing a glass of a set of elements of the case defining this chamber, at least one fastening device fastening this watch case in this chamber of the case while maintaining it distant from all of the elements of the case defining this chamber, and a device for actuating at least one push button by the angular movement of a free end of at least one lever element of this device relative to the case, this at least one lever element having another end movably fastened to this case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Omega SA
    Inventors: Antoine Ummel, Serge Droz
  • Patent number: 11934152
    Abstract: A device for illuminating luminescent watch displays containing luminophore material, including a case arranged to receive at least one receptacle for receiving at least one watch, the device including a illuminating device arranged to light up the displays of each said watch. The illuminating device include a control device and a time base, and at least one light source capable of exciting said luminophore material for a pre-determined charge time, or corresponding to a wearing duration chosen by the user via a control device included in the device, and watch self-winding device, including at least one such illumination device, and universal device for winding and setting the hands of a watch, including such a watch self-winding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jérôme Favre, Cedric Nicolas
  • Patent number: 11934153
    Abstract: A mechanical horological bearing (1) intended to be arranged on a mechanical timepiece movement (10), the bearing (1) including, coaxial around a common rotation axis (D), at least one internal frame (4) and at least one external frame (5) forming a running track (20), as well as a plurality of wheels (12) sliding or rolling in the running track (20), during a relative movement between the internal frame (4) and the external frame (5) that guides them and wherein at least one of the internal frame (4) and external frame (5) is a dynamic frame, at least one structural part of the bearing (1) being produced from an elastic metal material with a high damping capacity, the damping factor of which is greater than 10%, preferably greater than 30%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Helfer, Sylvain Huot-Marchand
  • Patent number: 11934156
    Abstract: A clockwork column selector mechanism, including a mobile with columns protruding above a base surface separated by clearances, forming slots along a profile, arranged to, in certain positions of the mobile, enable the insertion of a feeler-spindle into a clearance in a transverse direction substantially normal to the profile and parallel to the reference surface, and to, in other positions of the mobile, stop a feeler-spindle on a transverse surface of a column, at least one column including an intermediate transverse stopping surface constituting a stop bearing surface of a feeler-spindle and enable a partial insertion of a feeler-spindle in the thickness of one the slot, and which is located, in a transverse direction, between the geometric envelopes of two end transverse surfaces transversely delimiting this column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Omega SA
    Inventor: Jérôme Favre-Bulle
  • Patent number: 11929640
    Abstract: A stator includes a magnetic plate material that has a main plate surface that is a surface to face a main plate of a movement when assembled to the main plate and that has a rotor accommodating hole formed in a part thereof; and a non-magnetic region that is made non-magnetic by applying chromium on the main plate surface around the rotor accommodating hole and irradiating the chromium with a laser from the main plate surface side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke Yamamoto, Shinji Kinoshita, Hitoshi Takeuchi, Tatsuya Omura
  • Patent number: 11927921
    Abstract: The main element 2 is connected to the mechanism of the movement, having parts 4, 5, by an arbor about which it can turn. To this end, it comprises an attachment 6 for fixing to the movement, which is for example formed by a small ring arranged in the opening 9 of the ring of the main element 2. The attachment 6 is thus composed of the same material as the main element and is arranged in the same plane. By virtue of the attachment 6, the winding mass can make a circular movement about the arbor, when it oscillates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventor: Loïc Oberson
  • Patent number: 11906934
    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 watch motor, and an OFF state in which the drive current is not supplied, a current detector that detects a current value flowing through the coil, a driver controller that controls the driver, a polarity switching controller that alternately switches a polarity of the drive current to a first polarity and a second polarity, a sampling controller that, at a sampling cycle, intermittently causes the current detector and the driver controller to operate, and a sampling cycle setting controller that detects a sampling cycle setting condition and changes the sampling cycle in at least two stages of a first cycle and a second cycle longer than the first cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 11892804
    Abstract: Disclosed is a timepiece mechanism which has a mobile including a tooth of a first type and a tooth of a second type, and a pawl that is intended to move the mobile by at least one step on each actuation and has a travel that is liable to move the mobile by two steps on each actuation. This timepiece mechanism has a correction mobile designed to define different paths of the pawl, depending on the state thereof, the pawl and the correction mobile being designed such that, on each actuation of the pawl: the pawl moves the mobile by one step; and the pawl moves the mobile by an additional step only when the correction mobile is in a predefined state and the tooth of the second type is situated along the travel of the pawl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: MANUFACTURE D'HORLOGERIE AUDEMARS PIGUET SA
    Inventor: Giulio Papi
  • Patent number: 11892806
    Abstract: An oscillating weight (I) with variable geometry for a timepiece mechanism has a first and a second part (10; 20), and an axis of rotation (40) shared by the first and the second part (10; 20). At least one part (10; 20) is arranged in order to oscillate about the axis of rotation. A differential mechanism (30) is connected to the first and to the second part (10; 20) so as to vary the position of one part relative to the other through a rotational movement of at least one of the parts about the axis of rotation (40). Owing to the presence of the differential mechanism (30), the user of the watch can vary the geometry of the oscillating weight (I) directly and therefore the position of its centre of gravity, and thus adapt it to their lifestyle (for example, sport mode, normal mode).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Guenat Sa Montres Valgine
    Inventors: Pedro De Oliveira, Frédéric Crettex
  • Patent number: 11880167
    Abstract: A sealing device (100) for a watch (200) configured to be inserted into a primary space (201) comprised in a middle part (210). The sealing device (100) includes an insertion organ (110) configured to be inserted into the primary space (201), a first sealing elements set (120) configured to seal the primary space (201) between the middle part (210) and the insertion organ (110), and a sealing elements set (140) configured to seal a secondary space (131) between a drive organ (130) and the insertion organ (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: MECO SA
    Inventors: Samuel Geiser, Rémy Thiry, Hervé Avril, Julien Bonenfant
  • Patent number: 11868090
    Abstract: On-demand horological display mechanism, including a plurality of primary mechanisms each capable of determining the value of a variable, and at least one actuator that can be maneuvered by a user for the selection of the display of the instantaneous values of a specific variable determined by one of the primary mechanisms, each display being performed by the cooperation of a moveable display including a hand or a disc, with a complementary display including at least one graduated index, where the display and/or the complementary display is common to all of the displays that the display mechanism may produce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventor: Alain Zaugg
  • Patent number: 11853015
    Abstract: A wrist-worn electronic device comprises a bezel, an antenna, and an aperture tuning network. The bezel is formed at least partially from electrically conductive material and positioned along a side wall of a housing of the device. The antenna includes a first aperture and a second aperture which are formed by various portions of the bezel. The antenna is configured to operate in one of two operating modes including a dual band mode in which the first aperture receives a first global navigation satellite system (GNSS) wireless signal at a first frequency band and the second aperture receives a second GNSS wireless signal at a second frequency band, and a single band mode in which the first aperture and the second aperture each receive the first GNSS wireless signal. The aperture tuning network has an adjustable configuration wherein adjustment of the adjustable configuration changes the operating mode of the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Inventors: Georgios Atmatzakis, Abu T. Sayem, Juhi H. Godhwani
  • Patent number: 11841688
    Abstract: The display device is arranged in a timepiece which includes a counting wheel and a manual control mechanism which is arranged to permit cyclical starting, stopping and resetting of the counting wheel. The display device includes an indicating member, a unit for moving the indicating member into a first predefined position when the counting wheel is being reset, a unit for moving the indicating member into a second predefined position, different from the first predefined position, when the counting wheel is being started, and a unit for permitting the indicating member to be moved into a reading position following stopping of the counting wheel, the reading position being determined by the position of the counting wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: PATEK PHILIPPE SA GENEVE
    Inventors: Anthony Krüttli, Nicolas Dehon
  • Patent number: 11835925
    Abstract: A timepiece rotating regulator mechanism for regulating the rotational speed of a mechanism subjected to the action of a motor device through a transmission device, including an oscillator mechanism indirectly connected to the transmission device by a movement transformation device including a connecting-rod-crank-handle system, with a crank-handle rotated about a crank-handle axis by the transmission device, and a connecting-rod angularly moveable on the one hand in relation to the crank-handle, and on the other hand in relation to an inertial mass that this oscillator mechanism includes, to ensure the maintenance of the oscillator mechanism by the energy supplied by the motor device, and to ensure the speed regulation of a train that the transmission device include in relation to the frequency of the oscillator mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Christophe Riedo
  • Patent number: 11815857
    Abstract: A horological movement provided with a generator and a circuit for regulating the frequency of rotation of this generator, the regulation circuit being arranged to be able to detect the zero crossings of an induced voltage generated in the stator by the rotating rotor and to generate first braking pulses which are triggered after zero crossings and each end before the induced voltage reaches a peak value, preferably before the rectified induced voltage reaches a power supply voltage provided by a power supply capacity. In addition, the regulation circuit is arranged so as to be able to further generate second braking pulses each of which occurs after detection of the end of a charging period of the power supply capacity during which the induced voltage reaches a peak value and each end before the induced voltage crosses zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Born, Philippe Sauvain, Stéphane Perrier, Olivier Matthey
  • Patent number: 11789406
    Abstract: A stop pawl for a horological movement, including a body provided on the periphery with a lug for latching with the toothing of a ratchet; a hub intended to cooperate freely in rotation with a fixed rod according to an angular displacement between an active position meshing the lug with the toothing of the ratchet and an inactive position, via intermediate positions; wherein the pawl includes at least one device for returning the pawl during its angular displacement, from the inactive position to the active position; and wherein the return device and the body are made in one piece. A horological movement and timepiece can include such a pawl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventor: Julien Christan
  • Patent number: 11762336
    Abstract: A system and method to determine angular movement of an arbor integral with a crown of a watch, the arbor being rotatable on itself in a longitudinal direction. The system includes a rotating reflector mounted on the arbor, and two emitter/detector pairs disposed on either side of the reflector, each including a light source for illuminating the reflector, and a light detector for receiving the light reflected on the reflector and for generating an electrical signal representative of the reflected light. A processor processes the electrical signals, and determines a parameter relating to the angular movement of the arbor. The rotating reflector is a cylinder of revolution and light absorption points are made on the circumference of an external cylindrical surface. When the reflector rotates in a regular manner and in the same direction of rotation, the representative electrical signal generated by each detector has a sinusoidal shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Pierpasquale Tortora, Vittorio Zanesco