Patents Examined by Sean Kayes
  • Patent number: 11782386
    Abstract: A twisted arbour barrel (1), including a barrel drum (2) provided with a housing, a spring arranged in the housing of the barrel drum (2), an arbour (4) at least partially passing through the housing, the spring being compressed by rotation of the arbour in a first direction of rotation (12), the arbour (4) being provided with a protruding end (9) of the drum (2), a ratchet (3) arranged on the drum (2), the ratchet (3) being configured to allow the rotation of the arbour (4) in the first direction of rotation (12), the protruding end (9) passing through the ratchet (3) through an opening (14) cooperating by interlocking with the protruding end (9), the protruding end (9) of the arbour (4) having a twisted shape around its axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventors: Julien Christan, Laurent Kaelin
  • Patent number: 11774917
    Abstract: An apparatus, intended for use in indicating time interval durations of particular events includes a computer system with a processing system having a hardware processor and a memory accessible to the processing system, a user interface controller under control of the processing system, and logic, under control of the processing system. The logic has modules that make up an application programming interface (API) for an ETMD to generate a display that has various regions including an ante meridiem events region and a post meridiem events region that share a common center. The API helps a calling program cause the display of arciforms to indicate the time duration of events. In various embodiments, the API accesses calendar databases of the user and collects event information, putting the events together into an aggregation database that the API accesses to retrieve events on a date, user, location, or other basis. Various implementations provide for the display or arciforms on a map or as a camera overlay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: SAMRAT SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Samrat Dudhat
  • Patent number: 11774914
    Abstract: A one-piece silicon device with flexible blades (2, 3), in particular for timepieces, for example a pivot with crossed blades, and to a method for manufacturing the device (1). The method includes: forming (21) a one-piece silicon device (1) blank from a wafer of the SOI type, the device (1) including two flexible blades (2, 3), each formed in a different layer of the SOI wafer, the blades (2, 3) being arranged in two different substantially parallel planes, the blades (2, 3) being separated by a clearance (7); growing a first silicon oxide layer on the surface of at least one of the blades (2, 3) bordering the clearance, the first silicon oxide layer being formed from a first sub-layer of silicon of the one or more blades (2, 3); and removing the first silicon oxide layer to increase the clearance (7) between the two blades (2, 3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Cusin, Alex Gandelhman
  • Patent number: 11774909
    Abstract: A horological display mechanism with an elastic hand (1) for driving, about a shaft (D), pipes mounted at the ends of a flexible blade (3), arranged to deform the flexible blade (3), including a mechanism acting on the drive train of the first pipe (2) and of the second pipe (4) and which includes two planetary wheels (82; 84) for driving the pipes (2; 4), and an input planet-carrier chassis (180) for driving the hand (1), and rotatable with a regulation cam (801), the track (802) of which includes a rising edge and falling edge. An elastic arm (803) has a distal end which cooperates with the track and a rising edge of which raises the elastic arm (803) away from the axis of the cam to consume torque, and a falling edge which makes the elastic arm move back towards the axis to restore torque to the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventor: Christophe Bifrare
  • Patent number: 11768465
    Abstract: A substrate for forming timepiece components includes a first part based on photostructurable glass and at least a second part based on at least one second material. One surface of the first part is made integral with a surface of the second part so as to form a one-piece timepiece component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Philippe Dubois, Thierry Hessler, Christian Charbon
  • Patent number: 11768466
    Abstract: A mechanism for adjusting a timepiece bridge fixed to a structure, including, coaxial and able to move one with respect to the other by sliding and/or rotation on a common axis, and returned one towards the other by an elastic return or clamping means, a first component fixed to the structure and a second component fixed to the bridge, the first component including a first relief facing a second relief that the second component includes, the first relief and the second relief having variable cooperation depending on the relative angular position between the first component and the second component, each the particular relative angular position defining a particular distance between reference surfaces of the first component and the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventor: Laurent Kaelin
  • Patent number: 11768471
    Abstract: Systems and methods to create a customized watch face and retrieve the watch face to be displayed are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may effectuate presentation of a selection interface; receive a mint request to mint the watch face in accordance with a watch face design; effectuate a transfer of consideration from a user wallet to an administrative wallet; mint the watch face; transfer a non-fungible token to the user wallet; receive a display request to display the watch face on a watch screen; determine whether the user wallet holds a non-fungible token associated with the watch face; responsive to the user wallet holding the non-fungible token, facilitate display of the watch face on the watch screen; responsive to the user wallet not holding the non-fungible token, take no action to facilitate display of the watch face on the watch screen; and/or perform other operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Watch Skins Corporation
    Inventors: Collin Knock, Justin Knock
  • Patent number: 11747770
    Abstract: A watch includes an hour hand having a first conductive portion and rotating about an hour hand shaft, a seconds hand having a second conductive portion and rotating at a rotational speed faster than that of the hour hand about a seconds hand shaft, which is coaxial with the hour hand shaft, and a planar inverted-F antenna disposed, in plan view viewed from a direction parallel to the hour hand shaft, at a position overlapping a rotation range of the first conductive portion and a rotation range of the second conductive portion, and receiving a radio wave, and when the planar inverted-F antenna receives a radio wave, a controller, after rotating the seconds hand and then stopping the seconds hand at a reception indication position, rotates the hour hand such that the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion overlap each other in the plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventor: Chisato Tezuka
  • Patent number: 11714386
    Abstract: An inertial mass with adjustment of inertia and/or unbalance for a horological resonator, including a plurality of mobiles for adjusting inertia and/or unbalance, toothed or fluted, each mounted pivotably about a mobile axis with respect to a flange that the inertial mass includes, and with a centre of mass off-centre with respect to this mobile axis, each mobile cooperating by meshing with an inertia and/or unbalance adjustment crown, toothed or fluted, under a permanent constraint exerted by an elastic return force exerted by the crown and/or the mobile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Born, Lionel Paratte, Gianni Di Domenico
  • Patent number: 11703811
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece prevents the internal time from shifting because time information for correcting the internal time cannot be received. The electronic timepiece includes: a timekeeper; a receiver; an operating device; an automatic reception controller; a time adjuster; and a reception setter configured to selectively set a first automatic reception prohibition mode that prohibits operation of the automatic reception controller and is cancelled by a single operation of the operating device, and a second automatic reception prohibition mode that prohibits operation of the automatic reception controller and is cancelled by a specific operation of the operating device that is different from the operation that cancels the first automatic reception prohibition mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Inventor: Toshihiro Mitani
  • Patent number: 11703812
    Abstract: A timepiece includes a clock circuit, a signal receiver configured to receive signals including time information, a processor configured to control a changing operation of changing a current time measured by the clock circuit based on the time information obtained from the signal receiver and controls a presenting operation of whether or not the changing operation is successful. The processor controls the changing operation based on a first flag indicating whether or not the signal receiver successfully receives the time information. The processor controls the presenting operation based on a second flag indicating whether or not the changing operation is successful within a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hayato Hori, Shuto Oikawa
  • Patent number: 11693366
    Abstract: A flexible guide for a rotary resonator mechanism, in particular of a horological movement, the guide including a first support, an element movable relative to the first support, a first pair of flexible strips connecting the first support to the movable element, so that the movable element can displace relative to the first support by bending the strips in a circular movement about a centre of rotation, the flexible guide being arranged substantially in a plane, including a prestressing device, the prestressing device being configured to apply a force for buckling the flexible strips by bringing the first support closer to the movable element, so that the flexible guide includes two stable positions of the element movable relative to the first support for which the return moment is zero, the two stable positions having a predetermined angle of rotation therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Pascal Winkler, Jean-Luc Helfer, Yves-Alain Cosandier
  • Patent number: 11693369
    Abstract: A method for controlling an electronic watch includes a first pointing hand, a first motor configured to move the first pointing hand, a second pointing hand, a second motor configured to move the second pointing hand, a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure, and a mode indication unit configured to indicate a mode, and when detecting start of diving based on a pressure measured by the pressure sensor, control is performed on the first motor and the second motor to indicate with the first pointing hand a water depth estimated from the pressure and indicate with the second pointing hand a time period of diving for which timing is started after detecting the start of diving, and when the water depth is indicated with the first pointing hand, with a plurality of modes with different indication resolutions being provided, the selected mode is indicated on the mode indication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Inventor: Eiichiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11687033
    Abstract: A self-winding mechanical horological movement including a pivotally oscillating weight, wherein the oscillating weight is provided with a decorative disc mounted on the oscillating weight and pivotally driven by the weight. The disc is fastened to a support that includes a stem inserted into a hole provided in the rotational shaft of the weight. The stem and the hole include non-circular section cylindrical portions corresponding with one another, so that the support and the disc are pivotally driven by the shaft. The disc forms a decoration that covers the entire surface of the movement, without requiring technical complexities. The disc can be free to undergo an axial movement in relation to the weight, so that the disc may be removed from the weight when the horological movement is dismantled from a watch case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Ivan Villar, Laurent Kaelin
  • Patent number: 11687043
    Abstract: A system (1) for resetting a chronograph is provided with a chronograph counting geartrain (2), which includes a minute counter having a minute wheel set (4), and a seconds counter, which includes a chronograph wheel set (3). The system includes a hammer held blocked by blocking device (11) and displaceable from an inactive position, where the hammer is blocked by the blocking device, and an active position, when the hammer is unblocked, for resetting the chronograph in contact with the various wheel sets (3, 4); a flexible element (10) connected between a reset controller (12) and the hammer for resetting the chronograph, and configured to store energy during a displacement of the controller and before unblocking the hammer blocked by the blocking device to be able, when the hammer is unblocked, to restore this stored energy and drive the hammer to reset the chronograph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Philippe Rochat
  • Patent number: 11681260
    Abstract: An electronic watch includes a power source, an electrostatic motor including a rotor in which a plurality of electret films are arranged in a rotational direction and a plurality of fixed electrodes arranged in the rotational direction at positions facing the rotor, a hand rotating in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor, and a motor control circuit controlling the electrostatic motor. The motor control circuit selectively executes a hand movement mode for rotating the hand and a stop mode for keeping the hand stationary. In the stop mode, the motor control circuit keeps the rotor stationary through electrostatic forces exerted on the electret films from the fixed electrodes with the polarities of the fixed electrodes maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshinari Maeda, Shogo Kimura
  • Patent number: 11675314
    Abstract: An electronic watch includes a navigation processor that perform navigation processing of causing a positioning processor to perform positioning processing, and calculating a distance to a destination based on current position information acquired by the positioning processing and destination position information, and also calculating a direction of the destination based on current position information, geomagnetism, and destination position information, and moreover causing a display unit to display the direction of the destination, and an operation device configured to case the navigation processor to start navigation processing when a predetermined operation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Nozawa
  • Patent number: 11675312
    Abstract: Timepiece regulator comprising a detached lever escapement mechanism, and a resonator with a quality factor Q including an inertia element including an impulse pin cooperating with a fork of the lever, subjected to the return force of two flexible strips attached to the plate, defining a virtual pivot having a main axis (DP), the lever pivoting about a secondary axis (DS), and the lift angle (?) of the resonator, during which the impulse pin is in contact with the fork, is less than 10°, and the ratio IB/IA between the inertia IB of the inertia element with respect to the main axis (DP) and the inertia IA of the lever with respect to the secondary axis (DS) is greater than 2Q·?2/(0.1·?·?2), where ? is the lift angle of the lever corresponding to the maximum angular travel of the fork.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Pascal Winkler, Jean-Luc Helfer, Gianni Di Domenico
  • Patent number: 11675317
    Abstract: A magnetic levitation device for levitating a marker or suspending the marker away from the device having a housing having an outer portion and a lower portion. The device has an electromagnetic configuration positioned on disc and the disc can move or rotate the marker at a constant or variable speed. The rotating disc is configured with the electromagnetic configuration and a gear assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: FLYTE, LLC
    Inventor: Simon Morris
  • Patent number: 11663854
    Abstract: Timing systems configured to be used with a computing device including an electronic display and a tilt sensor. The timing systems include a switch and computer executable instructions. The switch includes a base and a cradle. The cradle is pivotally mounted to the base and configured to support the computing device. The cradle is configured to pivot relative to the base between a first pivot position and a second pivot position. The computer executable instructions are stored on the computing device and include instructions for displaying a game timer on the electronic display of the computing device. The instructions include controlling the game timer in response to the tilt sensor detecting that the cradle has pivoted between the first pivot position and the second pivot position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Inventor: Tomislav Lakovic