Patents Examined by Sean Kayes
  • Patent number: 11586150
    Abstract: A watch formed by a mechanical movement incorporating a mechanical resonator, including a display displaying the actual time, a correction device formed by a device for detecting the passage of at least one hand through at least one reference time position and by an electronic correction circuit allowing an overall time error for the display to be determined, and a device for braking the mechanical resonator. The correction device is arranged such that it can correct the actual time displayed as a function of the overall time error (loss or gain) previously determined. For this purpose, the correction device is arranged such that the braking device can act on the mechanical resonator during a correction period to vary the running of the drive mechanism of the display, in order to correct the actual time displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Gérard Surmely, Matthias Imboden, Lionel Tombez
  • Patent number: 11586157
    Abstract: An electrical time measuring device, intended to conserve processor cycles and memory when used in indicating time interval durations, 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 user interface presented thereby has various regions including an ante meridiem events region and a post meridiem events region that share a common center. Arciforms indicate the time duration of events. In various embodiments, an arciform has a first start point in one of the regions and connected to an initial arc of points that are equidistant from the common center, and a final arc of points that are equidistant from the common center connected to a first end point in a different one of the regions, with a transition indicator linking the initial arc with the final arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: SAMRAT SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Samrat Dudhat
  • Patent number: 11567452
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece device including an electronic processing unit determining first, geolocation parameters and second parameters concerning the current legal standard time, and establishing local horizontal coordinates of the Sun from predetermined calculation rules stored in a memory of the electronic processing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Inventor: Marc Sauzay
  • Patent number: 11561144
    Abstract: An electronic device, such as a smart watch, incorporating a fluid-based pressure-sensing device is disclosed. The fluid-based pressure-sensing device includes an enclosure, a pressure sensor, a diaphragm and a sensing medium. The enclosure includes an opening and the pressure sensor is disposed inside the enclosure. The diaphragm hermetically seals the opening, and the sensing medium transfers a pressure exerted on the diaphragm to the pressure sensor. The sensing medium can be liquid oil filling a space of the enclosure, and the diaphragm is a polymer material. The pressure-sensing device may sense an environmental pressure, which may be used by the electronic device to modify its operations, change information that is displayed, and so on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Caleb C. Han, Brad G. Boozer, Mark G. Walsh, William S. Lee, Tongbi T. Jiang, Jun Zhai, Yun X. Ma, James G. Horiuchi, David MacNeil, Ashwin Balasubramanian, Wei Chen, Jie-Hua Zhao
  • Patent number: 11556092
    Abstract: A horological mobile component, including around an axis, a first element including a first shoulder and a second element including a second shoulder which cooperates by friction with a third shoulder that is included by a third element interposed between the first element and the second element, this third element includes a fourth shoulder cooperating by friction with the first shoulder or being driven onto this first shoulder, and the diameter of the third shoulder is at least double the diameter of the fourth shoulder, and the second element includes a main hollow defining at least two bearing surfaces each including one or two bearing sectors belonging to the second shoulder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Stéphane Bachmann, Christophe Cattin, Yves-Alain Cosandier, Laurent Kaelin
  • Patent number: 11550264
    Abstract: A system for adjusting the angular position of a first toothed wheel set relative to a support on which the first toothed wheel set is mounted such that it can pivot. The adjusting system includes an adjusting member allowing an action to be applied to an angular position of the first toothed wheel set so as to adjust the angular position of the first toothed wheel set relative to the support. A timepiece can include such an adjusting system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Daniel Matteazzi
  • Patent number: 11550263
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a balance spring intended to equip a balance of a horological movement, including a step of producing a blank made of a niobium and hafnium alloy including between 5 and 60 wt %, preferably between 5 and 30 wt %, and more preferably between 8 and 12 wt % hafnium, a step of annealing and cooling the blank, at least one step of deforming the annealed blank in order to form a wire. The method includes, before the deformation step, a step of depositing, on the blank, a layer of a ductile material chosen from the group consisting of copper, nickel, cupronickel, cupro-manganese, gold, silver, nickel-phosphorus Ni—P and nickel-boron Ni—B, in order to facilitate the wire shaping operation. A balance spring can be produced by the manufacturing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventor: Christian Charbon
  • Patent number: 11543779
    Abstract: A timepiece having a face member with a face surface that displays indicia that is representative of a sports player and the associated sports player sports environment; time hands that represent at least a seconds hand that has a rotatable position about a center axis of the face member; an object that is carried by a distal portion of the seconds hand; the face member depicting a net disposed at a predetermined location on the face surface with the object positioned so that it passes through the net as the seconds hand rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventor: Meridyth Mischel Webber
  • Patent number: 11537084
    Abstract: A timepiece movement includes a photovoltaic cell which is attached to the upper surface of a support plate, preferably by adhesive bonding. On the other side of the cell, on its lower surface, the support plate is provided with a plurality of nuts. An electrical module including a flat surface is attached to the support plate with the nuts. The module is provided with several openings whose position and dimensions correspond to those of the nuts, so that the nuts pass through the openings, allowing the flat surface of the module to be placed in contact with the support plate. The module is secured to the support plate by screws, screwed into the nuts. The connection via the nuts secures the photovoltaic cell to the electrical module and ensures shock resistance, without requiring a lateral support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Marc Schenk, Martin Jufer
  • Patent number: 11537080
    Abstract: A timepiece display mechanism with a resilient hand including a first and second device for driving, about an output axis, a first and a second pipe mounted at the ends of a flexible strip, and including a display index distant from the pipes, these drive devices being arranged to deform the flexible strip, by varying the angular position of one pipe with respect to the other about the output axis, and to vary the radial position of the display index with respect to this axis, this mechanism includes a first differential on the drive train of the first pipe, one input of which is formed by a first cam, and a second differential on the drive train of the second pipe, one input of which is formed by a second cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Christophe Bifrare, Alain Zaugg, Patrice Golay, Marc Stranczl
  • Patent number: 11537087
    Abstract: A method and device for determining a constant parameter of an inhibition value for adjusting the device operating frequency of a watch equipped with a quartz oscillator. The following steps are performed by a self-calibration circuit of the electronic watch device: from a first external pulse and a second external pulse received from a system external to the watch and separated by a measurement time, corresponding to a reference number of reference periods for a periodic calibration signal derived from the time-measurement signal and having a calibration frequency derived from the natural frequency of the quartz oscillator, determining a calibration parameter representative of a ratio between a calibration period and a reference period for the periodic calibration signal, and determining a constant inhibition parameter as a function of the calibration parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Francois Klopfenstein, Xavier Stehlin
  • Patent number: 11537085
    Abstract: A horological movement (6) including: a plate (7); a mechanical resonator (8) including an oscillating balance (11) rotatably mounted relative to the plate (7), and a spiral spring (22) coupled to the balance (11); an electromagnetic regulator (29) coupled to the mechanical resonator (8) to regulate the frequency of the oscillations of the balance (11), and including at least one permanent magnet (30) fixedly mounted relative to the plate (7), at least one coil (31), a quartz or silicon resonator (32) and an electronic circuit (33) connected to the resonator (32) and to the coil (31), all mounted on the balance (11) while being completely included in an inner cavity (18) delimited by the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Born, Paulo Bravo, Olivier Matthey
  • Patent number: 11537083
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece suppresses loss of power generating performance of a solar panel, and suppresses drop loss of antenna performance. The electronic timepiece has a pivot; a dial that transmits a light through which the pivot passes; an antenna having a radiating electrode through which the pivot passes; and a solar panel through which the pivot passes and which is disposed between the dial and the radiating electrode. The solar panel has a power generating part that converts light to electrical energy, and is disposed, in a plan view through the thickness direction of the dial, superimposed with the radiating electrode. Part or all of the outside circumference of the radiating electrode is disposed outside the power generating part in plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Inventor: Akihiro Sawada
  • Patent number: 11531304
    Abstract: A balance for a horological movement, including rigid parts constituted by a hub defining the pivot axis of the balance, at least one felloe sector, at least one arm connecting the at least one felloe sector to said hub, and including a slot for receiving and gripping in position an inertia-block, the slot opening into a housing delimited on the one hand by a rigid part of the balance, and on the other hand an elastic arm including a first end integral with a rigid part of the balance, and a second free distal end. The elastic arm can have a body of a non-constant section, a part of the body having a greater thickness than the rest of the elastic arm so as to have a larger volume of material under stress and store a maximum of elastic energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Ivan Hernandez, Pierre Cusin
  • Patent number: 11520293
    Abstract: A regulator device (200) for a watch movement has (a) an inertial element (11) of a resonator (10) of inertia I, pivoted about a first axis (A1) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D centered on the first axis; (b) an escapement mobile (30) of inertia I3, pivoted about a second axis (A3) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D3 centered on the second axis; and (c) a blocking member having (i) a first blocking lever mobile (20a) of inertia I2a, pivoted about a third axis (A2a) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D2a centered on the third axis; and (ii) a second blocking lever mobile (20b) of inertia I2b, pivoted about a fourth axis (A2b), inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D2b centered on the fourth axis, the axes (A3, A2a, A2b) contained within a cylinder centered on the first axis (A1) and of diameter D?<D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: ROLEX SA
    Inventor: Fabiano Colpo
  • Patent number: 11520289
    Abstract: A timepiece regulator includes a detached lever escapement mechanism and a resonator with a quality factor Q including an inertia element. An impulse pin is integral with an inertia element and cooperates with a fork of the lever. The inertia element is subjected to the action of an elastic return directly or indirectly fixed to the plate and arranged to cooperate indirectly with an escape wheel set included in the escapement mechanism. The resonator mechanism is a resonator with a virtual pivot rotating about a main axis, with a flexure bearing subjected to the return force of at least two flexible strips attached to the plate, defining together a virtual pivot with a main axis. The lever pivots about a secondary axis. The lever is made of silicon added to an arbor pivoted with respect to the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Pascal Winkler, Jean-Luc Helfer, Gianni Di Domenico
  • Patent number: 11513475
    Abstract: A timepiece including at least analogue time display device, and an AM-PM display device for displaying day-night information in the dial of the timepiece. The AM-PM display device includes at least two apertures made in the dial of the watch, a rotating display disc bearing at least one first series of inscriptions corresponding to the day and at least one second series of inscriptions corresponding to the night, these two display series being disposed on at least two concentric circles, and a drive mechanism arranged so as to automatically and alternately bring the first series of inscriptions inside a first aperture and the second series of inscriptions inside a second aperture by rotating the display disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventor: Christian Ruefenacht
  • Patent number: 11507030
    Abstract: A timepiece including a GPS receiver that receives a radio wave from a positioning satellite, a time counter that performs a time count operation, and a processor, the processor being configured to: corrects a time count of the time counter in accordance with time and date information included in the radio wave from the positioning satellite received by the GPS receiver; acquires a temperature in the timepiece; acquires a voltage of a battery; and controls a receive operation at the GPS receiver in accordance with the temperature and the voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Oshita, Katsuhiko Obata, Akihiro Kuroha
  • Patent number: 11493884
    Abstract: A horological movement including a tourbillon or karussel frame carried by an arm subjected to the torque of a first energy source, and a second energy source driving a frame pitch mobile driving the frame, and, for periodically controlling a retrograde movement of the arm, a release mobile connected to the second energy source and cooperating at a pallet-stone with an interrupted cam that a cam mobile kinematically connected to this arm includes, to allow advancing the arm in a direct direction as long as the pallet-stone is resting on the cam, and to control a rapid retrograde return of this arm during a drop of the pallet-stone between two of its successive support surfaces on the cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Harry Winston SA
    Inventors: Johnny Buehler, Emmanuel Bouchet
  • Patent number: 11493885
    Abstract: A display mechanism (10) for a timepiece (1000), with a leap year display integrated in a month display, comprising a control mechanism (3) that drives, once per month, about an axis (D), a month display wheel set (2) arranged underneath a dial (1), having a month window (1C) in a quadrant allowing the display of only one quarter of the month display wheel set (2), which completes one revolution in four years, and bears, on an angular sector of 90°, at least one characteristic leap year marking, and either carries indices, each arranged to indicate one month on a static month scale of the dial (1), or equidistant month markings, wherein one of the month markings is pointed to by a fixed mark of the dial (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: GLASHÜTTER Uhrenbetrieb GmbH
    Inventor: Tony Braun