Patents by Inventor Alain Zaugg

Alain Zaugg has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110051568
    Abstract: The striking work device of a timepiece includes a gong (4) surrounding a movement and extending in approximately one plane, and a gong-carrier secured to a watch plate of the timepiece. The gong is fixed to the gong-carrier. At least one hammer (6) of the striking work device strikes an impact surface (8) of the gong (4) to cause said gong to vibrate. The surface (8) of said gong which the hammer strikes is inclined relative to the normal to said plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Nakis Karapatis, Jérôme Favre, Alain Zaugg
  • Publication number: 20110051567
    Abstract: The striking work device of a timepiece (1) includes a gong (2) surrounding a movement and extending in approximately one plane (x, y), and a gong-carrier (3) secured to a watch plate (8). The gong is fixed to the gong-carrier. At least one hammer (5) strikes the gong (2) to cause said gong to vibrate. The hammer (5) strikes the gong at an inclined incidence relative to said plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Nakis Karapatis, Jérôme Favre, Alain Zaugg
  • Publication number: 20100238769
    Abstract: The invention concerns a timepiece movement including a tourbillon that has a rotating carriage bearing a sprung balance and an escapement, wherein said carriage includes a top pivot and a bottom pivot, respectively carried by a top bridge and a bottom bridge of the carriage, and said carriage pivots between a bottom plate of said timepiece movement and a bridge of said movement, characterized in that it further includes a stop member, arranged for limiting the axial shake of the carriage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventors: Alain ZAUGG, Dominique LECHOT
  • Publication number: 20100214879
    Abstract: The timepiece includes a chronograph whose hands are driven by a first gear train (4), which in turn drives a first resonator (5) and a watch whose hands are driven by a second gear train (8) independent of the first gear train, wherein the second gear train in turn drives a second resonator (9). The first (4) and second (8) gear trains are driven from a single energy source (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET S.A.
    Inventors: Dominique Lechot, Alain Zaugg
  • Publication number: 20100149927
    Abstract: The invention relates to a silicon-based Breguet overcoil balance spring (1, 31) that includes a hairspring (3, 33) made integral coaxially with a collet (5, 35), a terminal curve (7, 37) and an elevation device (9, 39) between the outer coil (15, 45) of the hairspring and the terminal curve. According to the invention, the balance spring has two single parts secured to each other to increase the development precision of the balance spring. The invention also relates to the method of manufacturing the balance spring. The invention concerns the field of timepiece movements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Christophe Bifrare, Sacha Vorpe, Jean-Philippe Thiebaud, Marc Lippuner
  • Publication number: 20100110840
    Abstract: The invention relates to a Breguet overcoil balance spring (1) that includes a hairspring (3) mounted in a single part, made of micro-machinable material, and coaxially with a collet (5). According to the invention, the balance spring has a terminal curve (7) made of micro-machinable material and an elevation device (9) made of micro-machinable material between the outer coil (15) of the hairspring and the terminal curve to improve the concentric development of the balance spring. The invention also relates to the method of manufacturing the balance spring. The invention concerns the field of timepiece making.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Christophe Bifrare
  • Publication number: 20100103782
    Abstract: The timepiece movement (1) includes a karussel (4) whose platform carries an escape wheel that cooperates with a balance (7). The platform is driven from the time display mechanism associated with a time-setting mechanism (32). The escape wheel is driven directly from the gear train. In addition to compensating for differences in rate due to gravity, the karussel of the invention proposes a new, complementary role: that of time indicator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Jan Pittet
  • Patent number: 7527424
    Abstract: The anti-trip device for a timepiece escapement essentially includes a sprung balance (1), this device preventing the angular extension of said balance beyond a normal angle of rotation. The device is characterized in that the arbour (2) fitted to the balance (1) is provided with a pinion (3) meshing with means (4) preventing said balance from rotating beyond said normal angle of rotation, whatever the direction of said rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventors: Dominique Lechot, Alain Zaugg, Thierry Conus, Andrés Cabezas Jurin
  • Patent number: 7527423
    Abstract: In order to improve the isochronisms of the mechanical movement of a watch, the regulating members comprise at least two tourbillions mounted on a common rotating support driven by one or several barrel springs, such that the tourbillions make an orbital movement around the axis of rotation of the support. The tourbillions are connected by respective going trains to a differential gear, one of whose elements is immobilised by friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventors: Jean-François Ruchonnet, Alain Zaugg
  • Patent number: 7490977
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a timepiece including a movement fitted with a power reserve indicator device, said timepiece including a barrel closed by a cover, a mainspring housed in said barrel and respectively connected to a barrel arbour and means for winding said mainspring, said indicator device including a differential gear kinematically connected by a first input to the barrel arbour, by a second input to the barrel and by an output to a power reserve indicator member and wherein the differential gear frame is arranged coaxially to the barrel arbour, characterized in that the second differential gear input is secured to the barrel cover, in that the differential gear output is formed by an inner toothed crown, in that the inner toothed crown is kinematically connected to the first input by at least first and second planetary wheel sets meshed with each other and in that the at least two planetary wheel sets are carried by the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventor: Alain Zaugg
  • Publication number: 20080225646
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a timepiece including a movement fitted with a power reserve indicator device, said timepiece including a barrel closed by a cover, a mainspring housed in said barrel and respectively connected to a barrel arbour and means for winding said mainspring, said indicator device including a differential gear kinematically connected by a first input to the barrel arbour, by a second input to the barrel and by an output to a power reserve indicator member and wherein the differential gear frame is arranged coaxially to the barrel arbour, characterized in that the second differential gear input is secured to the barrel cover, in that the differential gear output is formed by an inner toothed crown, in that the inner toothed crown is kinematically connected to the first input by at least first and second planetary wheel sets meshed with each other and in that the at least two planetary wheel sets are carried by the cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET S.A.
    Inventor: Alain Zaugg
  • Patent number: 7408844
    Abstract: A calendar watch is arranged to allow time-setting to be carried out without this operation altering the state of the calendar mechanism at the passage to midnight. This mechanism, which is of the instantaneous date type, includes a large lever (2) loaded by a spring and wound by a spiral shaped cam (11) and a click (20) released at midnight by a flexible finger (12) of a 24-hour wheel (10). The mechanism prevents any transmission of movement from the 24 hour wheel to the date wheel set, when they are set in the active position by the winding stem (33) pulled out into the time-setting position of the watch. A pivoting isolator (30), which, in its active position, abuts against the click (20) prevents the click from releasing the lever (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Montres Breguet S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Eric Goeller
  • Publication number: 20080144447
    Abstract: In order to improve the isochronism of the mechanical movement of a watch, the regulating members comprise at least two tourbillons mounted on a common rotating support driven by one or several barrel springs, such that the tourbillons make an orbital movement around the axis of rotation of the support. The tourbillons are connected by respective going trains to a differential gear, one of whose elements is immobilised by friction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Ruchonnet, Alain Zaugg
  • Patent number: 7350966
    Abstract: The invention concerns a watch with a mechanical movement of the type comprising at least two regulating systems (SR1, SR2) each including a mechanical oscillator and an escapement. The movement includes as many sub-assemblies (SE1, SE2) as there are regulating systems, each of said sub-assemblies including a regulating system (SR1, SR2), a barrel (B1, B2) and a going train transmitting energy from the barrel to the regulating system inside the sub-assembly. A differential display gear (Da) connects the barrel or the going train of each sub-assembly to the display (A) to average out the rate of the two sub-assemblies. In a preferred embodiment, the two sub-assemblies are mounted on a common rotating support (5) and their regulating systems are tourbillons which make an orbital movement about the center of the watch dial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventor: Alain Zaugg
  • Publication number: 20070147177
    Abstract: The invention concerns a calendar watch arranged to allow time-setting to be carried out without this operation altering the state of the calendar mechanism at the passage to midnight. This mechanism, which is of the instantaneous date type, includes a large lever (2) loaded by a spring and wound by means of a spiral shaped cam (11), and a click (20) released at midnight by a flexible finger (12) of a 24-hour wheel (10). The mechanism further includes locking means (30, 40), which prevent any transmission of movement from the 24 hour wheel to the date wheel set, when they are set in the active position by the winding stem (33) pulled out into the time-setting position of the watch. Preferably, the locking means include a pivoting isolator (30), which, in its active position, abuts against the click (20) so as to prevent said click from releasing the lever (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Eric Goeller
  • Publication number: 20070140066
    Abstract: The anti-trip device for a timepiece escapement essentially includes a sprung balance (1), this device preventing the angular extension of said balance beyond a normal angle of rotation. The device is characterized in that the arbour (2) fitted to the balance (1) is provided with a pinion (3) meshing with means (4) preventing said balance from rotating beyond said normal angle of rotation, whatever the direction of said rotation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Publication date: June 21, 2007
    Applicant: MONTRES BREGUET SA
    Inventors: Dominique Lechot, Alain Zaugg, Thierry Conus, Andres Cabezas Jurin
  • Publication number: 20060233052
    Abstract: The invention proposes a shock-absorber device for the balance pivot of a watch movement comprising a jewelled setting which is held resiliently by a spring in a complementary housing arranged on a fixed support and which is fitted with a jewel forming an endstone, of the type wherein the spring is formed by a metal strip which is fixed on the support so as to overhang, which extends in a radial plane in relation to the pivot, and which forms an arm including a securing end, and an abutting end abutting axially against the endstone so as to hold the jewelled setting axially in its housing, characterized in that the arm includes, from the securing end, a section generally rectilinear and parallel to a radial direction, relative to the axis of the pivot, a resilient section in the form of an annular sector and an abutting sector which extends generally along a diametral direction substantially perpendicular to the rectilinear sector so as to form the abutting end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Publication date: October 19, 2006
    Inventors: Alain Zaugg, Dominique Lechot
  • Publication number: 20060221775
    Abstract: The invention concerns a watch with a mechanical movement of the type comprising at least two regulating systems (SR1, SR2) each including a mechanical oscillator and an escapement. The movement includes as many sub-assemblies (SE1, SE2) as there are regulating systems, each of said sub-assemblies including a regulating system (SR1, SR2), a barrel (B1, B2) and a going train transmitting energy from the barrel to the regulating system inside the sub-assembly. A differential display gear (Da) connects the barrel or the going train of each sub-assembly to the display (A) to average out the rate of the two sub-assemblies. In a preferred embodiment, the two sub-assemblies are mounted on a common rotating support (5) and their regulating systems are tourbillons which make an orbital movement about the centre of the watch dial.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Applicant: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventor: Alain Zaugg
  • Patent number: 7070321
    Abstract: The anti-trip device is for a detent escapement mounted on a wristwatch. It includes a finger fixed to the arm of the balance, two columns between which the finger can pass, said columns being secured to the balance bridge, and a locking arm fixed to the outer coil of the balance spring, said locking arm being able to be inserted between said columns and said finger to prevent the balance from rotating beyond an angle exceeding its normal operating angle. The locking arm is a clamp hooked onto the outer coil of the balance spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Montres Breguet SA
    Inventors: Raymond Gabus, Thierry Conus, Alain Zaugg, Andrés Cabezas Jurin
  • Publication number: 20060072376
    Abstract: The anti-trip device is for a detent escapement mounted on a wristwatch. It includes a finger fixed to the arm of the balance, two columns between which the finger can pass, said columns being secured to the balance bridge, and a locking arm fixed to the outer coil of the balance spring, said locking arm being able to be inserted between said columns and said finger to prevent the balance from rotating beyond an angle exceeding its normal operating angle. The locking arm is a clamp hooked onto the outer coil of the balance spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Inventors: Raymond Gabus, Thierry Conus, Alain Zaugg, Andres Cabezas Jurin