Including Hand Details Only Patents (Class 368/238)
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Patent number: 5280461Abstract: A timepiece is provided in the form of a body having a face which displays a sinusoidal path of multiples of twelve wavelengths within a circular periphery, and concentric rings on the face which intersect the path. An arm rotates about the center of the face a rate of one revolution per every twelve hours. A time-indicating pointer, mounted for guided longitudinal movement with respect to the arm, reciprocates with respect to the arm at one cycle per hour. The combined rotation of the arm and reciprocation of the pointer cause the pointer to follow the sinusoidal path, such that the pointer indicates hours by its circumferential position relative to the crests of the wavelengths and indicates minutes by its radial position relative to the concentric rings.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 1992Date of Patent: January 18, 1994Inventor: Jaroslav Belik
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Patent number: 5172350Abstract: Timekeeping devices such as clocks and watches have an aesthetically attractive single-hand indicator for the time-of-day. The single hand moves to indicate changing time relative to a substantially immobile face, preferably marked with an aesthetic design, hour lines, numerals, and the like. The mechanism for moving the single-hand is substantially hidden from view. In some embodiments the single-hand is anchored on one side only.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 1991Date of Patent: December 15, 1992Inventors: Alec Walen, Pepyn van Zoest
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Patent number: 5130956Abstract: A driving mechanism is arranged in a hand for relatively rotating the hand in relation to a shaft which supports the hand, and clocking is thereby performed.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 1991Date of Patent: July 14, 1992Inventor: Masahiro Ueda
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Patent number: 5105398Abstract: A three-handed clock has a single movement to rotationally drive the second, minute and hour hands. The rotary output of the movement is transmitted directly to the second hand and is transmitted through a transmission belt to the minute and hour hands. The use of the transmission belt eliminates the need for a gear train to drive the minute and hour hands thereby providing greater design flexibility and ease of assembly and maintenance.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 1991Date of Patent: April 14, 1992Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tsuyoshi Hayakawa, Satoru Yamauchi, Junichi Aizawa, Yukio Funahara
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Patent number: 5103434Abstract: An all analog timepiece having a face with a center-point and a periphery and a single distinguishable time indicating hand rotatably mounted to the face at a periphery point. The single hand rotates about the periphery point at a first rate while the face rotates about its center-point at a second rate. Time is indicated by the relative direction indicated by the single hand with respect to a first reference point and simultaneously, the relative position of the periphery point about the center-point with respect to a second reference point.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 1991Date of Patent: April 7, 1992Inventor: Scott L. Sullivan
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Patent number: 5025429Abstract: A timepiece has rotatable hour, minute and second hands each carrying an energizeable element. Electric power is supplied to the elements carried by the hour and minute hands through sliding contacts and is supplied to the element carried by the second hand through electromagnetically coupled coils. The drive torque applied to the hour and minute hands is greater than that applied to the second hand and easily overcomes the frictional drag associated with the sliding contacts. The lower drive torque applied to the second hand may not be sufficient to overcome the frictional drag associated with sliding contacts and to avoid this problem, electromagnetically coupled coils instead of sliding contacts are used to supply electric power to the element carried by the second hand.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 1989Date of Patent: June 18, 1991Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isato Watanabe
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Patent number: 4993005Abstract: A power supply system for luminous hands wherein an hour and a minute hand have electroluminescence elements and a second hand has a light-emitting diode. The power supply system comprises a drive signal generator for generating a mixed signal consisting of a high-frequency signal and a low-frequency signal. An hour hand brush conductor between a fixed member and the hour hand receives the mixed signal. An hour hand filter passes only the low-frequency signal and sends it to the electroluminescence element of the hour hand. A minute hand brush conductor device placed between the hour hand and the minute hand receives the mixed signal from said hour hand brush conductor device. A minute hand filter passes only the low-frequency signal of the mixed signal and sends the low-frequency signal to the electroluminescence element of the minute hand.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 1990Date of Patent: February 12, 1991Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.Inventor: Isato Watanabe
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Patent number: 4885731Abstract: An analog timepiece face that contains a smaller hour portion (A) concentrically positioned within a larger minute portion (B). The hour portion has a hour hand (C) and hour division marks (F) marking each interval of time on the peripheral hour track (E). The minute portion has a minute hand (G) and minute division marks (J) marking each interval of time on the peripheral minute track (I). Hour numerals (D) and minute numerals (H) are provided on the respective hour and minute tracks of the timepiece. Spatial location, size, type font, and color are used to key the components of one portion together and to keep the hour and minute portions distinct from one another. The hour and minute hand are made to differ in spatial location, size, and color. The hour numerals and the minute numerals are made to differ in spatial location, size, and color.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1989Date of Patent: December 5, 1989Inventor: Dominic W. Massaro
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Patent number: 4858210Abstract: An apparatus has a hand shaft formed of synthetic resin which has a first hand shaft portion and a second hand shaft portion having an insertion hole into which the first hand shaft portion is inserted to be rotatable. The first hand shaft portion is formed in a columnar shape by molding with the synthetic resin containing fiber-like reinforcing materials. In the synthetic resin forming the first hand shaft portion, the longitudinal axes of fiber-like reinforcing materials are oriented to be consistent with the longitudinal axis of the first hand shaft.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 1987Date of Patent: August 15, 1989Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.Inventors: Wataru Yamada, Satoshi Fujio, Kenichi Nakamura
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Patent number: 4852072Abstract: An analog clock is provided having three hands for indicating hours, minutes, and seconds. An hours hand is positioned in a conventional manner, rotating at an hours rate around a central point. A minutes hand is located at any satellite point along the hours hand except the central point and rotates about this satellite point at a minutes rate. A seconds hand is located anywhere along either the minutes hand or the hours hand and rotates at a seconds rate.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1988Date of Patent: July 25, 1989Inventor: Scott L. Sullivan
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Patent number: 4693613Abstract: A clock having an hour housing supporting an integral hour hand and a minute housing supporting an integral minute hand along with a timing mechanism supported within the hour housing and having hour and minute driven shafts coupling to the respective hour and minute housings. There is provided a logo disk at the front of the clock which is maintained in a stationery position relative to the adjacent rotating minute housing. A support bracket is used for supporting the timing mechanism from a wall or the like.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 1986Date of Patent: September 15, 1987Assignee: By Design Corp.Inventor: Douglas Ritchie
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Patent number: 4693612Abstract: An alarm mechanism for an alarm clock has an alarm hand and an hour hand mounted coaxially with respect to each other, and slideably contacting hub portions of the alarm hand and the hour hand are formed with cam grooves and cam pawls respectively. The cam grooves and cam pawls are positioned with the same positional relationship with respect to the hub portions of the alarm hand and hour hand so that at a preselected alarm time, the cam grooves and cam pawls cooperatingly engage one another to thereby actuate a mechanism to sound the alarm of the alarm clock. In attaching the hands to the clock during assembly, it is possible to attach the alarm hand and the hour hand onto respective shafts at any random angular position without having to pay special attention to the respective positional relationships of the two hands. The hands can be formed in multiple parts and molded together.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 1986Date of Patent: September 15, 1987Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.Inventor: Keiichi Yoshizawa
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Patent number: 4679945Abstract: This disclosure relates to a timepiece comprising a rotatable hour hand, a rotatable minute hand, and drive means connected to rotate the hour hand 30.degree. for each hour and connected to rotate the minute hand 390.degree. for each hour. The hour and minute hands thereby overlap at zero minute and zero second of each hour. The timepiece may further include an hour dial and a minute dial which is connected to the hour hand and rotates relative to the hour dial.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 1986Date of Patent: July 14, 1987Inventor: Masao Miyakawa
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Patent number: 4676662Abstract: A large clock with a dial plate having short and long hands driven by a solar cell. The clock is provided with a sealed box-like long hand and a circular chain around the dial plate. The long hand slowly progresses around the circular chain which is engaged by a pinion protruding from the foremost tip of the long hand and driven by a D.C. motor energized by the solar cell. It is found that a small amount of energy is sufficient for driving the long hand by its outer end than by its inner end positioned at the center of the dial plate.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 1985Date of Patent: June 30, 1987Inventor: Chiaki Sekido
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Patent number: 4674891Abstract: A clock having an hour housing supporting an hour hand integral therewith in a minute housing supporting a minute hand integral therewith. A battery operated timing mechanism in the hour housing has an hour shaft for driving the hour housing in hand and a minute shaft for driving the minute housing in hand. The coupling of the minute shaft includes a threaded shaft end having opposed flats adapted to force-fit in a centrally disposed hole on the inside of the minute housing. A bracket is provided for supporting the timing mechanism in a fixed position such as from a wall.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 1986Date of Patent: June 23, 1987Assignee: By Design Corp.Inventor: Douglas Ritchie
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Patent number: 4601585Abstract: An illusory time display system of clock hand or hands in a case too small in radial dimension to permit normal rotation of the hands around the case, provides nevertheless for normal rotation of the hands and accurate conventional display of time. The outer ends of the hands travel in a smoothly contoured channel along the case periphery and collapse axially into themselves by contact with the case as they are conventionally rotated by any conventional drive, to accomplish the apparently impossible non-jamming travel around the too-small case. Various versions of odd-shaped and/or non-concentric timepiece face, case, and hands that further the illusion are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 1985Date of Patent: July 22, 1986Inventor: Brent L. Farley
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Patent number: 4428682Abstract: A clock mechanism including a fixed ring defining an inner annular surface and an outer annular surface. An hours disc is disposed to roll against one of the surfaces so as to traverse the full annular extent thereof once every twelve hours. A minute disc is disposed to roll against the other of the annular surfaces so as to traverse the full annular extent thereof once every hour. In the illustrated embodiment, the discs define planet gears, with the hours planet gear being driven by an hours sun gear so as to roll against the inner ring gear of the fixed ring. The minutes disc defines a planet gear driven by an outer ring gear to roll against the outer minute sun gear defined by the outer annular surface of the fixed ring. The fixed ring may be provided with suitable indicia to define a chapter ring.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 1982Date of Patent: January 31, 1984Inventor: Munroe A. Winter
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Patent number: 4223402Abstract: A clock hand linkage and support assembly (10) for use with a clock drive mechanism (11) having limited driving torque and power supply and which rotationally increments a hand (14) in discrete intervals through a drive shaft (12) includes a hub (13) having a central portion (20) through which the drive shaft (12) may pass for free rotation about the drive shaft (12) and at least one angle bracket stay (24) for support of the hand (14). A compliant fastener (16) biases the hand (14) into flexible engagement with the angle bracket stay (24) preventing damage during shipment. A resilient drive linkage (18) is coupled to the drive shaft (12) by interference fit and is biased against the hub (13) by the compliant fastener (16) whereby the hand (14) may continually rotate with the hub (13) in controlled relation to the incremental movement of the drive shaft (12).Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 1979Date of Patent: September 16, 1980Assignee: McNeil CorporationInventor: Charles O. Slemmons