Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/14—Suspending devices, supports or stands for time-pieces insofar as they form part of the case
  • G04B37/1406—Means for fixing the clockwork pieces on other objects (possibly on walls)
  • G04B37/1433—Fixation on items of clothing, e.g. with clips

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of watches, this term being used in a generic way, including the chronometer. It relates more particularly to a watch assembly for sportsmen, whose controls are offset so that they can be actuated with one hand.
• a watch assembly comprises a case in which the watch mechanism proper is housed and a bracelet which supports this case and which allows it to be adapted to the user's wrist.
• a sweater, a jacket, a shirt or more generally a long-sleeved article of clothing it is most often necessary for him to roll up said sleeve in order to be able to consult the display screen of his watch or else to be able to access the actuation commands of the watch mechanism.
• another drawback of conventional watch sets concerns sports users, whether they are runners, cyclists or skiers.
• the bracelet supporting the case and also the actuating means and the associated connection means which connect the actuating means to the watch mechanism, is constituted by a glove or the like which completely covers the palm of the hand, the back of the hand, the whole of at least the medium and the ring finger as well as the zone between the index and the thumb.
• a glove or the like which completely covers the palm of the hand, the back of the hand, the whole of at least the medium and the ring finger as well as the zone between the index and the thumb.
• FIG. 11 there is even provided an element supporting the watch and the actuation and connection means which is superimposed on a glove so as to be able to be hooked therein in a removable manner. In the latter case there are therefore two thicknesses of material which cover the medium and the ring finger.
• the watch assembly known from this document US.4.652.141 has various drawbacks. It lacks comfort for the user, especially in sports for which it is not usual to wear gloves. The presence of the actuating means at the ends of the medium, of the little finger and possibly of the ring finger can generate false maneuvers due to the normal movement of the hand during the practice of sport, in particular by pressure of the ring finger or little finger against medium or ring finger respectively.
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a watch assembly which, in known manner, comprises a case in which is housed the watch mechanism and the display screen, means for actuating the mechanism. , external to the housing and connected to the mechanism by connection means and a bracelet supporting the actuation means, the connection means and the housing, the latter being disposed on the back of the hand.
• the bracelet comprises a flexible piece comprising: a) a proximal part intended to grip the wrist, b) a distal portion, intended to grip at least the first phalanx at the base of the index finger and c) an intermediate part, intended to extend over the top of the hand between said proximal and distal parts and supporting the housing; moreover at least one of the actuation means is mounted laterally on the distal part of the bracelet, so as to be actuable by the thumb of the same hand.
• the discomfort due to the bracelet is very reduced.
• the actuation means being located on the side of the index finger facing the thumb, there is no risk of inadvertent actuation due to the pressure of the fingers between them, because the thumb is naturally well away from other fingers.
• the distal part of the bracelet is configured to enclose only the phalanx and possibly the phalangin of the index finger.
• the end of the index finger is perfectly free.
• two separate actuating elements are mounted laterally and longitudinally on the distal part of the bracelet. It may for example be an actuating element of an on-off control for one and an intermediate time control for the other.
• two separate actuating elements are mounted transversely on the distal part of the bracelet.
• the first element placed on the side of the index for the actuation of an on-off control and the second element placed next to the first - for example on the top of the index - used for activation of an intermediate time control.
• the actuation means and the connection means are flexible. Thus the presence of said means does not cause discomfort in wearing comfort.
• the flexible part in which the bracelet is formed comprises at least locally a layer of flexible material, in particular elastomer, in which the connection means and the actuation means are integrated.
• the actuating means consist of a powder which is locally mixed in the layer of flexible material and whose electrical resistance varies as a function of the pressure exerted on it.
• the actuating elements are formed by screen printing on the bracelet.
• connection means these may be tracks or metallic wires which are embedded in the layer of flexible material or possibly hidden at least in part in a finishing element on the edge of the bracelet.
• the housing has an oval shape, the major axis of which is in the longitudinal direction of the hand, the two opposite edges of the intermediate part closely following this oval configuration.
• the bracelet has an opening in the intermediate part, allowing access to the underside of the case. This allows the case batteries to be changed if necessary.
• At least one actuating means is mounted on the intermediate part of the bracelet, at a distance from the case. In an alternative embodiment, at least one actuating means is mounted on the display screen.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective representation of first embodiment
• FIG. 2 is a partial view from below of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 and,
• FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of the second embodiment.
• the watch assembly 1 which is the subject of the present invention conventionally comprises a watch which, with its actuation means, is mounted on a support strap.
• actuation means are offset relative to the watch itself so as to be able to be actuated by the user with one hand.
• the watch itself is mounted on the support strap so that it is positioned at the back of the hand and not the wrist.
• bracelet in the present text, should be understood in a general sense as being an element capable of supporting a watch.
• the support strap 2 of the present invention comprises three parts having very distinct functionalities, namely a proximal part 3, a distal part 4 and an intermediate part 5 which connects the proximal 3 and distal 4 parts.
• the proximal part 3 is similar to the traditional watch strap in that it encloses the user's wrist and is intended for hooking the watch assembly 1 to said wrist. However, and this is an essential difference, this distal part 3 does not itself support the watch 6, the latter being supported by the intermediate part 5.
• the attachment of the proximal part 3 to the wrist can be carried out by any suitable means, already known.
• This proximal part can be in particular in a closed tubular form, partially elastic so as to allow it to be threaded around the wrist. Above all, it can be opened, with hooking means fixed opposite each other at each of its two free ends, whether they are hooking loops or hook-and-loop means of the hook-and-loop type.
• the distal part 4 is intended to enclose at least the base of the index finger, preferably the first phalanx and possibly the phalangin. It is in a generally closed tubular form so that it can be easily put on the index finger. It could possibly be opened with means for hooking up its two free ends, in particular by a self-gripping mechanical closure system with hooks and loops.
• the distal part 4 covers the phalanx and also part of the phalangina.
• a transverse cut 21 in the area which is immediately opposite said fold.
• the intermediate part 5 connects the proximal part 3 and the distal part 4 by covering a limited portion of the back of the hand.
• the case 6, containing the watch mechanism and the display screen 7, is mounted on the bracelet 2 at the intermediate part 5 thereof.
• This mounting can be carried out by any suitable means, whether by adhesive fixing, by fixing using mechanical or other means.
• the watch mechanism is equipped with five separate actuating elements, three elements 8a, 8b, 8c being associated directly with the housing 6 and two elements 9, 1O being offset relative to the housing 6 and fixed laterally on the distal part 4 of the bracelet 2. More specifically, the first remote actuating element 9 is located at the phalanx while the second remote 1O element is located at the phalanx. They are therefore arranged in the same longitudinal direction and are located on the side of the bracelet so that they can be actuated directly by the thumb. 11.
• the two remote actuating elements 9, 10 are connected to the watch mechanism by connection means 12 which are integrated in the strap 2.
• the strap 2 is a flexible piece, generally light and airy, the term piece being used in a manner general, knowing that it can itself be composed by the assembly of several flexible constituents, whether textile, woven, knitted or possibly non-woven materials, elastomeric materials, leather or other flexible materials.
• the composition of this part can also be different depending on whether it is the proximal, intermediate or distal part.
• the flexible piece intended to form the bracelet consists of a fabric, the outer face of which, that is to say that which is not in contact with the skin of the user, is coated with a layer of elastomer, at least in the region of the bracelet in which the connection means 12 and the remote actuating means 9, 10 are located. It is in this layer of elastomer that the tracks are inserted. metallic which act as connection means 12. It is also with the elastomer of this layer that a conductive powder is mixed, the electrical resistance of which varies according to the pressure which is exerted on it. It is this mixture of powder and elastomer which constitutes the actuating elements 9, 10.
• This particular arrangement has the advantage of not creating excess thickness or unacceptable stiffness at the level of the index, which could be troublesome. for the user in his sport practice.
• the intermediate part 5 of the bracelet has no other function than to support the case 6 and the three actuating elements 8a, 8b, 8c. Its configuration is therefore almost the same as that of the housing, with a slight overflow 13 on either side of it.
• the watch case 6 has an oval shape whose the major axis is substantially in the longitudinal direction of the hand. This oval shape allows to have the smallest possible footprint on the back of the hand in the transverse direction, while ensuring the best possible readability of the display screen 7 for the user.
• the intermediate part 5 of the bracelet therefore has opposite curved edges, on either side of the oval shape of the case 6.
• the intermediate part 5 of the bracelet 2 can also be provided an opening 14 which allows access to the bottom of the case 6, in the case where the change of the watch battery requires this access.
• This second embodiment differs mainly from the first in the arrangement and structure of the actuating elements and the connection means.
• Two actuating elements 15, 16 are arranged on the distal part 4 of the bracelet 2, the first 15 laterally, that is to say on the side of the index finger, at the level of the phalanx, and the second 16 - next to the first 15 - on top of the phalanx.
• Two actuating elements 17, 18 are arranged on the intermediate part 5 or possibly the proximal part 3 of the bracelet 2, at a distance from the case 6. They are therefore, like the first two 15, 16, offset relative to said case 6.
• a last actuating element 19 is arranged on the display screen 7.
• the first four actuating elements 15-18 are formed by screen printing on the strap 2.
• the connection means which connect them to the watch mechanism are metallic textile threads which can possibly be hidden in the rim 20, that is i.e. in the peripheral finishing element of the bracelet 2.
• both the connection means and the actuating elements are flexible and perfectly integrated into the bracelet, their presence providing no effective discomfort for the user when practicing his sport.
• the present invention is not limited to the embodiment which has been described by way of non-exhaustive example.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (10)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 2003
  • 2003-01-08 FR FR0300144A patent/FR2849702B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-12-23 CN CNA2003801083196A patent/CN1735845A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-12-23 EP EP03815698A patent/EP1588223A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2003-12-23 US US10/541,208 patent/US20060126446A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-12-23 AU AU2003303880A patent/AU2003303880A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-12-23 WO PCT/FR2003/003885 patent/WO2004070477A1/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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