Indicator actuating organ for a timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10216146-B2
Application number	US-201715652862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2017
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An actuating organ for actuating an indicator in a timepiece, including: a fixing portion; a mobile portion; a first elastic portion connecting the mobile and fixing portions, the first elastic portion guiding the mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and exerting an elastic return action on the mobile portion; an actuation portion engaging with a toothed component of the timepiece upon actuation of the mobile portion relative to the fixing portion to actuate the toothed component, thereby actuating the indicator; and a second elastic portion connecting the actuation portion to the mobile portion, the second elastic portion being arranged to guide the actuation portion relative to the mobile portion so as to allow the actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the mobile portion, the second elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the actuation portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuating organ for actuating an indicator in a timepiece, said actuating organ comprising:
a fixing portion,
a mobile portion,
a first elastic portion connecting the mobile portion to the fixing portion, said first elastic portion being arranged to guide the mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and to exert an elastic return action on the mobile portion,
an actuation portion arranged to engage with a toothed component of the timepiece upon actuation of the mobile portion relative to the fixing portion so as to actuate said toothed component, thereby actuating said indicator, and
a second elastic portion connecting the actuation portion to the mobile portion, said second elastic portion being arranged to guide the actuation portion relative to the mobile portion so as to allow the actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the mobile portion, said second elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the actuation portion.

2. An actuating organ for actuating an indicator in a timepiece, said actuating organ comprising:
a fixing portion,
a first mobile portion,
a first elastic portion connecting the first mobile portion to the fixing portion, said first elastic portion being arranged to guide the first mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and to exert an elastic return action on the first mobile portion,
a first actuation portion arranged to engage with a toothed component of the timepiece upon actuation of the first mobile portion relative to the fixing portion, so as to actuate said toothed component in a first direction, thereby actuating said indicator,
a second elastic portion connecting the first actuation portion to the first mobile portion, said second elastic portion being arranged to guide the first actuation portion relative to the first mobile portion so as to allow the first actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the first mobile portion, said second elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the first actuation portion,
a second mobile portion,
a third elastic portion connecting the second mobile portion to the fixing portion, said third elastic portion being arranged to guide the second mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and to exert an elastic return action on the second mobile portion,
a second actuation portion arranged to engage with said toothed component of the timepiece upon actuation of the second mobile portion relative to the fixing portion, so as to actuate said toothed component in a second direction, opposite to said first direction, thereby actuating said indicator, and
a fourth elastic portion connecting the second actuation portion to the second mobile portion, said fourth elastic portion being arranged to guide the second actuation portion relative to the second mobile portion so as to allow the second actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the second mobile portion, said fourth elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the second actuation portion.

3. The actuating organ of claim 2 , having a symmetrical shape.

4. The actuating organ of claim 1 , wherein each of the elastic portions is a rotation guiding portion.

5. The actuating organ of claim 4 , wherein each of the elastic portions comprises first and second elastic strips extending in two different parallel planes and crossing each other in top view.

6. The actuating organ of claim 1 , made of one piece.

7. The actuating organ of claim 1 , wherein said actuating organ is a corrector which may be actuated by a user for setting the position of the indicator.

8. The actuating organ of claim 1 , wherein said actuating organ is a driving organ arranged to drive the toothed component during normal operation of the timepiece.

9. A timepiece mechanism comprising an actuating organ, a toothed component for driving an indicator and an isolating organ, said actuating organ comprising:
a fixing portion,
a first mobile portion,
a first elastic portion connecting the first mobile portion to the fixing portion, said first elastic portion being arranged to guide the first mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and to exert an elastic return action on the first mobile portion,
a first actuation portion arranged to engage with the toothed component upon actuation of the first mobile portion relative to the fixing portion, so as to actuate the toothed component in a first direction, thereby actuating said indicator,
a second elastic portion connecting the first actuation portion to the first mobile portion, said second elastic portion being arranged to guide the first actuation portion relative to the first mobile portion so as to allow the first actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the first mobile portion, said second elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the first actuation portion,
a second mobile portion,
a third elastic portion connecting the second mobile portion to the fixing portion, said third elastic portion being arranged to guide the second mobile portion relative to the fixing portion and to exert an elastic return action on the second mobile portion,
a second actuation portion arranged to engage with the toothed component upon actuation of the second mobile portion relative to the fixing portion, so as to actuate the toothed component in a second direction, opposite to said first direction, thereby actuating said indicator, and
a fourth elastic portion connecting the second actuation portion to the second mobile portion, said fourth elastic portion being arranged to guide the second actuation portion relative to the second mobile portion so as to allow the second actuation portion to retract when leaving the toothed component after release of the second mobile portion, said fourth elastic portion being also arranged to exert an elastic return action on the second actuation portion,
wherein the isolating organ is arranged to be moved by one of the first and second mobile portions upon actuation of said one of the first and second mobile portions to prevent the actuation portion corresponding to the other of the first and second mobile portions from engaging with the toothed component if said other of the first and second mobile portions is actuated.

10. The timepiece mechanism of claim 9 , wherein the isolating organ is moveable in translation relative to the fixing portion.

11. A timepiece comprising the actuating organ of claim 1 .

12. A timepiece comprising the timepiece mechanism of claim 9 .

13. The actuating organ of claim 2 , wherein each of the elastic portions is a rotation guiding portion.

14. The actuating organ of claim 3 , wherein each of the elastic portions is a rotation guiding portion.

15. The actuating organ of claim 2 , made of one piece.

16. The actuating organ of claim 3 , made of one piece.

17. The actuating organ of claim 4 , made of one piece.

18. The actuating organ of claim 5 , made of one piece.

19. The actuating organ of claim 2 , wherein said actuating organ is a corrector which may be actuated by a user for setting the position of the indicator.

20. The actuating organ of claim 3 , wherein said actuating organ is a corrector which may be actuated by a user for selling the position of the indicator.

Assignees

• Patek Philippe Sa Geneve

Inventors

• Chabloz David

Classifications

• G04B19/04

  Hands; Discs with a single mark or the like {(moving indicating arrangements which have scales or numbers with stationary hands or reading means G04B19/20; optical projection of the position of the hands G04B19/34)} · CPC title

• G04B19/02 Primary

  Back-gearing arrangements between gear train and hands {(transmissions in general G04B13/00)} · CPC title

• G04B13/00

  Gearwork {(gearwork for driving the hands G04B19/02; calibers G04B33/00; dispositions and components for transmission in general F16H)} · CPC title