Adjustable snooze timer for mechanical watches

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9846411-B2
Application number	US-201615274494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2015
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A mechanical timer for setting a snooze time for an alarm mechanism controlling a mechanical actuator cooperating with a striking mechanism controlled by a timepiece movement, including a first control able to be actuated at a first moment by a user during the playing of an alarm chime to disengage the actuator and momentarily stop the chime, and including a timer arranged to automatically cause the alarm chime to play again at a second moment, after a predefined duration from the first moment, this timer including a second control able to be actuated by a user to set this predefined duration, and a release cam indirectly controlled by the first control and arranged to control the pivoting of a hammer lever, which, depending on its angular position, releases or locks the actuator to allow or respectively prevent the playing of an alarm chime.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An alarm mechanism arranged to control the motion of at least one mechanical actuator cooperating with a striking mechanism controlled by a timepiece movement, and comprising a timer for setting a snooze time, wherein said timer is entirely mechanical and comprises first control means able to be actuated at a first moment by a user during the playing of an alarm chime in order to disengage said actuator and momentarily stop said alarm chime, and wherein said timer includes mechanical timing means arranged to automatically cause said alarm chime to play again at a second moment, after a predefined duration from said first moment, wherein said timer includes a release cam indirectly controlled by said first control means and which is arranged to control the pivoting of a hammer lever, comprised in said timer, which hammer lever, depending on the angular position thereof, releases or locks said actuator to allow or respectively prevent the playing of an alarm chime.

2. The alarm mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein said first control means comprise a first control lever arranged, during the pivoting thereof under the action of a user, to control the pivoting of a rack arranged to drive said release cam.

3. The alarm mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein said first control lever comprises an articulated control click returned by at least one spring, said control click comprising a first end bearing surface arranged to push a rack pin comprised in said rack to cause said rack to pivot, and a second end bearing surface arranged to push a pin comprised in a lever jumper that is integral with said hammer lever, said hammer lever includes an oblong hole in which is movable said pin, said pin tends to push back said control click outwardly of said movement into a position wherein said first control means are able to be operated by the user.

4. The alarm mechanism according to claim 3 , wherein said control click includes, between said first end bearing surface and the articulation with said control lever, a side bearing surface receiving and supporting said rack pin, and, between said first end bearing surface, and said second end bearing surface, a recess allowing retraction of said control click when said first control means are operated in the end of travel position by the user.

5. The alarm mechanism according to claim 3 , wherein said first control lever is articulated to said control click by means of a pin movable in an oblong hole, and returned to the exterior of said movement by said spring.

6. The alarm mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein said hammer lever carries a disengagable wheel meshing with a train of said timepiece movement via a friction spring, said disengagable wheel being capable of occupying a first position of mesh with a release cam wheel integral with said release cam, said first position of mesh corresponding to an angular position wherein said hammer lever locks said actuator, and a second out-of-mesh position with said release cam wheel, said out-of-mesh position corresponding to an angular position wherein said hammer lever allows said actuator free passage.

7. The alarm mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein said timer includes second control means able to be actuated by a user to set said predefined duration.

8. The alarm mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein said rack comprises a beak, which is arranged to bear on a cam track comprised in a duration cam, which preferably has a plurality of tracks each corresponding to a particular time duration enabling the user to set said predefined duration.

9. The alarm mechanism according to claim 8 , wherein said duration cam is coupled to a star moved by said second control means.

10. The alarm mechanism according to claim 9 , wherein said star carries a hand or a disc for displaying the setting of the time duration.

11. The alarm mechanism according to claim 8 , wherein a display wheel connected to said release cam by a train, carries a hand or a disc for displaying activation of the timer or a countdown of the remaining time before the next alarm chime when the timer function is activated.

12. A watch comprising a timepiece movement cooperating with a striking mechanism and an alarm mechanism according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Blancpain Sa

Inventors

• Denden Mehdi

Classifications

• G04B23/12

  Alarm watches to be worn in pockets or on the wrist (giving signals by stimulating the skin G04B25/04) · CPC title

• G04B23/06

  adjustable for several preselected times with automatic stopping of the signal · CPC title

• G04B23/03 Primary

  Alarm signal stop arrangements · CPC title

• G04F3/02

  with mechanical driving mechanisms · CPC title

• G04C21/16 Primary

  producing the signals at adjustable fixed times · CPC title