EP1685450A1

EP1685450A1 - Clock dial

Info

Publication number: EP1685450A1
Application number: EP03815289A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Filip Mikhailovich Otdelnov
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-04
Filing date: 2003-12-22
Publication date: 2006-08-02
Also published as: AU2003303300A1; WO2005043258A1

Abstract

The present dial plate design relates to instrument-making, and in particular, to the clock and watch industry, and can be used in clocks, watches or other devices provided with dials or scales. A dial plate comprising an hour (3), a minute (4) and a second (5) disks provided in a clock casing (1) under a glass (2) and having numeral scales (6) applied thereto, wherein the disks are fitted coaxially on a clockwork pin (7) for rotation in a plane normal to the pin axis, the disks having different diameters and being fitted on the pin from top to bottom in the following sequence: the second disk, the minute disk, and the hour disk, the second disk having the smallest diameter and being received in a recess provided in the central part of the minute disk and the minute disk being received in a recess provided in the central part of the hour disk, and further the dial plate glass being provided with a mark (9) in the shape of a radial hairline on the dial, and the dial casing being provided with a mark (10) aligned with the glass mark. The numeral scale may be applied to the disks clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Description

CLOCK DIAL

Technical Field The present clock dial design relates to instrument-making, and in particular, to the clock and watch industry, and can be used in clocks, watches and other instruments provided with dials or scales. Background Art Known in the art is a clock intended to carry advertisements, comprising a casing, a secondary and a primary clockworks having a device to switch on dial lights, and a motor to rotate the casing, a part of the casing being formed by two-layered advertisement boards, wherein the first outlying layer is made of a transparent material, the second layer is a slide holding to the first layer, the dial plates and the advertisement boards are received in the casing and adapted to rotate around an axis parallel to the plane of their outer surface, and the clockwork control panel is located outside the casing and has its high-frequency output connected via a power wire to the control input of the primary clockwork (Abstract of Application RU No. 5,063,917 A, cl. G04B13/00, 1995) [1].

Known in the art is a "restaurant clock" comprising a movable floor area with tables for customers, mounted on a circular supporting frame and rotary guide rollers, a stationary floor area with an axle in the center, and an exhaust ventilation system, the movable floor area of the "restaurant clock" serving as a dial plate and the customer tables as hour numeral points 1 to 12, the axle being formed by an exhaust pipe having a bell over a hearth in the center of the stationary floor part, two clock hands provided with drives in the bases thereof, one of the hands being rotatable in a horizontal plane over the tables and the other being movable in a vertical plane along a minute scale, all the movable elements being activated in synchronism (Abstract of Application RU No. 99,113,162 A, cl. E 04H 3/02, 1999) [2]. Also known in the art is a dial plate having minute and hour indicators mounted rotatably and coaxially (Patent RU No. 2,167,447, cl. G04B 19/20, 1999) [3]. The reference invention is a clock in the form of two support elements, a minute and an hour indicators in coaxial relationship with each other, and a mechanism to rotate the indicators. In appearance and operating principle, this clock resembles a clockwork toy. The clocks of references [1], [2] and [3] have only a limited area of applications because they are bulky and inconvenient to use. Besides, they cannot be used as a wristwatch. Also known in the art is a clock, in which a casing houses an hour indicator designed as a set of twelve cylindrical rings, each of which corresponds to a certain hour and simultaneously serves as a minute indicator for its specific hour. The rings are arranged at an equal spacing from one another radially of the casing axis. A torus having an axis coincident with that of the casing serves as a guide surface for the rings. A casing projection is provided with a hand pointer (Russian Patent No. 2,167,446, cl. G04B 19/20, 1999) [4]. Complex design is a disadvantage of this clock.

The closest related prior art of this invention in technical idea is a dial plate that has a minute and an hour indicators mounted rotatably in a coaxial relationship (US Patent No. 2,723,527, cl. 368-233, 1955) [5]. This design has only limited applications because it is bulky and inconvenient to use, since it cannot be used, for example, as a wristwatch.

Summary of the Invention

An objective of this invention is to make the claimed clock dial design more reliable and easier to manufacture, and to adapt it for a variety of applications. The technical effect of the claimed invention is improved accuracy of timekeeping and more visual perception of current time.

The above technical effect is achieved in a dial plate comprising an hour, a minute and a second disks provided in the clock casing under a glass and having numeral scales, wherein the disks are provided coaxially on the clockwork pin and are rotatable in a plane normal to the pin axis, the disks having different diameters and being mounted on the pin sequentially from top to bottom beginning with the second disk, followed by the minute disk and ending with the hour disk, the second disk having the smallest diameter and being received in a recess provided in the central part of the minute disk, and the minute disk being received in a recess provided in the central part of the hour disk, the dial plate glass having a mark in the form of a hairline extending along the plate radius and the plate casing being provided with a mark in alignment with the mark on the glass. To prevent the minute and hour disks vibrating during rotation and to keep them in accurate alignment on the pin during dial plate assembly, these disks are provided with limiters on the underside thereof. In one embodiment of this invention, a numeral scale is applied clockwise to the disks so that the user gains a normal perception of changes in time reading as the disks rotate counter-clockwise. In another embodiment, a numeral scale is applied counter-clockwise to the disks. The Applicant has not found any references containing a combination of features identical to that claimed in the claims, so a conclusion can be made that the claimed subject matter complies with the "novelty" and "technical level" criteria.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a general view of the dial plate in cross-section. Fig. 2 is a top view of the dial plate with numerals applied clockwise. Fig. 3 is a top view of the dial plate with numerals applied counter-clockwise. Fig. 4 is a top real time view of the dial plate with numerals applied clockwise.

A dial plate (Fig. 1) comprises a clock casing 1 having a glass 2 covering an hour disk 3, a minute disk 4, and a second disk 5, to which numeral scales 6 are applied. The disks are fitted coaxially on a clockwork pin 7 to turn in a plane normal to the pin axis from a clockwork 8. The disks are provided on the clockwork pin from top to bottom in the following sequence: the second disk 5, the minute disk 4, and the hour disk 3, the second disk 5 having the smallest diameter and being received in a recess provided in the central part of the minute disk 4, and the minute disk 4 being received in a recess provided in the central The clock glass is provided with a radial time mark 9, and the casing has a hairline 10 aligned with the glass mark as is required to fit the plate glass precisely during clock assembly. To prevent the minute and hour disks vibrating during rotation and to fit them accurately on the pin during clock assembly, the disks have limiters (stops) 1 1 provided on the underside of the disks in the shape of, for example, rings or segments. In one embodiment of the invention, the numeral scale is applied to the disks clockwise (Figs. 2 and 4), for the user to normally perceive changes in time readings during counter-clockwise rotation of the disks. In another embodiment, the numeral scale is applied counter-clockwise to the disks (Fig. 3). The dial plate operates as follows. During clockwork operation, the axles mounting the respective clockwork disks rotate, for example, counter-clockwise (Fig. 2). Then the disks 3, 4 and 5 rotate relative to the mark 9 applied to the glass, making it possible to take time readings from the numerals applied to the disks representing hours, minutes and seconds. Further, marks can be applied to the scales, for example, in the following sequence: twelve marks, from 1 to 12, on the hour scale to indicate hours; twelve marks applied at five-minute intervals, such as 5, 10, 15, and so on to 60, to the minute scale; and six marks applied at 10 second intervals, such as 10, 20 and so on to 60, to the second scale. For example, Fig. 4 shows a time moment when numeral 2 on the hour disk is aligned with the mark 9 on the glass, which indicates 2 hours. In this episode, the minute disk shows numeral 35 at the glass mark, which indicates 35 minutes. The second disk indicates 40 seconds. In other words, the time reading is 2 hours 35 minutes 40 seconds. In an embodiment with the disks rotating clockwise (Fig. 3), the marks are applied to the scale in the opposite direction, that is counter-clockwise. In other respects, operation of the dial plate is similar to the above. The dial plate design described above helps improve the consumer qualities and reliability thereof in use.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A dial plate comprising a clock casing with a glass covering an hour, a minute and a second disks having numeral scales applied thereto, said disk being fitted coaxially on a clockwork pin for rotation in a plane normal to the pin axis, the disks further having different diameters and being fitted on the pin from top to bottom in the following sequence: the second disk, the minute disk, and the hour disk, the second disk having the smallest diameter and being received in a recess provided in the central part of the minute disk, and the minute disk being received in a recess provided in the central part of the hour disk, a mark being applied to the glass in the shape of a hairline extending radially across the dial plate, and the dial plate casing being provided with a mark aligned with the glass mark.

2. A dial plate according to claim 1, wherein the hour and minute disks are provided with limiters in the shape of stops on the underside thereof.

3. A dial plate according to claim 1, wherein numeral scales are applied to the disks counter-clockwise.

4. A dial plate according to claim 1, wherein numeral scales are applied to the disks clockwise.