US2236650A - Combination watch and protector - Google Patents

Description

April 1, 1941. J PUJQL 2,235,650

COMBINATION WATCH AND PROTECTOR Filed July 23, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A; BERT J PuJo;

ATTORNEY Aprifi 1, 19%. A. J. PUJQL 2,236,650

COHBIHATION WATCH AND PROTECTOR Filed July 23,. 1 40 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 14455427 J. P010;

1 I BY ATTO NEY Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED COMBINATION WATCH AND PROTECTOR Albert J. Pujol, Astoria, Long Island, N. Y., assignor to Cartier, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1940, Serial No. 346,895

3 'laims.

This invention is a combination watch and protector adapted for use, more particularly, in connection with wrist, lapel, fob and locket watches. These kinds of watches are generally worn in a more or less unprotected manner where they are liable to be subjected to direct contact with extraneous objects, resulting in breaking of the crystal of the watch or damage to the same through direct shock or jar.

The present invention, generally speaking, provides a housing for the watch, so constituted as to normally enclose and effectually protect the latter, but adapted, at the will of the operator, to be opened to expose the watch to view or to permit winding of the same,

According to this invention, the usual watch movement is enclosed within a conventional case which is in turn positioned within a protective housing. This housing preferably comprises a pair of oppositely cupped sections pivoted to one another and adapted to be moved on their pivots from a closed position, in which they entirely enclose and conceal the watch, to an open position wherein the watch is exposed to view. The watch may be mounted in a substantially rigid manner within the housing or may be pivoted therein, so that it may be swung outwardly on a single pivot to project partially beyond the confines of the housing. Alternatively, the watch may be pivoted on a link which is in turn pivoted within the housing to permit the watch to be swung bodily on the link and pivotally moved with respect thereto into a position wholly exteriorly of the housing. The pivotal movement of the watch in either case may be manually accomplished or it may be brought about automatically upon the opening of the housing, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

By preference the pivoted sections of the housing are preferably operable by a pair of opposing finger pieces spring impelled to normally force the housing sections into closed positions, but with the housing sections biased so that they will open when the finger pieces are manually operated to permit them to do so.

The watch, its housing sections and the operating finger pieces may be conveniently supported on an appropriate foundation piece associatedv with a wrist encircling strap, as in the case of a wrist watch, or may have attached thereto any suitable mounting as in the case of a lapel watch, fob watch, locket watch or the like.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an underneath plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the structure as shown in Figures 1-3, showing the device in closed position.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of construction showing the parts of the device in" open condition.

Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 65 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a transverse section on the line I'I of Figure 3 showing the parts in larger scale in the interest of clearness.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures l4, 6 and 7, the whole structure is mounted upon a foundation piece I in the form of an elongated strip, the opposite ends of which are bifurcated to form oppositely projecting fingers 2. The strip is of resilient metal and consequently the fingers 2 constitute, in efiect, spring fingers. Set intc the bifurcations between these fingers, and soldered in place therein, are strips 5. These pass through curled ends of the wrist band or strap 6 adapted to encircle the wrist of the wearer to support the device thereon. The spring fingers 2 are cut away, as shown at I, to increase their resiliency and the strips 3 are attached between the cut away portions 1 and the bases of the respective bifurcations, so as not to interfere with the resilient character of the remainder of the length of each spring finger.

Each of the strips 3 has an extending boss 8 and the bosses 8 of these two strips support the opposite ends of a hinge pin 9 which extends for slightly more than the full length of the foundation piece I and on this hinge pin are pivoted two housing sections I0 and I I.

The housing sections I0 and II are, in the preferred form of the invention, similar to the two halves of a clam and they are pivoted on the hinge pin 9 to open and close. To this end the section It is provided with two spaced apart downwardly extending hinge portions I2 embracing the hinge pin 9, while the section I I has two similar hinge portions l3 which likewise embrace said hinge pin for the purpose of pivotally mounting the two clam shell sections for opening and closing movement. Embracing the hinge pin 9 between the hinge portions I2 is a sleeve 14 which carries near its opposite ends two upwardly extending posts l5 and on these posts are integrally formed platform rests IS, located within the housing and adapted to support a watch I1 in a manner presently to be described.

A pin I8 bridges the space between the two posts l5 and is anchored at its opposite ends therein. Around this pin is coiled a spring I9, the opposite ends 20 of which project in opposite directions and bear against the inner faces of the sections It) and II, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, and tend to bias these sections in an outer direction, so that they will open when permitted to do so.

Carried by the strips 3, exteriorly of the sections l and II, are transverse pins 2| and on the lateral extensions of these pins are pivoted finger pieces 22. These finger pieces have toes 23 which project to engage ofiset abutments 24 on the exterior faces of the clam shell sections l0 and II and in so doing extend past and in contact with the ends of the spring fingers 2 in such manner as to place these spring fingers under bending stresses at all times. The spring fingers thus react against the toes 23, as will be apparent from Figure 1, in a manner to elevate the free ends of the toes, force them against the abutments 2d, and thus force the clam shell sections into closed position, for the power of the spring fingers 2 is greater than and is adapted to thus overbalance the opening force which the spring 19 exerts on the clam shell sections.

In Figure 3 the finger pieces 22 are shown in full lines in their normal positions and the section H3 is likewise shown in its closed position in full lines. If the finger pieces 22 are forced toward one another to partake of the dotted line position of Figure 3, the toes 23 will be retracted downwardly, so that the spring 19 can open the clam shell sections, and render the watch within the housing visible. As soon as the finger pieces are released, the spring fingers 2 will return them to the full line position of Figure 3 and close the clam shell sections.

The watch Il may be secured within a housing in any appropriate way. It may be mounted rigidly therein or pivotally. In Figures 3. 6 and '7 the preferred construction is illustrated. Here one of the supporting platforms I is provided at its remote end with a hinge member 25 and to this hinge member is pivoted a link 25 while the watch H is pivoted at Zl to the other end of this link. The normal position of the watch is as shown in full-lines in Figure 3, but, when the housing is open, the watch may be moved either by simple pivotal movement on the hinge connection 2'! into the position shown in dotted lines in this figure, or it may be bodily moved with the link into the dot and dash line positions shown. In either case this movement of the watch is brought about manually or by tilting the device, so that the watch will come out by gravity. The advantage of the pivotal movements shown is that they render the watch more convenient for winding, for in both cases, the winding stem I1 is projected ext-eriorly of the housing.

In the structure of Figures 5, 8 and 9, the arrangement is very similar to that hereinbefore described, but with the exception that the link 26 is omitted entirely, and means is provided for automatically tilting the watch when the sections are opened. Thus by reference to Figures 5, 8 and 9, it will be noted that the Watch I1 is secured by a pivotal connection 28 directly to one of the supporting platforms l6 which corresponds to the supports l6. With this arrangement, the watch is mounted for simple pivotal movement into the exposed position shown in Figure 8, when the clam shell sections are open.

Moreover, this movement from retracted to exposed position is accomplished automatically by providing on one of the clam shell sections an operating arm 29 which underlies the watch near the pivot 28. When the section I0 swings outwardly on the hinge pin 9, the arm 29 will be tilted upwardly and automatically move the watch into the position shown in Figure 8. As the section It! closes, the arm 29 retracts and the Watch descends into its normally retracted position within the housing. Other means for antomatically pivoting the watch may be used, but

for this purpose. Aside from the modified form of pivotal attachment of the watch within the" housing and the automatic pivotal movement of such watch, the structure of Figures 5, 8 and 9 is the same as that shown in the other figures of the drawings.

In the foregoing detailed description, I have set forth two practical forms of the present invention. I am aware, however, that these forms may be modified as to shape, size, etc., and by the substitution of equivalents without departing from the invention. In any case, the watch is normally housed in concealed position within a closed protective casing, operable at the will of the operator to open and permit viewing and winding of the watch. At all other times, the watch is completely enclosed and safeguardedagainst damage.

The invention has many practical advantages, particularly in connection with military watches having luminous dials for the invention preferably provides a solid wall housing so that, under normal conditions, the watch is so concealed that even the luminous dial cannot show in the night to be seen by the enemy and at the same time damage to the watch by direct contact with extraneous objects is precluded.

I have referred particularly to a watch within the protective housing. For military use, however, a luminous dial compass may be substituted for the watch within the housing to facilitate navigation and reconnoitering and the claims are to be understood as commensurate with this concept.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An assembly of the character described comprising a housing having pivotal sections mounted on a common pivot and movable toward and away from one another from open to closed position and vice versa, a watch normally positioned within the housing, a spring normally tending to open said sections, and finger operable levers bearing against the exterior of said sections and spring pressed to normally hold said sections in closed position, said levers being manually retractable to permit the sections to open.

2. An assembly of the character described comprising a housing having opposed pivotal sections mounted on a common pivot and movable toward and away from one another from open to closed position and vice versa, a watch normally positioned within the housing and pivotally supported therein, a spring normally tending to open said sections, and finger operable levers bearing against the exterior of said sections and spring pressed to normally hold said sections in closed position, said levers being manually retractable to permit the sections to open and to permit the Watch to be pivotally moved into a position to project at least partially beyond the confines of the housing.

3. An assembly of the character described comprising a housing having opposed pivotal sections mounted on a common pivot and movable toward and away from one another from open to closed position and vice versa, a watch normally positioned within the housing and pivotally supported therein, a spring normally tending to open said sections, finger operable levers bearing against the exterior of said sections and spring pressed to normally hold said sections in closed position, said levers being manually retractable to permit the sections to open, and a watch projecting member secured to one of the sections and movable therewith to pivotally project the watch into a position to at least partially project beyond the confines of the housing when said sections are opened.

ALBERT J. PUJOL.

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