FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved watch hand system of a watch improving readability of a date window and/or other information elements displayed on a wristwatch dial, wherein respective watch hands comprises a glass plate connectable to respective drive shaft of a watch, wherein a watch hand element protruding out from respective glass plates extends outwardly pointing towards second or minutes or hour marks arranged in a periphery zone of a watch dial when mounted onto corresponding drive shafts of the watch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wristwatches wearable on a human arm is common. They can also be of a chronometer type enabling a user to keep track of time, for example via a stopwatch function or keeps track of time zones, moon phases etc. Other features can for example be a date window arranged on the dial of a watch. The date window or separate information windows may also comprise the name of a day together with the date of the day, for example. The date and for example the name of the day may use standard alphanumeric symbols. An alternative known in prior art are special sub-dials and special watch hands pointing at a specific indicator of date, for example a number between 1 and 31 arranged in a circle on the sub-dial. Names of respective days can also be arranged around the periphery of a sub-dial. Other forms of information displayed on a watch dial can for example be an indicator of moon or even star movements, or simply the name of the watch maker.

The actual time during a day is often displayed in an analogue manner wherein for example an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand moves around a centered axis moving the respective hands around in a circle and driven by the watch mechanism which may be mechanical or an electric watch mechanism . The watch dial may comprise visual marks like batons and/or numbers indicating hour, minutes, and seconds in an edge zone of the dial as known in prior art. The hour hand uses one hour of time when moving between two consecutive hour indicators on the dial while the minute hand moves from a first minute indicator to a consecutive minute indicator in one minute of time. The second hand uses only one second when moving from one indicator to a consecutive indicator of seconds. Since the respective hands moves in a circle the end of a respective hand adjacent to respective time indicators in the edge zone of the dial moves quicker than closer to the centered axis. Therefore, different sizes of dials require a different distance between respective time indicators in the edge zone of the dial. The larger the dial size is the larger the distance is between the time indicators in the edge zone of the dial.

When a respective watch hand moves across a date window surface on a watch dial the respective hand will cover the date window surface or other information elements displayed on the watch dial. Dependent on the location wherein such information is located on the watch dial, the time a watch hand covers such information may vary. A watch hand moves in a circle and doser to the center of the circle (wherein the respective drive shafts are located) the distance of angular movement is shorter than the distance of angular movement at the edge zone of a watch dial during a same time period. Therefore, locations doser to the drive shafts of respective watch hands may be covered for a longer time period compared with locations doser to the periphery of the watch dial.

In prior art there are some examples of using different time display means, for example rotating barrels with printed numbers on an outer surface which can provide an indication of the time of a day instead of moving watch hands.

US 7023762 B2 disclose a date display assembly for a timepiece, wherein the timepiece comprises a casing, an hour wheel that is rotationally engaged with a meshing wheel, and a display window for displaying a date, the datedisplay assembly comprising an outer date ring having a plurality of digits thereon and aligned in the casing such that each of the plurality of digits is appearable in the display window; an inner date ring having a plurality of digits thereon and also aligned in the casing such that each of the plurality of digits is appearable in the display window; a datewheel, rotatably engageable with the meshing wheel, for driving the outer date ring in a first direction; and an inner date ring driving wheel, rotatably engageable with the outer date ring, for driving the inner datering in a direction opposite the first direction. US 7946757 B2 disclose a base module of a watch comprising a barrel device, a display device, and a power reserve indicator, all the components of the module being placed vertically relative to the flanks of the case, and the adjusting member being arranged visibly and directly accessible on the flank of the case.

Therefore, there is a need of an improved watch hand providing at least less coverage of information like a date window or other information or indicators arranged on a watch dial when a watch hand is passing respective information or indicators on a watch dial regardless of the location of the displayed information or indicators on the watch dial.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an alternative to the prior art.

In particular, it may be seen as an object of the present invention to provide a watch hand enhancing visual readability of at least one information element arranged on a watch dial when the watch hand passes over the surface of the information window.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the above-described object and several other objects are intended to be obtained in a first aspect of the invention by providing a watch hand comprising at least one transparent section.

The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, advantageous for obtaining a watch hand system comprising at least one watch hand comprising a shaped glass plate arranged with an attached protruding element configured to protrude out from the glass plate pointing towards time indicators arranged in a periphery section of a watch dial when the at least one watch hand is mounted to a drive shaft of a watch.

Respective aspects of the present invention may each be combined with any of the other aspects. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described herein. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The watch hour hand according to the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The attached figures illustrate an example of embodiment of the present invention and is not to be construed as being limiting to other possible embodiments falling within the scope of the attached claim set.

Figure 1 disclose an example of embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 disclose another example of embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 disclose discloses details of an example of embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 disclose details of a watch hand according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the specified embodiments, it should not be construed as being in any way limited to the presented examples. The scope of the present invention is set out by the accompanying claim set. In the context of the claims, the terms "comprising" or "comprises" do not exclude other possible elements or steps. Further, the mentioning of references such as "a" or "an" etc. should not be construed as excluding a plurality. The use of reference signs in the claims with respect to elements indicated in the figures shall also not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, individual features mentioned in different claims, may possibly be advantageously combined, and the mentioning of these features in different claims does not exclude that a combination of features is not possible and advantageous.

Figure 1 illustrates an example of embodiment of a watch 10 according to the present invention. A drive shaft 20 in the centre of the watch dial 18 may comprise for example three independent cylinder-shaped bodies, wherein respective cylinder bodies are arranged inside each other as known in prior art. Respective movements provided by a watch mechanism for hour, minutes and seconds are connected to the respective drive shafts 20a, 20b, 20c (refer Figure 3) driving respective watch hands 12, 13, 14 arranged for minutes, seconds and hours.

In the example of embodiment 10 in Figure 1 a date window 17 comprises a least significant digit 15 located adjacent to a most significant digit 16 of a date displayed inside the date window 17. The most significant digit 16 is located on a left-hand side of the drive shaft 20 while the least significant digit 15 located on a right-hand side of the drive shaft 20. A date is then displayed as a two-digit number readable in the centre of the watch dial 18.

According to an aspect of the present invention a watch hand 12, 13, 14 may comprise a first section being transparent glass plate element 21, 21a, 21b and a protruding extension element 12a, 13a, 14a attached to the transparent glass plate element and configured to point outwardly towards a periphery section of the watch dial 18 wherein indicators indicating seconds, minutes and hours are indicated as known in prior art.

The hour watch hand 14 may for example comprise a circular shaped glass plate 21b (Refer Figure 3) connected in a centre position onto an hour drive shaft 20a, wherein a further protruding watch hand element 14a is connected to the circular glass plate 21b in one end and in an opposite end is pointing outwardly towards respective hour marks in the periphery of the watch dial 18. It is also within the scope of the present invention that the protruding element 14a may be embodied as an integral extension of the glass plate 21b. Colouring of the protruding watch hand element 14a may provide a visual effect like a traditional watch hand while the shaped glass plate 21b of the watch hand 14 is transparent.

The respective watch hands 12, 13 indicating seconds and minutes respectively may also be arranged with a circular shaped glass plate 21 connected in a centre position onto respective drive shafts for minutes and seconds respectively, wherein the respective glass plates comprise an outwardly pointing watch hand element 12a, 13a pointing towards respective second and minutes indicators in the periphery of the watch dial 18. The respective glass plates are transparent allowing the date window 17 to be readable through the respective glass plates.

Since the digits inside the date window in this example is located on respective sides of the drive shafts 20, the date wheel comprises two wheels wherein a first wheel on the left- hand side of the shafts 20 comprises the most significant digit 16 of a date, i.e., the numbers zero to three, while a second wheel on the righthand side of the shafts 20 comprises the least significant digits 15 of a date, i.e., the numbers zero to nine. The watch mechanism is configured to drive the respective date wheels accordingly when a period of twenty-four hours is passing at midnight.

The example of embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 comprises also a visual separation of the most and least significant digits 15, 16 of a date displayed in the date window 17. The date window 17 is limited by a frame 19 arranged on the watch dial 17. A bar or pole 17a of the frame 19 is dividing the date window 17 visually in two sections. The drive shafts 20 may be arranged to pass through the bar or pole 17a of the frame 19.

Figure 2 illustrates another example of embodiment 11 of the present invention. In this example a date window 17 is arranged for example on a right hand-side of the drive shafts 20. The date window 17 may also be arranged on the left-hand side of the drive shafts 20 or above the drive shafts or below the drive shafts. A diameter of the respective glass plates 21 connected to the drive shafts 20 is then arranged with a diameter allowing the glass plate elements of the respective watch hands to be located above the date window 17. The diameter of the respective glass plates 21 may also be adapted to make other information on the watch dial visible. In the example 11 of embodiments of the present invention the illustrated date window in Figure 2 is arranged without a bar or pole 17a across the date window opening. Further, the illustrated position of the date window 17 allows the use of only one date wheel as known in prior art comprising all digits 1- 31 of respective dates of respective months.

Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment 10a of the example of embodiment 10 illustrated in Figure 1, wherein the illustration is an exploded view wherein respective glass plates 21a and 21b of the respective watch hands 13, 14 are illustrated in a cross-sectional view along a line 14b on the protruding watch hand element 14a of the watch hand 14 indicating hours. The line 14b is also illustrated in Figure 1. The watch hand 12 being the watch hand indicating seconds is in this example 11 of embodiment of the present invention embodied as a traditional watch hands for seconds. The watch hand 13 for minutes and the watch hand 14 for hours are embodied like the watch hands in the illustrated example of embodiment 10 in Figure 1.

Watch hands arranged to indicate seconds are normally shaped as a needle shaped object and therefore the surface a needle shaped watch hand covers is normally limited.

The respective circular shaped glass plates 21a and 21b are attached to a respective one of the drive shafts 20. Glass plate 21a is an element of the watch hand 13 indicating minutes and is connected to the drive shaft 20a while the glass plate 21b is an element of the watch hand 14 indicating hours and is connected to the drive shaft 20c. The drive shaft 20b is connected to the watch hand 12 indicating seconds. In this example of embodiment of the present invention the watch hand indicating seconds is embodied as a traditional watch hand indicating seconds.

Figure 3 indicates that the respective glass plates 21 are configured with a diameter A. As discussed above, the diameter may be adapted in size to pass over different information elements located on a watch dial 18, for example a date window in addition to an indicator of moon phases, a brand name of the watch etc. The point is that the possible variation of the diameter A of a glass plate 21 improves readability of information elements on a watch dial located in different positions on the watch dial 18.

Below the watch dial 18 there is arranged a date wheel 16 with the most significant digits on a left-hand side of the shafts 20 and a date wheel 15 with the least significant digits of a date. The respective date wheels are driven (moved) by a respective shafts 15a, 16a operated and turned around by cogwheels indicated with the reference numeral 22. The cogwheels 22 may be in mechanical contact and driven by a watch mechanism (not illustrated). The shape of the respective glass plates 21 is not restricted to be circular shaped. The only requirement is that the attachment point between a glass plates 21 and respective protruding watch hand elements 12a, 13a, 14a moves in a circle around the centre of respective drive shafts 20.

In Figure 3 the drive shafts 20 are arranged passing for example through a date window opening 17 in the watch dial 18 thereby providing optical readability of the respective digits on the respective date wheels below the watch dial 18 surface.

The drive shaft 20 comprises cylinder shaped bodies arranged inside each other. The illustrated shafts 20a, 20b and 20c are connected to respective glass plate elements 21 of respective watch hands according to the present invention.

The circumference of the watch dial 18 is drawn with a stippled line to indicate wherein the watch dial will be arranged in relation to other illustrated elements of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a cross sectional view along a line 14b on an example of embodiment of a watch hand 14 indicating hours as discussed above. The watch hand 14 comprises a glass plate 21b of diameter A with a centred opening adapted to be connected or fastened to a shaft 20 as discussed above. A protruding watch hand element 14a is connected to the glass plate 21b via an indent 23 arranged in the body of the protruding watch hand element 14a. The indent may also be arranged in the body of the glass plate 21b. A strong glue applied in the indent 23 may then hold the glass plate 21b together with the protruding watch hand element 14a.

The same technique can be used for other watch hands in examples of embodiments of the present invention.

A further aspect of the present invention is that a hole in respective glass plate elements 21 of a watch hand 12, 13, 14 according to the present invention are arranged to be attached to a respective one of the drive shafts 20 and can be adapted to different sizes of respective drive shafts 20 for the hour hand, minute hand and second hand. This feature allows the possibility to retrofit an hour hand and/or a minute hand etc. according to the present invention to other watches thereby replacing an hour hand and/or a minute hand etc. visually hiding for example a date window too long as experienced by the owner of the watch. Therefore, examples of embodiments of the present invention can be used when manufacturing new watches as well as retrofitting watch hands according to the present invention in existing watches.

Is it also within the scope of the present invention to attach examples of embodiment of the present invention in watches other than wristwatches, for example watches arranged on dashboards of vehicles.

According to an example of embodiment of the present invention a watch hand system may comprise at least one watch hand 12, 13, 14 comprising a shaped glass plate 21 arranged with an attached protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a configured to protrude out from the glass plate 21 pointing towards time indicators arranged in a periphery section of a watch dial 18 when the at least one watch hand 12,13, 14 is mounted to a drive shaft 20 of a watch.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein a section of the glass plate 21 the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a is attached to is configured to move in a circular trajectory in a defined distance from the drive shaft 20.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the shaped glass plat 21 is a circular shaped glass plate with a defined diameter A.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein a diameter A of the circular shaped glass plate 21 defines the radius of the circular trajectory of the section of the glass plate 21 the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a is attached.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a is an integral extension of the glass plate 21. The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a is painted while the glass plate 21 is kept transparent.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the watch hand system comprises three watch hands 12, 13, 14.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the watch hand system comprises a first watch hand 14 indicating hours and a second watch hand 13 indicating minutes.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the watch hand 12, 13, 14 is retrofittable in other watches.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the watch hand system is applicable in wrist watches and in watches being installed in respective equipment.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a comprises an indent 23 in one end, wherein a section of the periphery of the glass plate 21 is adapted to fit inside the indent 23, wherein the attachment of the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a to the glass plate 21 is done with glue.

The watch hand system according to the example of embodiment disclosed above, wherein a section of the periphery area of the glass plate 21 is arranged with an indent 23 and an end section of the protruding elements 12a, 13a, 14a is adapted to fit inside the indent 23, wherein the attachment of the protruding element 12a, 13a, 14a to the glass plate (21) is done with glue. Reference numerals:

10 An example of embodiment of the present invention

11 An example of embodiment of the present invention

12 Watch hand indicating seconds

12a Protruding watch hand element pointing towards seconds

13 Watch hand indicating minutes

13a Protruding watch hand element pointing towards minutes.

14 Watch hand indicating hours

14a Protruding watch hand element pointing towards hours

15 Least significant date digit

16 Most significant date digit

17 Date window

17a Date window divider

18 Watch dial

19 Date window opening

20 Drive shafts

20a Drive shaft for minutes

20b Drive shaft for seconds

20c Drive shaft for hours

21 Glass plate element of watch hands

21a Glass plate element of the watch hand for minutes

21bGlass plate element of the watch hand for hours

22 Cogwheel

23 Indent