US2412493A - Timepiece setting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 10, 1946.

E. F. cARL sTRoM 2,412,493

'IIMEPIECE SETTING MECHANISM Filed April 25, 1945 l5 6 0 l e I FIG. 3

| II l i [0 I 5 5' I7 @1011 INVENTOR.

ELIS E GARLSTROM AT TY.

Patented Dec. 10, 1946 TIMEPIECE SETTING MECHANISM Elis Fedor Carlstrom, Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, Pa., assigncr to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa.

Application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,864

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a timepiece setting mechanism and is designed so that through the use of a single part the operations now accomplished through two or more parts are completed.

In previous construction it has been found necessary to use two or more parts for moving the clutch member from winding to setting position. These parts are such that the pillar plate must be machined to give the parts operating room. It is necessary to bore and thread holes for the screws for each of these parts.

With the grouping of these parts into a single spring lever several operations in the assembling of the watch are dispensed with.

It is, therefore, the purpose of the present invention to provide a single one piece spring lever to serve in shifting the clutch of a timepiece mechanism from winding to setting position.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a spring lever serving to operate the clutch of a timepiece mechanism and a notched post engaging one end of the spring lever which will maintain this lever in one position, the inherent spring of said lever maintaining it in the other position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein described may be made within the scope of what is claimed 1without departing from the spirit of the inven- The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the one piece spring lever;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of the pillar plate shov ing the mechanism in setting position;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the mechanism in winding position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the invention consists of a spring lever I formed of an upper section 2, a spring section 3 and a lower section 4.

The upper section 2 is provided with a threaded hole 5 and a stem engaging pin 6 while the lower section is provided with a clutch engaging pin 1. The lower section 4 is formed with an accurately machined face 8 and a projecting point 9.

The spring lever I pivotally mounted on the usual setting lever screw 5 threaded into hole 5 is supported by the pillar plate In and has the upper section projecting across the stem l I which is connected to the crown I2, and the lower section projecting across the clutch I3 which moving longitudinally on the square portion I4 of stem II serves to connect the crown with either the winding or the setting mechanism of the timepiece.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawing the watch is shown in winding position with the spring lever shown holding the clutch member I3 in engagement with the clutch engaging teeth I5 of the sleeve member I6. The sleeve member I5 is integral with or attached to the winding pinion I! which connects through a gear to the barrel arbor. It will thus be seen that the member I through its inherent spring action constantly urges the clutch I3 into engagement with the clutch engaging teeth I5 of the winding pinion I! and so maintains the mechanism in winding position.

Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the stem I l is pulled outward by means of the crown I2 the pin 6 riding in the groove I8 of the stem II moves the spring lever about the pivot screw 5 forcing the pin 1 and lower section 4 of the spring lever downward, disengaging the clutch I3 from the clutch engaging teeth I 5 of the winding pinion I1. This movement downward is arrested by the engagement of the lower teeth I9 of the clutch I3 with the setting wheel 23 of the watch. The movement of the spring lever I about its pivot screw 5' moves the end 8 of the lever downward and to the left bringing the point 9 into engagement with the notch 2i of the pin 22 which notch is machined accurately to receive and hold the point 9 and lower section of the spring lever I in setting position unless a movement of the spring lever through movement of the stern I I releases the point 9 from engagement with the notch 2| allowing the inherent spring action to return the lever to winding position. The pin 22 is frictionally held in any manually adjusted position desired.

This provides a single spring lever which serves to hold the clutch in engagement with the teeth I5 under normal conditions but which, when moved to extreme position through the action of the stem II, permits engagement of the point 9 with the notch 2| and holds the clutch in engagement with the wheel 20 until positive movement of the stem returns the spring lever to original position.

What is claimed is:

In a timepiece, a pillar plate, a manually operable winding and setting stem rotatably and slidspring lever pivotally mounted on said pillar plate, said lever being formed with an upper section, a central section and a lower section, a pin in said upper section engaging the annular groove in said stem, a second pin in said "lower section engaging the annular groove in said clutch, a notched manually adjustable post mounted in said pillar plate and in the path of the lower section of said spring lever, said spring lever being formed with an accurately milled end and a point adapted to engage the notch of said post, whereby movement of said stem along a longitudinal direction will swing said spring lever about its pivot, forcing the point of the lower section into engagement with the notch post simultaneous with the engagement of the clutch with the setting lever.

ELIS FEDOR CARLSTROM,

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