Crown assembly for watches
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsDaniel J. Hiemstra, Colin M. Ely
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A watch can include one or more input components, such as a crown for receiving input from a user. The crown can be an assembly of multiple parts, for example, to provide aesthetic, structural, and/or functional attributes. The parts of the crown can be assembled in a manner that resists separation during use and when subject to environmental influences. For example, the assembled parts of a crown can be resistant to separation while a user wearing the watch is swimming, bathing, or sweating. The assembly can be secured by both mechanical mechanisms and chemical mechanisms.
Claims18
A crown for a watch, the crown comprising:
- a dial comprising dial teeth extending radially inwardly and separated by dial recesses;
- a cap positioned at least partially within the dial and comprising cap recesses mated with the dial teeth to rotationally lock the cap with respect to the dial, wherein an outer surface of the cap is flush with an outer surface of the dial;
- and
- a support structure positioned at least partially within the cap to axially retain the cap within the dial.
A crown for a watch, the crown comprising:
- a dial comprising a dial tooth;
- a cap positioned at least partially within the dial and comprising:
- an end portion;
- an extension extending radially inwardly, the extension defining an engagement channel axially between the end portion and the extension;
- and
- a cap recess, wherein the dial tooth substantially fills the cap recess to lock the cap with respect to the dial;
- and
- a support structure comprising an engagement tooth positioned at least partially within the engagement channel of the cap to secure the cap with respect to the support structure.
A method of assembling a crown, the method comprising:
- positioning a support structure at least partially within a dial;
- moving an engagement tooth of the support structure axially through a gap adjacent to an extension of a cap, the extension extending radially inwardly and defining an engagement channel axially between the extension and an end portion of the cap;
- and
- rotating the support structure with respect to the cap and the dial such that the engagement tooth moves into the engagement channel to retain the cap axially.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.