# US 12,223,851 B2 · Method and system for assisting in the adjustment of a mechanical timepiece > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,223,851 B2 - Document ID: US12223851B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/638,661 - Filed: 2020-08-27 - Published: 2023-03-23 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-29 - Assignees: Patek Philippe SA Geneve - Applicants: Patek Philippe SA Genève - Inventors: Alessandro Vandini; Frédéric Maier - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12223851B2 ## CPC - G04D 7/004: {Optical measuring and testing apparatus} - G09B 19/003: {Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements} - G04B 27/02: by making use of the winding means {(winding by hand or mechanically G04B3/00)} - G09B 5/02: with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip - G04D: APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) - G04B: MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS (spring- or weight-driven mechanisms in general F03G; electromechanical clocks or watches G04C; electromechanical clocks with attached or built-in means operating any device at pre-selected times or after predetermined time intervals G04C23/00; clocks or watches with stop devices G04F7/08) ## Abstract The invention relates to a method implemented by a computer terminal for assisting the setting of a mechanism of a mechanical timepiece (10). The method comprises the following steps: i) capturing an image or a sequence of images of the mechanical timepiece (10) by means of a computer equipment (20) comprising an image acquisition device (22) and a display area (24); determining the setting to be made according to said image or sequence of images, and displaying on the display area (24) of the computer device (20) a sequence of instructions for said setting of the mechanism. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Method implemented by a computing device for assisting a user in setting of a mechanism of a mechanical timepiece having a plurality of mechanisms for displaying different functions, wherein the computing device comprises an image acquisition device, a display area, a processor and a memory storing a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by the processor of the computing device, cause the latter to implement the following steps: prompting the user to capture a first image or sequence of images of the mechanical timepiece by means of the image acquisition device of the computing device; determining whether the quality of the first image or sequence of images is acceptable before or after pre-processing said image or sequence of images, wherein said pre-processing includes at least one image correction among brightness correction, contrast correction, white balance correction and cropping; prompting the user to capture another image or sequence of images by said image acquisition device if the quality of the first image or sequence of images is not acceptable; identifying the model of the mechanical timepiece by image recognition from said first image or sequence of images or subsequent image or sequence of images; prompting the user to select the mechanism to be set among said plurality of mechanisms, generating a sequence of instructions to be performed by the user on one or more setting members of the mechanical timepiece for setting said mechanism, wherein the sequence of instructions is generated according to said image or sequence of images and the identified model, and displaying on the display area of the computing device said sequence of instructions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, the setting to be made being determined so that the position of an indicator of said mechanism to be set corresponds to a reference time indicated by the user or determined automatically. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Method of claim 2, wherein the reference time is given by the clock of the computing device or by a remote server. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, wherein the model of the timepiece identified is displayed in the display area of the computing device together with the sequence of instructions for setting the mechanism. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, said sequence of instructions comprising a text or a video pre-recorded and played back by said computing device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, said sequence of instructions comprising a text or a video dynamically generated from said image or sequence of images. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, said sequence of instructions comprising a succession of operations to be performed with setting members of the mechanical timepiece. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) Method according to claim 4, wherein the sequence of instructions is displayed as an explanatory text displayed in augmented reality with the model of the timepiece identified. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, wherein the sequence of instructions consists of an animation of the modelled image of the model of the timepiece so as to indicate movements to be performed on one or more setting members selected from the group of setting members comprising one or more crowns, one or more winding stems, and one or more corrector buttons. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, wherein the type of mechanism to be set is selected from the group of mechanisms comprising the display of the hours, the minutes, the seconds, a simple, annual or perpetual calendar, a second time zone, the moon phases, the night sky configuration , and the mechanisms for activating/deactivating an alarm, for setting the alarm time and the astronomical functions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein the sequence of instructions consists of a sequence of corrections of the time and date of a simple, annual or perpetual calendar. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) Method according to claim 11, wherein the sequence of instructions consists of a sequence of operations to be performed with setting members of the mechanical timepiece in order to bring the time and date displayed by the timepiece from the position represented by said image to a position corresponding to a time and date determined by said computing device or selected by a user using said computing device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is a smartphone, a digital tablet or a computer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A computer-readable recording medium storing instructions for a computer application downloadable to a computing device, in particular a smartphone or digital tablet, comprising instructions which, when the computer application is executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to implement the method according to claim 1.