Timesetting arrangement for electrical timepieces
AssigneeSociete Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogere Management Services S.A.
InventorJean-Pierre Jaunin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrically driven timepiece has a high frequency oscillator, a frequy divider and a time display capable of displaying at least minutes and seconds wherein correcting and setting of the display is obtained by means of a single user accessible switch capable of assuming at least two positions including a neutral and an active position and a sequential discriminator circuit which includes a plurality of memory devices, a timing chain and a bistable circuit controlled by the switch so that cycles of impulses applied to the switch within predetermined time periods by the user will result in the addition of a unit count to the seconds display or the blocking of the display advance or the driving of the display at a higher than normal rate in accordance with the cycle pattern employed.
Claims8
An electrically driven timepiece including:
- a high frequency oscillator means for producing pulses of a predetermined frequency;
- a frequency-divider/pulse-transmission means, including a frequency divider, connected to said high frequency oscillator means for dividing said pulses of said predetermined frequency into display actuating pulses of a display-actuating frequency and transmitting the pulses to a time display means;
- a time display means including at least minute and second displays connected to said frequency-divider/pulse-transmission means for receiving said display-actuating pulses and for advancing said minute and second displays in response thereto, said time display means including a stepping motor arranged to drive time displaying hands;
- a single user-accessible switch for correcting and setting the display, said switch being capable of assuming at least two positions including a neutral and an active position;
- a sequential-discriminator/memory circuit means connected between said switch and said frequency-divider/pulse-transmission means for generating combinations of controls in response to time cycle patterns with which the single switch is moved between the neutral and active positions, a first such control being the insertion of a pulse into the frequency divider transmission means for each movement of said switch from said neutral position to said active position, a second such control blocking transmission of pulses by the frequency-divider/pulse-transmission means to prevent advancement of the displays in response to the switch being held in the active position for a predetermined length of time, and a third such control operating on the frequency-divider/pulse-transmission means to increase the rate at which pulses are transmitted to the time display to thereby advance the displays at a faster than normal rate in response to the switch being held in the active position for a predetermined length of time, and thereafter being moved to the neutral positon and quickly returned to the active position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.