# US 7,744,272 B2 · Portable apparatus and portable timepiece having a push button > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,744,272 B2 - Document ID: US7744272B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/221,050 - Filed: 2008-07-30 - Published: 2009-02-12 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2007-08-10 - Assignees: Seiko Instruments Inc. - Inventors: Yoshio Hozumi; Kazutaka Imai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744272B2 ## CPC - G04B 3/048: {Operation exclusively by axial movement of a push-button, e.g. for chronographs (winding up by push button G04B3/001; hermetically sealed push button G04B37/106)} - G04B 37/106: {of push buttons (winding up by push button G04B3/001; crown in the form of push button G04B3/046; construction of push buttons G04B3/048)} - G04G 21/00: Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces - 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) - G04G: ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES ## Abstract A portable apparatus has a push button mounted on a casing for operating a contact inside the casing. The push button is axially slidable in a pipe fixed in a through-hole extending through the casing. A coil spring encircles the pipe and is interposed between a flange of the pipe and a head of the push button to urge the push button outwardly. A packing ring for sealing the space between the pipe and push button is attached to either the pipe or the push button in the region where the coil spring encircles the pipe. Since the coil spring overlaps the packing ring, the axial length of the pipe and push button can be shortened to reduce the size of the casing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A portable apparatus comprising: an apparatus exterior having a through hole; a pipe having an outwardly arranged cylinder portion having a spring receiving face, and an inserting cylinder portion integral with the outwardly arranged cylinder portion, the inserting cylinder portion being inserted in the through hole and fixed to the apparatus exterior with the outwardly arranged cylinder portion disposed at an outer portion of the apparatus exterior; a push button including a shaft portion axially slidable in the pipe, a drawout preventing member attached to one end portion of the shaft portion inside the apparatus exterior for preventing the shaft portion from being drawn out from the pipe, and an operating head provided at the other end of the shaft portion outside of the apparatus exterior; a coil spring interposed between the operating head and the spring receiving face for urging the push button toward an outer side of the apparatus exterior; and a packing ring attached to either of the pipe and the push button within a range of a height of the coil spring for sealing an interval between the pipe and the push button. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A portable apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the outwardly arranged cylinder portion includes a cylinder end portion extending from the spring receiving face toward the outer side of the apparatus exterior and opposed to a portion of the coil spring on a side of the spring receiving face, and the packing is attached to the cylinder end portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A portable apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the outwardly arranged cylinder portion includes a cylinder end portion extending from the spring receiving face toward the outer side of the apparatus exterior and inserted between the coil spring and the shaft portion, and the packing is attached to the shaft portion and contacts an inner periphery of the cylinder end portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A portable apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the portable apparatus is a portable timepiece. ### Claim 5 A portable timepiece comprising: a timepiece exterior assembly including a case body having a recess portion opened to a case body outer face and provided with a through hole at an innermost wall of the recess portion; a pipe having an outwardly arranged cylinder portion having a spring receiving face, and an inserting cylinder portion integral with the outwardly arranged cylinder portion, the inserting cylinder portion being inserted in the through hole and fixed to the case body with the outwardly arranged cylinder portion disposed in the recess portion of the case body; a push button having a shaft portion axially slidable in the pipe, a drawout preventing member attached to one end portion of the shaft portion inside the case body for preventing the shaft portion from being drawn out from the pipe, and an operating head provided at the other end of the shaft portion outside of the case body; a coil spring interposed between the operating head and the spring receiving face for urging the push button toward an outer side of the case body and forming a gap between the innermost wall and the operating head to enable the push button to be pushed inwardly against the urging of the coil spring; and a packing ring attached to either of the pipe and the push button within a range of a height of the coil spring for sealing an interval between the pipe and the push button. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A portable timepiece according to claim 5; wherein a thickness of the case body from an inner face to the outer face thereof is equal to a depth of the recess portion and a thickness of the innermost wall, and the innermost wall is thinner than the gap. ### Claim 7 A portable appratus comprising: a casing having a through-hole that extends from an outer face of the casing to an inner face thereof; a pipe having an inner cylinder portion inserted into the through-hole and fixed to the casing, and an outer cylinder portion integral with the inner cylinder portion and extending outside the casing; a push button having a shaft portion and a head portion, the shaft portion being axially slidable in the pipe and slidably contacting the outer cylinder portion throughout the length of the outer cylinder portion, and the shaft portion having an inner end that extends inside the casing and an outer end that extends outside the casing and is connected to the head portion; a coil spring encircling the outer cylinder portion of the pipe and interposed between the head portion and a spring receiving face of the outer cylinder portion for urging the push button outwardly to an outward position and enabling the push button to be pushed inwardly against the urging of the coil spring to an inward position; and a packing ring attached to either the outer cylinder portion of the pipe or the shaft portion of the push button in the region where the coil spring encircles the outer cylinder portion to seal a space between the pipe and the push button. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the coil spring and the packing ring overlap one another when viewed in a direction normal to the axis of the shaft portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the packing ring is attached to the outer cylinder portion and slidably contacts an outer periphery of the shaft portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A portable apparatus according to claim 9; wherein the packing ring is disposed in an annular groove in the outer cylinder portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the packing ring is attached to the shaft portion and slidably contacts an inner periphery of the outer cylinder portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A portable apparatus according to claim 11; wherein the packing ring is disposed in an annular groove in the shaft portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the push button includes a stop member connected to an inner end portion of the shaft portion and engageable with an inner end of the inner cylinder portion of the pipe to prevent withdrawal of the shaft portion from the pipe. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; further including a circuit module disposed inside the casing, the circuit module having a movable contact in opposed, spaced relation from the inner end of the shaft portion, whereby pushing of the push button to the inward position moves the contact to switch a function of the circuit module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the outer face of the casing has a recess portion, the through-hole extends from a bottom of the recess portion to the inner face, and the push button moves into the recess portion when pushed to the inward position. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A portable apparatus according to claim 15; wherein the packing ring is attached to the shaft portion of the push button and is disposed entirely within the recess portion when the push button is in the outward position. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A portable apparatus according to claim 15; wherein the packing ring is attached to the outer cylinder portion of the pipe and is disposed partly within the recess portion when the push button is in the outward position. ### Claim 18 (depends on 7) A portable apparatus according to claim 7; wherein the portable apparatus is a timepiece. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A portable apparatus according to claim 18; wherein the packing ring is attached to the outer cylinder portion and slidably contacts an outer periphery of the shaft portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) A portable apparatus according to claim 18; wherein the packing ring is attached to the shaft portion and slidably contacts an inner periphery of the outer cylinder portion.