US2737009A - Fluid-tight case for watches - Google Patents

Description

March 6, 1956 E. PIQUEREZ 2,737,009

FLUID-TIGHT CASE FOR WATCHES Filed Feb. 1, 1954 FIG. I 4

L l I I 1 I I l ,2 y

I 1 a a United States Patent FLUID-TIGHT CASE FOR WATCI ES Ervin Piquerez, Bassecourt, Switzerland Appiication February 1, H54, Seriai No. adj-Q25 Claims priority, application Switzeriand February 7, 1953 7 Ciaims. (Cl. fil -9G) My invention has for its object a fluid-tight case for watches, the independent bottom of which case is provided with a cylindrical upstanding flange engaging the body of the case. Said case is characterized by the fact that one of the cooperating parts, either the body of the box or the flange on the bottom of the case, is provided with at least two springs including each a section sloping with reference to the transverse cross section of the case and merging into a section which is substantially parallel with said cross-section, said springs exerting an axial stress on the casing sections, while the other cooperating part is provided with two radial projections engaging each one of said springs, the whole arrangement being such that an angular shifting of the bottom section with reference to the body section of the case, causes each of said projections to cooperate first with the sloping section of the spring and then with the parallel section of said spring so that said spring urges elastically the bottom of the case against the body section by exerting an axial pressure which compresses a packing fitted between the bottom section and the body section of the case.

I have illustrated by way of example, and by no means in a binding sense, a preferred embodiment of the case forming the object of my invention in appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axial cross-section of a part of the watch case;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a section of the watch case and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the case on a smaller scale.

The case illustrated includes a rim or body section 1 inside which is freely fitted the cylindrical upstanding part of the bottom flange 2a of a bottom section 2. An annular recess 3 r is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the flange 2a. This. recess serves for housing two spring-forming wire convolutions 4 arranged in diametrically opposed relationship. Each of said springs includes a section 4!: oblique with reference to the transverse cross-section of the casing and followed by a section 412 parallel with said cross-section. The free end 40 terminating the oblique section 4a is bent so that it may engage an opening in the horizontal shoulder 2c at the upper end of the flange 2a formed on the bottom section, said shoulder constituting the upper wall of the recess 3. The other end of the spring designated by the reference M is free so that the spring may be deformed elastically and move slightly towards the left hand side of Fig. 2. Said free end 4d is folded into U-shape and bears against the lower surface of the shoulder 2c.

. The rim section 1 of the casing carries two projections or pins 5 at two diametrically opposed locations, said pins extending radially towards the inside of the casing and entering the recess 3 formed at the periphery of the upstanding flange on the bottom section. Said flange, including the shoulder 20, is provided, to this end, with two longitudinal cuts 6 which allow the insertion of the pins 5 when the bottom section is urged into position inside the rim section.

The securing of the bottom is obtained by an angular shifting of the latter after the pins have been engaged through the openings or cuts 6. This rotation in the direction of the arrows 7 in Fig. 2 first brings the pins 5 into engagement with the section 4a of the corresponding springs and then urges them between the lower section 4b of the springs and the lower wall of the recess 3. When said section 4b is in contacting relationship with the pin, an abutment system, which is not illustrated, constituted e. g. by a further pin secured to the rim section 1, cooperates with a tongue 2d formed on the upstanding flange, whereby the angular shifting of the bottom section is arrested. The pressure exerted by the pins 5' against the sections 4b of the springs, deforms the latter which act thus on the shoulder 2c so as to urge axially the bottom section against the rim section and to compress a packing 8 fitted between the two casing sections.

The advantage of this arrangement, with reference to conventional screwed bottom sections, consists in that the packing does not risk being crushed, as in the case of the screwed bottom being fastened too energetically or being insuificiently compressed, as in the case where the bottom is screwed home to an insufiicient extent.

In the present embodiment, the pressure of the bottom section on the packing assumes a constant value which depends only on the structure of the casing and not on the manner of mounting it. Depressions 9 are formed in the bottom section 2, so as to allow introducing tweezers therein, with a view to making the bottom section turn.

Lastly, it should be noticed that clearances 10 are provided in the upstanding flange 2a of the bottom section, so as to allow the passage therethrough of the winder stem, when the bottom section is being inserted.

What I claim is:

l. A fluid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bottom coaxialiy mounted with reference to the case band and including an upstanding flange parallel with the axis of the case, extending inside the inner wall of the case band at a small distance therefrom and provided with an annular recess facing the inner wall of the case band and bounded by a surface perpendicular to the axis of the case, a packing between the case band and the case bottom, at least two separate spring wires extending inside the recess in the flange along a surface coaxial with the latter, each spring including a sloping section the outer end of which is fitted in a side wall the recess and a further section substantially parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case, and members radially rigid with the case entering the recss in the flange and adapted, upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bottom, to engage the sloping sections of the corresponding spring wires and then the second sections of the latter to compress said spring wires between said members and the above-mentioned bounding surface of the recess to urge the case bottom against the case band over the packing extending therebetween.

2. A fiuid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bottom coaxially mounted with reference to the case band and including an upstanding flange parallel with the axis of the case, extending inside the inner wall of the case band at a small distance therefrom and provided with an annular recess facing the inner wall of the case band and bounded at its upper end by a surface perpendicular to the axis of the case, the upper part of the flange being radially cut to form at least one radial opening between the recess and the outside of the flange, a washer between the case band and the case bottom, at least two separate spring wires extending inside the recess in the flange along a surface coaxial with the latter, each spring including a sloping section the outer end of which is fitted in the bounding surface of the recess and a further section substantially parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis of thecase, and members radially rigid with the case band adapted to engage said recess through the corresponding radial cut in the upper part of the flange to enter the recess in the latter and, upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bottom, to engage the sloping sections of the corresponding spring wires and then the second sections of the latter to compress said spring wires between said members and the above-mentioned bounding surface of the recess to urge the case bottom against the case band over the washer extending therebetween.

3. A fluid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bot-tom coaxially mounted with reference to the case band and including an upstanding flange parallel with the 'axis of the case, extending inside the inner wall of the case band at a small distance therefrom and provided with an annular recess facing the inner wall of the case band and bounded at its inner end by a surface perpendicular to the axis of the case, the upper part of the flange being radially cut to form a radial opening between the recess and the outside of the flange, a washer between the case band and the case bottom, at least two separate spring wires extending inside the recess in the flange along a surface coaxial with the latter, each spring including a sloping section the outer section of which is fitted in the bounding surface of the recess and a further section substantially parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case, and projections, the angular distribution of which round the axis of the case coincides with that of the cuts in the upper part of the flange, radially rigid with the case band and adapted to engage said recess through the corresponding radial cut in the upper part of the flange to enter the recess in the latter, and upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bot-tom, to engage the sloping sections of the corresponding spring wiresand then the second sections of the latter to compress said spring wires between said members and the above-mentioned bounding surface of the recess to urge the case bottom against the case band over the washer extending therebetween.

4. A fluid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bottom, a packing fitted between said case bottom and said case band, an upstanding flange rigid with the latter extending inside the inner periphery of the case band with an annular clearance therebetween, said upstanding flange being outwardly recessed to form an annular chamber, two spring wires fitted in said chamber and secured each to the upper surface of said chamber and including each a section oblique with reference to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case and a second section merging into the first section and extending in parallelism with said plane, two members rigid with the case band and extending radially and inwardly with reference thereto into the annular chamber and adapted, upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bottom, to engage the corresponding springs in succession along the oblique sections and the parallel sections thereof to compress said springs between said members and the upper surface of the chamber rigid with said springs to urge the case bottom against the case band over the packing located therebetween.

5. A fluid tight watch case comprising two interengaging case sections, coaxial walls rigid respectively with each section and facing each other with a clearance therebetween, one of said walls being provided with an annular recess facin the other wall, two diametrically opposed springs fitted in said annular recess and including each a first section oblique with reference to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case and a second section merging into the first section and extending in parallelism with said plane, the ends of said oblique section opposed to the second section being rigid with the recessed wall, radial projections rigid with the non-recessed wall, extending into the recess and each engaging the corresponding spring through the side of the second section facing away from the oblique section to compress the spring and to urge thereby the chambered wall into a direction providing for engagement of the two case sections, and a Washer between said sections.

6. A fluid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bottom coaxially mounted with reference to the case band and including an upstanding flange parallel with the axis of the case, extending inside the inner 7 wall of the case band at a small distance therefrom and provided with an annular recess facing the inner wall of the case band and bounded at its upper end by a surface perpendicular to the axis of the flange, the upper part of the flange being radially cut to form at least one radial opening between the recess and the outside of the flange, a washer between the case band and the case bottom, at least two separate spring wires extending inside the recess in the flange along a surface coaxial with the latter, each spring including a sloping section the outer end of which is fitted in the bounding surface of the recess, a second section substantially parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case and a third section following the second section and bent so as to engage the above-mentioned surface bounding the annular recess, and members radially rigid with the case band adapted to engage said recess through the corresponding radial cut in the upper part of the flange to enter the recess in the latter and, upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bottom, to engage the sloping sections of the corresponding spring wires and then the second sections of the latter to compress said spring wires between said members and the abovementioned bounding surface of the recess to urge the case bottom against the case band over the washer extending therebetwecn.

7. A fluid tight watch case comprising a case band, a case bottom coaxially mounted with reference to the case hand and including a peripheral outer flange facing an upstanding flange parallel with the axis of the case, extending inside the inner wall of the case band at a small distance therefrom and provided with an annular recess facing the inner wall of the case band and bounded by a surface perpendicular to the axis of the case, a washer between the lower end of the case band and the peripheral flange of the case bottom, at least two separate spring wires extending inside the recess in the flange along a surface coaxial with the latter, each spring including a sloping section the outer end of which is fitted in a side wall of the recess and a further section substantially parallel with a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case, and members radially rigid with the case entering the recess in the flange and adapted upon relative angular shifting between the case band and the case bottom, to engage the sloping sections of the corresponding spring wires and then the second sections of the latter to compress said spring wires between said members and the above-mentioned bounding surface of the recess to urge the case bottom against the case band over the washer extending therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 615,453 Hipkins Dec. 6, 1898 1,692,477 Wamelink Nov. 20, 1928' FOREIGN PATENTS 195,622 France Jan. 25, 1889 742,145 Germany Nov. 23, 1943 112,031 Great Britain Dec. 27, 1917 108,676 Switzerland Feb. 2, 1925 260,636 7 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1949

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