Claims:We Claim:

1. A casing assembly (100) for a timepiece (200), the assembly (100) comprising:
a case body (1), integrally formed with a back cover portion (2), the case body (1) comprising:
a first step portion (3), configured to receive and position a movement holder (6) of the timepiece (200), wherein the movement holder (16) is configured to accommodate a crownless movement (21),
a second step portion (4), configured to receive and position a dial (7) on the crownless movement (21), and
a third step portion (17), configured to receive a ring (15), wherein the ring (15) secures the dial (7) within the second step portion (4) and is connected to the case body (1);
a bezel (8) connectable to the ring (15) and the case body (1); and
a glass (9) secured on the bezel (8), to hermitically seal the case body (1),
wherein the glass (9) is positioned to substantially flush with the bezel (8) to define thickness of the casing assembly (100).

2. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ring (15) is defined with a fourth step portion (18) to receive and position the bezel (8) for hermitically sealing the case body (1) by the glass (9).

3. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bezel (8) is defined with a fifth step portion (20) to receive and secure the glass (9).

4. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dial (7) comprises:
a base dial (16), connectable to the movement (6), the base dial (16) is accommodated on the second step portion (4) of the case body (1); and
a top dial (17), is disposed on the base dial (16).

5. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ring (15) and the case body (1) are connected by at least one fastener (30).

6. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the case body (1) is manufactured by a polymer.

7. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ring (1) is manufactured by a metal.

8. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bezel (8) and the ring (15) are connected by a mechanical joint.

9. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, thickness of the assembly (100) ranges from about 4.2mm to 4.6mm.

10. A timepiece (200) comprising a casing assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1.

Dated this 26th day of November 2021

Gopinath A S
IN/PA-1852
Of K&S Partners
Agent of the Applicant(s)
, Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10 and Rule 13]

TITLE: “A CASING ASSEMBLY FOR A TIMEPIECE”

NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE APPLICANT:

TITAN COMPANY LIMITED, INTEGRITY, NO.193, VEERASANDRA, ELECTRONICS CITY P.O., OFF HOSUR MAIN ROAD, BANGALORE – 560100, KARNATAKA, INDIA

Nationality: Indian.

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Present disclosure generally relates to the field of horology. Particularly, but not exclusively, the disclosure relates to a timepiece. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a casing assembly for the timepiece.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Conventionally, timepieces may be employed with a casing having a dial, or in general, a display element that is capable of indicating time. Such dials of the timepiece may have an analog configuration, a digital configuration, or a combination of both. The dial may be positioned in the casing such that, other components or mechanism of the timepiece including, but not limited to, a movement, a movement holder, a stem, and the like, may be concealed from visibility. Also, such concealment by the dial is necessary to avoid interference of such components from viewability and visibility of hands of the timepiece being connected to movement from showcasing time.

Conventionally, such concealment is carried out by assembling the components of the timepiece in a defined order, where the casing may be defined with a through opening for assembling of the components therein. One end of the casing may be configured to receive a glass, while an other end of the through opening, opposite to one end, may be configured to receive the components of the timepiece for assembling. The casing of the timepiece may be positioned with the glass side on a platform so that, the components of the timepiece may be assembled from the other end. Additionally, the other end of the through opening may be covered by a back plate, which may be held by means of fasteners while the components of the timepiece are hermitically sealed within the casing.

With advent of technology, assembling of the components of the timepiece have been performed by suitably connecting and disconnecting the back plate with the casing, where such connection therebetween may be performed by defining an internal thread or snap-fitting means within the casing and/or the back plate. With such configuration, aesthetical appeal of the timepiece may be enhanced and also provide comfort for wearing such timepiece in view of elimination of the fasteners.

In view of above-mentioned conventional timepieces, components of the timepiece such as glass may be prone to damages such as, but not limited to, scratches, fingerprint smudge, discoloring, wear-off, and the like, during assembly or servicing process. Such damages to the glass may cause blurred appearance of the dial and/or hands of the timepiece, which may hinder the user for observing time in the timepiece. Additionally, assembling in such conventional process may require skilled person or skilled apparatus for assembly and disassembly of the components of the timepiece. In addition, the back plate may also add to the thickness of the timepiece, which may render the timepiece bulky and heavy based on which coefficient of aesthetic appeal of the timepiece may be reduced. Also due to such requirements for assembly and high number of components of the timepiece, cost associated with manufacturing, processing, assembling and/or servicing of the timepiece may inherently increase, thereby increasing overall costs incurred for production of such timepiece.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the prior arts.
The information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by an assembly as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the assembly as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a casing assembly for a timepiece is disclosed. The assembly includes a case body, integrally formed with a back cover portion. The case body includes a first step portion, configured to receive and position a movement holder of the timepiece. The movement holder is configured to accommodate a crownless movement. Further, the case body includes a second step portion, configured to receive and position a dial on the crownless movement. Furthermore, the case body includes a third step portion configured to receive a ring, where the ring secures the dial within the second step portion and is connected to the case body. Further, the case assembly includes a bezel, which is connected to the ring and the case body. Furthermore, the case assembly includes a glass, which is secured on the bezel to hermetically seal the case body. The glass is positioned to substantially flush with the bezel to define thickness of the casing assembly.

In an embodiment, the ring is defined with a fourth step portion to receive and position the bezel for hermitically sealing the case body by the glass.

In an embodiment, the bezel is defined with a fifth step portion to receive and secure the glass.

In an embodiment, the dial includes a base dial, connectable to the crownless movement, and accommodated on the second step portion of the case body, and a top dial, is disposed on the base dial.

In an embodiment, the ring and the case body are connected by at least one fastener.

In an embodiment, the ring is manufactured by a metal such as a steel.

In an embodiment, the bezel and the ring are connected by a mechanical joint.

In an embodiment, thickness of the assembly ranges from about 4.2mm to 4.4mm.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the detailed disclosure. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Figure. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the casing assembly for a timepiece, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure. 2 illustrates an assembled sectional view of the casing assembly of Figure. 1.
Figure. 3 illustrates a magnified view of portion ‘A’ of Figure. 2.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the embodiments in the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described hereinbelow. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art would be motivated by the present disclosure and may be motivated to modify various compositions, shapes, profiles, and configurations of the timepiece. However, such modification should be construed within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings show only those specific details that are pertinent to understand the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a mechanism and a system that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or an apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or mechanism.

Embodiments of the disclosure discloses a casing assembly (hereinafter interchangeably used as assembly or casing assembly) for a timepiece. The assembly includes a case body, integrally formed with a back cover portion. The case body may include a first step portion, which is configured to receive and position a movement holder of the timepiece. The movement holder is configured to accommodate a crownless movement. Furter, the case body may include a second step portion, which may be configured to receive and position a dial on the crownless movement. Furthermore, the case body includes a third step portion, which is configured to receive a ring. The ring is configured to secure the dial within the second step portion and is connected to the case body through such as but not limiting to fasteners. Additionally, the assembly includes a bezel, which may be connectable to the ring and the case body and a glass, which may be secured on the bezel to hermetically seal the case body. The glass is positioned to substantially flush with the bezel to define thickness of the casing assembly, whereby increasing aesthetic appeal of the timepiece and reducing thickness of the timepiece to a range of about 4.2 mm to 4.4 mm. By the configuration of the timepiece, i.e., the back cover portion being integrated with the case body, cost and number of components to be assembled in the timepiece is reduced. Additionally, with difference in assembling configuration [i.e. assembling from the bezel side and not through the back cover portion], requirement of a skilled labor is avoided.

In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying figures that form a part hereof, and in which the timepiece are shown by way of illustrating specific embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described with sufficient details to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figures. 1 to 3.

Figure. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which is an exploded view of a casing assembly (100) of a timepiece (200). The casing assembly (100) may be adapted to be coupled with a connecting means [not shown in Figures] including but not limited to, a strap, a belt, a chain and any other connecting means that may be capable of securing the casing assembly (100) [thus, the timepiece (200)] onto a user. In an exemplary embodiment, the casing assembly (100) illustrated in Figure. 1 is of a wristwatch, while configuration of the casing assembly (100) as described herein may also extend to other horological configurations of the timepieces with selective modifications without deviating from features described herein.
Referring again to Figure. 1, the casing assembly (100) of the timepiece (200), among other components, includes a case body (1), a crownless movement (21), a dial (7), a bezel (8) and a glass (9), for suitably displaying time. The casing assembly (100) may also include indicators such as, but not limited to, a plurality of hands or projections [not shown in Figures] that may be selectively coupled to the crownless movement (21) and positioned above the dial (7) to indicate time, date, day and the like.
The case body (1), as illustrated in Figure. 1, may be integrally formed with a back cover portion (2) for defining a cavity to receive various components of the casing assembly (100). The case body (1) with the back cover portion (2) may be formed as an integral component or the back cover portion (2) may be permanently joined with the case body (1) by processes including, but not limited to, welding, brazing, and the like, to resemble an integral component. The back cover portion (2) of the case body (1) may include an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface of the back cover portion (2) may be capable of accommodating the components of the casing assembly (100), while the outer surface of the back cover portion (2) may be adapted to define a resting region on which the casing assembly (100), and in-turn the timepiece (200) may rest on a defined surface. With such configuration of the case body (1) and the casing assembly (100), the components of the timepiece (200) may be obviated from exposure to the surroundings at the outer surface of the case body (1).
In an embodiment, the case body (1) may be defined with a plurality of step portions for receiving and selectively positioning the components of the casing assembly (100), and in-turn of the timepiece (200). The plurality of step portions may be adapted to abut by at least some of the components of the timepiece (200) for securing and/or positioning within the case body (1) of the casing assembly (100). The plurality of step portions may be defined at least from the inner surface of the back cover portion (2) and along periphery of the case body (1), based on a number of factors affecting configuration of the casing assembly (100). In an embodiment, such factors may be including, but not limited to, number of components of the casing assembly (100), thickness of each of the components, interlocking between each of the components and the like.
In the illustrative embodiment, as seen in Figure. 1, the case body (1) includes three step portions, namely a first step portion (3), a second step portion (4), and a third step portion (17), which ascend from the inner surface of the back cover portion (2) up till a brim portion of the case body (1) that may be exposed to the surroundings when the casing assembly (100) is in disassembled state. The first step portion (3), the second step portion (4) and the third step portion (17) are integrally formed in the case body (1) such that, each step portion concentrically extends from an inner portion of the case body (1). The first step portion (3) may be configured to receive and position a movement holder (16). In an embodiment, the movement holder (16) is configured to accommodate a crownless movement (21) of the timepiece (200). Further, the second step portion (4) may be configured to receive and accommodate a dial (7) relative to the crownless movement (21). Additionally, the third step portion (17) of the case body (1) may be configured to receive and position a ring (15). In an embodiment, the ring (15) may be configured to abut a portion of the dial (7), thereby facilitates in securing the dial (7) within the second step portion (4). As an example, the ring (15) may be manufactured by metals such as but not limiting to steel. In an embodiment, the ring (15) may facilitate in providing platform for holding the bezel (8), the glass (9) and the helps in tightly securing the dial (7) within the second step portion (4). Further, the configuration of the ring (15) and the third step portion (17) may provide ingress protection (i.e., water resistance) feature for the timepiece (200).

Referring now to Figure. 2, the ring (15) may be defined with a fourth step portion (18), which may be configured to receive and position a bezel (8). In an embodiment, the bezel (8) may be connected to the ring (15) by means including, but not limited to, adhesive bonding, seal fitment, snap fitting, thread fitting and any other means for temporary and detachable connection between the bezel (8) and the ring (15). In an illustrated embodiment, the bezel (8) may include a plurality of projections, which may be configured to engage with the ring (15) for removably connecting the bezel (8) and the ring (15). Further, as apparent from Figure. 2, the bezel (8) may be defined with a fifth step portion (20), which may be configured to receive and secure the glass (9) such that, the glass (9) may be positioned to substantially flush with the bezel (8) to define thickness of the casing assembly (100). As an example, the glass (9) may be made of mineral glass, quartz glass, silicone and any other transparent or substantially transparent material. In an embodiment, the glass (9) may be coupled to the bezel (8) by means including, but not, limited to adhesive bonding to secure the glass (9) onto the bezel (8). In an embodiment, the glass (9) may be configured to substantially flush with the bezel (8) to hermetically seal the casing assembly (100) and define thickness of the assembly (100). Further, as apparent from Figure. 2, the ring (15) may be connected to the case body (1) through a mechanical joining such as but not limiting to fasteners (30) and the like, thereby securing the components of the timepiece (200) within the case body (1).

In an embodiment, the casing and the bezel (8) may be made of polymer such as but not limiting to carbon fibre. Carbon fibre contributes to increasing strength of the timepiece and also aesthetics of the timepiece.

Referring back to Figure. 1, the dial (7) accommodated in the second step portion (4) may include a base dial (16) and a top dial (17), which may be detachably disposed on the base dial (16). The base dial (16) is connectable to the movement (6). Further, at least a portion of the base dial (16) and the top dial (17) may be detachably interlocked by a complementary profile on one another, where such complementary profile may be including, but not limited to, a zig-zag profile, a sinusoidal profile, and any other profile which may restrict rotational movement (6) of the top dial (17) about the base dial (16) while allowing movement (6) in a vertical direction of the casing assembly (100). In an embodiment, the base dial (16) may act as a spacer below the top dial (17).

In an embodiment, the configuration of the casing assembly aids in assembling a crownless movement, which aids in improving aesthetics of the timepiece. Further, time may be set using an electronic time setting unit in the crownless movement.

In an embodiment, the configuration of the casing assembly (100) having the case body (1) with integrated back cover portion (2), aids in reducing the thickness of the timepiece (200) to a range of 4.2mm to 4.4mm.
In an embodiment, the configuration of the casing assembly (100) aids in easy assembling and disassembling of the timepiece (200), unlike conventional timepiece (200) which involves complex arrangements for assembling and disassembling.
In an embodiment, as the back cover portion (2) is integrated with the case body (1), the movement (6) secured within the first step portion (3) may be substantially free from any vibrations experienced from the back cover portion (2).
It should be construed that the various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

EQUIVALENTS
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral numerals:
Particular Numeral
Timepiece 200
Case assembly 100
Case body 1
Back cover portion 2
First step portion 3
Second step portion 4
Movement holder 6
Dial 7
Bezel 8
Glass 9
Ring 15
Base dial 16
Fastener 30