Claims:1. A dial assembly (100) for a timepiece (101), the dial assembly (100) comprising:
a first dial plate (7) defined with a plurality of perforations (13);
a second dial plate (8), positioned parallel to the first dial plate (7), and defining a cavity (14) to accommodate a plurality of movable articles (5);
a cover member (4) positioned between the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8), the cover member (4) defines a provision for receiving a spindle (3) of a movement of the timepiece (101);
wherein, the cover member (4) is configured to restrict collision of the plurality of movable articles (5) with the spindle (3).
2. The dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom surface (15) of the second dial plate is disposable on the movement (6).

3. The dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of hands (2) of the timepiece is configurable on an upper surface (16) of the first dial plate (7).

4. The dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a spacer element (11), positioned between a peripheral portion of the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8).

5. The dial assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein thickness of the spacer element (11) corresponds to depth of the cavity (14) between the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8).

6. The dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8) are defined with an aperture (12), and the cover member is positioned in the periphery of the aperture (12) to define the provision for the spindle (3).

7. The dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable articles (5) are at least one of stones, and crystals.

8. A base cover of a timepiece, the base cover (9) comprising:
a first dial plate (7) defined with a plurality of perforations (13);
a second dial plate (8), positioned parallel to the first dial plate (7), and defining a cavity (14) to accommodate a plurality of movable articles (5).

9. A timepiece (101) comprising a dial assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of horology. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a dial assembly of a timepiece. Further embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a perforated dial assembly that houses a plurality of movable articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A timepiece is a device used for measuring and displaying time. Modern timepieces are generally configured to display the day, date, month, year and other required parameters in addition to time. The timepiece may be designed to be worn around the wrist of a user and is held firmly around the wrist of a user by means of a watch strap, a bracelet or any other connecting means. Wrist watches or timepieces may often be provided with decorative elements. Luxury watches use decorative elements for facilitating the timepiece to be visually attractive to the customer. Watch makers may provide decorative crystals or stones at various locations of the watch which are not only aesthetically appealing, but also increase the grandeur of the watch.

Conventionally, watch makers may mount jewels or crystals on the dial or the case of the watch. Numerous attempts have been made by the watch makers to configure a watch, where the crystals are oriented with degrees of freedom for their movement which may further improve the aesthetic appeal of the watch.

Conventional watches have also been configured with a plurality of compartments that may be provided with crystals which are freely disposed while other compartments would house the movement along with hands of the watch. However, in such configurations the movement of crystals is limited to only a portion of the watch or dial of the watch. Hence, the appeal or decorative appearance of the watch may be limited only certain portions.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or other limitations associated with conventional arts.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of conventional assemblies and processes are overcome 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 a non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a dial assembly for a timepiece is disclosed. The dial assembly includes a first dial plate and a second dial plate, where the second dial plate is defined with a plurality of perforations. The second dial plate is positioned parallel to the first dial plate and is configured to define a cavity. The cavity accommodates a plurality of movable articles. Further, the assembly includes a cover member positioned between the first dial plate and the second dial plate. The cover member defines a provision for receiving a spindle of a movement of the timepiece. The cover member is configured to restrict the collision of the plurality of movable articles with the spindle.

In an embodiment, a bottom surface of the second dial plate is disposable on the movement and a plurality of hands of the timepiece is configured on an upper surface of the first dial plate.

In an embodiment, the dial assembly includes a spacer element that is positioned between a peripheral portion of the first dial plate and the second dial plate. Thickness of the spacer element corresponds to depth of the cavity between the first dial plate and the second dial plate.

In an embodiment, the first dial plate and the second dial plate are defined with an aperture, and the cover member is positioned in the periphery of the aperture to define the provision for receiving the spindle.

In an embodiment, the plurality of movable articles is at least one of stones and crystals.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a base cover of a timepiece is disclosed. The base cover includes a first dial plate and a second dial plate, where the second dial plate is defined with a plurality of perforations. The second dial plate is positioned parallel to the first dial plate and is configured to define a cavity. Further, the cavity accommodates a plurality of movable articles.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

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 FIGURES

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. 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:

FIG.1 illustrates a sectional side view of a timepiece including a dial assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.2 illustrates an exploded view of the dial assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.3 illustrates an assembled view of the dial assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.4 illustrates a sectional view of the dial assembly with a strap disposed with movable articles in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figure depicts 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 wheel 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 embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. 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 alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art would be motivated from the present disclosure and modify various aspects of the dial assembly for the timepiece. However, such modifications should be construed within the scope of the 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 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 device, system, assembly 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 device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.

Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a dial assembly for a timepiece. Conventionally, decorative configuration of dials in the timepieces or watches with movable articles is limited only to a portion of the dial plate. If the movable articles are made to freely suspend throughout the dial in such configurations and the article may obstruct hands of the timepiece. This is undesirable as such obstruction would result in incorrect display of time or may result in failure or damage of the movement of the watch.

The present disclosure provides a dial assembly including movable articles which does not obstruct the movement of hands of the timepiece. The dial assembly includes a first dial plate and a second dial plate, where the second dial plate is defined with a plurality of perforations. The second dial plate is positioned parallel to the first dial plate and is configured to define a cavity. Further, the cavity accommodates a plurality of movable articles. The configuration of perforations in the second dial plate is such that, it allows visualization of the movable article in the cavity and thereby improves aesthetic appeal/appearance of the timepiece. Further, in the dial assembly a cover member is positioned between the first dial plate and the second dial plate. The cover member defines a provision for receiving a spindle of a movement and the cover member is configured to restrict the collision of the plurality of movable articles with the spindle.

The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to FIG.1 to 4. In the figures, the same element or elements which have similar functions are indicated by the same reference signs.

FIG.1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a timepiece (101) with a dial assembly (100). The dial assembly (100) is provided within a casing element (10) of the timepiece (101).The casing element (10) may be covered with a glass (1).

The dial assembly (100) includes a first dial plate (7) and a second dial plate (8). The first dial plate (7) is configured to be parallel to the second dial plate (8) and a spacer element (11) is placed between the first and the second dial plate (7 and 8). The spacer element (11) may be configured around the circumference or periphery of the first and second dial plates (7 and 8). The spacer element (11) defines a cavity (14) between the first and the second dial plate (7 and 8) and a plurality of articles (5) may be movably disposed inside the cavity (14). The size of the cavity (14) may be adjusted by varying the thickness of the spacer element (11). Further, the dial assembly (100) is also provided with a cover member (4). The cover member (4) along with the spacer element (11), encloses the cavity (14). Thereby, allowing the plurality of articles (5) to move only within the cavity (5). The second dial plate (8) of the dial assembly (100) is configured to reside on a movement (6) of the timepiece (101) such that a bottom surface (15) of the second dial plate (8) comes in contact with the movement (6) of the timepiece (101). The dial assembly (100) is further configured within the timepiece (101), such that a top surface (16) of the first dial plate (7) resides below a plurality of hands (2) of the timepiece (101) and comes in contact with the casing element (10) of the timepiece (101). The plurality of hands (2) of the timepiece (101) are attached to a spindle (3) and the spindle (3) is further configured to transfer the mechanical motion from the movement (6) to the plurality of hands (2).

The dial assembly (100) is defined with an aperture (12) as shown in FIG.3, such that the aperture (12) extends through the first and second dial plates (7 and 8). The aperture (12), houses a cover member (4). Referring back to FIG. 1, the cover member (4) further defines a provision for linearly aligning the spindle through the aperture (12). The cover member (4) encloses the cavity (14) between the first and second dial plates (7 and 8) and is configured to circumferentially reside within the aperture (12). The cover member (4) restricts the plurality of movable articles (5) from encountering the spindle (3) of the timepiece (101) thereby, the movement of the spindle (3) is prevented from being jammed by the plurality of articles (5).

In an embodiment, the timepiece (101) is provided with a base cover (9). The base cover (9) may also be configured to house a dial assembly (100) that comprises of a first dial plate (7) and a second dial plate (8), where the first dial plate (7) is mounted parallel to the second dial plate (8). The first and second dial plates (7 and 8) are configured to define a cavity (14) and the cavity (14) house a plurality of movable articles (5).

FIG.2 illustrates an exploded view of the dial assembly (100). The plurality of articles (5) are movably interposed between the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8). As seen in FIG.2, at least one of the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8) may be perforated. The dial plates (7 and 8) may be provided with random or defined geometric patterns. In one of the embodiments, the perforated dial plates (7 and 8) may also be etched with a suitable pattern.

In one of the embodiments, at least one of the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8) may be transparent, consequently providing a better visibility of the mobility of the plurality of articles (5).

FIG.3 illustrates an assembled view of the dial assembly (100) of the timepiece (101). The plurality of articles (5) are movably housed in the cavity (14) that is configured between the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8). As seen in FIG.3, the aperture (12) is defined in the dial assembly and the aperture (12) extends through the first dial plate (7) and the second dial plate (8). Further, the aperture (12) is configured to circumferentially house a cover member (4).

In one of the embodiments, the dial assembly (100) may be configured with a plurality of apertures (12), thereby allowing a plurality of spindles (3) to be linearly aligned through the dial assembly (100). Thus, by aligning a plurality of spindles (3), multiple parameters such as day, date etc. may be provided.

FIG.4 illustrates an embodiment with movable articles (5) being disposed in a strap (17) of the timepiece (101). The overall aesthetic appeal of the timepiece (101) may be improved by providing a plurality of movable articles (5) on the strap (17) of the timepiece (101). The surface of the strap (17) may comprise of a plurality of cavities to house a plurality of movable articles (5). The cavity may be further enclosed by providing a first dial plate (7) or a second dial plate (8).

In an embodiment, the overall aesthetic appeal and the grandeur of the timepiece (101) may be improved by enabling the plurality of movable articles (5) to move all over the cavity (14), without restricting the movement of the articles (5) to a predefined compartment.

In an embodiment, the time displayed by the timepiece (101) is prevented from being disrupted by circumferentially enclosing the cavity (14) using a cover member (4), thereby preventing the movable articles (5) from jamming the spindle (3).

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, 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 description 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, 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."

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 in the description.

Referral Numerals:

Description Reference Number
Glass 1
Hand 2
Spindle 3
Cover member 4
Movable articles 5
Movement 6
First dial plate 7
Second dial plate 8
Base cover 9
Casing element 10
Spacer element 11
Aperture 12
Perforations 13
Cavity 14
Bottom surface 15
Top surface 16
Strap 17
Dial assembly 100
Timepiece 101