Luminescent device and watch with luminescent device

Details Luminescent device and watch with luminescent device Luminescent device and watch with luminescent device

1999-06-01

2001-07-24

Miska, Vit (Department: 2859)

Horology: time measuring systems or devices

Chronological

With auxiliary illumination for display

C368S226000, C368S227000, C368S228000, C368S232000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06266297

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a luminescent device and a watch with the luminescent device.
An Electro Luminescence element (hereinafter, which may be called “luminescent member”) is a plate-like luminescent member, from the whole surface of which luminescence are emitted by an applied voltage.
The EL luminescent member, recently, is disposed in various types of electronic apparatuses, e.g., a watch, an electronic pocket notebook and the like. Because the EL luminescent member does not generate heat and the amount of electric power consumed thereby is small, the EL luminescent member has been applied to such types of apparatuses widely.
An example of a conventional watch with an EL luminescent member will be explained briefly in the following.
In case of the conventional watch with the EL luminescent member, a mechanism for driving analog hands is provided in an inner space between a watch glass which is disposed in an upper part of a watch case and a back cover which is disposed in a lower part of the watch case, namely, in the inside of the watch case.
The analog hands mechanism comprises a shaft for hands which extends from the center of the analog hands mechanism upwardly. Hands which comprise a minute hand and an hour hand are connected with the shaft for hands. A dial and a plate-like EL luminescent member in a layered state are placed on the upper surface of the analog hands mechanism. The periphery of the dial and the plate-like EL luminescent member are pressed down by a pressing member, thereby the dial and EL luminescent member are fixed to the watch case.
The dial is made of a translucent film or a light-transmissive color film, on the upper surface of which marks, e.g., time indices or the like, are printed. The EL luminescent member emits light from the entirety of the surface thereof by an electric power or a voltage, for luminescence, which are supplied from a power source provided on a circuit board (an illustration of which is omitted) which is incorporated in the analog hands mechanism. Thereby, the EL luminescent member illuminates the whole dial and the whole hands of the analog hands mechanism, which are provided at an upper position to the EL luminescent member. Therefore, the present time can be read even at night or in the dark from the outside through the dial and the hands illuminated by the EL luminescent member.
According to the structure as described above, because the dial and the like are illuminated by the EL luminescent member, the dial must be made of a material through which light from the EL luminescent member can be transmitted. Therefore, a translucent film or a light-transmissive color film are generally used for the dial.
The entirety of the dial become light by the luminescence from the EL luminescent member to enable reading the time indices and the hands.
Conventionally, because the dial of a watch has a film on the surface thereof, which gives no metallic feeling, there are the problems of being uninteresting and no feeling of high quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is accomplished in consideration of the conventional problems as described above.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a luminescent device which is interesting and gives a feeling of high quality, and to provide a watch with such a luminescent device.
In order to accomplish the object of the invention, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the luminescent device comprises; a plate-like EL luminescent member, a layer for giving a feeling of metallic gloss by receiving illumination of light emitted from the surface of a plate-like EL luminescent member, which is disposed at least in a side of an upper surface and a lower surface, of the luminescent member, and which is one selected from a metallic layer and a metallic ink layer.
The luminescent member is, for example, one which uses an electro luminescence phenomenon. A pattern having a predetermined shape, time indices for indicating time, and marks which are formed at positions corresponding to those of the time indices are provided on the metallic layer.
Because the metallic layer is formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the film member, on the luminescent member, a metallic feeling is given to the film member. Additionally, because the film member is light-transmissive, the film member transmits the light from the luminescent member which is disposed at a lower position of the film member, thereby the film member has a metallic lightness and become light.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the luminescent device comprises a plate-like luminescent member, a light-transmissive film member which is disposed at an upper position of the plate-like luminescent member and is illuminated in whole by light from the luminescent member, and a metallic ink layer which is formed on the upper surface of the film member.
Design printed on the film member by using metallic ink is free. For instance, a lattice pattern, a hatching pattern or the like can be printed. Although the printed parts with metallic ink does not transmit light, since the non-printed parts transmit light, the pattern can be clearly observed by contrast of lightness and darkness.
According to the luminescent device as described above, a light-transmissive color film can be disposed at the upper position of the film member, thereby a color metallic feeling can be given.
The watch according to the invention comprises: a watch case comprising an analog hand mechanism having hands, in the inside thereof; a plate-like luminescent device which is provided in the watch case for illuminating the analog hand mechanism in the watch case; and a metallic layer or a metallic ink layer, which gives a feeling of metallic gloss by receiving illumination of light emitted from a surface of the luminescent device, which is disposed at least in a side of an upper surface and a lower surface of the luminescent device.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4775964 (1988-10-01), Alessio
patent: 5703837 (1997-12-01), Umemoto et al.
patent: 5714012 (1998-02-01), Murata et al.
patent: 5734628 (1998-03-01), Akasaka
patent: 5838644 (1998-11-01), Yoneda et al.
patent: 6021099 (2000-02-01), Aoki et al.
patent: 4-291192 (1992-10-01), None

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