Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Cases – With bezel or crystal details
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-31
2003-05-20
Martin, David (Department: 2841)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Cases
With bezel or crystal details
C368S227000, C368S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565253
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Flashlights and other similar battery-powered devices have been used for decades to provide a portable source of light to their users. However, flashlights are not usually carried by people in many situations where a light source may be useful, since most flashlights are too big to be carried conveniently, and because flashlights are often misplaced or forgotten by their owners.
One approach to more portable flashlights has been to fashion a light source into a pen or other writing instrument. However, pens are not so habitually carried that they will be reliably available. Further, pens are so small and fungible that they are often misplaced or forgotten. Another approach to portable light sources has been to include a light within a wrist-mounted watch, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,652 to Rhine. The Rhine system suggests a light source affixed to the face of a watch which provides sufficient light to illuminate the face of the watch for purposes of reading time, and which may also emit sufficient light to provide general illumination. As a significant disadvantage, the light source of the Rhine system is directed statically outward from the face of the watch. Thus a user may be required to engage in significant contortions of limb and body to direct the light in a desired direction, or to remove the watch from the wrist completely.
There remains a need for a portable light source that may be conveniently carried at all times, with a beam whose direction is not rigidly fixed relative to a user's body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is disclosed herein a watch that includes a steerable light. The light may be attached to a rotating bezel on the watch, or included in a crown or other moveable fixture of the watch, such that the light may be pointed independently from the orientation of the watch. A light that is moveably attached to a watch in this manner may be securely fastened to a user's wrist in an unobtrusive form factor, while at the same time freely directed toward an object of interest without requiring a specific orientation of the user's limb.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3078364 (1963-02-01), Neugebauer
patent: 4910652 (1990-03-01), Rhine
patent: 4972394 (1990-11-01), DiMarco
patent: D340778 (1993-10-01), Oberlander
patent: D344411 (1994-02-01), Henry et al.
patent: 5548565 (1996-08-01), Aoyama et al.
patent: 5568971 (1996-10-01), Jewell
patent: 5706255 (1998-01-01), McKay
patent: 6185160 (2001-02-01), Tsuda
patent: 6200019 (2001-03-01), Latini
patent: 6213619 (2001-04-01), Yu
patent: 53086259 (1978-07-01), None
Lindinger Michael L.
Martin David
Ropes & Gray
The Timberland Company
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