Bruce H Kamens

49126920, Mar 27, 1990

Sep 29, 1988

7/250649

Bruce Kamens - Thomaston CT

Timex Corporation - Waterbury CT

G06F 104
G04F 500

368157

An improved drive circuit for a quartz analog wristwatch having a bipole stepping motor with a drive coil, a power supply, a gear train having a plurality of gears driven by the rotor, a plurality of output members with hands rotatably driven by said gears, the rotor, gears, output members and hands together comprising a rotating system, wherein the improvement comprises a low impedance drive coil, first circuit means arrange to generate periodic pulses of alternating polarity at a normal timekeeping frequency, second circuit means arranged to supply successive drive pulses of alternating polarity to the coil at an intermediate frequency on the order of 300 to 600 pulses per second selected to sustain and synchronize the rotating system at a substantially constant angular velocity, and third circuit means arranged to modulate the periodic pulses generated by the first circuit means so as to chop them at a high frequency on the order of 4 kilohertz at a 25 to 50 percent duty cycle selected with regard to the low impedance coil, so that energy which would otherwise be consumed by the coil is reduced during normal timekeeping. A braking pulse of 22 to 30 milliseconds in duration is applied to stop the high speed rotating system at the conclusion of time setting.

54935431, Feb 20, 1996

Nov 7, 1994

8/334983

Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

H02M 318

368255

A capacitive charge pump circuit and associated method is provided for outputting an output voltage which has a magnitude which is an integer multiple of the magnitude of a power supply voltage used to power the circuit. In one form, a capacitor is charged to the power supply voltage, V. sub. s. The capacitor is alternately coupled to the power supply voltage and ground so that in an alternating manner, 2 V. sub. s and -V. sub. s appear across it. By coupling a first electrode of a piezoelectric crystal to the capacitor and a second electrode of the piezoelectric crystal to the power supply voltage, a signal having a peak-to-peak magnitude which is three times that of the power supply voltage will drive the piezoelectric crystal.

52066398, Apr 27, 1993

Oct 25, 1990

7/604044

Bruce Kamens - Thomaston CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

H04B 159
H04B 144

34082554

A single antenna, dual frequency transponder is provided. The transponder includes the antenna, first and second capacitors, a microprocessor/coder for generating a first and second control signals, and a logic circuit which uses the two control signals as inputs and depending on the state of the second control signal either provides an open circuit or a frequency signal at its output node. When the second control signal is a dormant (inhibit) signal, an open circuit is provided. As a result, the capacitors and the antenna provide a first tuned LC circuit which will receive an incoming signal at a desired first frequency. The incoming signal thereby resonates the LC circuit which provides a wake-up signal to the microprocessor/coder. In turn, the microprocessor/coder generates the first control signal of a desired second frequency. In turn, the logic circuit provides a related signal of the same second frequency as an output.

55241018, Jun 4, 1996

Jun 26, 1995

8/494984

Harold Thorgersen - Woodbury CT
Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT
Jose Santana - Woodbury CT
John T. Houlihan - Southbury CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

G04B 4700
G04B 1922
G04B 2300

368 10

An alarm clock has a motion sensor, a time display comprising an electroluminescent dial, a manual alarm actuator with a lip cover and a flashlight actuator. When the manual alarm actuator is set in the ON position, any movement (e. g. , waving a hand) in the field of view of the motion sensor causes the electroluminescent dial to become activated to a first brightness level. Furthermore, when the alarm is sounding, any movement in the field of view of the motion sensor silences the alarm for a preselected time interval, before the sounding of the alarm is resumed ("snooze" function). In the OFF position for the manual alarm actuator, the lip cover covers the motion sensor so that motion detection is prevented. When the flashlight actuator is actuated, the electroluminescent dial becomes activated to a second brightness level. The second brightness level is noticeably brighter than the first brightness level.

56006110, Feb 4, 1997

Oct 4, 1995

8/539141

Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

G04B 4700

368 10

A wrist mountable compass capable of directing a user to a selected compass direction is provided. In the preferred embodiment of the compass, the user selects the compass direction. The user is directed to the selected direction by digital pointers appearing on the compass. The compass utilizes a single magnetoresistive sensor to sense the polarity of the horizontal flux lines of the earth's magnetic field.

56231857, Apr 22, 1997

Apr 24, 1995

8/427319

Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT
Victor E. Shiff - Wolcott CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

G04B 1930
H05B 3700

3151693

A drive circuit having a converter that provides current pulses that charge a capacitive electroluminescent (EL) lamp to produce light, a switching circuit that switches successive current pulses for progressively charging the EL lamp and an adjustable circuit that permits external control of the switching circuit to provide a plurality of different predetermined numbers of the current pulses to the EL lamp is disclosed.

46182640, Oct 21, 1986

Sep 25, 1985

6/780134

Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT
George E. Ritter - Southbury CT

Timex Corporation - Waterbury CT

H01H 4300
G04C 908

368 74

An electronic alarm timepiece has a rotatable ring producing clicks when the ring is rotated from a first position aligned with one of the hands to a second position at which the alarm will be actuated when the hand reaches such position. The clicks are transmitted to the electronic timepiece logic through the same piezoelectric transducer which produces the alarm sound. The logic means actuates the alarm after an elapsed time which is proportional to the number of clicks counted when the ring is rotated.

52650715, Nov 23, 1993

Feb 2, 1993

8/012494

Harold Thorgersen - Woodbury CT
Lyman Daigle - Bethlehem CT
Bruce H. Kamens - Thomaston CT
Anthony L. Rinaldi - Watertown CT

Timex Corporation - Middlebury CT

G04B 1930
G01D 1128

368 67

An electroluminescent dial for an analog timepiece comprising a flexible transparent substrate, an inner layer comprising electrically conductive material adhered to the substrate, an EL layer comprising a mixture of electroluminescent material in a binder adhered to the inner layer, and an outer layer covering the electroluminescent layer comprising electrically conductive material, the substrate and the layers comprising a single flexible laminated assembly and having a hole therethrough for accommodating the rotatable stem, and includes a tab portion comprising the substrate and the inner layer extending beyond the EL and outer layers. A dial support member comprising a rigid plate substantially the size and shape of the electroluminescent dial supports the dial on one side of the frame. A printed circuit board disposed on the opposite side of the frame includes an electrical circuit adapted to cause illumination of the EL layer disposed on the printed circuit board and has first and second terminals connected as outputs of the circuit. In a preferred form of the invention the tab portion is bent around the frame after first coating it with protective and electrically conductive ink, and connected to the first terminal.