Patent Application
20230141715
This application claims priority of European patent application No. EP21206678.1 filed Nov. 5, 2021, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The invention concerns a device for fixing a wristband to a watch middle. It also relates to a timepiece as such comprising at least one such fixing device, in particular a wristwatch, in which the fixing device is arranged between a wristband and a middle of the timepiece.
Various devices are used to fix a wristband in a removable and articulated manner to a middle of a wristwatch. For example, in accordance with a routine solution of the prior art a watch middle has two pairs of lugs, each pair of lugs delimiting a housing to receive a link arranged at the end of a wristband. A pin extending between the two lugs of a pair of lugs comes into engagement with this link of the wristband, retaining it in position between these two lugs, whilst enabling relative articulation of the wristband and the watch case by pivoting about this pin.
This way of fixing a wristband to a watch case, in particular to a middle, must ideally achieve the following objectives:
Existing solutions achieve at least some of the foregoing objectives but remain open to improvement. Thus an objective of the present invention is to improve on this situation.
Thus a general object of the invention is an improved solution for fixing a wristband to a watch middle, more generally to a watch case.
To be more precise, a first object of the invention is a reliable and robust solution for fixing a wristband to a watch case.
A second object of the invention is a user-friendly solution for fixing a wristband to a watch case.
A third object of the invention is preferably an esthetic solution for fixing a wristband to a watch face.
To this end the invention is based on a device for fixing a wristband to a watch middle, comprising a connecting element intended for connection to a wristband or to a watch middle, respectively, at least one pin able to occupy two positions, a position projecting from the connecting element and a position retracted into a housing of the connecting element, and a receiving element intended for connection to a watch middle or to a wristband, respectively, comprising at least one bore, and wherein the fixing device comprises at least one insert, the fixing device being designed to occupy at least two configurations:
The invention is more precisely defined by the claims.
These objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be explained in detail in the following description of one particular embodiment given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the appended figures, in which:
To simplify the description of the invention corresponding or identical elements in different variant embodiments bear the same references.
The invention is therefore based on a device for fixing a wristband to a watch middle, more generally to a watch case. This fixing device comprises two complementary main elements, namely a connecting element and a receiving element, respectively arranged on a wristband and on a watch case, or vice-versa. These connecting and receiving elements are intended to be removably fixed to one another, as will be explained hereinafter.
In this embodiment the fixing device further comprises a receiving element 21 that takes the form of two substantially parallel lugs arranged face to face on a middle 20. Each lug comprises a bore 21a that in particular takes the form of a blind hole. The respective bores 21a of the two lugs are arranged along axes that are preferably substantially aligned. The bores preferably have a circular cross-section. The openings of the two bores are oriented toward one another. The space between the two lugs defines a housing intended to be occupied by the connecting link of the wristband. The visible exterior surface of the lugs is not modified in any way, with no discontinuity that would come to degrade its appearance. Nevertheless, as an alternative, the two bores could feature through-holes and/or be provided with bearing surfaces and/or have orientations that are not parallel to one another.
The fixing device further comprises two pins 1 intended to fix or not to fix the connecting element 11 to the receiving element 21. Each pin 1 is able to occupy two positions, a position projecting from the connecting element 11, as represented in
The fixing device is therefore designed to occupy at least two configurations:
Each pin 1 is positioned in a housing 11a in the connecting element 11. Two housings 11a preferably extend along the same axis A1. Moreover, the housings 11a take the form of a transverse through-hole. This hole therefore opens onto the two opposite side walls or flanks 11b of the connecting element. Each housing 11a enables a pin 1 to slide freely along the axis A1 with one degree of freedom in movement in translation. This degree of freedom in movement in translation enables the pins 1 to be positioned so as to project from or to be retracted into the flanks 11b of the connecting element 11 so as to enable assembly and demounting of the connecting element 11, respectively. As an alternative, each of the housings 11a could take the form of a blind hole opening onto the flanks 11b and/or be provided with bearing surfaces.
The connecting element 11 further comprises a recess 2a extending from a wall of the connecting element 11 and opening into at least a part of the housings 11a of the pins so that the pins 1 can be manipulated by an operator in this recess 2a. In this embodiment an attached element 2 that takes the form of a cover is intended to be placed in the recess 2a. When it is positioned in this recess the attached element 2 cooperates with the pins 1, as will be described hereinafter. A fixing element 4 such as a screw enables the attached element 2 to be fixed in the housing 2a of the connecting element 11. To this end the connecting element 11 comprises an internal screwthread 4a. The attached element 2 is preferably demountable. Moreover, the attached element 2 advantageously has a shape complementary to that of the recess 2a, in particular a volume corresponding or substantially corresponding to that of the recess 2a, so that when it is fixed to the connecting element 11 its visible surface espouses (or conforms to) the adjoining surface of the connecting element 11 and/or of the receiving element 21 to form a substantially continuous surface. By virtue of this arrangement the attached element 2 may be conformed to the fixing device and optimize the esthetic appearance of the connecting element 11 and/or of the receiving element 21. In addition, the attached element 2 is preferably disposed on the side of the connecting element 11 that cannot be seen. For example, it is provided on the face of the connecting link intended to come into contact with the wrist of the wearer. As an alternative the attached element may take some other form, and may in particular project from the connecting element 11 and/or from the receiving element 21. In a further variant it may be fixed to the connecting element by any other means, such driving it in, gluing it, clipping it, welding it, brazing it, etc. It is therefore not necessarily removable, in which case the wristband will not be demountable once fastened to a middle. As will be explained hereinafter, in another variant the attached element may consist of a plurality of parts and/or be disposed in the receiving element 21. Consequently, the recess 2a may also consist of a plurality of parts and/or be disposed in the receiving element 21 in at least parts of the housings 21a of the pins. Of course, the fixing means of the attached element or elements will need to be adapted and/or rearranged accordingly in the receiving element.
In this embodiment each pin 1 has exactly the same shape and is arranged in a symmetrical manner in the connecting element 11. This connecting element 11 has a shape that is substantially symmetrical with respect to a median plane perpendicular to the axis A1. Each pin 1 has a cylindrical central portion, a first functional portion oriented toward the exterior of the connecting element 11, which has a cylindrical shape, and a second functional portion oriented toward the interior of the connecting element 11, which has a plurality of functional surfaces. The first and second portions of each pin 1 are arranged on respective opposite sides of the central portion. Each pin 1 is mobile in translation in a housing 11a of the connecting element so that it is able to occupy a projecting position in which at least first portion projects from the flank 11b of the connecting element and is therefore able to take up its place in a bore 21a of the receiving element 21. The first portion is thus intended to form a pivot 1a about which the receiving element 21 is mobile in rotation relative to the connecting element 11.
Each pin 1 further comprises functional surfaces in its second portion opposite the first portion. In particular, the first internal end of each pin 1 in this second portion forms an abutment surface or stop 1b. The attached element 2 comprises at least one first surface that defines an axial first abutment or stop 2b intended to cooperate with this stop 1b of each pin 1 in order to hold it in position projecting from the flanks 11b of the connecting element 11 when the attached element 2 is fixed to the connecting element 11. In other words, when the attached element 2 is fixed to the connecting element 11 its first surfaces come into engagement with the stop 1b of each respective pin 1 in the projecting position, thus preventing the pins 1 from moving so as to retract from the flanks 11b of the connecting element 11, with the result that the pins 1 continue to project.
Additionally, the second portion of each pin 1 comprises a non-cylindrical portion 1c that is intended to cooperate with a complementary portion 3 of the attached element 2 visible in
To summarize, in this embodiment, in the absence of the attached element 2, each pin 1 has two degrees of freedom relative to the connecting element 11: a movement in translation along the axis A1 and a rotation on itself about that same axis A1. The fixing of the attached element when the pins 1 are in their position projecting from the connecting element 11 enables these two degrees of freedom to be eliminated, the pins 1 then remaining immobilized in their projecting position and no longer being able to turn on themselves in the housings 11a of the connecting element 11.
The operation of the fixing device in accordance with the embodiment of the invention will now be explained. When the device is in its fixing configuration, as shown in
To reduce frictional wear surfaces of the articulation relative to the connecting and receiving elements the pins 1 and/or the receiving surfaces of the receiving element 21 and/or the receiving surfaces of the connecting element 11 receiving the pins 1 may preferably be made of a material for limiting frictional wear, such as a sintered ceramic, advantageously based on zirconia.
Nevertheless, in accordance with the embodiment, it is required to be able to make the middle, including its lugs, and therefore the receiving element 21 and/or the connecting element 11 of metal, in particular of a precious metal, such as gold or platinum, to be able to obtain the required esthetic finish. Similarly, the pins may be made of steel or of precious metal. Of course, other materials may be envisaged, such as composite materials.
For this reason the invention uses inserts 5 that form an interface at the friction surfaces of the fixing device. In the embodiment described this friction surface is positioned at the interface between the pivots 1a formed in the first portion of the pins 1 and the bores 21a of the receiving element. In this embodiment the inserts 5 therefore preferably take the form of a tube or a bearing. They may or may not be fixed into the bore 21a. Alternatively, they may or may not be fixed to the first functional portion of the pins 1. In another variant design said friction surfaces could be positioned at the interface between the housings 11a and the pins 1, for example between the pivots 1a and the housings 11a of the connecting element. In this variant the inserts could optionally be fixed in the housing 11a. Alternatively, they may optionally be fixed to the pins 1 in their zone rubbing (of friction) on the housings 11a.
An insert may advantageously be made of a sintered ceramic or of a composite material, formed for example of a mixture of a ceramic and a metal, or a polymer (a thermoplastic for example). An insert may be made entirely or partly from a material of this kind. For example, a material of this kind may form a simple coating. An insert 5 advantageously has a hardness greater than or equal to 800 HV.
Moreover, in the embodiment described the pivots 1a formed in the first portion of the pins 1 comprise a bearing surface defining an axial abutment 1e between said pivots and the inserts 5 so as to prevent contact and consequent wear between the flanks 11b of the connecting element 11 and the lateral walls 21b of the receiving element 21.
The invention is naturally not limited to the precise geometry of the various elements represented. Thus the pivot 1a of a pin 1 could have other shapes enabling the articulation of the two elements of the fixing device. For example the pivot 1a could be conical or truncated conical. Of course, the geometry of the inserts 5 could be adapted accordingly and therefore be complementary to the geometry of the pins.
In the embodiment described the pins are preferably constrained to rotate with the connecting element 11 so that the friction surfaces of the articulation are localized at the contacts between the pins 1 and the bores 21a of the receiving element and more particularly between the pins 1 and the inserts 5. Of course, the opposite is also possible, with the pins constrained to rotate with the receiving element 21 so that the friction surfaces of the articulation are localized at the contact between the pins 1 and the housings 11a of the connecting element and more particularly between the pins 1 and the inserts 5.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described and may incorporate numerous variants. To this end,
For example, as described above an attached element 2 may take different forms.
Alternatively, the pins 1 may be prevented from rotating relative to the receiving element 21, the connecting element 11 then being mobile in rotation relative to the pins 1. In a variant of this kind the inserts 5 form an interface between the pins and the connecting elements, as represented by the variants from
In accordance with a further variant an attached element could be provided on a receiving element to cooperate with a pin at the level of the receiving element. This cooperation may consist in blocking at least one degree of freedom of said pin, for example in movement in translation, to retain it in the projecting position, and/or in movement in rotation. In one variant a single attached element or a plurality of attached elements could cooperate with the connecting element and/or the receiving element. For example, a first attached element could comprise an axial first abutment and a second attached element could comprise a rotation second abutment. These first and second attached elements could be arranged in the connecting element and in the receiving element, respectively, or vice-versa.
For example, in this variant an attached element can therefore be fixed to each of the lugs of the middle 20.
In a further variant, the receiving element arranged on the middle could not have the shape with two lugs, but for example the shape of a single lug. In this variant the connecting element 11 arranged at the end of the wristband could take the form of two complementary and distinct lateral elements each incorporating a pin 1, these two pins 1 being destined to come into position on either side of the single lug to fix a wristband onto a middle.
In another variant the fixing device may comprise one pin 1. The fixing device thus comprises at least one pin. In another variant the at least one pin is not mobile in translation relative to the connecting element. In fact, it can be moved between its retracted position and its projecting position by any other movement, for example a rotation, or a combination of movements in translation and rotation. Additionally, it may finally be moved with one, two or more degrees of freedom relative to the connecting element, that or those degrees of freedom possibly being reduced in its projecting position.
As mentioned above, in accordance with one embodiment the connecting element is disposed at the end of a wristband. When the latter comprises an assembly of links, in particular metal links, the connecting element advantageously takes the form of a connecting link that has a shape identical or similar to that of other links of the wristband to give a continuous esthetic appearance. In a variant embodiment the wristband may be made of a flexible material, for example leather. In this case the connecting element can be integrated into the end of the flexible wristband, preferably in a manner that is totally or partly concealed. Alternatively, it may take the form of a metal end-piece arranged at the end of the flexible wristband.
In a further variant the connecting element is disposed on a watch case, in particular on a middle, and a receiving element is disposed on a wristband. For example the construction of the fixing device of the variants illustrated by
In all the variants described an insert could be positioned between the same pin and both the connecting element and the receiving element, an insert thus being able to surround the pin in whole or in part. A variant of this kind enables the best reduction of wear.
In a complementary way, in all the variants the attached element may comprise a means for acting on a pin during positioning thereof in a recess and/or during its retraction from the connecting member and/or from the receiving member so as to drive said pin in translation to move it automatically from its retracted position to its projecting position and/or vice-versa.
In all variants, the attached element is advantageously removable. Advantageously also, the fixing device is in the first configuration enabling a wristband to be separated from a watch middle when the attached element is removed, and the fixing device is in the second configuration when the attached element is fixed to the device.
In all variants, the pin is preferably made of ceramic, particularly in sintered ceramic, advantageously based on zirconia.
The invention also relates to a timepiece as such, in particular a wristwatch, comprising at least one fixing device as described. A fixing device of this kind is advantageously disposed on each side of the watch case, in particular of the middle, for the removable fixing of each end of the wristband.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21206678.1 | Nov 2021 | WO | international |
