Patent Application
20160004222
The present disclosure generally relates to links for use in watches and, more particularly, to end links (as part of watch strap assemblies) for use in coupling watch straps to bases of the watches, and methods related thereto.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Watches are configured to be worn by users and typically have bases that include features to indicate time to the users. Straps coupled to the bases of the watches are used to secure the watches to the users' wrists.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to links for use in watches to couple watch straps to bases of the watches. In one exemplary embodiment, such a link generally includes a body defining an arcuate seat extending generally longitudinally along the body, first and second ears extending generally away from the body, and a channel defined between the first and second ears. The first and second ears each define an opening, and the opening of the first ear substantially aligns with the opening of the second ear.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also generally relate to watch strap assemblies for coupling watch straps to bases of watches. In one exemplary embodiment, a watch strap assembly generally includes a watch strap, a link configured to position at an end portion of the watch strap, and a spring bar configured to couple the watch strap to the link and the link to a base of the watch.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also generally relate to methods of coupling watch straps to watch bases using links, where the links include bodies defining arcuate seats, and first and second ears extending away from the bodies. In one exemplary embodiment, such a method generally includes positioning an end loop of a watch strap between the first and second ears of the link such that a channel defined through the end loop is aligned with openings defined in the first and second ears of the link; inserting a spring bar through the openings of the first and second ears and through the channel of the end loop to secure the watch strap to the end link; and positioning a first end of the spring bar in a first depression of the watch base, and a second end of the spring bar in a second depression of the watch base to secure the end link and the watch strap to the watch base.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
As described above, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to links (e.g., end links, links included in watch strap assemblies, etc.) for watches for use in coupling watch straps (e.g., bands, etc.) to bases of the watches. In use, the watches can then be worn by users, for example, around the users' wrists via the watch straps. The watches can include any desired watches, and the bases of the watches can include any desired means for indicating time (e.g., analog means, digital means, etc.).
In some aspects, the links of the present disclosure provide improved couplings (e.g., fits, etc.) between the watch straps and the watch bases of the watches. In addition, in some aspects, the links of the present disclosure also provide desirable aesthetics to the watches (and particularly to the couplings between the watch straps and the watch bases). As such, through use of the links in the watches, the watches may be more comfortable to wear by the users and more aesthetically pleasing to the users.
In some aspects, the links of the present disclosure can also accommodate multiple different watch straps and, thus, can be used to selectively couple the multiple different watch straps to the watches as desired by the users. As an example, the links, when used in the watches, allow the users to interchange watch straps with particular watch bases, or even use particular watch straps with various different watch bases (e.g., as desired by the users for comfort, style, durability, etc.).
With that said, in some embodiments, the links may be included with the watches when the watches are originally made (i.e., may be included as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) watch strap assemblies). Here, the links can then be used to facilitate installation of replacement watch straps to the bases of the watches (i.e., to replace the OEM watch straps with replacement watch straps as desired by the users). In other embodiments, the links may be subsequently installed to the bases of the watches after the watches are purchased (e.g., as aftermarket components, etc.). Here, the links can then be used with the OEM watch straps to improve the fit between the OEM watch straps and the bases of the watches. Or, the links can be used to facilitate installation of replacement watch straps to the bases of the watches.
With reference now to the drawings,
The illustrated watch 100 generally includes a base 102 and first and second watch strap assemblies 104, 106 coupled to the base 102. While not shown, additional components may also be associated with the watch 100 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
As shown in
Each of the watch strap assemblies 104, 106 of the illustrated watch 100 includes a link (link 110 of the first watch strap assembly 104, and link 112 of the second watch strap assembly 106) and a watch strap (watch strap 114 of the first watch strap assembly 104, and watch strap 116 of the second watch strap assembly 106). In the first watch strap assembly 104, the watch strap 114 is coupled to the link 110 by a first spring bar 118 that extends through a loop opening 120 (or loop channel) in an end portion of the watch strap 114. Similarly, in the second watch strap assembly 106, the watch strap 116 is coupled to the link 112 by a second spring bar 122 (which is substantially the same as the first spring bar 118). And again, the second spring bar 122 extends through a loop opening 124 (or loop channel) in an end portion of the second watch strap 116 to thereby couple the watch strap 116 to the link 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the links 110, 112 are coupled to end portions of the watch straps 114, 116 and, thus, may be viewed as end links. In other embodiments, however, the links 110, 112 may be coupled to other portions of the watch straps 114, 116, for example, portions located away from end portions of the watch straps 114, 116, etc.
The links 110, 112 of the watch strap assemblies 104, 106 help couple the watch straps 114, 116 to the base 102 of the watch 100 (
With continued reference to
In use of the illustrated watch 100 by the user, the watch straps 114, 116 are configured to couple together, at end portions generally opposite the links 110, 112, to secure the watch 100 to the wrist of the user. In the illustrated embodiment, the first watch strap 114 includes a clasp 136, a buckle 138, and a keeper 140. And, the second watch strap 116 defines multiple holes 142. To secure the watch 100 to the wrist of the user, the clasp 136 of the first watch strap 114 is positioned within a select hole 142 of the second watch strap 116, and the end portion of the second watch strap 116 is then positioned through the buckle 138 and the keeper 140. With that said, the watch straps 114, 116 may include other couplings (e.g., other than clasps, buckles, etc.) for use in securing the watch 100 to the wrist of the user (e.g., friction-based couplings, hook-and-loop-based couplings, etc.).
In addition, it should be appreciated that the watch straps 114, 116 of the illustrated watch 100 may be made of any suitable material including, for example, metal, leather, rubber, plastic, elastic material, combinations thereof, etc. Further, the watch straps 114, 116 may be formed as a single, unitary structure (as shown in
With additional reference now to
As shown in
Also in the illustrated embodiment, the ears 148, 150 of the link 110 are generally arch shaped, but could be shaped differently as desired (e.g., one or more of the ears 148, 150 could have a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, a square shape, etc.). In addition in the illustrated embodiment, the ears 148, 150 are integrally formed with the body 146 (such that the link 110 comprises a unitary construction), but could alternatively be formed separately from the body 146 and coupled thereto. Further, the body 146 and the ears 148, 150 of the link 110 may be formed from any suitable material including, for example, metallic material (e.g., stainless steel, gold, platinum, combinations thereof, etc.), plastic material, combinations thereof, etc. Moreover, different portions of the link 110 may be formed from different materials, as desired (e.g., the ears 148, 150 may be formed from plastic material and the body 146 may be formed from metallic material, etc.).
When coupling the watch strap 114 to the link 110, the end portion of the watch strap 114 (having the loop opening 120) is positioned between the first and second ears 148, 150 of the link 110, and the spring bar 118 is inserted, received, etc. through openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150 and through the loop opening 120 of the watch strap 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 152 of the first ear 148 generally aligns with the opening 154 of the second ear 150 (e.g., a longitudinal axis of the opening 152 of the first ear 148 generally coincides with a longitudinal axis of the opening 154 of the second ear 150, etc.). And, when the end portion of the watch strap 114 is positioned between the first and second ears 148, 150, the loop opening 120 of the watch strap 114 generally aligns with the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150. As such, the spring bar 118 can be easily received through the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150 and through the loop opening 120 of the watch strap 114 to thereby couple the watch strap 114 to the link 110.
The openings 152, 154 of the first and second ears 148, 150 also generally align with the openings 130, 131 defined in the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126 of the base 102, when the link 110 is positioned between the arms 132, 133 (and when the link 110 is positioned in substantially flush contact with the base 102). Thus, as described above, the spring bar 118 can easily extend through the openings 152, 154 of the first and second ears 148, 150 and through the opening 120 of the watch strap 114, and the end portions of the spring bar 118 can then be positioned, received, etc. in the openings 130, 131 of the arms 132, 133 to thereby couple the link 110 and the watch strap 114 to the base 102. In particular in the illustrated watch 100, one end portion of the spring bar 118 is received in the opening 130 of the first arm 132 of the mount 126, and the other end portion of the spring bar 118 is received in the opening 131 of the second arm 133 of the mount 126.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second ears 148, 150 of the link 110 can be viewed as defining a channel therebetween. And, when coupling the watch strap 114 to the link 110, the end portion of the watch strap 114 can be viewed as being received in the channel. A length of the channel (i.e., a spacing between the first and second ears 148, 150) generally corresponds to a width of the end portion of the watch strap 114 having the loop opening 120. This provides a generally tight fit between the watch strap 114 and the link 110, which in turn helps inhibits relative movement between the watch strap 114 and the link 110. This fit may also provide a more durable connection between the watch strap 114 and the link 110, as well as help facilitate the aesthetically pleasing look of the watch 100 described above. In addition, a depth of the channel (e.g., as defined by a length of the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126, etc.) generally corresponds to a depth of the end portion of the watch strap 114 having the loop opening 120. This can help automatically align the loop opening 120 of the watch strap 114 with the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150 of the link 110 to facilitate easy positioning of the spring bar 118 through the aligned openings 120, 152, 154. Further, the positioning of the ears 148, 150 on opposite sides of the channel can help inhibit the watch strap 114 from inadvertently moving off the spring bar 118, for example, when the watch 100 is positioned on the wrist of the user, etc.
With continued reference to
In addition, it should be appreciated that the body 146 of the link 110 can have any desired size, for example, that allows positioning the link 110 between the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126 (for use in coupling the watch strap assembly 104 to the base 102 of the watch 100). As an example, the illustrated link 110 has a length (in a longitudinal direction of the link 110) (and without limitation) of about twenty millimeters, which in the illustrated embodiment generally corresponds to a distance between the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126. Further, it is contemplated that a thickness of the link 110 will generally correspond to a length of the arms 132, 133 of the first mount 126, and that a height of the link 110 will generally correspond to a thickness of the base 102. As can be appreciated, these features can help provide the flush fit of the link 110 with the base 102 of the watch 100 (along the perimeter of the base 102), as well as the aesthetically pleasing look of the watch 100 (and link 110 coupled thereto) discussed above.
Also in the illustrated embodiment, the ears 148, 150 of the link 110 define access channels 158, 160. The access channels 158, 160 allow the user to access the end portions of the spring bar 118 (for inserting or removing end portions of the spring bar 118 to or from the openings 130, 131 of the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126) when installing and/or removing the watch strap 114 to and/or from the base 102 of the watch 100. For example, the access channels 158, 160 may allow a tool to be inserted generally into the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150 to operate the spring bar 118 when the spring bar 118 is positioned through the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150 and the loop opening 120 of the watch strap 114. As such, the user can easily compress the spring bar 118 to insert or remove the end portions into/from the openings 130, 131 of the arms 132, 133 of the mount 126. In the illustrated embodiment, the access channels 158, 160 are located toward longitudinal ends of the body 146 of the link 110, in a generally rearward side portion of the link 110, and extend generally transverse to the longitudinal axes of the openings 152, 154 of the ears 148, 150. However, the access channels 158, 160 could be shaped and/or located differently within the scope of the present disclosure.
With that said, it should be appreciated that the links 110, 112 may be included with the watch 100 when the watch 100 is originally made (i.e., as part of the watch strap assemblies 104, 106 which may be OEM watch strap assemblies). As described, the links 110, 112 can then be used by the user to facilitate installation of replacement watch straps to the base 102 of the watch 100 as desired (i.e., to replace the OEM watch straps 114, 116 with other watch straps that may be more desirable to the user).
Alternatively, the links 110, 112 may be installed to the watch 100 after the watch 100 is originally made (e.g., as aftermarket components, etc.). Here, the links 110, 112 can then be used by the user to improve the fit of the watch straps 114, 116 (which may be OEM watch straps) to the base 102 of the watch 100. Or, the links 110, 112 can be used to facilitate installation of replacement watch straps to the base 102 of the watch 100 (and, in so doing, may be actually included with the replacement watch straps (e.g., as replacement watch strap assemblies, etc.) to facilitate such installation of the replacement watch straps to the base 102 of the watch 100). Or, the links 110, 112 can even be used to facilitate installation of the watch straps 114, 116 to a base of another watch.
Exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that may be achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for purpose of illustration only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentioned advantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapes disclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values are not exclusive of other values that may be useful in one or more of the examples disclosed herein.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The term “about” when applied to values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters. For example, the terms “generally,” “about,” and “substantially,” may be used herein to mean within manufacturing tolerances.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “left,”, “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
With that said, the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended or stated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
