EXCHANGEABLE DECORATION FOR A FLEXIBLE WRISTBAND

Abstract

The presented decor offers broad possibilities for the development of the design and additional functions of the bracelet thanks to the use of a strip of flexible material as a decorative band on the outside and the compensation of the length difference between the band and the bracelet surface when rolling and unrolling the bracelet. The decor is easily, quickly, and conveniently exchanged in any position of the bracelet thanks to positioning with the help of magnetic locks. The additional folding band gives a holistic outer appearance to the non-closed bracelets.

Description

Bracelets worn on the wrist are extremely common accessories. They are manufactured as fashion jewelry, fine jewelry products, functional bracelets, wearable electronics, and more.

The accessibility of a large surface area around the wrist offers designers and jewelers ample opportunities to realize various ideas. However, the more design variations and purposes for bracelets there are, the more difficult the choice becomes for the user. Such an accessory alone is already quite striking, and choosing a suitable bracelet that matches one's style, function, and personal preferences becomes a challenging task. The same is true when the user quickly wants to change the style or function of the bracelet. In this case, they either have to exchange the bracelet or transform it, if the construction allows for it.

The function of exchanging the outer part of bracelets is currently limited and presents a number of technical difficulties. For example, with bracelets featuring interchangeable decorative elements, several compromises have to be made. The decorative elements have to be attached to the bracelets in a special way so that the user can exchange the decor quickly, easily, and conveniently, and at the same time, the attachment has to hold the decor securely, have a long lifespan, low weight, small dimensions, etc. As background technology (Document A) from the priority-establishing preliminary application, US 2017/0231338 A1 is cited, which discloses a plate bracelet with a multitude of plates configured to be selectively interchangeable within the bracelet, each plate having parallel ends configured to extend perpendicular to the width of the bracelet, and longer parallel sides configured to extend along the circumference of the bracelet, each plate featuring a circumferential groove around the perimeter of the plate, a pair of plate mounting tracks, each open plate mounting frame aligned to hold a plate, and each plate mounting frame having a retaining bead that is received in the circumferential groove of the plate held in the plate mounting frame, to accommodate and hold the plate.

The following solutions for attaching decorative elements to the bracelet are the most common:

• • Buttons, with which the decorative element is firmly buttoned to the bracelet. The smaller the size of the button, the more difficult it is to position the button precisely at the moment of attachment;
  • Pass-through openings, with which the decorative element is placed on the bracelet like a bead, the presence of the openings in the decorative elements with the specified parameters being a technical necessity;
  • Inverse buttons, with which the decorative element is firmly inserted into the bracelet, a specific niche in the body of the bracelet being present so that the decorative element can fit inside;
  • Pendants and carabiners, with which the decorative element is coupled and freely attached to the bracelet, the decorative element remaining outside the bracelet and dangling freely.

The listed limitations emphasize the relevance of the task for developing such interchangeable decor that can be easily, quickly, and conveniently applied and removed, has small dimensions and low weight, and ensures high reliability and longevity.

The present invention solves this task with a bracelet with removable decor according to claim 1.

An interchangeable decor for a flexible bracelet has been developed, which features a flexible, but preferably non-elastic band on the outside and can compensate for the difference in length between the decor and the surface of the bracelet when rolling or unrolling. The decor is positioned by the magnetic field when applied to the bracelet, as it firmly fixes itself on the outside.

The drawings show:

FIG. 1 The interchangeable decor of the flexible bracelet. The decor—a, the decor and the counterparts of the locks in the bracelet body—b. Decorative band—1, the base—2, the slats—3, the magnetic locks—4, the body of the bracelet—5, the magnetic lock with the compensator (enlarged magnets)—6, additional mechanical locks—7, guide track—8.

FIG. 2 The interchangeable decor for the non-closed bracelet: the decorative band—1, the body of the bracelet—5, the magnetic lock with the compensator—6, the folding band—9, the hinge—10.

The interchangeable decor of the flexible bracelet can consist of two parts:

A decorative band 1, which represents a strip of flexible material, and a base 2, which consists of a cascade of flat elements in the form of slats 3 with magnetic locks 4 and is attached below the band (individually). The distance between the slats is chosen so that the whole decor can bend in the direction of the base with the bending radius of the bracelet.

Each magnetic lock consists of two parts, one of which is built into the slat and the other into the body of the bracelet 5.

At least one of the slats has a magnetic lock with a compensator 6, i.e., with such a magnet length that exceeds the maximum displacement of the decor relative to the surface of the bracelet when rolling or unrolling.

Additionally, each slat can have an additional mechanical lock, e.g., of the tongue-and-groove type 7, one part of which is built into the slat and the other into the body of the bracelet 5.

In FIG. 1, one of the possible variants of the developed decor is shown.

The interchangeable decor is applied to the bracelet from above, where it is positioned and held by the magnetic locks through the magnetic field.

When the bracelet rolls up, one side of the decor remains immobile relative to the bracelet and is prevented from shifting along the A-axis by the locks 7. The other side can be designed to move along the surface of the bracelet on the A-axis and can be pressed/applied to the bracelet by the magnetic locks with the compensator 6, as shown in FIG. 2. The size of the magnets for such locks exceeds the maximum displacement of the decor in place with the magnet, and the locks 6 remain adherent in all states of the bracelet.

The slat with the magnetic lock with the compensator 6 can be modified by installing an additional lock 7, where the groove can take the form of a guide track 8 along the A-axis, as shown in FIG. 1b. This protects the interchangeable decor from accidental displacement along the B-axis during use and increases the reliability and strength of its fixation.

Such decor is removed by pulling it off the surface of the bracelet with a force that exceeds the strength of the magnetic locks, it being easier to remove it in the rolled-up state of the bracelet because the magnetic locks in this position have a smaller holding force due to the displacement of the moving parts 5 and to each other.

The presented interchangeable decor, preferably for non-closed bracelets, can be modified by the additional folding band 9, as shown in FIG. 2. This increases the reliability of the decor's fixation when the magnetic locks shift in the rolled-up state of the bracelet. Additionally, the extra folding band is useful for ensuring an especially reliable attachment of the bracelet to the wrist.

As for the aesthetic properties, the additional folding band of the interchangeable decor can maintain the holistic appearance of the whole bracelet thanks to the use of the hidden hinge 10 and the decorative band 1 with a length equal to the length of the non-closed bracelet with the folding band, as shown in FIG. 2.

Claims

1. Bracelet featuring removable flexible décor, comprising a fastening mechanism that connects the decor to the bracelet,the fastening mechanism has a removable part (1, 2, 3) and a base body (5) to which the removable part can be reversibly secured,the removable part (1, 2, 3) has a segment-like structured base (3), which includes connecting means (4) to the base body (5) and carries the decor (1), with the individual segments of the base (3) aligned transversely to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet and spaced apart from each other,the removable part (1, 2, 3) and the base body (5) have at least one mechanical connection along their contact area, which fixes the removable part (1, 2, 3) to the base body (5) in at least one section in a stationary position, andat least one end of the removable part (1, 2, 3) is provided with a magnetic connection to the base body, the width of which exceeds the distance of relative displacement of the removable part and the base body when changing the shape of the removable part and the base body from a linear alignment to a wrist-encircling, namely curved, form.

2. Bracelet with removable decor according to claim 1, characterized in that between the removable part (1, 2, 3) and the base body (5) a tongue-and-groove guide is provided, along which a non-fixed section of the removable part is guided in the longitudinal direction of the bracelet and is displaceably mounted relative to the base body (5).

3. Bracelet with removable decor according to claim 1 characterized in that, individual magnetic connections are provided between the segments (3) and the base body (5).

4. Bracelet with removable decor according to claim 1, characterized in that at one end of the bracelet or the decor, a folding band (9) is arranged, which connects the two ends of the bracelet together.