Patent Application
20250194757
The present invention relates to a watch and a strap.
A watch whose strap is replaceable is known. In such a watch, both ends of a pin, also referred to as a spring bar, housed in a connecting block disposed at an end of a strap are held in bow holes formed in strap-attaching parts of an exterior case of the watch, and thereby the strap is connected to the exterior case. The pin incorporates a spring and a pair of sliders disposed at both ends of the spring and pressed by the spring, and expands and contracts by the sliders being pressed against the spring. A user who replaces the strap shortens the pin to remove both ends thereof from the bow holes, thereby removing the strap from the exterior case.
Patent Literature 1 describes a pin including sliders each having a knob that is operable from outside. A user who replaces a strap can easily shorten the pin by drawing the knobs to the center of the pin.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 58-141915
To improve maintainability by facilitating the replacement of a pin like that described above, such a pin is housed in a groove formed in the bottom surface of a connecting block of a strap in some cases. In these cases, however, the pin is visible from below, and thus the quality of outward appearance is low.
A watch and a strap according to an embodiment improve in maintainability of a watch whose strap is replaceable and ensure that outward appearance is not of low quality.
A watch according to an embodiment includes an exterior case having a pair of strap-attaching parts with insertion holes formed so as to face each other; a pin having both ends inserted in the insertion holes of the pair of strap-attaching parts and thereby being held by the strap-attaching parts; a connecting block disposed at one end of a strap and having a bottom surface with a groove formed therein, the connecting block connecting the strap to the exterior case by the pin held by the strap-attaching parts being housed in the groove; and a cover covering the groove housing the pin. The pin includes an elastic body pressing the ends to enable the ends to be translated in an axial direction, an operating part to be operated to translate the ends toward the center of the pin is formed on a side surface of the pin so that the pin is removable from the strap-attaching parts, and the cover leaves a position corresponding to the operating part open so that the operating part is operable from outside with the pin housed in the groove.
In the watch according to an embodiment, the cover preferably covers the whole length of the groove and has an opening formed at the position corresponding to the operating part.
In the watch according to an embodiment, the operating part preferably projects from the opening to the outside of the cover.
In the watch according to an embodiment, preferably, the pin is housed in the groove so as to be circumferentially rotatable, the opening has a notch formed in a rotating direction of the pin, and the cover restrains the operating part from being operated to shorten the pin, with the operating part located in the notch.
In the watch according to an embodiment, preferably, the pin is housed in the groove so as to be circumferentially rotatable, the opening has a notch formed in a rotating direction of the pin, and the cover restrains the pin that has been shortened from elongating, with the operating part housed in the notch.
In the watch according to an embodiment, preferably, the cover is formed separately from the connecting block and includes an extending part extending on a side surface of the connecting block, the extending part has an insertion hole in which the pin housed in the groove is inserted, and the cover is held on the connecting block, with the groove covered, by the pin being inserted in the insertion hole of the extending part.
In the watch according to an embodiment, the cover is preferably joined to the connecting block and covers part of the length of the groove so as to restrain the pin housed in the groove from falling off the groove.
A strap according to an embodiment includes a pin having both ends inserted in insertion holes formed in a pair of strap-attaching parts included in an exterior case and thereby being held by the strap-attaching parts; a connecting block disposed at one end of a strap and having a bottom surface with a groove formed therein, the connecting block connecting the strap to the exterior case by the pin held by the strap-attaching parts being housed in the groove; and a cover covering the groove housing the pin. The pin includes an elastic body pressing the ends to enable the ends to be translated in an axial direction, an operating part to be operated to translate the ends toward the center of the pin is formed on a side surface of the pin so that the pin is removable from the strap-attaching parts, and the cover leaves a position corresponding to the operating part open so that the operating part is operable from outside with the pin housed in the groove.
The objects and advantageous effects of the present invention will be understood and achieved by components and combinations thereof described, in particular, in the claims. Both the foregoing general and the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and explanatory ones, and do not limit the invention described in the claims.
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and covers the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.
The body 11 is a mechanical watch, a quartz watch, or the like having the function of keeping time. The body 11 includes hands, a dial, a movement, and an exterior case 111 incorporating them. The exterior case 111 includes a pair of strap-attaching parts 112 to which the strap is attached, on the 12-o'clock and 6-o'clock sides.
The pair of straps 12 is formed by coupling multiple blocks arrayed in a predetermined direction. At one end of each strap 12 is disposed a connecting block 13, also referred to as an end-piece, an end link or a bow pipe, connecting the strap 12 to the exterior case 111. The one ends of the pair of straps 12 are connected to the strap-attaching parts 112 on the 12-o'clock and 6-o'clock sides of the exterior case 111 via the connecting blocks 13, respectively. The other ends of the pair of straps 12 are connected to each other via a clasp (not shown), and thereby the straps 12 are formed into a loop. A user puts his/her arm through the straps 12 formed into a loop to wear the watch 1.
As shown in
As shown in
The pipe 141 is cylindrically formed. Each end face of the pipe 141 has a first opening 144. The side surface of the pipe 141 has a pair of second openings 145 extending in the axial direction. Each slider 143 has an end 146 projecting from the first opening 144 to the outside of the pipe 141. Both ends 146 of the pin 14 are inserted in the insertion holes 113 of the strap-attaching parts 112, and thereby the pin 14 is held by the strap-attaching parts 112.
The elastic body 142 is a coil spring. At its ends, the elastic body 142 is in contact with the pair of sliders 143, and presses the sliders 143 to enable the ends 146 to be translated in the axial direction. Each slider 143 has an operating part 147 projecting from the second opening 145 to the outside of the pipe 141. Operation to draw the operating parts 147 toward the center in the axial direction of the pin 14 translates the ends 146 toward the center of the pin 14 to shorten the pin 14, so that the pin 14 is removable from the strap-attaching parts 112.
The groove 131 (see
With the pin 14 housed in the groove 131, the operating parts 147 extend outward from the narrow part 132 and are operable from outside. Since the pipe 141 is cylindrically formed, the pin 14 housed in the groove 131 is circumferentially rotatable within the range in which the operating parts 147 do not contact the narrow part 132.
The cover 15 is a member that covers the groove 131, and is formed separately from the connecting block 13. The cover 15 is a flat-shaped member extending in the lengthwise direction of the groove 131 so as to cover the groove 131 from one end to the other end in its lengthwise direction, i.e., the whole length of the groove 131.
The cover 15 leaves positions corresponding to the operating parts 147 open so that the operating parts 147 are operable from outside with the groove 131 covered by the cover 15. In the example shown in
The operating parts 147 are formed long enough to project from the openings 151 to the outside of the cover 15 with the groove 131 that houses the pin 14 being covered by the cover 15. This enables a user to hold portions of the operating part 147 projecting from the cover 15 between his/her thumb and finger to operate them.
At both ends in its lengthwise direction, the cover 15 includes an extending part 152 extending on the side surface of the connecting block 13 so as to cover both ends of the groove 131. The extending part 152 has an insertion hole 153 in which the end 146 of the pin 14 housed in the groove 131 is inserted. The cover 15 is held on the connecting block 13, with the groove 131 covered, by the ends 146 being inserted in the insertion holes 153.
The narrow part 132 of the groove 131 is depressed from the bottom and side surfaces of the connecting block 13 by a depth corresponding to the thickness of the cover 15. Thus the surfaces of the cover 15 are flush with the bottom and side surfaces of the connecting block 13, respectively, with the cover 15 covering the groove 131, which improves the quality of outward appearance.
On its edge on the strap 12 side, the connecting block 13 has a coupling part 16 to couple the connecting block 13 to blocks of the strap 12. The coupling part 16 has a through-hole 161 passing through a pair of side surfaces. With a coupling pin (not shown) inserted in the through-hole 161, the connecting block 13 is coupled to the strap 12 by both ends of the coupling pin being held by blocks of the strap 12.
When the strap 12 is attached to the exterior case 111, the pin 14 is first housed in the groove 131. The pin 14 is housed in the groove 131 of the connecting block 13 from the side surface of the connecting block 13 coupled to the strap 12.
Next, the cover 15 is disposed so as to cover the groove 131 housing the pin 14. First, without the operating parts 147 being operated, the cover 15 is disposed above the groove 131 so that the tips of the operating parts 147 project from the openings 151. In this state, the tips of the extending parts 152 are blocked by the ends 146 of the pin 14, and thus both ends of the groove 131 are left open without being covered by the extending parts 152.
Next, a user holds the tips of the operating parts 147 projecting from the openings 151 to draw the operating parts 147 close to each other. In this way, the pin 14 is shortened until the tips of the ends 146 come closer to the center in the axial direction than the extending parts 152, resulting in the tips of the extending parts 152 being no longer blocked by the ends 146. With this state kept, the extending parts 152 are inserted until covering both ends of the groove 131. In this way, the groove 131 is covered by the cover 15.
After the groove 131 is covered by the cover 15, the user lets go of the operating parts 147. Then the pin 14 elongates, and the ends 146 are inserted in the insertion holes 153. In this way, the cover 15 is held on the connecting block 13 with the groove 131 covered.
Next, the connecting block 13 is connected to the strap-attaching parts 112. The user holds the operating parts 147 to draw them close to each other. In this way, the pin is shortened until the tips of the ends 146 come closer to the inside than the extending parts 152. With this state kept, the connecting block 13 is disposed between the pair of strap-attaching parts 112 of the exterior case 111.
After the connecting block 13 is disposed between the strap-attaching parts 112, the user lets go of the operating parts 147. Then the pin 14 elongates, and the ends 146 are inserted in the insertion holes 153 and the insertion holes 113 of the strap-attaching parts 112. In this way, the pin 14 is held by the strap-attaching parts 112, and the strap 12 is attached to the exterior case 111.
When the strap 12 is removed from the exterior case 111, the user holds the operating parts 147 to draw them close to each other. In this way, the pin 14 is shortened until the tips of the ends 146 come out of the insertion holes 113. In this state, the connecting block 13 is removed from between the strap-attaching parts 112, and the strap 12 is removed from the exterior case 111.
After the connecting block 13 is removed from between the strap-attaching parts 112, the user lets go of the operating parts 147. Then the pin 14 elongates, and the ends 146 are inserted in the insertion holes 153 again. In this way, even after the strap 12 is removed, the cover 15 is held on the connecting block 13 with the groove 131 covered. Thus, even when the strap 12 is not attached to the exterior case 111, the pin 14 is prevented from falling off the groove 131 and is unlikely to be lost.
When the pin 14 is further removed, the cover 15 is first removed. The user holds the tips of the operating parts 147 to draw them close to each other. In this way, the pin is shortened until the tips of the ends 146 come closer to the inside than the extending parts 152. With this state kept, the cover 15 is raised until the insertion holes 153 no longer face the ends 146 of the pin 14. After the cover 15 is raised, the user lets go of the tips of the operating parts 147 to stop operating the operating parts 147. Then the cover 15 is further raised and removed from the groove 131. In this way, the cover 15 is removed from the connecting block 13.
Next, the pin 14 is removed from the groove 131. The pin 14 is removed from the groove 131 by being pulled out sideward. In this way, the pin 14 is easily removable from the connecting block 13 without any special tool, and thus is easily replaceable even when damaged, which improves maintainability.
As described above, the watch 1 includes an exterior case 111, a pin 14, a connecting block 13, and a cover 15. The exterior case 111 has a pair of strap-attaching parts 112 with insertion holes 113 formed so as to face each other. The pin 14, which is elastic by being formed of a built-in elastic body 142, has both ends inserted in the insertion holes 113 of the pair of strap-attaching parts 112, and is thereby held by the strap-attaching parts 112. The connecting block 13 is disposed at one end of a strap 12 and has a bottom surface with a groove 131 formed therein. The connecting block 13 connects the strap 12 to the exterior case 111 by the pin 14 held by the strap-attaching parts 112 being housed in the groove 131. An operating part 147 to be operated to shorten the pin 14 so that the pin 14 is removable from the strap-attaching parts 112 is formed on a side surface of the pin 14. The cover 15 leaves a position corresponding to the operating part 147 open so that the operating part 147 is operable from outside with the pin 14 housed in the groove 131. In this way, the watch 1, whose strap is replaceable, improves in maintainability and ensures that outward appearance is not of low quality.
The cover 15 covers the whole length of the groove 131. The cover 15 has an opening formed at the position corresponding to the operating part 147. Thus the whole groove 131 is invisible from below, which improves the quality of outward appearance.
The operating part 147 projects from the opening 151 to the outside of the cover 15. This enables a user to hold the operating part 147 between his/her thumb and finger to operate it, facilitating removal of the strap 12.
The cover 15 is formed separately from the connecting block 13 and includes an extending part 152 extending on a side surface of the connecting block 13. The extending part 152 has an insertion hole 153 in which the pin 14 housed in the groove 131 is inserted. The cover 15 is held on the connecting block 13, with the groove 131 covered, by the pin 14 being inserted in the insertion hole 153. Thus the groove 131 is also invisible from the side, which further improves the quality of outward appearance.
The operating parts 147 project from the openings 151 to the outside of the cover 15 in the above description, but are not limited to such an example. The operating parts 147 may be formed long enough that they do not project outward from the cover 15. More specifically, the operating parts 147 may be formed shorter than the distance between the pin 14 and the openings 151 of the cover 15. In this case also, a user can operate the operating parts 147 and remove the strap 12 by inserting a tool such as tweezers in the openings 151. In this case, the operating parts 147 cannot be easily seen from outside, which further improves the quality of outward appearance.
The openings 251 are formed into a rectangular shape extending in the sliding direction of the operating parts 147, and each have a notch 254 at positions where the operating parts 147 are located when they are not operated. The notches 254 are formed in a rotating direction of the pin 14 housed in the groove 131, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the pin 14. The notches 254 of the openings 251 are formed in the same direction. In the example shown in
After the strap 12 is attached to the exterior case 111, a user rotates the pin 14 housed in the groove 131 in a circumferential direction (direction A in
In this way, the pin 14 is housed in the groove 131 so as to be circumferentially rotatable. The opening 251 of the cover 25 has a notch 254 formed in a rotating direction of the pin 14. The cover 25 restrains the operating part 147 from being operated to shorten the pin 14, with the operating part 147 housed in the notch 254. This prevents the operating parts 147 from being operated and the strap 12 from coming off the exterior case 111 while a user is using the watch 1.
The openings 351 are formed into a rectangular shape extending in the sliding direction of the operating parts 147, and each have a notch 354 at positions where the operating parts 147 are located when the pin 14 is shortened. The notches 354 are formed in a rotating direction of the pin 14 housed in the groove 131, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the pin 14. The notches 354 of the openings 351 are formed in the same direction. In the example shown in
To dispose the cover 35 on the connecting block 33, the cover 35 is disposed above the groove 131 without the operating parts 147 being operated so that the tips of the operating parts 147 project from the openings 351. In this state, the tips of the extending parts 152 are blocked by the ends 146 of the pin 14, and thus both ends of the groove 131 are left open without being covered by the extending parts 152.
Next, a user holds the tips of the operating parts 147 projecting from the openings 351 to draw the operating parts 147 close to each other, and rotates the pin 14 in direction A, which is a circumferential direction. In this way, the ends 146 are translated toward the center in the axial direction until the tips of the ends 146 come closer to the inside than the extending parts 152, and thereby the pin 14 is shortened whereas the operating parts 147 are housed in the notches 354. The operating parts 147 housed in the notches 354 are blocked by the cover 35 and can no longer move outward in the axial direction of the pin 14. In other words, the cover 35 restrains the pin 14 from elongating, with the operating parts 147 housed in the notches 354. Thus the pin 14 is kept shortened even if the user lets go of the operating parts 147.
With the pin 14 shortened, the extending parts 152 of the cover 35 are inserted until covering both ends of the groove 131. In this way, the groove 131 is covered by the cover 35. Since the user can insert the extending parts 152 at this time without holding the operating parts 147, the cover 35 can be easily attached.
To connect the connecting block 33 to the strap-attaching parts 112, the connecting block 13 is disposed between the pair of strap-attaching parts 112 of the exterior case 111 with the operating parts 147 housed in the notches 354. The user then rotates the pin 14 in direction B, which is a circumferential direction. This results in the operating parts 147 being separated from the notches 354, causing the ends 146 to be translated away from the center in the axial direction of the pin 14 and inserted in the insertion holes 153 and the insertion holes 113 of the strap-attaching parts 112. In this way, the pin 14 is held by the strap-attaching parts 112, and the strap 12 is attached to the strap-attaching parts 112.
In this way, the pin 14 is housed in the groove 131 so as to be circumferentially rotatable. The opening 351 of the cover 35 has a notch 354 formed in a rotating direction of the pin 14. The cover 35 restrains the pin 14 from elongating, with the operating part 147 housed in the notch 354. This causes the pin 14 to be kept shortened even if the user lets go of the operating parts 147, facilitating replacement of the strap.
The positions of the notches are not limited to those in the openings 251 and 351 of the above examples. For example, notches may be formed at both positions where the operating parts 147 are located when they are not operated and positions where the operating parts 147 are located when the pin 14 is shortened.
The shape of the openings is not limited to those of the openings 151, 251, and 351 of the above examples. The cover may have an opening of any shape that makes the operating parts 147 operable from outside, such as an oval or cross-shaped one.
As shown in
Into the recess 449 is fitted an operating part 447. In the example shown in
The cover 45 is joined to the connecting block 43. In the example shown in
The operating part 147 is formed long enough for the upper end of the operating part 147 to be higher than the lower end of the cover 45 with the pin 14 housed in the groove 131. The operating part 447 is formed long enough for the upper end of the operating part 447 to be higher than the lower end of the cover 45 with the pin 14 housed in the groove 131 and the operating part 447 fitted into the recess 449. This causes the operating part 147 or 447 to be blocked by the cover 45 when the pin 14 moves in the axial direction, which restrains the pin 14 from falling off the groove 131.
When the strap is attached to the exterior case 111, the pin 44 from which the operating part 447 is removed is first housed in the groove 131 of the connecting block 43 from the side surface of the connecting block 43. At this time, the pin 44 is housed in the groove 131 from the side where the second slider 448 is disposed, as indicated by arrow C in
In this way, the cover 45 is joined to the connecting block 43 and covers part of the length of the groove 131 so as to restrain the pin 44 housed in the groove 131 from falling off the groove 131. Since this eliminates the need for using a separate cover, a small number of components improve the quality of outward appearance and prevent the pin 44 from falling off the groove 131.
The operating part 447 is fitted into the recess 449 by screwing in the above description, but is not limited to such an example. For example, the operating part 447 may be fitted into the recess 449 via adhesive or sticky tape.
The cover 45 is integrated with the connecting block 43 in the above description, but is not limited to such an example. The cover 45 may be joined to the cover 45 by any means that cannot be removed by a user. For example, the cover 45 may be joined to the connecting block 43 with adhesive or sticky tape.
Note that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions, and modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the above embodiments and modified examples may be appropriately combined and implemented in the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-050718 | Mar 2022 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2023/003064 | 1/31/2023 | WO |
