CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of and the benefit of Chinese patent application No. 200410098872.2 filed on Dec. 13, 2004, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a watch band. More particularly, it relates to an elastic watch band having links that can easily be attached and detached.
BACKGROUND ART
Watches, as a timer and an ornament, are widely used by people with a typical watch generally comprising a watch panel and a watch band. Usually, the watch band is manufactured with an extended length that can be re-sized r to satisfy the needs of different customers. To re-size the band to fit a certain wrist size, one or more of the watch band joints are removed and then the band is subsequently re-connected to provide a desired fit.
FIGS. 1A-1D and FIGS. 2A-2D show a disassembly and assembly process of a conventional prior art watch band, respectively.
Referring initially to FIGS. 1A-1D, the disassembly process of a typical prior art watch band 20′ comprises a number of intricate steps. The first step, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the watch band, which comprises at least one joint 10′, is placed with its bottom surface facing up. The band is then pulled so that the joints 10′ are stretched. The second step, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the decorative covers 300′ of the watch band 20′ are removed and the abutting clasps 12′ are bent and separated from the joints 10′. The third step, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, apply a force along the directions indicated by the two arrows F to separate the watch band 20′ into two parts. The fourth step, as illustrated in FIG. 1D, one or more joints 10′ are detached in the manner of the third step until a desired number of joints are removed.
The assembly process of the watch band 20′ is shown in FIGS. 2A-2D. The first step, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, two parts of the watch band 20′ are placed in opposing relationship and attached together. The second step, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the clasps 12′, which separate as mentioned above, are bent to their original configuration and then re-connected together. The third step, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, the decorative cover 300′ is attached. The fourth step, as illustrated in FIG. 2D, the decorative cover is fixedly connected to the joint 10′. Thus, the assembly process of the watch band 20′ is finished.
FIGS. 3A-3C and FIGS. 4A-4C show a disassembly and assembly process of another conventional prior art watch band, respectively.
The watch band 20″ comprises at least one joint 10″. The disassembly process of the watch band 20″ is shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. The first step, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the elastic sheet 310″ of the decorative cover 300″ of the watch band 20″ is removed. The process of removing the elastic sheet 310″ from joint 10″ is clearly shown in FIG. 3B. The second step, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the sleigh shaped fork 130″ is pulled out from the decorative cover 300″, which then separates the watch band 20″ into two parts. The third step, the appropriate number of the joints 10″ are detached in the same manner by repeating steps 3B and 3C. In this way, the disassembly process of the watch band 20″ is finished.
The assembly process of the watch band 20″ is shown in FIGS. 4A-4D. The first step, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the disassembled two-part watch band 20″ are placed at a right angle to one another, or at some other angle as shown in FIG. 4A. The second step, as illustrated in 4B, the decorative cover 300″ is connected to the sleigh shaped fork 130″. The third step, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, each joint of the watch band 20″ is positioned next to one or more adjacent joints. Then in the fourth step, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, the elastic sheet 310″ is inserted into the decorative cover 300″ and, after doing so, the assembly process of the watch band 20″ is finished.
The two prior art conventional watch bands 20′ and 20″ shown in FIGS. 1A-4D have several shortcomings in the manner in which the parts for the watch band are disassembled and assembled.
Firstly, the disassembly process is very difficult. It requires loosening or pulling out the clasps 12′ and the elastic sheets 310″ to remove a number of joints from the band for sizing the band to fit an individual. This generally requires special tools possessed only by a skilled artisan, such as a watch repair technician.
Secondly, after the joints 10′ and 10″ are disassembled, there are scattered parts (such as, decorative cover 300′, elastic sheet 310″, and so on) that can easily be lost or misplaced making the band difficult to assemble. Furthermore, some of the parts are very thin and small, which make them impossible, for some people whose fingers are relatively large, to pick up.
The width of the above-mentioned joints 10′ and 10″ in the watch band 20′ and 20″ cannot be made relatively narrower due to mechanical limitations of the conventional technology. Therefore, the watch bands 20′ and 20″ made from the aforementioned joints 10′ and 10″ can only be used as men's watch bands.
Lastly, the cost of the watch bands 20′ and 20″ in the conventional art are relatively high due to the complexity of the parts yet they readily deform during pulling tests.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a watch band that has a length that can easily be adjusted.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a watchband joint that can be disassembled and assembled easily, which overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional watch bands.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects of the present invention, a watch band is provided with at least one joint, and the joint comprises:
A first assembly comprising: a upper drum having a chamber of the upper drum, the upper drum comprises a first and a second edge parts that are disposed at the opposite two sides of the upper drum, and a first and a second ends of the upper drum that are disposed at the opposite two ends of the upper drum, a first elastic sheet that is disposed within a decorative cover, a long fork comprising a first end of the long fork and an opposite second end of the long fork, the first end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, and the second end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, a first short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, a second short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, wherein, the first short fork is parallel to the second short fork;
A second assembly comprising: a lower drum comprising a connecting part, a groove part, and a chamber of the lower drum that is seated between the connecting part and the groove part, a second elastic sheet seating within the chamber of the lower drum;
A decorative cover comprising a chamber of the decorative cover, and at least one first clasp of the decorative cover and at least one second clasp of the decorative cover, which are seated at the opposite two edges of the chamber of upper drum;
Wherein the connecting part of the lower drum in the second assembly is connected to the first and the second short forks; and the chamber of the upper drum is attached to the upper drum, and tighten the first and the second clasps of the upper drum.
The watch band according to the invention comprises at least one joint with the above mentioned structure, within the groove part of the second assembly in one joint can be connected to the long fork of the first assembly in the abutting joint, thus, the adjacent joints can be detachedly connected together. On the contrary, the adjacent joint can be detached when the groove part of the lower drum of the second assembly in one joint is separated from the long fork of the first assembly in the abutting joint.
At the same time, the invention provides a joint used for the watch band, the joint comprises:
A first assembly comprising: a upper drum which comprises a chamber of the upper drum, a first and a second edge parts that are disposed at the opposite two sides of the upper drum, and a first and a second ends of the upper drum that are disposed at the opposite two ends of the upper drum, a first elastic sheet within a decorative cover, a long fork comprising a first end of the long fork and a opposite second end of the long fork, the first end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, and the second end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, a first short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, a second short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, wherein, the first short fork is parallel to the second short fork;
A second assembly comprising: a lower drum comprising a connecting part, a groove part, and a chamber of the lower drum which is seated between the connecting part and the groove part, a second elastic sheet seating within the chamber of the lower drum;
A decorative cover comprising a chamber of the decorative cover, and at least one first clasp of the decorative cover and at least one second clasp of the decorative cover which are seated at the opposite two edges of the chamber of upper drum;
Wherein the connecting part of the lower drum in the second assembly is connected to the first and the second short forks; and the chamber of the upper drum is attached to the upper drum, and tighten the first and second clasps of the upper drum.
The two abutting joints can be jointed together through the groove part of the second assembly in one joint being connected to the long fork of the first assembly in adjacent another joint.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the two abutting joints can be assembled/disassembled easily through the groove part of the second assembly in one joint being connected to/disconnect with the long fork of the first assembly in adjacent another joint, and the assembly/disassembly process can be operated easily without any help of a special tools.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, after one joint has been disassembled to resize the band, the remaining joints can be detached without having a plurality of loose parts. Therefore, the parts of the watch band will not be lost, and a user, possessing relatively large fingers, can easily pick up the parts of the watch band and complete the assembly process.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the minimal width of the watch band is 6.4 mm. Therefore, the watch band constructed by the joints can be used as men's watch band, women's watch band and children's watch band.
In addition, the watch bands provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention have excellent performance in anti-pulling bend and twisting tests.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows an assembled view of a watch band as provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
FIGS. 1A-1D are schematic views showing the disassembly process of a first conventional prior art watch band;
FIGS. 2A-2D are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first conventional prior art watch band;
FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic views showing the disassembly process of a second conventional prior art watch band;
FIGS. 4A-4D are schematic views showing the assembly process of the second conventional prior art watch band;
FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic views showing various watch band parts of a first assembly provided in accordance with aspects of a first embodiment of the invention and the assembly process thereof, shown in FIG. 5A prior to assembly and FIG. 5B after assembly;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing parts of the first assembly and the assembly process thereof in accordance to the first embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 7A-7B are schematic views showing some parts of a second assembly and the assembly process thereof in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 7A prior to assembly and FIG. 7B after assembly;
FIGS. 8A-8B are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first assembly and the second assembly mated together with a decorative cover provided in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 8A prior to assembly and FIG. 8B after assembly;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing ten joints joined together in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 10A-10D are schematic views showing various watch band parts of a first assembly and the assembly process thereof provided in accordance to a second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 10A prior to assembly of the long fork, in FIG. 10B after assembly of the long fork, in FIG. 10C prior to installation of the long fork with the upper drum, and FIG. 10D after assembly into the upper drum;
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing parts of the first assembly and the assembly process thereof according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 12A-12D are schematic views showing some parts in the second assembly and the assembly process thereof according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention, with FIG. 12A showing the lower drum from one perspective, in FIG. 10B of the same lower drum from another perspective, in FIG. 10C of the second elastic sheet, and FIG. 10D after assembly of the parts;
FIGS. 13A-13B are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first assembly, the second assembly, and the decorative cover according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 13A with the decorative cover spaced from the connecting part and in FIG. 13B with the decorative cover attached to the connecting part;
FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing ten joints assembled together according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 15A-15B are schematic views showing the disassembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the first and the second embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 16A-16C are schematic views showing the assembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the first embodiment of the invention; and
FIGS. 17A-17B are schematic views showing the assembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The preferred embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to explain the invention in greater detail.
Although various aspects of watch bands are discussed herein in detail in conjunction with a watch panel, the watch bands can be used for different applications, such as an elastic disassembly strip. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments expressly discussed herein. In addition, although the watch bands can be made of stainless steel, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other appropriate material can be used.
The watch band 20 provided in accordance with aspects of the invention comprises at least one removable joint 10 (See, e.g., FIG. 1). The watch band according to the invention is configured to connect to the two ends of a watch panel using two connecters (not shown). The connection techniques between the watch panel and the connecters on the two free ends of the watch band 20 are well known in the art and further detailed description is deemed unnecessary.
Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, various parts of a joint 10 and the assembly process thereof used to form a watch band 20 accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention are shown. FIG. 5 shows parts of a first assembly 100 and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 shows additional parts of the first assembly 100 and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 shows various parts of the second assembly 200 and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 shows the assembly process of the first assembly 100, the second assembly 200, and the decorative cover 300 according to the first embodiment of the invention.
Broadly speaking, the joint 10 comprises a first assembly 100, a second assembly 200, and a decorative cover 300. The first assembly 100 comprises an upper drum 110, a first elastic sheet 120, a long fork 130, a first short fork 140, and a second short fork 150. The second assembly 200 comprises a lower drum 210 and a second elastic sheet 220.
In detail, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first assembly 100 comprises an upper drum 100, which comprises an upper drum chamber 112, a first edge 114 and second edge 116 of the upper drum chamber 112, and a first end 118a and second end 118b of the upper drum chamber 112 (FIG. 5A). As shown in the drawings, the upper drum 110 comprises a generally hexahedron shape, and the first edge 114 and the second edge 116 extend a distance toward its center from the opposite sides of the upper drum chamber 112. The first edge 114 and the second edge 116 are each provided with two cut-outs 400 (FIG. 5B). However, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the first edge 114 and the second edge 116 may be formed without the cut-outs. It is preferable that the first and second edges are each formed with two cut-outs 400, which facilitate bending the first and second edges 114, 116 toward the center of the upper drum chamber 112 as well as save raw material that goes into making the upper drum.
As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the first assembly 100 comprises a first elastic sheet 120, which has a generally undulating configuration having two ends 402 raising and a center 404 projecting, and a long fork 130. The long fork 130 (FIG. 5A) comprises a central body section 406 having a first extending end 132 and a second extending end 134, which are disposed oppositely. The first and the second extending ends 132, 134 of the long fork extend a certain distance toward the center of the central body section 406 from the two ends of the central body section 406 of the long fork 130. As further discussed below, the two extending ends 132, 134 and the central body section 406 define a receiving space 408 for receiving the first elastic sheet 120.
The first elastic sheet 120 is placed into position inside the receiving space 408 between the first extending end 132 and the second extending end 134 of the long fork 130. The combination first elastic sheet 120 and long fork 130 is then placed into the upper drum chamber 112 of the upper drum 110 such that the first edge 114 and the second edge 116 of the upper drum 110 are in a clasped relationship with the first elastic sheet 120 (FIG. 5A). Thus, the first extending end 132 of the long fork 130 is pressed into position between the first elastic sheet 120 and the upper drum chamber 112 at the first end 118a of the upper drum 110 and the second extending end 134 of the long fork 130 is pressed into position between the first elastic sheet 120 and the upper drum chamber 112 at the second end 118b of the upper drum 110. A unit A is obtained thereby, as shown in FIG. 5B.
In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the first assembly 100 comprises a first short fork 140 and a second short fork 150, which are both formed with a generally “U” shape configuration. The first short fork 140 and the second short fork 150 can be inserted into unit A as shown in FIG. 5, respectively. That is, the first short fork 140 can be inserted into the position between the upper drum chamber 112 of the upper drum 110 and the first elastic sheet 120 at the first end 118a of the upper drum and the second short fork 150 can be inserted into position between the upper drum chamber 112 and the second elastic sheet 120 at the second end 118b of the upper drum 110. After the insertion, the first short fork 140 and the second short fork 150 are generally parallel with the long fork 130.
As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the second assembly 200, which is part of a joint 10, comprises a lower drum 210 and a second elastic sheet 220. The assembly process of the second assembly 200 is shown in FIG. 7A.
As shown in the view, the lower drum 210 comprises a connecting part 212, an opposite groove part 214, and a lower drum chamber 216 between the connecting part 212 and the opposite groove part 214. The connecting part 212 extends a distance toward the center of the lower drum chamber 216 from one side of the chamber of the lower drum 216. The connecting part 212 comprises a first connecting part clasp 212a and a second connect part clasp 212b disposed oppositely from one another. The center of the opposite groove part 214 has a cut 214a thereon. However, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the center of the groove part 214 may be formed without the cut 214a, although such a cut-out 214a is preferable to facilitate assembly of the various parts, which will be described in more detail hereafter.
The second elastic sheet 220, which is similar to the first elastic sheet 120, has a generally arc shape configuration with its two ends 410 raising and the center 412 projecting. The second elastic sheet 220 is configured to be inserted into the lower drum chamber 216, thus forming unit B, as shown in FIG. 7B.
In addition, as illustrated in the FIGS. 8A and 8B, the joint 10 comprises a decorative cover 300, which comprises a decorative cover chamber 310, a first set of decorative cover clasps 320, and a second set of decorative cover clasps 330. The functions of the first and second decorative cover clasps 320, 330 are the same as the first and second clasps 212a, 212b of the connecting part 212 of the lower drum 210. There are two individual first decorative clasps 320 and two individual second decorative cover clasps 330 shown in FIG. 8A so as to fix the parts from multiple points on each side or edge 414 of the decorative cover 300. The other side of the bottom surface 416 of the decorative cover chamber 310 forms a part of the watch band 20 that is exposed to the user or wearer of the watch band. Therefore, the shape of the decorative cover chamber 310 can be any desired shapes such as arc, straight, and curve with traces thereon. To increase the aesthetic appeal of the watch band 20, other appropriate shapes can be used, such as adding a shape on the exposed surface of the decorative cover chamber 310, namely, the exposed surface of the decorative cover 300 can be any shape.
Thereafter, the unit B obtained according to the above process is connected with the first and the second short forks 140, 150 (FIG. 8A). The exposed parts of the first and the second short forks 140, 150 are inserted into the connecting part 212 of the lower drum 210 and are firmly attached to the connecting part 212 of the lower drum 210 through the first and the second connect part clasps 212a, 212b. Thereafter, the first assembly 100 and the second assembly 200 of the joint 10 are connected together.
Then, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the decorative cover 300 is clasped into the bottom of the upper drum 110 after the first assembly 100 is connected with the second assembly 200. The upper drum 110 is mated with the decorative cover 300 via the first and the second decorative cover clasps 320, 330 so as to form a completed joint 10.
FIG. 9 shows ten joints 10 joined together side-by-side as provided in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention to form the watch band 20. The long fork 130 of the first assembly 100 of the first joint 10 is connected with the groove part 214 of the lower drum 210 of the second assembly 200 in the adjacent joint 10 and so forth to form the chain shown in FIG. 9. After connecting an appropriate number of joints 10 to form a band having a desired length, the band has two free ends 418, 420. One end 418 comprises a long fork 130, and the other end 420 comprises a groove part 214. Thus, the two ends 418, 420 of the watch band 20 can be connected together to form a loop or ring, or can each separately connected to a connecter (not shown) so as to connect the watch band 10 to a watch panel. In one exemplary embodiment, the width of the joint 10 is approximately 15.5 mm.
The minimal width of the watch band 20 according to aspects of the present invention can be 6.4 mm. Thus, the watch band 20 incorporating a plurality of joints 10 provided in herein can be used as men's watch bands, women's watch bands and as children's watch bands.
FIGS. 10-14 show a second watch band embodiment provided in accordance with further aspects of the present invention. In detail, FIGS. 10A-10D show various parts of a first assembly 100 and the assembly process thereof according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows additional parts of the first assembly 100 and the assembly process thereof according to the second embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 12A-12D show various parts of the second assembly 200 and the assembly process thereof according to second embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 13A-13B show the assembly process of the first assembly 100, the second assembly 200, and the decorative cover 300 according to the second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 14 shows ten joints 10 joined together side-by-side according to the second embodiment of the invention. In one exemplary embodiment, the minimal width of the watch band 20 of the second embodiment can be 6.4 mm.
The assembly process of the plurality of joints 10 forming the watch band 20 of the second embodiment of the invention is the same as the first embodiment. Accordingly, certain detailed assembly description will be omitted. As illustrated in FIGS. 10A-10D, the upper drum 110 has a generally hexahedron shape having a first edge 114 and a second edge 116. The first edge 114 and the second edge 116 both extend inwardly a distance toward its center 422 from the two sidewalls 424 of the upper drum 110. The first edge 114 and the second edge 116 are each provided with a spaced cut 426. As compared to the first embodiment (FIGS. 5-9), there is fewer number of cuts 426 incorporated in the first edge 114 and the second edge 116 of upper drum 110. Thus, the width of the upper drum 110 measured from the first end 118a to the second end 118b is decreased and the width of the watch band 20, after assembling the various joints together, similarly decreased. In one exemplary embodiment, the width of the watch band 20 can be about 6.4 mm.
As illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12D, the lower drum 210 comprises a connecting part 212, a groove part 214, and a lower drum chamber 216 bounded, at least in part, by the connecting part 212 and the groove part 214. In one exemplary embodiment, the connecting part 212 extends a distance toward the center 428 from one side of the lower drum chamber 216 and comprises a first connecting part clasp 212a and a second connecting part clasp 212b that are oppositely disposed and having a projection 218 at approximately the center thereof. The groove part 214 also extends a distance toward the center 428 of the lower drum chamber 216 from another side of the lower drum 216. In addition, the lower drum 210 is provided with two convex lines 218a on the back surface 430 of the lower drum chamber 216. In one exemplary, the two convex lines are parallel to one another.
As illustrated in the FIGS. 13A and 13B, the decorative cover 300 comprises a decorative cover chamber 310, a first decorative cover clasp 320 disposed in between a first two projections 320a, and a second decorative cover clasp 330 disposed between a second two projections 330a. The two clasps 320, 330 are formed on two side walls 432 of the decorative cover 310. The functions of the first decorative cover clasp 320 and the second decorative cover clasp 330 are the same as the first connecting part clasp 212a and the second connecting part clasp 212b of the connecting part 212 of the lower drum 210 (FIG. 12). The two sets of projections 320a, 330a formed on the two side walls 432 of the decorative cover 300 are configured to cooperate with the convex lines 218a on back surface 430 of the lower drum 210.
As previously discussed, because the width of each part of a joint 10 according to the second embodiment decreases, the width of the watch band 20 can be about 6.4 mm wide after being assembled. The watch band 20 with a width of 6.4 mm is shown in FIG. 14.
FIGS. 15A-15B show the disassembly process of the watch band 20 according to the first and the second embodiments of the invention. As the disassembly process of the watch band 20 according to the first embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, only the disassembly process of the watch band 20 according to the first embodiment will be discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 15A, the watch band 20 according to aspects of the present invention is first folded into a first part 434, a second part 436, and a third part 438, having one or more joints 10 to be removed. The third part 438 forms a certain angle relative to the first part 434 and the second part 436, for example, about 45°. A force is then applied to one of the joints 10, and more particularly to a long fork 130 of a first assembly 100, in the direction of the arrow F. The force will cause one joint 10 to separate from the groove part 214 of the second assembly 200 of the adjacent joint 10. Thereafter, the watch band 20 will be separated into two parts 434, 436, as illustrated in FIG. 15B. To remove additional joints, the above-described process is repeated until a desired number of joints 10 are removed.
FIGS. 16A-16C show the assembly process of the watch band 20 according to the first embodiment of the invention, which is the same as for the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 16A, the two disassembled parts 434, 436 of watch band 20 are placed at an angle of about 90° from one another or at some angle to permit a long fork 130 of the first assembly 100 in one joint 10 to clasp into a groove part 214 of a second assembly 200 in the adjacent joint 10. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the two disassembled parts 434, 436 of watch band 20 are rotated in the directions of the two arrows until the two parts of the watch band 20 are coupled and aligned as a single line or band. At this point, as illustrated in FIG. 16C, the two parts 434, 436 of the watch band 20 are twisted or tussled so as to slide the long fork 130 into the groove part 214 and connect the two together. Finally, the watch band is pulled by grabbing the two free ends 418, 420 to confirm the connection.
FIGS. 17A-17B show the assembly process of the watch band 20 according to the second embodiment of the invention, which is the same as the assembly process of the watch band 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The two disassembled parts 434, 436 of the watch band 20 are placed at an angle to one another, such as a 90° angle. The long fork 130 of the first assembly 100 in one joint 10 is then clasped into the groove part 214 of the second assembly 200 in the adjacent joint 10. Thereafter, the two parts of the watch band 20 are rotated until the two parts of the watch band 20 are aligned in a single line or band, as illustrated in FIG. 17A. As illustrated in FIG. 17B, the watch band 20 is then pushed upward in the direction of the arrow so that the first or the second convex sheet 320a or 330a (See, e.g., FIG. 12B) is connected to the convex line 218a. The lower drum 210 concurrently moves upward to force the long fork 130 downward. The elastic sheet 220 (FIG. 12C) will be compressed and the long fork 130 will enter into position between the lower drum 210 and the elastic sheet 220. The long fork 130 is thus connected with the groove part 214 of the lower drum 210. Finally, the watch band is pulled to confirm the connection.
The watch bands 20 according to aspects of the present invention and the joints 10 used thereof are made of stainless steel.
The watch bands 20 according to aspects of the present invention can be connected/disconnected by manipulating the groove part 214 of the lower drum 210 in the second assembly 200 of one joint 10 to clasp with/separated from the long fork 130 of the first assembly 100 of the adjacent joint 10 to adjust the length of the band 20. Thus, the length of the watch band 20 can be adjusted by the user my merely manipulating a groove part 214 and a long fork 130 of two joints.
In addition, when a joint 10 of the watch band 20 provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention is removed from the band, the various parts of the removed joint and the remaining joints will not separate from one another to risk being misplaced. Furthermore, the joints are easy to pick up and manipulate.
Furthermore, the minimal width of the joint 10 can be 6.4 mm. Thus, the watch band 20 formed by the joints 10 can be used as men's watch bands, as women's watch bands, and as children's watch bands.
Watch bands according to aspects of the present invention perform well against pulling, bending, and twisting, and yet relatively inexpensive to produce.
A test report provided by the China Quality Assurance Lab for the watch bands according to aspects of the present invention includes the following information:
Pulling test (4.5 kg max)
Equipment-fixtures simulating spring bar connection with force gage/dial indicator, gage pins.
Samples shall be attached to force gage and apply the force to 4.5 kg (max).
Acceptance criteria—no broken or distortion of the band allowed once force is released. Samples must be functional and meet the above static load requirements.
Flex test (2 k cycles)
Equipment—a motorized cyclical fixture that applies tension-release-tension on attachment simulating customer removal/return of attachment to wrist.
Each sample shall be subjected to a two-thousand (2,000) cycle test.
Upon completion, attachment will be evaluated for wear/durability resistance to known standard expectations.
Extended Flex test (10 k cycles)
Same as the Flex test requirement, but increase to a ten-thousand (10,000) cycle test.
Remove/assembly adjustable link test (5 times)—engage/disengage work instruction is required for customers.
Pull test/flex test after remove/assembly links.
Twist test
Samples shall be subjected a 70 degree twist across a span of 5.9 inches (150 mm) without damage, unfolding, separation of leakage.
While aspects of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20060124674
