1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wrist-wearable device, and more particularly, to a wrist-wearable device having secured wristband loop keeper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For a wrist-wearable device such as a wristwatch or a wrist-type GPS system, which is equipped with a buckle tang system, the wristband is usually inserted in a loop “keeper” to avoid the wristband to flap around. In most cases, the keeper of the prior art is a simple loop freely slidable along the short wristband of the device. User may slide the keeper to a proper position on the short wristband such that the free long wristband may be inserted into the keeper, secured by the keeper from flapping around.
Conventional wrist-wearable devices equipped with such loop keeper in the buckle tang system have several drawbacks. Each time the user wears on the device, after sliding the long wristband into the loop keeper, it's always necessary to readjust the location of the loop keeper to secure the long strap, which means an extra step is always needed. Secondly, the long wristband is highly possible to be unsecured. Once the loop keeper is set up to the right location on the short wristband, the keeper may be at first located at the user's preferred location but very likely to have displacement along the short wristband, causing to unsecure the long wristband. The displacement of the loop keeper may be caused by some of the following reasons: no anchor points to the short wristband, user movements, water or sweat on the wristbands, interaction with the environment, or untight wristband settings by users.
The invention provides a wrist-wearable device. The wrist-wearable device includes a main body, a first wristband, a second wristband, and loop keeper. The main body includes a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The first wristband is connected to the first side of the main body and includes a plurality of first eyelets. The second wristband is connected to the second side of the main body and includes a plurality of second eyelets. The loop keeper is slidably disposed on the second wristband for securing the first wristband to the second wristband. The loop keeper has a first inner surface and a second inner surface facing with each other. The look keeper includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The first protrusion extends from the first inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of first eyelets with the first wristband passing through the loop keeper. The second protrusion extends from the second inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of second eyelets.
The invention also provides a wristband set used for connecting to the sides of a wrist-wearable device. The wristband set includes a first wristband including a plurality of first eyelets, a second wristband including a plurality of second eyelets, and a loop keeper slidably disposed on the second wristband for securing the first wristband to the second wristband. The loop keeper has a first inner surface and a second inner surface facing with each other. The look keeper includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The first protrusion extends from the first inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of first eyelets with the first wristband passing through the loop keeper. The second protrusion extends from the second inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of second eyelets.
The invention further provides a loop keeper for a first wristband and a second wristband. The first wristband is connected to a first side of a wrist-wearable device and having a plurality of first eyelets. The second wristband is connected to a second side of the wrist-wearable device and having a plurality of second eyelets. The loop keeper is slidably disposed on the second wristband and includes a body, a first protrusion, and a second protrusion. The body has a first inner surface and a second inner surface facing with each other. The first protrusion extends from the first inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of first eyelets with the first wristband passing through the loop keeper. The second protrusion extends from the second inner surface for engaging with one of the plurality of second eyelets.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
Please refer to
The buckle tang system 50 is disposed at an end, other than the second end 31, of the second wristband 30 where the first wristband 20 may be inserted through and combined. The loop keeper 40 is slidably disposed on the second wristband 30 where the first wristband 20 may be passing through after the wristband 20 is inserted through the buckle tang system 50.
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Since the loop keeper 40 is disposed on the second wristband 30, the loop keeper 40 may be adjusted to slide to a preferred location on the second wristband 30. Once located at the preferred location on the second wristband 30, the second protrusion 44 may be inserted into the second eyelet 32 right aligned with the second protrusion 44. In other words, the second protrusion 44 is used to engage with one of the second eyelets 32. The second protrusion 44 has substantially the same cross-sectional width and length as the second eyelets 32, while in this embodiment the second protrusion 44 also includes a body section 45 and an end section 46. The body section 45 extends from the second inner surface 42 and has length L1 and width W1. The end section 46 extends from the body section 45 and has slightly larger length L2 and width W2 than the body section 45. More specifically, the length L1 and width W1 of the body section 45 of the second protrusion 44 are substantially the same as the second eyelets 32. In this way, the second protrusion 44 may securely lock the loop keeper 40 on the second wristband 30 when the second protrusion 44 engages with one of the second eyelets 22 since the end section 46 of the second protrusion 44 has slightly larger dimension than the body section 45 and the second eyelets 32. It also generates a click sense when the second protrusion 44 engages with one of the second eyelets 32. This gives a feedback to the user indicating that the second protrusion 44 of the loop keeper 40 is firmly locked with the second wristband 30.
On the other hand, to also secure the first wristband 20 from flapping around, the first wristband 20 may pass through the loop keeper 40 and be secured by the loop keeper 40. The first protrusion 43 of the loop keeper 40 is used to insert into the first eyelet 22 right aligned with the first protrusion 43. In other words, the first protrusion 43 is used to engage with one of the first eyelets 22. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 43 has substantially the same cross-sectional width and length as the first eyelets 22 and is smaller in its cross-sectional width and length L3 than the second protrusion 44. In this way, as the first protrusion 43 engages with one of the first eyelets 22, the loop keeper 40 may be used to properly keep the second wristband 30 at place. In other words, the first protrusion 43 keeps the first wristband 20 in position, avoiding the first wristband 20 from flapping around, and the second protrusion 44 securely locks the loop keeper 40 on the second wristband 30, easing the user experience to wear on the wrist-wearable device 1 and avoiding users each time to readjust the loop keeper 40.
Such configuration of the first protrusion 43 and the second protrusion 44 is only an exemplary one of the embodiments of the invention. In other embodiments, it may also be the first protrusion, which is just like the second protrusion 44 in
The invention provides some embodiments that disclose a wrist-wearable device using a loop keeper to securely keep the wristband at place. The loop keeper uses the first protrusion extending from the first inner surface for engaging with one of the first eyelets of the first wristband and avoiding the first wristband from falling out of the loop keeper to flap around. The loop keeper also uses the second protrusion extending from the second inner surface for engaging with one of the second eyelets of the second wristband, which the loop keeper is slidably disposed on, so as to provide ease experience for the user from readjust the keeper every time.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130219960 A1 | Aug 2013 | US |