Patent Grant
7030823
The whole content of priority document EP Patent Application No. 03016051.9 filed on Jul. 15, 2003 by the Assignee is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention generally concerns a wristband for a portable electronic instrument including at least a first wristband strand including outer and inner faces and one end of which is intended to be fixed to a case of the portable electronic instrument, this first wristband strand including, housed between said outer and inner faces, an electric conductor including a conductive plate of elongated shape arranged longitudinally in the first wristband strand. The present invention also concerns a method for manufacturing a wristband of this type.
Wristbands incorporating electric conductors are already known. EP Patent Applications No. 0 125 930 and No. 0 126 629 disclose for example a wristband answering the general definition given hereinbefore, the electric conductor incorporated in the wristband being used to assure an electric connection with a component placed in the wristband (for example a battery) or to form a loop antenna around the wrist. In this latter case, in particular, each strand of the wristband is provided with an electric conductor one end of which is connected to the case of the electronic instrument and the other end of which is connected to corresponding end of the other strand via a wristband fastening device, the latter being itself electrically conductive.
Other examples are known. WO Patent Application No. 86/03645 for example, proposes a solution wherein the wristband fastening device can be of the type including a buckle with a tongue or of the type with male and female parts that plug into each other. U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,694 and No. 5,526,006 propose a solution wherein the position of the wristband fastening device can be adjusted on one of the wristband strands, this wristband strand including several zones distributed longitudinally on the inner face of the wristband where the electric conductor is exposed and to which the wristband fastening device is electrically connected. These documents also propose a solution for manufacturing the wristband, which consists in providing one or several extensions on the conductive plate for holding the plate in a mould during an operation of overmoulding a synthetic material around the conductive plate, the extension or extensions being provided to be broken after overmoulding.
In the aforementioned solutions, in order to assure electric contact with the conductive plate while allowing the length of the wristband to be adjusted, it will be noted that parts of the conductor are exposed to allow contact elements arranged on the wristband fastening device to be directly applied against the conductive plate. This type of solution has a drawback insofar as the exposed parts of the conductive plate can quickly be oxidised and thus cause a deterioration in the quality of the electric contact. Such oxidisation is accelerated, in particular, by the presence of sweat when the wristband is worn on the wrist. From an aesthetic point of view, this type of solution is also undesirable.
Another drawback of these solutions lies in the relatively large thickness of the wristband around the fastening device, the two wristband strands being superposed there. Finally, this type of solution limits the possibilities for manufacturing the wristband fastening device.
It is a general object of the present invention thus to propose a solution assuring adequate electric contact with the electric conductor that is incorporated in the wristband. It is a particular object to assure adequate electric contact with a wristband fastening device, that is itself a conductor, particularly for connecting two electric conductors incorporated in each of the wristband strands in order to form a loop conductor around the user's wrist, able to operate like a loop antenna.
The present invention thus concerns a wristband for a portable electronic instrument of the aforementioned type whose features are listed in claim 1.
The present invention also concerns a method for manufacturing such a wristband.
Advantageous embodiments of the present invention form the subject of the dependent claims.
It is thus proposed to arrange at least one lug cut out of the conductive plate bent along a longitudinal line in the direction of one of the outer and inner faces of the wristband strand, this wristband strand further including at least one orifice arranged transversely between the outer and inner faces of the wristband strand and arranged for electrically accessing said at least one lug.
Preferably, several lugs and orifices are thus arranged longitudinally in the wristband strand to form a plurality of electric contact zones with the conductive plate. Consequently, the wristband strand and its incorporated electric conductor can advantageously be cut out along several transverse cutting lines arranged in each portion located between two adjacent electric contact zones.
Each orifice for electrically accessing a lug is preferably a through orifice arranged for receiving an electrically conductive pin that comes into contact with the lug, the lug itself being provided with an orifice for the passage of the electrically conductive pin. The latter is advantageously made in two parts that sandwich the lug, preferably in the form of a screw and a counter-screw.
The lug or lugs thus made in the conductive plate can advantageously play two roles. The first, as mentioned hereinbefore, is accessing the conductive plate to form an electric connection with the plate. The second is holding the conductive plate in a mould during an operation of overmoulding a synthetic material around the conductive plate.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly upon reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, given solely by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the annexed drawings, in which:
a, 1b and 1c respectively show a side view, a plan view on the outer face side and a perspective view of a conductive plate forming the electric conductor intended to be incorporated in a wristband strand according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
a, 2b, 2c and 2d respectively show a plan view on the inner face side, a lateral cross-section, a plan view on the outer face side and a perspective view of a wristband strand incorporating the conductive plate illustrated in
a, 3b, 3c are respectively a cross-section, a side view and a plan view on the outer face side illustrating the way in which an electric contact between the conductive plate and a wristband fastening device can be achieved according to a preferred embodiment.
In the following description, a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the conductor incorporated in the wristband is intended to operate like an antenna element will be described. More specifically, within the scope of this non-limiting example, the wristband includes two identical wristband strands, each including a same conductor, these two strands being attached to each other by a wristband fastening device, which also ensures an electric connection between the two conductors of the wristband strands so as to form a loop conductor around the wrist that operates like a loop antenna. This type of antenna configuration in a wristband is well known and its operating principle will not therefore be explained here. Fuller information on this point can be found in the documents cited in the preamble.
It should, however, be noted that the invention is not limited to an antenna application. The conductor incorporated in the wristband can thus a play another role, such as electrically connecting a component placed on the wristband or capable of being connected to the wristband to another electric or electronic component inside the case of the portable electronic instrument.
a, 1b and 1c respectively show a side view, a plan view on the outer face side (by definition the “outer face” is defined as the face oriented towards the outside of the wrist when the wristband is being worn, as opposed to the “inner face” which designates the face of the wristband that is in contact with the wrist when the wristband is being worn) and a perspective view of a conductive plate, designated by the reference numeral 10, forming an electric conductor intended to be incorporated in a wristband strand according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. This conductive plate 10 is self-supporting, i.e. it is formed of a plate of an electrically conductive material (for example steel, copper, etc.), which is cut out and bent to the appropriate shape. This conductive plate 10 has an essentially rectangular shape the longitudinal axis of which corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the wristband strand in which said conductive plate 10 is to be incorporated.
In the preferred embodiment, a first end 10A of conductive plate 10 is bent and intended to allow the connection of plate 10 to the corresponding components housed in the case of the portable electronic instrument. This case is not illustrated in the Figures. One only needs to know that the case preferably has a similar configuration to that of a watchcase, end 10a of conductive plate 10 thus being located around the attachment of the wristband strand to the case.
The way in which conductive plate 10 is electrically connected in the electronic instrument is not decisive for the purposes of the present invention. According to the configuration illustrated here by way of non-limiting example, bent end 10A of conductive plate 10 is provided with two orifices for assuring the electric connection of conductive plate 10 via screws to corresponding contact paths or lugs of the case of the portable electronic instrument. On the side of end 10A of plate 10, it will also be noted that there are two orifices designated by the reference numeral 12, the use of which we will return to hereinafter.
In the illustrated example, the other end designated 10B of conductive plate 10 is intended, as already mentioned, to be electrically connected to another identical conductive plate housed in another wristband strand. It is this second end 10B and its configuration that concern us more specifically within the scope of the present invention.
In
As will be seen hereinafter, the plurality of lugs 20 allows several possibilities for roughly adjusting the length of the wristband, the unused end part of the wristband being able to be cut. In order to implement the invention, it will be noted that conductive plate 10 may include only one lug, in which case the length of the conductor in the wristband is determined once and for all. One could thus envisage that only one of the wristband strands incorporates a plurality of lugs, as illustrated in the Figures and that the other wristband strand has only one.
It will be understood that each lug 20 is intended to allow electric connection to conductive plate 10. Each of these lugs 20 thus defines an electric contact zone with conductive plate 10. In
Each lug 20 preferably includes a through orifice 21, which is intended to allow electric connection of conductive plate 10 via an electrically conductive pin arranged transversely in the wristband strand between the inner and outer faces of the wristband. These orifices 21 also advantageously allow conductive plate 10 to be held in place via its lugs 20 during an operation of overmoulding a synthetic material around conductive plate 10. Indeed, during the synthetic material overmoulding operation, conductive plate 10 is held in the mould via one or several of lugs 20 and by the two support points formed by orifices 12. These support points are recommended for ensuring that conductive plate 10 is correctly positioned in the mould during the overmoulding operation.
a to 2d show the general appearance of the wristband strand (designated by the reference numeral 50) according to the preferred embodiment after the overmoulding operation around conductive plate 10. This conductive plate 10 is added to
The electric access points to conductive plate 10, on the side of the other end 50B of wristband strand 50, are arranged laterally on the wristband strand. As illustrated in
On the inner face of wristband strand 50, as illustrated in
The set of grooves designated by the reference numeral 56 made on the inner face of wristband strand 50, as illustrated in
Reference will now briefly be made to
As illustrated in
By way of alternative to using a conductive pin 80 formed of two parts, one could envisage directly screwing screw 81 into lug 20 and not using a counter-screw 82, in which case the through orifice 51 could be not a through orifice. Making pin 80 in two parts for sandwiching lug 20 seems preferable however to assure proper electric contact with conductive plate 10 and clasp element 60.
It was already mentioned hereinbefore that wristband strand 50 could be cut to adjust the length roughly. This cutting operation is carried out, if necessary, when the electronic instrument is first tried on around the wrist. The appropriate length of the wristband is determined and the superfluous wristband length is cut along the appropriate marker 55 on the wristband. Clasp element 60 is then mounted by means of pin 80 at the appropriate position on the wristband.
Preferably, as already mentioned, the wristband includes two identical strands whose conductors are connected to each other by the wristband fastening device to form a loop conductor for operating like a loop antenna. Within the scope of such a use, it is preferable to ensure that the wristband fastening device is located at an equal distance from the case of the portable electronic instrument. This in fact minimises the effects of any contact of the fastening device with the user's skin on the operation and tuning of the antenna. This is also preferable from the point of view of comfort during wear. When the length of the wristband strands is roughly adjusted, care should thus be taken that the two wristband strands have substantially identical lengths after cutting.
Within the scope of use as an antenna, it will be noted that the fact of cutting a part of conductive plate 10 will affect the tuning of the antenna. Account must therefore be taken of this fact to tune the antenna at the desired frequency, which can be carried out directly by an appropriate tuning circuit in the radio-frequency receiver, which is connected to the antenna.
It will be understood that various modifications and improvements that are evident to those skilled in the art can be made to the embodiment described in the present description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the annexed claims. In particular, the electric connection of the conductive plate to the components housed in the case of the electronic instrument could also be achieved via a bent lug as described, the electrically conductive pin assuring electric contact with the conductive plate then being able to be configured like a wristband bar similar to those conventionally used. Moreover, as already mentioned, the invention is not limited to a wristband including a conductive plate acting as an antenna element, but includes any solution requiring a conductor to be incorporated in a wristband.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03016051 | Jul 2003 | EP | regional |
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 125 930 | Nov 1984 | EP |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050013086 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |
