HK40007780B - Device for attaching a bracelet - Google Patents

Description

Attachment device for attaching a chain

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of timepieces or jewellery. More specifically, it relates to a method for attaching a strap or a bracelet to an object, in particular a watch case.

Background Art

Typically, a leather or metal strap or chain is attached to the lugs of a watch case using a rod formed by a tube inside which are mounted two pistons that move in translation and an elastic element, positioned between them and used to drive them outward from the tube. The rod is mounted in a housing provided for this purpose at one end of the chain, and the pistons engage in opposing blind holes in the lugs of the watch case.

To remove a strap or bracelet attached to a case in this way, a tool must be used, designed to push the piston back into the tube against the force exerted by the elastic element, thereby removing it from the hole. A watch wearer wouldn't always carry such a tool, and it would likely be inconvenient to use. This is why bracelets equipped with this type of attachment are usually permanently fixed to the watch case.

There are also attachment devices that allow the bracelet to be removed from the watch case without the use of tools. These devices typically include a rod of the type described above, to which is mounted an actuator that passes through the tube and actuates the pistons. The actuator is, for example, a radial finger integral with one of the pistons, as described in Swiss Patent CH327838. The finger is mounted so that it can slide through an axial slot formed in the tube, and its movement along the slot pushes one of the pistons within the tube.

Swiss Patent No. 614589 discloses a watch case having a device for attaching a strap to the case, wherein the central lug has a cylindrical channel provided with a slit longitudinally along the entire length of the lug to allow the insertion of a rod for attaching the strap. The rod is in the form of a cylinder having a flat portion along its entire length, thereby allowing the rod to pass through when inserted into the channel and holding the rod in place when it occupies a certain angular position.

Attachment devices of this type are often used with interchangeable bracelets or straps, allowing the user to change them as needed. However, they are not without disadvantages. In particular, they require significant structural modifications to the rod, such as creating an opening in the tube or deforming the piston. These changes incur significant additional manufacturing costs. These attachment devices also include protruding elements, or actuators, that can obstruct or injure the wearer of the watch.

Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks by proposing an attachment device for attaching a bracelet or strap to a watch case, which is lever-free and easy to operate. The attachment device comprises, on the one hand, at least one lug integral with the watch case and, on the other hand, an insert integral with the end of the bracelet strand, wherein the lug and the insert are complementary so as to cooperate with each other by interlocking, thereby forming a removable assembly mechanism that makes the bracelet interchangeable.

According to the invention, the insert comprises at least one stud acted upon by an elastic return mechanism, said at least one stud being arranged to cooperate with at least one housing in the lug, the lug comprising a control member projecting radially relative to the lug in order to move the stud from an extended position in which it retains the chain strap on the lug, to a retracted position in which the chain strap is released from the lug.

According to other advantageous variants of the invention:

- a control element is slidably mounted at one of the ends of said lug, said control element being moved into a housing of said lug,

- the insert comprises an elastic return mechanism and a chamber in which the studs are arranged one after the other,

- the insert comprises a pin integral therewith, said pin projecting into said cavity and arranged to cooperate with a groove in said column,

- said lug comprises a centering mechanism for centering the insert on said lug, said centering mechanism being arranged to cooperate with a hole formed in the insert,

- said at least one pillar has an inclined surface,

- said attachment means comprise at least one ring integral with the lug, said ring receiving said at least one control element,

- the chain belt is a belt made of textile material, leather, synthetic material, or plastic material,

The chain belt is in the form of a plurality of chain links made of metal, ceramic or composite material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of an attachment device for attaching a belt or a chain according to the invention, which example is given by way of non-limiting illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 shows a top view of a watch case provided with an attachment device according to the invention.

- Figure 2 shows a section along the median plane of the watch case and its bracelet before assembly.

- Figure 3 shows a section taken along the median plane of the watch case when its chain is in place.

- Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a centering mechanism for centering the attachment device according to the invention when the chain is locked.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

1 to 4 show detailed views of a watch and of an attachment device for attaching a bracelet to a watch case 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The attachment device comprises, on the one hand, at least one lug 10 integral with the watch case 1 and, on the other hand, an insert 6 integral with the end of the bracelet 2, the lug 10 and the insert 6 being complementary so as to cooperate with each other by interlocking, thereby forming a removable assembly mechanism enabling the bracelet to be replaced.

According to the invention, the insert 6 comprises at least one stud 9 subjected to elastic return means, said at least one stud 9 being arranged to cooperate with at least one housing in a lug 10, said lug comprising a control element 5 projecting radially relative to the lug 10 in order to move the stud from an extended position, in which it retains the chain strap on the lug, to a retracted position in which the chain strap is released from the lug.

As shown in Figure 1, watch case 1 includes a center lug 10, which includes at least one housing 100 arranged to receive all or part of a chain strap insert. Center lug 10 is integral with case 1 and includes a ring 3 at each end for receiving a control element, such as a push-button 5, arranged to move axially within ring 3. The travel and rotation of push-button 5 are controlled by a pin 4 pressed into ring 3, which is integral with the center lug. This arrangement allows easy and quick access to push-button 5 when changing the chain.

As can be seen in Figure 1, push-buttons 5 are slidably mounted in rings 3 and are arranged so as to move into their housings when pressed by the user. Each ring 3 is mounted at one end of a lug, which preferably has a cylindrical shape, and lugs 10 have a corresponding hollow cylindrical shape in case 1 for partially housing each ring 3.

Advantageously, the watch case includes centering means for centering and/or guiding the insert on the watch case. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, these centering means take the form of a pair of ball catches 11, each of which is arranged to cooperate with a first pair of holes 12 formed on the edge of the insert 6. The respective dimensions and depths of the holes 12 and the ball catches 11 are configured so that when the ball catches 11 engage in the holes 12 of the insert 6, the insert no longer has any degree of freedom.

Ball catch 11 is oriented downwards at an angle of 45° so as to position the bracelet correctly once it has been assembled on watch case 1 .

According to the present invention, the center lug 10 has at least one generally rectangular opening 101 leading to a receptacle 100 for receiving the insert 6. The height and length of the opening correspond to the height and length of the insert. As shown, the insert 6 includes two extensions 60 arranged to fit within the two receptacles in the center lug. Those skilled in the art could also envision providing only one receptacle for receiving the insert.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the insert 6 comprises at least one circular chamber in which an elastic return member 7, for example in the form of a helical spring, and a post 9 having a cylindrical cross section are successively arranged.

The insert 6 also comprises a pin 8 pressed therein; the pin 8 projects into the cavity and is arranged to cooperate with a groove 90 formed on the post so as to limit its travel and lock its rotation inside the cavity.

Advantageously, stud 9 has, on its projecting portion, a bevel 91 to facilitate the insertion of insert 6 into housing 100 of lug 10 .

To secure the insert of bracelet 2 to case 1, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the wearer pushes insert 6 into lug 10, placing projection 60 opposite opening 101 while allowing the insert to be guided/centered by ball detent 11. Bevel 91 of stud 9 allows said stud to enter housing 100 by contact with a ring, with spring 7 being compressed.

When insert 6 reaches the bottom of housing 100 , stud 9 returns to its rest position, which has the effect of relaxing spring 7 and exerting a force that moves push-button 5 out of ring 3 . At this point, bracelet 2 can no longer be removed from the lug, since stud 9 is retained in housing 100 and ball 11 rests in hole 12 of insert 6 .

To remove chain strip 2 from lug 1 , the wearer must simultaneously press push-buttons 5 , each of which then acts on stud 9 and compresses spring 7 , and then pull chain strip 2 to remove the insert from housing 100 of lug 10 .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the insert is arranged on the chain or belt made of leather, synthetic fabric, plastic, metal, ceramic or composite material.Equally, the rod is preferably made of metal, but can also be made of plastic, ceramic or composite material.

A person skilled in the art can also implement the same attachment means for a bracelet with links, in which case the connecting links connected to watch case 1 receive inserts 6 and the links can also be made of metal, ceramic or composite material.

Because of these various aspects of the invention, a secure chain attachment device is provided that allows for quick and easy chain changes while eliminating the rod that normally holds the chain strap to the watch case.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples shown and is capable of various variations and modifications that will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, they will have no difficulty in determining the position of, for example, the stud 9 and the push-button 5. Thus, in such an embodiment, the chain receives the push-button 5 in its lateral edge, close to the insert 6, and the push-button 5 is slidably mounted in a ring 3 integral with the insert. Each ring 3 is mounted at one end of the insert, which is preferably cylindrical in this case. The lugs comprise a circular chamber at each of their lateral ends, each of which successively receives an elastic return mechanism 7 and a protruding stud 9 for cooperating with the push-button 5. The user then simply presses the button and pushes or pulls the chain to assemble or disassemble it, respectively.

Claims (10)

1. An attachment device for attaching a chain or strap to a watch case (1), the attachment device comprising, on one hand, at least one lug (10) integral with the watch case (1), and on the other hand, an insert (6) integral with the end of a chain strap (2), the lug (10) receiving all or part of the insert (6), the lug (10) and the insert (6) being complementary so as to cooperate with each other by interlocking, thereby forming a removable assembly mechanism that allows the chain strap (2) to be replaceable. The insert (6) is characterized by comprising at least one post (9) acted upon by an elastic return mechanism (7), the at least one post (9) being arranged to cooperate with at least one receiving portion (100) in a lug (10), the lug including a slidable control (5) extending radially relative to the lug (10) to move the post (9) from an extended position to a retracted position, in the extended position holding the chain belt (2) on the lug (10), and in the retracted position releasing the chain belt (2) from the lug (10), the lug (10) including at least one ring (3) integral with the lug (10), wherein the ring (3) receives the at least one control (5), the travel and rotation of the control (5) being defined by a pin (4) pressed into the ring (3). 2. The attachment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control member (5) is slidably mounted at one end of the lug (10), and the control member moves into the receiving portion (100) of the lug (10). 3. The attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the insert (6) comprises at least one chamber, and the elastic recovery mechanism (7) and the post (9) are successively arranged in the chamber. 4. The attachment device according to claim 3, wherein the insert (6) includes an integral pin (8) extending into the chamber and arranged to cooperate with a groove (90) of the post (9). 5. The attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the lug (10) includes a centering mechanism for centering the insert on the lug, the centering mechanism being arranged to cooperate with at least one hole (12) formed in the insert. 6. The attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one post (9) has an inclined surface (91). 7. The attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the chain belt (2) is a belt made of fabric, leather or plastic material. 8. The attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the chain belt (2) is in the form of multiple chain links made of metal or ceramic. 9. An attachment device for attaching a chain or strap to a watch case (1), the attachment device comprising, on one hand, at least one lug (10) integral with the watch case (1), and on the other hand, an insert (6) integral with the end of a chain strap (2), the lug (10) receiving all or part of the insert (6), the lug (10) and the insert (6) being complementary so as to cooperate with each other by interlocking, thereby forming a removable assembly mechanism that allows the chain strap (2) to be replaceable. The lug (10) is characterized in that it includes at least one post (9) acted upon by an elastic return mechanism (7), the at least one post (9) being arranged to cooperate with at least one receiving portion (100) in the insert (6), the insert including a slidable control member (5) extending radially relative to the insert (6) to move the post (9) from an extended position to a retracted position, in the extended position holding the chain belt (2) on the lug (10), and in the retracted position releasing the chain belt (2) from the lug (10), the insert (6) including at least one ring (3) integral with the insert (6), wherein the ring (3) receives the at least one control member (5), the travel and rotation of the control member (5) being defined by a pin (4) pressed into the ring (3). 10. A watch comprising an attachment device according to claim 1 for attaching a chain or strap to a watch case (1).