US2432661A - Wrist watch strap - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16,1947. s, FRlEDMAN 2,432,661

WRIST WATCH STRAP Filed Sept. 24, 1945 fnvenoz" Samuel Fw e (1772607,

Patented Dec. 16, 1947 WRIST WATCH STRAP Samuel Friedman, 4Cedarhurst, N. Y., assigner to Brite Specialty Company, New York, N. Y., a firm composed of Samuel Friedman and Meyer Friedman Application September 24, 1943, ,Serial No. 503,605

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved wrist watch strap.

Wrist watch straps are made up to comprise two sections, namely, a tongue section and a buckle holding section. The tongue section is provided at one end with a watch attaching portion; and the buckle holding section is provided at one end with a similar watch attaching por tion and at the other end with a buckle attaching portion. Each watch attaching portion is made by forming a loop in the trap material at the affected watch strap end, which is referred to as the watch attaching loop.

Wrist watch casings are constructed with socalled end bars or bails to which the watch strap loops attach. With certain types of watches, particularly those of large size, the bars, provided with spring controlled pins are removable; and consequently little trouble is experienced in tting these into the watch strap loops and snapping the bars, with the strap sections attached, onto the watch casing. For such cases the watch strap loops may be made by simply looping or folding under the bottom strap portion and stitching the same at the sides to the upper strap portion, leaving the loop unstitched and open. With other types of watches, however, such as watches of small size, the bars are not removable but are xed to the watch casing. For such cases, the loop cannot be permanently stitched but an open tongue must be provided which can be threaded through the space between the bar and the casing proper. Here considerable difficulty arises in permanently securing the open tongue in position after its attachment to the watch bar.

The prior art has attempted, but only with indifferent success, to solve this problem by associating the open tongues with metal elements such as bar holders and locking prongs. These increase manufacturing costs and troubles and are not too acceptable in use. It has also been attempted to thread long tongues through a number of slots in the strap, but these offer insecure and ungainly answers to the problem.

The prime object of my present invention centers about the provision of a watch strap which offers a fully effective solution to this problem because it possesses all the characteristics desired for the purpose; these are:

1. The watch strap is devoid of metallic attachments; it is made wholly of the material from which the strap is fashioned, such as leather or a plastic;

2. The open tongue may be readily attached t0 55 the watch by the user or watch dealer; the Y tongue is easily threadable as by means of any convenient or available metal draw element (for example, a clip) through the watch and strap parts;

3. The tongue locks in position, and securely, as soon as it is attached; and

4. The construction is attractive and simple.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing. and such other objects as m-ay hereinafter appear, my invention relates to the wrist watch strap and the sections thereof assought to be defined in the appended claims and as described in the accompanying specification taken together with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the wrist watch strap of my present invention, showing the same attached to the wrist watch;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of one of the two sections of the wrist watch strap showing the same in openA or unattached condition;

Fig, 3 is a view of Fig. 2 taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the end of the strap of Fig. 3 showing the same attached to a wrist watch;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the rst step in attaching the wrist watch strap sections to the watch;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the same showing `the next step in obtaining the attachment; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view showing the final step of the attachment and depicting the strap in attached and 1ocked condition on the watch.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings and having reference rst to Fig. 1 thereof, the wrist watch strap consists as usual of two sections, namely, a tongue section S and a buckle holding section S. The tongue section S is provided at one end with a watch attaching portion or loop land the buckle holding section S is also provided at one end with a, similar watch attaching portion or loop l', and is provided at its other end with a buckle attaching portion l2 in which are held the buckle I4 and the two usual keepers I6. The tongue section S is provided with a row of perforations I8 for cooperation with the pin of the buckle I4. The watch attaching loops l and Z' are removably attachable to a watch casing W, which latter is provided at the ears 20,20 with the strap attaching bars or bails 22. In the watch here illustrated, the two bars or bails 22,22 are non-removably or xedly attached to the watch casing W. The watch strap sections S and S are constructed similarly 3 in producing or making the watch attaching loops l and l thereof; and, thererfore, an explanation of the construction, use and operation of the watch strap section S will suffice for a description of both watch strap sections.

In Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings, I show the construction and the manner of using the tongue strap section S. This strap section comprises the top and bottom overlying strap portions 2d and 26, the top strap portion 24 being longer at one end than and extending from the bottom strap portion 26, the said extending end 24 terminating in an anchor shaped piece 23 which is deiined by a constricted neck 3i) and a Winged head 32. The two strap portions 2li and 26 are stitched together and thus united along their edges by the line of stitching 34, which, as shown, continues into the extending end section 24. The strap section is provided at its underneath face with a plurality of openings through which the anchor shaped piece 28 is threadable for forming the watch attaching loop and for anchoring or locking this loop in attached condition. One opening is preferably the open end 36 of the vbottom strap portion 26, and the other opening comprises a transverse slot 38 formed in and near the end of the said bottom strap portion 26. The transverse slot 38 has a transverse dimension slightly greater than that of the constricted neck 30 but less than that of the winged head 32 of the anchor shaped tongue 28. The anchor shaped tongue is foldable after the manner shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings to form the watch attaching loop l and is threadable rst in and through they opening 36 and then out 'and through the transverse slot' to produce the resulting attached formation shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. While the transverse dimension of the constricted neck 3l)V isin the form of the invention depicted in the drawingsjsubstantially less than the distance 40 k(see Fig. 2) between the longitudinal lines of stitching, insome cases, particularly in very narrow straps especially intended for ladies use, the lateral or transverse dimension of the constricted neck 30 may be nearly equal to that ofthe distance li between the lines of stitches.

With narrow wrist watch straps r bands as illustrated'in th-e drawings, the problem, becoming even acuter with straps or bands of still narrower width aslast referred to, considerable difiiclty would be experienced in threading the anchor shaped piece 28 through the watch strap openings, particularly where the wings of the head 32 are sufficiently spread s0 as to obtain the desired anchoring or locking action. To facilitate the threading operation and the resulting attachment, the head 32 is provided with an aperture 42. The said aperture i2 is adapted to be engaged by a draw element such, for example, as an ordinary metal Vclip M or a hairpin or bobby pin, after the manner shown in Fig. of the drawings. The complete action is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 vand 7 of the drawings. The clip 44 is engaged -by the aperture 42 in the head 32 of the watch strap loop and by means of the clip llllthe anchor shaped tongue section 28 is then drawn through the space behind the bar or bail 2 2. VContinuing the operation, the clip lil is then threaded into and through the opening 33 and then through and out of the transverse slot 38 after the manner shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings'. Continued drawing of the clip through these openings, of course, rresults in the drawing of the enlarged hea-d, 32 through the openings and 4Vparticularly the transverse slot 38 in spite of the relatively narrow lateral dimension of this slot. The final position assumed by the tongue 28 is that shown in Fig. 'l of the drawings. In this position the tongue is locked by the engagement of the opposite wings of the head 32 with the walls of the transverse slot 38, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings.

The improved watch strap of my present invention and the manner of making and'using the same will in the main be fully apparent from the above-detailed description thereof. The watch strap is devoid of metallic attachments for securing the watch attaching loops in position. The watch strap is made wholly of the material from which thestrap is fashioned, such as leather or a plastic. The open tongue 28 may be readily attached to the watch by the user or watch dealer. The tongue is easily threadable as by means of any available metal draw element, such as a clip or a pin, through the watch and then through the watch strap parts. Despite the large transverse size of the head 32, the tongue is easily and eiectively drawn through the relatively narrow transverse locking slot 38 after the manner depicted in Figs. 5 to '7 of the drawings. As soon as the tongue is pulled through the transverse slot, the wings of the head 32 engaging the wall of the slot 38 securely lock the tongue in position. The construction is exceedingly simple. The tongue 28 is a short tongue and is localized effectively at the loopof the strap. The attachment of the loop tongue is wholly underneath the strap and, therefore, not visible to the outside, so that the design of the strap may be made as attractive as is desired.

While I have described my invention in the preferred form, various changes may be made in the described construction without departing from the spirit of the invention dened in the following claims.

I claim:

l. y.A wrist watch strap section comprising top and bottom overlying strap portions stitched tcgether, the top strap portion being longer at one en'd than and extending endwise from the bottom strap portion, the said extending end being fol'dable under to form a watch attaching loop Aterminating in an'anchcr shaped piece defined by a constri-cted neck and a winged head, 'the said bottom strap portion only being providedladjacent the extension end of the top strap portion with two spaced openings for threadedly receiving the said anchor shaped piece, the second of said openings comprising a transverse locking slot whose transverse dimensio-n is less than that of the winged head, the said anchor shaped piece being threadable through said openings and being lockable by engagement of the Iwings of its head with the wall'of'the transverse slot.

2. `A wrist watch strap section comprisingtop and bottom overlying strap portions stitched together, the top strap portion being longer at one end than and extending endwise from the bottom strap portion, the said extending end being foldable under to form a watch attaching loop terminating in an anchor shaped piece dened by a constricted neck and a winged head, the said bottom strap portion being open at its end and being provided with a transverse locking slot near its end whose transverse dimension is less than that of the winged head, the said'anchor shaped piece being threadable rst between the two strap portions at its Open end .and then through said transverse slot and being lockable 5 by engagement of the Wings of the head with the walls of the transverse slot.

3. A Wrist watch strap section comprising top and bottom overlying strap portions stitched together, the top strap portion being longer at one end than and extending end'wise from the bottom strap portion, the said extending end being foldable under to form a watch attaching loop terminating in an anchor shaped piece dened by a constricted neck and a Winged head, the said winged head being provided with an aperture, the said bottom strap being open at its end and being provided with a transverse locking slot near its end whose transverse dimension is greater than that of the constrioted neck but less than that of the winged head, the said anchor shaped piece being threadable rst between the two strap portions at its open end and then through said transverse slot by means of a draw element engaged with said aperture, the said anchor shaped piece being lockable by engagement of the wings of said head with the walls of the transverse slot.

SAMUEL FRIEDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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