US2761190A - Bracelet connectors - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 4, 1956 S. RITTER BRACELET CONNECTORS Filed Oct. 8, 1952 INVENTOR SA RITT ER WWW ATTORNEY United States Patent BRACELET CONNECTORS Saul Ritter, New York, N. Y. Application October 8, 1952, Serial No. 313,648 2 Claims. (Cl. 24234) The present invention relates to end connectors for bracelets and relates more particularly to a terminal catch for expansion wrist watch bands.

Wrist watch bracelets have been made in a great variety of designs and constructions. -Bands of this type are usually provided with means for attachment to an eyelet or lug integral with a watch. When used for the larger type or mens watches the watch is provided with spaced lugs and the connection to the bracelet ends is made by What is generally known as a spring bar connection. The smaller ladies type Watch, however, is usually provided with oppositely disposed lugs or eyelets. The ends of the bracelets for this type of watch are in most cases provided with bendable hook members for disposition in the eyelets. These hook members are then bent to a closed position thereby securing the bracelet ends to the eyelets on the watch.

Annoyance and dimculty have been experienced not only because performing the bending operation to attach the ends of the band to the watch lugs is hard, but because, if the bend is not complete, the band may be accidentally disconnected.

The constant pull upon the hook members during continued use causes the hook to bend and in many cases the band and watch become disconnected, with possible loss or injury to the watch.

It is also essential to provide a connector that may be easily attached or detached and so constructed and arranged that the connecting means is not only effective in securing the watch to the bracelet but may be so formed as to be in harmony with the overall bracelet design.

It is an object of the present invention therefore, to provide a simple and ornamental end connector which may be easily actuated to secure a bracelet to a watch lug.

Another object of the invention is to provide a connector having movable members for engaging a watch lug and tension means for holding the members in closed relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector for a bracelet so constructed and arranged that the connector may be of a design in harmony with the design of the bracelet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector having jaws movable in opposite directions to receive a watch lug and tension means for holding the jaws in closed relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end connector having jaws movable in opposite directions to receive a watch lug so constructed and arranged that a movement of one jaw in one direction will cause a movement of another jaw in an opposite direction and tension means for normally holding ,the jaws in adjacent closed relation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description together with the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged front view of bracelet having 22 and riveted at ends 14' "ice end connectors shown attached to Watch;

Fig. 2 is a front view of an end catch with a cover plate partly broken away and with the jaws of the catch in closed relation;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line IIIIII in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a back view of the end catch or connector with the jaws closed and showing several links of a bracelet;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but taken from the opposite side with the cover plate removed and showing pivot pinsin transverse cross section;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the jaws open and showing the pivot pins in cross section, and

Fig. 7 is an edge view of the end connector with the jaws as shown in Fig. 6 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow 7.

A bracelet 10 of any selected design may, in accordance with the present invention, be provided with what are termed end catches or connectors indicated as a whole by the reference character 11. These end catches which embody a practical example of the present invention are of similar construction and a description. of one will answer for both.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the connector includes a pair of jaw members 12 and 13 movable about a common pivot pin 14. The pivot pin 14 is connected (see Figs. 2 and 3) to a pivot pin 15, by a cross piece 16. The pins 14 and 15 are held in fixed relation by cross piece 16 which constitute a staple member serving to lock the several parts of the device in fixed relation, as will be more fully described.

The pin 15, which may be termed a retainer bar, is disposed within a helical coil portion 17 of a spring member 18 formed of steel wire as for example piano wire and the ends of coil 17 are extended to provide arms or tension members 19 and 19.. As shown the coil 17 is of a larger inside diameter than bar 15, thus the coil 15 eyelets or lugs of a is free to permit relative movement of the tension member 18. The pivot pins of the staple member extend through apertures in spaced apart retainer plates 21 and and 15. The apertures through which the pivot pin 14 and bar 15 extend are so dimensioned as to have a forced fit in the retainer plates and the plates are retained in spaced relation to provide a compartment for tension member 18 and portions of jaws 12 and 13 which rock loosely on retainer bar 14.

The jaw 12 includes a bent segment 24 movable about pivot pin 14. The jaw 13 includes a bent arm 23 extending from segment 25 movable about pivot pin 14. When arms 23 and 23 are in closed relation end portions 20 and 20 thereof overlap to engage the lug 37 of a watch. The segments 24 and 25 are disposed in close spaced relation; and segment 24 is provided with a lip 27 and segment 26 is provided with a lip 28. The said lips are bent in opposite directions or toward opposite segments, and across the path of travel of edges 31 and 32 of segments 24 and 25 respectively. Thus a lip on one segment may serve as a stop for the opposite segment to limit the degree of movement of arms 23 and 23' when in closed relation. As will be evident each jaw member, including arm 23 or 23' and segment 24 or 25, constitute a bell-crank member with the pivot at 14. Arm 23 or 23 serves as the long arm of the crank and the short arm extends from pivot 14 to extension or lip 27 or 28 of a segment.

As stated above, tension member 18 is positioned arm 23 extending from r with helical portion 17 disposed about retainer-bar 15 and with arms 19 and 19 arm 19' is bent to enter an aperture 34 in lip 28 and end 35 of arm 19 is bent to enter an.

aperture 36 in lip 27. The extreme ends of the bent ends of arms 19 and 19' extend into slots 37 and 38 in the retainer plates 21 and 22 respectively. Thus when the jaws are in closed relation the ends of spring arms 19 and 19 contact the ends of the slots and cooperate with the lips 27 and 28 holding the jaws in a selected adjacent relation.

' It will be evident that the tension member 18 holds the jaws normally closed and when the connector is to be attached to a watch lug the jaws are manually separated. It is desirable to obtain a relatively wide separation of the jaws with the least amount of effort. In the present device the arrangement of the operating parts make it possible to simply move one jaw, the movement of which causes the other jaw to move and increase the opening between the jaws. This result is attained through the action of the tension member 18 since helix 17 is free to move about and relative to retainer bar 15, hence as one jaw is moved, the force applied to one of the spring arms is translated to the other arm, which exerts a force to cause the other jaw to move in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the firstmoved jaws.

It has been pointed out that a connector of the present type should meet the ornamental requirement, namely, carry out the design of the bracelet of which it is a part. The present device is also constructed so as to serve as an expansion link in conjunction with a bracelet of the expansion type.

The bracelet shown, by way of example, in the drawing includes a series of the well known expansion link units 40. This type of link unit includes link members hingedly connected and normally held contracted by helical springs positioned in tubular pivots at the ends of the link members. For the purpose of not only carrying out the ornamental efiect of the bracelet the retainer plate 21 is provided with an extension 41 for pivotally connecting an end 42 of a bracelet link 40. The extension 41 is provided with an aperture 43 (see Fig. 5) to receive a tubular pivot member 44 of a link unit 40 having the usual helical spring 45 with an end 46 which is inserted into and is retained by a lug 47 provided on extension 41. Thus the connector 11 functions not only to connect the bracelet to a watch but as an operating part of an expansion type bracelet.

The structural parts of the present device are so arranged and constructedthat their appearance may be made to conform with any selected design of bracelet link. As shown in the drawing a cover plate 48 of suitable design having an extension 49 is secured to the retainer plates by bendable ears 50 which also serve to hold a cover plate 51 of suitable design at the opposite side of the retainer plates. The connector may therefore be given an outward appearance to meet the design or motif of the bracelet to be connected to a watch.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described it will be understood that modifi cations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A terminal connector for a bracelet comprising a pair of movable jaw members, each of said members consisting of a long arm and a short arm, a pivot pin for said jaw members, a helical spring, said spring having extended end portions to provide tension members, the ends of said tension members being engaged with said short arms to normally rock said jaw members about said pivot pin to move said long arms into adjacent relation, and means within said helical spring and in fixed relation to said pivot pin for limiting the degree of lateral bodily movement of said helical spring when said jaw members are moved in opposition to force exerted by said tension members.

2. A terminal connector for a bracelet, comprising a pair of movable jaw members, each of said members 7 consisting of a long arm and a short arm, a pivot pin intermediate the ends of said arms, a coiled spring having ends thereof extended to provide tension members, the ends of said tension members engaging said short arms to normally move said long arms into close relation,

' and a retainer pin in fixed relation to said pivot pin and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,578 Brennan Mar. 20, 1877 348,811 Abrahams Sept. 7, 1886 931,588 Forstner Aug. 17, 1909 2,624,092 Duerr Jan. 6, 1953 Kuehn et al May 5, 1953

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