Adjustable watch strap

Abstract

An adjustable watch strap having a micro-adjustment system for providing micro adjustments to the circumferential length of the watch strap, in addition to existing standard adjustments. The micro adjustment system is integrated into a buckle (e.g., deployment buckle) and is configured to provide a plurality of microadjustments between standard adjustments or beyond a last or first standard adjustment.

Claims

1. A micro adjustment system for an adjustable watch strap having first and second strap portions and standard adjustment increments, the micro adjustment system comprising; a buckle attached to the first strap portion, said buckle including a receiving slot on a first end and a spring; a micro-adjustment member attached to the second strap portion; wherein said micro-adjustment member is configured to be slidably received within or retracted from the receiving slot of the buckle; and said buckle further comprising releasable locking means fixedly securing a position of the micro-adjustment member within said receiving slot in one of a plurality of micro increments, said micro increments being smaller than the standard adjustment increments.

2. The micro adjustment system of claim 1, wherein said releasable locking means comprises; at least one raised projection on said spring dimensioned to fit within a plurality of apertures on the micro-adjustment member; wherein a secured position of the micro-adjustment member is released by depressing the spring to release the at least one raised projection from a first aperture and, after changing the position of the adjustment member within the receiving slot, the position of the micro-adjustment member is secured by releasing the spring, such that the at least one raised projection is biased upwards into a second aperture by the spring.

3. The micro adjustment system of claim 1, wherein said micro-adjustment member comprises a pair of laterally spaced arms on a first end and strap connecting means on a second end, said laterally spaced arms being dimensioned to be received within the receiving slot of the buckle.

4. The micro adjustment system of claim 3, wherein the laterally spaced arms comprise relatively planar top surfaces and a bottom surface having a plurality of spaced teeth extending downward forming apertures between the teeth.

5. The micro adjustment system of claim 2, wherein the spring comprises a raised button configured to release the secured position of the micro-adjustment member when depressed.

6. The micro adjustment system of claim 5, wherein the raised button is positioned proximal the first end of the buckle.

7. The micro adjustment system of claim 3 wherein: the spring comprises a raised button configured to release a secured position of the micro-adjustment member when the button is depressed; and the micro-adjustment member comprises a bar secured to the distal portion of the laterally spaced arms which contacts the button of the spring when the micro-adjustment member is retracted a first length in order to limit the distance that the micro-adjustment member can be retracted.

8. The micro adjustment system of claim 1 wherein the micro-adjustment member has a first portion that is wider than a width of the slot so that the first portion restricts further receiving of the micro-adjustment member into the slot.

9. The micro adjustment system of claim 8 wherein the first portion of the micro-adjustment member comprises a bar immediately adjacent the arms of the micro-adjustment member.

10. The micro adjustment system of claim 2 wherein the micro-adjustment member further comprises at least three apertures to provide at least three different possible micro increment adjustments of the adjustable watch strap.

11. The micro adjustment system of claim 1 wherein the buckle further comprises first and second strip members which are pivotably connected to each other.

12. The micro adjustment system of claim 11 wherein the receiving slot is positioned on the first strip of the buckle.

13. A micro adjustment system for an adjustable watch strap having first and second strap portions together forming a circumferential length of the watch strap, the watch strap having standard adjustment increments, the micro adjustment system comprising; a buckle having first and second strip members which are pivotably connected to each other; a receiving slot positioned on a first end of the first strip of the buckle; a spring including a raised button on said first strip of the buckle; and a micro-adjustment member attached to the second strap portion, said adjustment member having laterally spaced arms having relatively planar top surfaces and a bottom surface having a plurality of spaced teeth extending downward forming apertures between the teeth; said spring having at least one raised projection dimensioned to fit within said a plurality of apertures on said bottom surface of the laterally spaced arms of the adjustment member, said plurality of apertures being configured to provide a plurality of micro adjustment increments between the standard adjustment increments of the watch strap; wherein a position of the micro-adjustment member relative to the first strip of the buckle is secured by the spring biasing the at least one raised projection upwards into one of said plurality of apertures on the bottom surface of the laterally spaced arms of the adjustment member; wherein the micro-adjustment member is released from a secured position by depressing the raised button to remove the at least one raised projection from a first aperture.

14. The micro adjustment system of claim 13 wherein the micro adjustment member further comprises a bar secured to the distal portion of the laterally spaced arms configured to contact the button of the spring when the micro adjustment member is retracted a first length in order to limit the distance that the micro adjustment member can be retracted.

15. The micro adjustment system of claim 13 wherein the micro adjustment member body has a first portion that is wider than a width of the slot so that the first portion restricts further receiving of the adjustment member into the slot.

16. The micro adjustment system of claim 15 wherein the first portion of the adjustment member body comprises a bar on the adjustment member immediately adjacent the arms.

17. The micro adjustment system of claim 13 wherein the adjustment member further comprises at least three apertures providing at least three different possible micro adjustment increments of the adjustable watch strap.

18. A buckle providing micro adjustments for an adjustable watch strap having first and second strap portions and standard adjustment increments, comprising: a first end of the buckle having a receiving slot; a second end of the buckle attached to the first strap portion; a spring; a micro-adjustment member attached to the second strap portion, said micro-adjustment member configured to be slidably received within or retracted from the receiving slot; and releasable locking means fixedly securing the position of the micro-adjustment member within said receiving slot in one of a plurality of micro increments, said micro increments being smaller than the standard adjustment increments.

19. The buckle of claim 18, wherein said releasable locking means comprises: at least one raised projection on said spring dimensioned to fit within a plurality of apertures on the micro-adjustment member; wherein a secured position of the micro-adjustment member is released by depressing the spring to release the at least one raised projection from a first aperture and, after changing the position of the adjustment member within the receiving slot, the position of the micro-adjustment member is secured by releasing the spring, such that the at least one raised projection is biased upwards into a second aperture by the spring.

20. The buckle of claim 18, wherein: said micro-adjustment member comprises a pair of laterally spaced arms on a first end and strap connecting means on a second end, said laterally spaced arms being dimensioned to be received within the receiving slot; and the laterally spaced arms comprise relatively planar top surfaces and a bottom surface having a plurality of spaced teeth extending downward forming apertures between the teeth.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from a detailed description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the following figures. Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals represent the same or similar elements:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the buckle and sliding adjustment member of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the spring of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the watch strap wherein the sliding adjustment member is in a retracted position;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the watch strap taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the watch strap wherein the second strip of the buckle is positioned on top of the first strip of the buckle;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the sliding adjustment member of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the first strip of the buckle of the present invention;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the watch strap of the present invention;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the watch strap taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 8; and

(11) FIG. 10 shows a sectional view of the watch strap taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) In accordance with the present principles, an adjustable watch strap having the capability of providing micro adjustments to the circumferential length of the watch strap is provided which includes a buckle 2 having a buckle head 11 including a hook 36 which is attached to one of a plurality of holes on a first strap 32, a sliding adjustment member 10 attached to a second strap 34 and a watch case (not shown) which houses the watch element and is attached to the first and second straps. The watch strap is preferably fabricated out of a non-metal material. The buckle 2, first and second straps 32, 34 and the watch case housing the watch element form a watch assembly which encircles the wrist of the user. The sliding adjustment member 10 is configured to be slidably received within or retracted from a slot 6 on the buckle 2. The sliding adjustment member is configured to be secured in a plurality of predetermined positions that are configured to provide micro adjustments to the length that the watch assembly encircles the user's wrist without changing the hole that the strap is affixed to the hook 36 of the buckle.

(13) FIG. 1 shows the buckle 2 and sliding adjustment member 10 in accordance with the present principles. The buckle is a deployment buckle which includes a first strip 7 and a second strip 9 that are pivotably connected to each other at a hinge 26. The second strip 9 of the buckle shown in the FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8-10 includes a buckle head 11 at its terminal end. The buckle head 11 is configured for releasably receiving the first strap 32 such as by a hook 36 which is received into one of a plurality of holes on the strap. As shown in FIG. 5, the second strip 9 may be pivoted to be positioned on top of the first strip 7 and may have securement means to maintain the buckle in this position.

(14) The first strip 7 of the buckle has a first end 4 having a receiving slot 6 on a perpendicular wall at its terminal portion of the first end 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the top of the first end 4 is generally U-shaped and includes a narrow bar 13 at the terminal portion, side portions 25 and an opening 8 in the middle portion. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the opening 8 in the middle portion is defined by the bar 13 at the terminal portion of the first end, the side portions 25 and a wall 30 on a lower surface of the first strip 7 which opposes the bar 13.

(15) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the sliding adjustment member 10 includes a pair of laterally spaced arms 12 on a first end 14 and strap connecting means 16 on a second end 35. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the strap connecting means 16 comprises a spring bar 38 that is received by two lugs 15 on opposed sides of the second end 35 of the sliding adjustment member. However, the strap connecting means of the sliding adjustment member 10 can be any other connection means known in the art. The laterally spaced arms 12 have relatively planar top surfaces 17 and a bottom surface 19 which includes a plurality of spaced teeth 20 extending downwardly and forming apertures 18 between the teeth 20.

(16) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first strip 7 of the buckle includes a spring 22 having a proximal end 39 which features an integral raised member or button 24 which is positioned adjacent the bar 13 at the top of the terminal portion of the first end 4 of the first strip 7. The spring 22 is arranged in the middle portion of the first strip 7 and follows the contours of the first strip. As shown in FIG. 4, the distal end 21 of the spring terminates past the hinge 26 between the first and second strips 7, 9 and the middle longitudinal region of the spring is secured to the first strip by a screw 23 or other releasable or permanent fastening means known in the art. The distal end 21 of the spring is preferably free so that it does not restrict movement of the first and second strips 7, 9 of the buckle.

(17) As shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 10 the spring 22 includes raised side projections 28 on each side. While FIG. 2 shows two raised side projections 28, in other embodiments only a single side projection 28 may be used and still fall within the principles of the invention. The raised side projections 28 of the spring are dimensioned to fit within the apertures 18 of the sliding adjustment member in order to lock the position of the adjustment member 10 relative to the first strip 7 of the buckle.

(18) In operation, the user can easily adjust the position of the sliding adjustment member 10 relative to the buckle 2 by pressing the button 24 with a finger or by other means in order to lower the spring and move the raised side projections 28 out of an aperture 18 on the adjustment member arms. While the button 24 remains depressed, the arms 12 of the sliding adjustment member may be slid into the slot 6 in order to shorten the circumferential length of the watch assembly at the buckle or they may be retracted from the slot in order to increase the circumferential length of the watch at the buckle. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, when the button 24 is released, the raised side projections 28 of the spring are biased upwards by the spring 22 and are received into an aperture 18 on the arms of the sliding adjustment member 10 in order to secure the position of the adjustment member. In order to eliminate movement of the sliding adjustment member 10 when the raised side projections 28 of the spring are within the apertures 18 of the arms of the adjustment member, it is preferred that the width of the raised side projections 28 are approximately the same as the width of the aperture. However, in alternative embodiments, the width of the raised side projections may be narrower than the apertures so that there is a degree of play when the sliding adjustment member is in a locked position. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the top of the raised side projections 28 are angled downwardly toward the terminal portion of the first end. However, different configurations of the raised side projections may be used and still fall within the principles of the invention.

(19) The spacing and number of apertures on the sliding adjustment member may be dimensioned to provide specific small or micro increments of adjustment and provide specific changes to the circumferential length of the watch strap. The micro adjustment increments are smaller than standard adjustment lengths in order to provide an optimal fit for the user. In a preferred embodiment, the slidable adjustment member may be slid into at least three different positions in order to change the circumferential length of the watch strap.

(20) The adjustable buckle allows the user to easily adjust the watch at the buckle 2 in micro increments without adjusting the hole that the first strap 32 is affixed to the hook 36 of the buckle head 11 in order to provide an optimal fit for the user's wrist. The adjustable buckle provides the user with an optimal fit even when the width of the user's wrist is in between the sizes of two adjacent holes on the first strap portion 32. The micro-adjustments of the buckle allow quick and efficient adjustments to be made to the circumferential length of the watch strap in order to compensate for daily wrist size fluctuations due to environmental conditions, health conditions, etc. The micro-adjustments of the buckle also allow the circumferential length of the watch strap to be increased to a size greater than the largest standard adjustment size or decreased to a size that is less than the smallest standard adjustment size.

(21) For instance, in FIG. 4, the sliding adjustment member 10 is fully retracted from the slot 6 on the buckle. In FIGS. 5, 9 and 10 the sliding adjustment member 10 is fully received within the slot 6 on the buckle. The length of the sliding adjustment member arms 12 may also be dimensioned to provide a specific overall possible length of adjustment as may be desired.

(22) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a second bar 31 limits the distance that the sliding adjustment member 10 can be retracted as the button 24 will contact the second bar 31 and prevent further retraction. Similarly, the sliding adjustment member 10 has a portion of its body which has a length and/or width that is greater than the corresponding dimension of the slot 6. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, this portion of the adjustment body comprises a bar 42 on the sliding adjustment member immediately adjacent the arms which has a greater length and width than the slot. Therefore, the portion of the sliding adjustment member body having a greater length and/or width than the slot contacts the bar 13 at the terminal portion of the first end 4 of the first strip and serves to restrict further receiving of the second end of the sliding adjustment member 10 into the receiving slot 6.

(23) While a deployable or deployment buckle configuration is specifically shown in the figures which uses non-metal strap portions, other strap configurations may be utilized, such as metal bracelet straps having connected first and second straps, or other straps known in the art, and still fall within the principles of the present invention.

(24) The adjustable buckle may also be configured to be incorporated into a conventional tang buckle or other conventional buckles in order to provide the improved adjustment capabilities of the present invention.

(25) The connection means for attaching the buckle to the straps may be, for example, spring bars that are received by two lugs, or may be any other connection elements known in the art and are not limited to those specifically shown in the figures.

(26) While the application focuses on use of the buckle and sliding adjustment member with respect to watches, the principles disclosed herein may be used with respect to other adjustable encircling objects in numerous different fields.

(27) It should be understood, of course, that the specific form of the invention herein illustrated and described is intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure.

(28) Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present principles is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present principles. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present principles as set forth in the appended claims.