GB2087471A

GB2087471A - Watch Band Buckle

Info

Publication number: GB2087471A
Application number: GB8129230A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc
Current assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc
Priority date: 1981-09-28
Filing date: 1981-09-28
Publication date: 1982-05-26
Also published as: GB2087471B

Abstract

A buckle for a watch band comprising first and second buckle members (4,5) which are adapted to be releasably secured together, the first buckle member (4) having a recess (46) and stepped wall means (47) having a first portion (47a) which bounds a part or parts of the recess (46) and a second portion (47b) which overlies a part or parts of the recess (46), the second buckle member (5) having a tongue (52) and a cover (53) which overlies the tongue (52), the construction being such that the tongue (52) is adapted first to be introduced into said recess (46) and then moved to a position in which it engages the said first portion (47a) and at least partly underlies the said second portion (47b) so as to leave part of the recess (46) unoccupied by the tongue (52), the cover (53) being then movable into and out of a closed position above a corresponding surface (44) of the first buckle member (4), in which closed position the cover (53) prevents withdrawal of the tongue (52) from the second portion (47b) whereby releasably to secure the first and second buckle members (4,5) together. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Buckle for a Watch Band The present invention relates to a buckle for a watch band, and, although it is not so restricted, it relates more particularly to what is called a freely adjustable buckle to enable parts of the watch band which are fixed (e.g. by brazing) to opposite sides of a watch case to be separated from and connected to each other at the buckle.

Generally, a mesh band is employed for this type of watch band. Each of the separate parts of the mesh band is made integral with a watch case by brazing, at least one of band part ends is cut off according to the size of the user's wrist, and the inter-engageable parts of a buckle are removably mounted on the respective ends of the watch band parts. However, since the buckle has a plurality of link pins, and is provided with pins to fix it to the band parts, it is several times as thick as the band. This is particulariy disadvantageous if it is desired to produce a thin watch.

According to the present invention, there is therefore provided a buckle for a watch band comprising first and second buckle members which are adapted to be releasably secured together, the first buckle member having a recess and stepped wall means having a first portion which bounds a part or parts of the recess and a second portion which overlies a part or parts of the recess, the second buckle member having a tongue and a cover which overlies the tongue, the construction being such that the tongue is adapted first to be introduced into said recess and then moved to a position in which it engages the said first portion and at least partly underlies the said second portion so as to leave part of the recess unoccupied by the tongue, the cover being then movable into and out of a closed position above a corresponding surface of the first buckle member, in which closed position the cover prevents withdrawal of the tongue from the second portion, whereby releasably to secure the first and second buckle members together.

Preferably the cover has a portion which is resiliently engageable with a part of the first buckle member to releasably hold the cover in said closed position.

The said cover portion is preferably a protruding portion of the cover which is disposed in the said unoccupied part of the recess when the cover is in the closed position.

Preferably, the first buckle member has a through hole to receive a watch band part so as to enable the first buckle member to slide along the said watch band part to a desired position, the first buckle member having means for releasably securing the first buckle member to the said watch band part in said desired position.

Preferably, both the said recess and the tongue have similarly shaped relativelywide and relatively narrow portions.

The cover is preferably pivoted to the second buckle member. Thus the cover may be pivoted to the second buckle member by means of a spring rod.

The width of the cover is preferably greater than the width of the said corresponding surface of the first buckle member so that, when the cover has been moved into the said closed position, it has a portion which projects outwardly of the said corresponding surface, the projecting portion facilitating release of the first and second buckle members from each other.

The invention also comprises a watch band having first and second parts which are respectively secured to or integral with the said first and second buckle members. The maximum thickness of the buckle is preferably not more than twice the maximum thickness of the said band parts.

The invention also comprises a wrist watch having secured thereto parts of a watch band as described above.

When the buckle is in use, one band part may be secured to the second buckle member so as to be of fixed effective length, while the other band part may be releasably provided with the first buckle member so as to be of adjustable effective length, whereby the length of the band can be adjusted without cutting off an end thereof, while at the same time permitting the thickness of the buckle to be reduced, e.g. to less than twice the thickness of the band.

The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a buckle for a wrist watch band according to the present invention, the buckle being shown open, Figure 2 is a plan view of a wrist watch case and band provided with a buckle as shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a buckle for a wrist watch band according to the present invention, the buckle being shown open, Figure 4 is a side view of a buckle similar to that of Figure 3, the buckle being shown closed, and Figure 5 is a cross section of the buckle of Figure 4.

Terms such as "upper" and "lower", as used in the description belbw, are to be understood to refer to directions as seen in the accompaning drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a watch case body 1 (Figure 1) is fixed to watch band parts 2, 3, the band part 2 being in effect of adjustable length and the band part 3 being of fixed effective length. A first buckle member 4, for adjusting the effective length of the band part 2 according to the size of the user's wrist, is slidably mounted on the band part 2. The buckle member 4 comprises side walls 41 and 42, a lower wall 43 and an upper wall 44. The band part 2 passes through a through hole 45 between the lower wall 43 and the upper wall 44 as shown in Figure 1, and the first buckle member 4 is slidable along and in contact with the band part 2. Although this is not shown, the first buckle member 4 is fixed to the band part 2 by a plurality of screws which are screwed to the bottom wall 43.

The first buckle member 4 is provided with a recess 46 which comprises a wide opening 46a and a narrow opening 46b, the recess 46 extending to the top of the upper wall 44.

Although the recess 46 is shown in the drawings as being T-shaped, it is to be understood that other shapes are possible. The upper wall 44 comprises two inverted L-shaped stepped walls 47. Each stepped wall 47 has a first portion 47a which bounds a part of the recess 46 and a second portion 47b which overlies a part of the recess 46.

A second buckle member or link member 5, which is provided to link to the first buckle member 4, is fixed to the end of the band part 3 remote from the watch case body 1. The second buckle member 5 comprises a fixed member 51 which is fixed to the band part 3, a tongue 52 fixed to the fixed member 51, and an upper cover 53 which overlies the tongue 52 and which is rotatably mounted on and fixed to the fixed member 51. The fixed member 51 is a U-shaped member and is fixed to one end of the band part 3 by brazing, soldering or the like. The tongue 52 is of a shape which substantially fits in the recess 46 and which, like the latter, has relatively wide and relatively narrow portions.The tongue 52 is adapted to be inserted into the recess 46 from above and to slide in the horizontal direction, the tongue 52 having a thickness such as to enable it to partially engage with the inverted L-shaped stepped walls 47. The bottom portion of the tongue 52 is integrally fixed to the U-shaped fixed member 51.

The upper cover 53, which covers the tongue 52, is formed of a plate which can be moved to lie on top of the upper surface of the upper wall 44 of the first buckle member 4 and to be disposed in a parallel plane. The bottom portion of the upper cover 53 is rotatably mounted by way of an axial pin 54, spring rod or the like, the pin 54 being mounted in the U-shaped portion of the fixed member 51. The under surface of the upper cover 53 is provided with a protruding member 53a.

The protruding member 53a is adapted to be pressed into and resiliently engaged with one side of the recess 46 of the first buckle member 4, the protruding member 53a being adapted to be disposed in the clearance formed when the tongue 52 has been introduced into the recess 46 and has been slid to underlie the wall portions 47b.

The buckle described above is used as follows.

The first buckle member 4 is slidably positioned and fixed to the band part 2 according to the user's wrist size. The tongue 52 of the second buckle member 5 is then introduced into the recess 46 of the first buckle member 4 and is slid in the horizontal direction to engage with the inverted L-shaped stepped walls 47 so as to restrict the vertical movement of the tongue 52.

In this position, the tongue 52 engages the wall ports 47a and partly underlies the wall portions 47b so as to leave part of the recess 46 unoccupied by the tongue 52. The upper cover 53 is then closed so that the protruding portion 53a resiliently engages an end surface 46c of the recess 46, whereby the cover 53 is releasably retained in the closed position. Moreover, at this time the protruding member 53a of the upper cover 53 is inserted into the said unoccupied part of the recess 46, i.e. into the clearance formed in the wide opening 46a when the tongue 52 is slid horizontally, and thereby the vertical movement of the tongue 52 is restricted and the band parts 2 and 3 are completely joined together. The width of the upper cover 53 may be greater than that of the first buckle member 4 so as to provide the cover 52 with a portion which may be gripped to open the cover 53.

The first buckle member 4 and the second buckle member 5 may be made not only of metals but also of synthetic resins such as plastics or the like.

While the first buckle member 4 is shown as being slidably mounted on the band part 2, it is to be noted that it may if desired be integrally fixed to the outer end of the band part 2 by brazing, adhering or the like after the desired length of the band part 2 has been determined. In this case, the first buckle member 4 does not need to be provded with the through hole 45 and when the tongue 52 is connected in the recess 46, and band parts 2, 3 do not overlap each other.

Consequently, the buckle may have substantially the same thickness as the watch band.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, since the tongue 52 connects in and slides horizontally in the recess 46, the buckle will not come open when the user wears the watch, and joint axes and pins are not needed. Even if the upper cover 53 is accidentally opened, the watch will not come off the wrist of the user.

Furthermore, an exceedingly thin buckle whose maximum thickness is not more than twice the maximum thickness of the band parts 2, 3 may be provided. Additionally the length of the watch band can be freely adjusted without cutting off an end portion thereof.

In Figure 3 there is shown a buckle according to the present invention which is generally similar to that of Figure 1 and which for this reason will not be described in detail, like reference numerals indicating like parts.

In the Figure 3 construction, however, the band part 2 is cut off at its end 2a according to the size of the user's wrist and, in contrast to the Figure 1 construction, does not extend right through the first buckle member 4. The first buckle member 4, moreover, has a step 48 which is disposed adjacent to the end 2a and which stands proud of the upper wall 44. The first buckle member 4 is fixed to the band part 2 by a screw 43a (Figure 4) and by a pin (not shown). The upper cover 53 may be moved from an open position shown in Figure 3 to a closed position shown in Figure 4 in which the upper cover 53 is disposed on top of and parallel to the upper surface 44a of the upper wall 44 and in which an edge 53b is disposed closely adjacent to (or preferably in actual resilient contact with) a side surface 48a of the step 48.

As clearly shown in Figure 5, the width of the cover 53 is greater than the width of the upper surface 44a so that, when the cover 53 has been moved into the said closed position, it has portions 53c which project outwardly of the upper surface 44a by a distance I, the projecting portions 53c being grippable by the user of the watch to enable the upper cover 53 to be lifted and the buckle members 4, 5 to be separated.

The construction shown in Figure 4 represents a slight modification of that of Figure 3, inasmuch as the tongue 52 is connected to the fixed member 51 by an angled portion 55 which, in use, resiliently urges the tongue 52 into contact with the bottom of the recess 46. Moreover, the protruding member 53a has a bent end portion 53a' which is resiliently engageable with the wall portion 47b.

Claims

1. A buckle for a watch band comprising first and second buckle members which are adapted to be releasably secured together, the first buckle member having a recess and stepped wall means having a first portion which bounds a part or parts of the recess and a second portion which overlies a part or parts of the recess, the second buckle member having a tongue and a cover which overlies the tongue, the construction being such that the tongue is adapted first to be introduced into said recess and then moved to a position in which it engages the said first portion and at least partly underlies the said second portion so as to leave part of the recess unoccupied by the tongue, the cover being then movable into and out of a closed position above a corresponding surface of the first buckle member, in which closed position the cover prevents withdrawal of te tongue from the second portion, whereby releasably to secure the first and second buckle members together.

2. A buckle as claimed in claim 1 in which the cover has a portion which is resiliently engageable with a part of the first buckle member to releasably hold the cover in the said closed position.

3. A buckle as claimed in claim 2 in which the said cover portion is a protruding portion of the cover which is disposed in the said unoccupied part of the recess when the cover is in the closed position.

4. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim in which the first buckle member has a through hole to receive a watch band part so as to enable the first buckle member to slide along the said watch band part to a desired position, the first buckle member having means for releasably securing the first buckle member to the said watch band part in said desired position.

5. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim in which both the said recess and the tongue have similarly shaped relatively wide and relatively narrow portions.

6. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim in which the cover is pivoted to the second buckle member

7. A buckle as claimed in claim 6 in which the cover is pivoted to the second buckle member by means of a spring rod.

8. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim in which the width of the cover is greater than the width of the said corresponding surface of the first buckle member so that, when the cover has been moved into the said closed position, it has a portion which projects outwardly of the said corresponding surface, the projecting portion facilitating release of the first and second buckle members from each other.

9. A watch band having first and second parts which are respectively secured to or integral with the first and second buckle members of a buckle as claimed in any preceding claim.

10. A watch band as claimed in claim 9 in which the maximum thickness of the buckle is not more than twice the maximum thickness of the said band parts.

11. A wrist watch having secured thereto parts of a watch band as claimed in claim 9 or 10.

12. A buckle for a watch band substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.