JP2002530656A - Watch case - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A watch case including a case (10) having a glass surface (18) and a central portion (16), a frame (36), and a time setting axis (12). With the case (10) and the frame (36), a slide (52, 54) system for laterally moving the frame (36), a hook claw positioning system (48, 50) for determining a stop position, and the lateral direction Forms fasteners (12, 46) that restrict the movement of The case (10) and the frame (36) cover the cut-out (34) provided at the center corner (32) when the hooks (48, 50) are engaged. Along with its movement, exposing one or the other of the corners to reach a fastener that limits its movement.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a watch case. More particularly, it relates to a watch case in which the band attached to it can be changed quickly and easily.

[0002] In the wristwatch manufacturing industry, there are a number of design suggestions that allow a wristwatch user to easily change its appearance simply by replacing the wristband.

[0003] Swiss Patent No. 664 072 shows an example of such an embodiment. In this wristwatch, the band assembly is formed by two straps and a substrate attached to one end of each of the two straps. This board has a tongue-shaped slide body that fits into a groove provided in the back cover of the watch case. The position of the case on the substrate is fixed by the insert having the retainer. In this way, the watch wearer can select a band from the provided set. However,
This method has several disadvantages.

Above all, the thickness of the wristwatch significantly increases because of the substrate and the groove-slide assembly. In the wristwatch industry, this thickness is an important aesthetic factor.

[0005] Furthermore, since the band must be pre-attached to the substrate, the wearer must store the band substrate, which necessarily reduces the range of choices. Or, as soon as they are interested in a new band on the market, the wearer must do the assembly work himself or have him do it.

[0006] Finally, with this method, there is also a risk that the detachable wristwatch case may accidentally come off the substrate.

[0007] The main object of the present invention is to provide a watch case designed so that the attached band can be replaced almost instantaneously without the need for preliminary operation, As a result, the thickness of the watch case is not excessively increased, and the risk of the band coming off is greatly reduced.

More precisely, the invention relates to: a rear cover, a central part fixed to said rear cover and having two side walls and two transverse walls, a glass surface fixed to said central part, and a band A case formed by means for attaching two ends to the transverse wall, and a wristwatch case comprising: a time setting axis passing through an opening arranged in one of the two side walls.

[0009] In such a wristwatch case, the mounting means may include a pair of corners each having an upwardly open groove for receiving an end of a bar of the band, outside each of the transverse walls at the center. And a frame provided so as to slide in the central portion, which removes or inserts a central position covering two pairs of corners, and a rod of the band. To be able to occupy two lateral positions, referred to as band exchange positions, which do not cover either of the two pairs of corners.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the central portion is rectangular, and the frame has two side walls adjacent to respective side walls of the central portion, and each of the two side walls has a slide protrusion. . On the other hand, the central side wall has a groove, and is fitted to each of the slide projections.

Advantageously, the side wall of the frame, which is arranged on the side where the time setting axis is located, has a notch, and the time setting axis functioning as a fastener and the notch. Cooperates with the two ends to define two band exchange positions when the frame slides.

[0012] Furthermore, it is advantageous if each side wall of the central part and the frame has a hook claw positioning means for determining the central position. In a preferred embodiment, these positioning means have, on the one hand, a hole provided in one of the central part or the side wall of the frame, and a ball arranged inside the hole and pushed out by a spring, On the other hand, it has a recess arranged in the central part or in the adjacent wall of the frame to accommodate this ball.

[0013] Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which there is one perspective view in which the watch case of the present invention is shown.

The watch case shown in the figure has a rectangular case 10 and a time setting axis 12 in which only the crown is visible, as in the prior art.

The case 10 has a rear cover 14, a central portion 16 fixed to the rear cover, and a glass surface 18 fixed to the central portion, the central portion having two side walls 20 and 22, and two It has transverse walls 24 and 26, the wall 20 having an opening through which the shaft 12 passes.

A pair of corners extend from each transverse wall 24 and 26 for attaching a band 28 with a bar 30 (only one strap is shown) to the case 10. Each corner is provided with a groove 34, both of which open upwards and toward the other corner to accommodate one end of the bar 30.

The frame 36 is slidably mounted on the central portion 16. The frame 36 has an opening 40 provided so that the glass surface 18 can be seen, and two side walls 42 and 44, which are adjacent to the central side walls 20 and 22, respectively. And are parallel.

The frame 36 has a length corresponding to the total length of the central portion 36 and the corner portion 32.
Note that it is made to size.

The sliding frame 36 has a central position on the central portion 16 that completely covers the two pairs of corners 32,
It can occupy two lateral positions, called band swap positions, that do not cover either of the two pairs of corners.

The wall 42 has a cutout 46 at the center thereof through which the shaft 12 passes. Frame 36
As one slides in one direction or the other, the two ends of the cutout each contact the crown of the shaft to define two band exchange positions.

Regarding the center position of the frame 36, this is determined by the hook positioning means.
The hook pawl positioning means is, on the one hand, fitted in a recess 48 provided on the inner surface of the wall 42 of the frame 36 and, on the other hand, in a blind hole of the central part 16 and is provided on the outside by a spring, And a ball 50 that is extruded. The ends of the blind holes are bent to prevent the ball from falling off. Of course, in a modified embodiment, the concave portion 48 can be provided in the central portion 16 and the ball 50 can be provided in the frame 36.

The recess 48 and the ball 50 have a positional relationship such that the ball enters the recess when the sliding frame 36 is at the center position.

It goes without saying that it is advantageous to provide several pairs of recesses 48-balls 50 in each side wall in order to better fix the position of the frame 36.

For the frame 36 to slide in the central portion 16, each side wall 20, 22 of the central portion 16 has an outer longitudinal groove 52, which extends to two corners 32 and each side wall of the frame The slide projections 54 arranged inside the 42 and 44 are fitted.

As can be seen immediately, in order to replace the band with the frame 36 originally in the center position, the frame 36 must be arrowed until one end of the notch 46 hits the crown of the shaft 12 and stops.
You can slide it in one direction along 56. At this time, a pair of the corners 32 is not covered by the frame. When the strap of the band 28 is simply moved upward, the bar 30
Get out of 34 and remove the strap. Next, the strap of another band is put in place by inserting the rod of the strap into the groove, and then the frame is moved to the other side, and the same operation is repeated for the second strap.

After replacing the band, it is only necessary to return the ball 50 to the concave portion 48 and return the frame 36 to the center position, whereby the frame is fixed to the center portion.

With this special arrangement, a band can be quickly and easily exchanged for another band. The only condition is that the band to be replaced has the same width as the band to which it is attached. The increase in thickness of the watch is slight and the risk of the band coming off is greatly reduced. In fact, even if the frame accidentally moves, the exposed bar will remain at the bottom of the groove because the band fixed to the wrist is under tension.

In the above description, the groove 52 and the slide projection 54 are provided on the center and the side walls of the frame. However, even if these grooves and projections are arranged on the upper surface where the center and the frame are in contact, there is no problem. Then, the watch case can have any shape, for example, a dome-shaped side surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wristwatch case of the present invention.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A back cover (14) fixed to said back cover and having a central portion (16) having two side walls (20, 22) and two transverse walls (24, 26), A case (10) formed by a fixed glass surface (18), and means for attaching the two ends of the band to the transverse wall, and-a time setting through an opening arranged in one of the side walls A wristwatch case including an axle (12), wherein the mounting means comprises, on the outside of each transverse wall of the central part, an upwardly-opening groove (34) for accommodating the end of the rod (30) of the band, respectively. Having a pair of corners (32), and-a frame (36) provided to slide in the center (16), which comprises two pairs of corners (32). So that you can remove and insert the band's stick (30) Corners of pairs (32) does not cover any of it, characterized in that so that it can occupy two lateral positions referred to as the band exchange position. 2. The central portion (16) is rectangular and the frame (36) has two side walls (42, 44) proximate to each central side wall (20, 22). Each of the side walls has a slide protrusion (54), and each of the central side walls has one of the slide protrusions.
The wristwatch case according to claim 1, wherein the wristwatch case has a groove (52) to be fitted with one. 3. A side wall (42) of the frame arranged on the side where the time setting axis (12) is located has a notch (46), and two ends of the notch. The wristwatch case according to claim 2, wherein the part cooperates with a time setting axis functioning as a fastener to determine two band exchange positions when the frame slides. 4. A center part and a side wall of a frame each have a hook claw positioning means (48, 50) for determining a center position.
Watch case described in. 5. The positioning means comprises, on the one hand, a hole provided in the central part or on one of the side walls (20) of the frame, and a ball (50) which is arranged inside this hole and pushed out by a spring. 5. A wristwatch case according to claim 4, characterized in that it has a recess (48) arranged on the central part or on the adjacent wall (42) of the frame for accommodating the ball. .