US2273218A - Bracelet construction - Google Patents

Description

Feb.) 17, 1942.

E. PRESTINARI 1a1-'u\.czELF'1v CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l Il, llllllfllfllllllllllll 'lill/ll'lll/111111111111111 I7/ /0 QINVENTOR EBu en Pi'esinarzl 9M www 2 EIS-4 ATTORNEYS Feb.,17, 1942.

Ew. PRESTINARI BRACELET CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 15, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TRV E.

ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 17, 1942 BRACELET CONSTRUCTION Eugen Prestinar, Summit, N. J., assigner to Gemex Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 15, 1939, Serial No. 256,478

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bracelet construction and more particularly a device for connecting the two free ends of a bracelet together with a method of assembling certain parts thereof.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a construction of the above character which will be neat and attractive in appearance. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be manufactured from inexpensive materials Without undue labor expense. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which will be sturdy and Well able to withstand hard usage. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which has a minimum number of individual parts thus greatly facilitating the assembly thereof. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character wherein the free end of the bracelet may be easily connected or disconnected but at the same time cannot be inadvertently disconnected. Another object is to provide a method of assembling certain parts of the above construction which will be economical and be productive of a sturdy con' struction. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts andin the several steps and relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others, all as will be illustratively described herein, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in Which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the two sections of a watch bracelet having my connecting device attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bracelet shown in Figure 1 as connected;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the bracelet shown in Figure 1 with the parts disconnected;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of the connecting device with the parts connected;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 4 with the parts disconnected;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line I--1 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of one section of the connector with certain parts thereof removed and before assembly;

Figure 9 is a top plan view similar to Figure 8 showing another stage of assembly;

Figure 10 is similar to Figures 8 and 9 with additional parts added during assembly; and

Figure 11 is a top plan view of this section of the construction as completely assembled.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, it might here be pointed out that Watch bracelets having two individual sections of the flat continuous type are often preferred by many people over the open bracelets of the chain type. Thus, many of these flat type continuous bracelets are of a flexible metal construction and are so proportioned that portions of each of the sections overlap each other. This type of bracelet must therefore be provided with a fastening device which may be operated to secure the two `parts together in a reliable manner and yet permit easy disconnection. The connectors which are now available for this purpose are characterized by complexity of structure but more important they are dif cult to operate. Those connectors which are reliable and will not become inadvertently displaced are hard to connect and disconnect. Furthermore, those connectors which may be easily connected and disconnected are not reliable, this being bothersome and sometimes resulting in the loss of the bracelet and Watch. One of the objects of this invention is to provide a construction in which these several diiculties are successfully and practically overcome.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l a bracelet comprising a pair of sections generally indicated at Il] and II provided with suitable hasps I2 and I3 or the like for attachment in the usual manner to a Watch case. Although sections Il] and Il may be made from any suitable material, they are preferably metallic and quite flexible. Thus, sections I0 and II include some flexible metallic base such as Wire mesh (not shown) with flat metal stock I4 Wound thereabout thus giving the bracelet a desired smoothness with ample flexibility.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, portions of sections IU and II overlap each other and section Il) has secured to its end an eye portion I5 through which section II is threaded. Thus, sections I0 and II are maintained in overlapping relationship and the end of section Il is con- -released with the finger nail or the like.

nected at any desired point to section I8 in a manner to be presently described. A latch part generally indicated at I6 is connected to the end of section II and is constructed to lock with a clamp member generally indicated at I1 and slidably mounted on section I with suitable provision for clamping it in any position therealong. Thus, the total length of the bracelet may be varied considerably by merely adjusting the p0- sition of clamp member I1.

Clamp member I1 includes a channel shaped housing part generally indicated at |8 having, as viewed in Figures 4, and 6, a bottom I9 resting on one side of section I0 and side walls and 2| adjacent the edges of section I0. As best seen in Figures 4 and 6, side walls 20 and 2| extend a substantial distance above section I0 and terminate in inwardly extending horizontally disposed flanges 22 and 23 (Figures 1 and 6). Disposed within housing I8 is a pressure member generally indicated at 24 having a fiat bottom portion 25 resting upon the fiat side of section I0 opposite bottom I9 of housing I 8. Thus, section I0 is embraced on its opposite sides by the flat parts I9 and 25 and might be described as threaded therebetween. Flat portion 25 of member 24 is preferably quite large in area (see Figures 4 and 6) so that when pressure is exerted thereagainst it is distributed over a comparatively large portion of section I0.

Extending upwardly from fiat portion 25 of member 24 is a pair of ears 26 and 21 having slots 28 and 29 formed therein, as best seen in Figures 4 and 6. A pin 30 bridges side walls 20 and 2| and extends through slots 28 and 29. Thus, pin 30 holds pressure member 24 loosely in position within housing I8. Pressure member 24 also includes a vertically dis-posed hook portion 3| adjacent the righthand end thereof as Viewed in Figure 4. Hook portion 3| preferably takes the shape of an upwardly extending flange substantially bridging the space between side walls 20 and 2|. As best seen in Figures 4 and 5, hook portion 3| is spaced slightly in front of ears 26 and 21 to leave room for a catch element to slide therebetween in a manner to be pointed out more fully hereinafter.

Pivotally mounted upon pin 30 is a lever member generally indicated at 32 having an arm portion 33, a collar portion 34 fitting about the pin, and a leg portion 35. Leg portion 35 and arm portion 33 are generally right angular with res-pect to each other so that the leg portion is in a substantially vertical position when the arm portion is in a substantially horizontal position as shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, the length of leg portion 35 is so proportioned with respect to the thickness of pressure member 24 and section I0 that when the parts are in the closed position, shown in Figure 4 and described above, leg portion 35 presses the pressure member into clamping relationship with section Il). Arm portion 33 is of sufficient length to be easily moved into the horizontal position to hold the clamp member in any desired location and yet be easily When the arm portion 33 is moved substantially to the vertical position, as shown in Figure 5, leg portion 35 is in substantially the horizontal position so that no pressure is exerted against pressure member 24 and thus the clamp member may be moved to any desired position along section I0.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, latch part I6 includes a flat top foundation piece 36 having side walls 31 and 38. As best shown in Figures 4 and 8, foundation piece 36 terminates at one end in a flat portion 36a substantially the width of lbracelet section II. The end of section I| is soldered or otherwise rigidly secured to portion 36a of the foundation piece in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter. As best shown in Figures 5 and 7, one end of foundation piece 36 has formed thereon a vertical ange portion 42 extending substantially throughout the width thereof (Figure 8). Furthermore, side walls 31 and 38 terminate short of the front of foundation piece 36 (Figure 8) leaving slots 43 and 44 between side walls 31 and 38 respectively and flange portion 42.

Side walls 31 and 38 have formed therein suitable slotsthrough which extend latch elements generally indicated at and 4B as best shown in Figure 8. Thus, these latch elements include beveled parts 41 and 48 extending through the side walls and arm portions 49 and 50 adjacent the inner sides of the side Walls. A spring 5| disposed within foundation piece 36 is secured to arm portions 49 and 58 in any suitable manner and proportioned to exert outward pressure against the latch elements. Preferably a pair of linger pieces generally indicated at 52 and 53 extend through side walls 31 and 38 and are connected to arm portions 48 and 50. Finger pieces 52 and 53 are preferably of substantial length so that they may be easily grasped and pressed inwardly. Such inward pressure of the linger pieces moves latch elements 45 and 46 within side walls 31 and 38.

Desirably, finger pieces 52 and 53 take a peculiar shape particularly adapted for the convenience of the wearer. Thus, in lateral dimensions they have enlarged lateral portions 52a and 53a from which they curve inwardly terminating in narrow portions 52h and 53h. Due to the fact that in normal position these finger pieces are apt to be close to the hair on the wearers wrist, some inconvenience might be caused by inadvertently grasping the hair with the fingers when attempting to eiect release.

- However, I have found that by providing linger pieces which generally have half the shape of a tear drop when viewed laterally, the hair slips between the fingers and the finger pieces thus eliminating this annoyance.

After clamp member I1 has been secured in the desired position along section I0, latch part I6 may be attached thereto simply by fitting ange portion 42 over hook portion 3| in interlitting relationship and by the same movement latch elements 45 and 46 are moved inwardly by anges 22 and 23 due to the beveled portions 41 and 48. When the parts reach the assembled position shown in Figure 4, latch elements 45 and 46 snap outwardly underneath flanges 22 and 23 (Figure 7) thus preventing any vertical displacement of clamp member I1 and latch part I6. Lateral displacement is prevented by the side walls of clamp member I1 as well as the intertting flange portion 42 and hook portion 3|.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that when the clamp member I1 and latch part I6 are connected, nger pieces 52 and 53 lie adjacent one end of side walls 20 and 2| of the clamp member. Thus, the finger pieces are fully exposed and readily accessible for release when this is desired. Furthermore, liange portion 42 and hook portion 3| may be made sufficiently sturdy to withstand a considerable displacing force in longitudinal directions and the latch portion is amply held in position against vertical displacement by latch elements 45 and 46. Accordingly, the device may be easily operated for connection or disconnection but when in the connected position it is reliable and secure against inadvertent displacement.

As noted above, the end Ila of section Il is soldered to portion 36a of top foundation piece 36. It is important to have a rigid connection between these parts so that latch elements I6 may be easily forced into the locking position shown in Figure 2. I have provided a unique method for further reinforcing this rigid connection and also to enclose the spring I and associated parts shown in Figure 8. Thus, as shown in Figure 9, end lla of the section Il is first soldered into the above-described position. Next a bottom plate generally indicated at 4l (Figure fits over spring 5I and Vconnected parts between side walls 31 and 38. A portion da of the bottom plate adjacent and above end Ila of section H extends laterally, as best shown in Figure 10, terminating at its opposite sides adjacent a pair of ears 39 and 4D which are preferably an integral part of the foundation piece 36. Furthermore, bottom lplate 4| is bent inwardly to form a vertical wall portion generally indicated at 54 (Figure 5) to hold spring 5| in a straight line position. After bottom plate 4| has been placed in the above-described position, ears 39 and 40 are bent inwardly upon portion 41a thereof to complete the assembly as shown in Figure 11. In this manner, spring 5l and associated parts are enclosed within foundation piece 36 and a very rigid and reliable connection is provided between the foundation piece and section Il.

It will thus be shown that I have provided a thoroughly practical and eificient construction and method in which the several objects hereinabove referred to are efficiently accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in

combination, a bracelet catch comprising two individual sections, one of said sections including a channel member shaped so that a section of a flat bracelet may slide therein, said channelshaped member having ya bottom portion and a pair of side walls, a floating member mounted on said first-mentioned member and adapted to engage the side of said bracelet opposite that engaged by the bottom portion of said channel member, means pivotally connected to said side wall and including a part adapted to engage and force said floating member into clamping relationship with said bracelet, a hook portion formed on and extending from one of said members and having its free end positioned outwardly from said bracelet, a pair of projections formed on said side walls, a hook portion formed on said second section and shaped to intert with the hook portion of said first-mentioned section,

latch means yieldingly extending from the sides of said second-mentioned section and adapted to interlock with the projections of said first sections when said sections are hooked together, and finger pieces extending from the sides of said second-mentioned section and connected to said latch means, said sections being proportioned so that said finger pieces are exposed when said members are in hooked relationship.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bracelet catch comprising two individual sections, one of said sections including a channel member shaped so that a section of a flat bracelet may slide therein, said channelshaped member having a bottom portion and a pair of side walls, a floating member mounted on said first-mentioned member and adapted to engage the side of said bracelet opposite that engaged by the bottom portion of said channel member, a pin secured to said side walls and spanning the space therebetween, a lever pivotally mounted on said pin and including a part adapted when said lever is pivoted to engage and force said floating member into clamping relationship with said bracelet, a hook formed on and extending from said floating member and having its free end positioned outwardly from the bottom portion of said channel member, a projection formed on each of said side Walls and extending therefrom toward one another, a hook formed on said second section and shaped to intert with the hook on said first-mentioned section, latch means resiliently mounted on said second section and extending from the sides thereof, said latch means being adapted to interlock with the projections on said rst section when said sections are hooked together, and means extending from said second section and connected to said latch means and exposed for manual operation when said members are in hooked relationship.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bracelet catch comprising two individual interlockable sections, one of said sections being channel-shaped and accordingly having a bottom portion with side walls extending from opposite sides thereof, a pin connected to said side walls and spanning the space therebetween, a floating member having a flat bottom and slotted ears extending therefrom, said floating member being disposed in said channel member so that said pin is disposed in said slot whereby said floating member is capable of movement toward and away from the bottom oi' said channel member, means pivotally mounted on said pin and including a part engageable with the bottom of said floating member to force said floating member toward the bottom of said channel member when said means are pivoted in one direction, a hook formed on said floating member and extending substantially at right angles from the bottom thereof, a hook formed on said second section and shaped to interlock with said first hook when said sections are connected, and cooperating manually operable latch elements formed on said sections for holding said sections in connected relationship when said hooks are interlocked.

EUGEN PRESTINARI.

Images