US2759325A

US2759325A - Expanding chains for wrist bands

Info

Publication number: US2759325A
Application number: US348193A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pinson Alfred
Original assignee: APEX ACCESSORIES CO Inc
Current assignee: APEX ACCESSORIES Co Inc
Priority date: 1953-04-13
Filing date: 1953-04-13
Publication date: 1956-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 1973-08-21

Description

Aug. 21, 1956 A. PINSON 2,759,325

EXPANDING CHAINS FOR WRIST BANDS Filed April 13, 1953 INVENTOR.

United States Patent EXPANDING CHAINS FOR WRIST BAND'S Alfred Pinson, Stamford, Comm, assignor to Apex Accessories Co., Inc., Greenwich, Conn.

Application April 13, 1953, Serial No. 348,193

1 Claim. (Cl. 5979) My invention relates to chains suitable for wrist bands and the like and it is characterized by spring actuated jointed parallelograms normally retracting a string of blocks.

An object of the invention is to provide an expanding chain in which the spring actuated jointed parallelograms are pivotally coupled to the blocks to obtain a maximum of extensibility of the chain.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expanding chain in which the spring actuated jointed parallelograms permit the use of circular or polygonal contour of the sides and the upper face of the blocks forming the chain.

A further object of the invention is to provide an expanding chain in which the blocks move angularly as they move linearly.

In the appended drawing Figure 1 is a top view of a fragment of the chain embodying my invention shown in retracted position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged top view of the chain extended, with the covers removed from the upper elements of the chain;

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a chain fragment in the retracted position; and

Figures 6 and 7 are a diagrammatic top view of the polygonal contour chain in extended and retracted position respectively.

Referring to the drawing, 10 are the liners forming the bases of the row of blocks Each liner is provided with two openings 11 of which one is shown disengaged in Fig. 2.

The said openings are diametrically opposite and are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the chain. A line joining said openings, cuts the axis at an acute angle. A bottom link 12 is pivotally secured with one end thereof to a corresponding opening 11 by a pivot 13. To the same pivot 13 a side link 14 is also secured pivotally with one end thereof; so that

hnks

12 and 14 can move angularly with respect to one another and with respect. to the liner they are connected with.

The portion 15 of the side link 14 is off-set to engage the upper surface of the liner 10 bringing the major portion 16 of side link 14 into plane of liner 10. The portion 16 extends toward a proximate liner 10 where at, the end of portion 16 is pivotally connected by a tubular pivot 17 to the end of a bottom link 12. The bottom link 12 extends from the proximate liner and forms part of a jointed parallelogram pivotally connecting proximate liners.

Each jointed parallelogram is formed of two opposlte bottom links 12 and two opposite side links 14 and is connected pivotally to proximate liners 10 through the respective pivots 13 of a jointed parallelogram (see Fig. 2). The tubular pivot 17 which connects only the end of bottom links 12 with the end of side links 14 ice houses a helical spring 18. One end 19 of said spring 18 engages a hook 20 preferably forming an integral part of side link 14. The other end 21 of the spring 18 abuts the side of a cover 22 for the bottom link 12. The springs in each parallelogram are tensioned to draw the string of liners to retract the chain.

When the chain is extended (see Fig. 2) from normal (retracted) position (see Fig. 1) the bottom links 12 are moved from the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure l to that shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The side links 14 swing about the curved portion 23 of the liner 10 as the chain is extended. To prevent an undue strain on the springs 18 the knee portion 24 at the junction of

portion

15 and 16 of side links 14 is made to travel in a notch 25 in the edge of the liner 10.

As the liners 10 are pulled to extend the chain against the resistance of springs 18 the angles of the jointed parallelograms between the liners change at the juncture of the bottom and side links. The bottom and side links move angularly on their

pivots

13 and 17 of each parallelogram imparting in turn an angular movement to liners connected through pivots 13 thereto. The angular movement of the liners increases spacing between the liners by the movement of the pivots 13 toward the longitudinal axis of the chain, indicated in dot and dash lines in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7. The reverse takes place when the springs 18 retract the chain. It is therefore evident that the liners connected as described by the jointed parallelograms will move angularly when they are moved linearly along the axis of the chain.

Each liner is provided with seats 26 to accommodate tabs (not shown) extending from a cover 27, to be locked to the liner 6. Said cover 27 is provided with cut outs 28 in the side thereof, to permit the movement of side links 14 (see Figs. 34). Each link 14 is also provided with a cover 29 extending only over the portion 16 of the link 14. The means for locking the

covers

22 and 29 to the

respective links

12 and 14 have been omitted.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the bottom links 30 are substantially identical in shape to bottom links 12 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The liners 31 (see Fig. 6) are shown to be polygonal and so are the side links 32. In the retracted position of the chain (Fig. 7) the covers 33 for the liners 31 are of same or similar polygonal shape and the cover 34 for the side links are of a shape to conform to proximate contour of the cover for the liner.

In extended position of the chain (see Fig, 6) the angular displacement of the liners is more apparent than in Fig. 2 because of the shape, It also shows that the apparent continuity of contact between liner 10 and side links 14 is not present when the contours of liner and side links of the chain are polygonal in contour. The performance of either chain is same provided the length of the bottom link clears the peripheral high points of the liners cover by the side links cover.

The means for preventing undue strain on springs 18 are the knee 24 of links 14 and notches 25 in the edges of the liners 10. This means in addition limits relative angular movement between the liners 10 and side links 14. It will be noted that the diagonals of the jointed parallelograms cross the longitudinal axis of the chain at an acute angle in normal retracted position of the chain and the acuteness of said angles increases with the extension of the chain. It will also be noted from Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that the acute angles at no time are permitted to become either zero or this being prevented by the engagement of the notches 25 in the edge of the liner 10 with the corresponding offset or knee portion 24 in the side links 14 when the chain is ex-- tended. The shape and form of the chain in retracted position depends on the nesting of the complimentary lateral contours of the liners and side lin'k thereat, as it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and 6 and 7. In the normal retracted position of the chain a pair of opposite links of the jointed parallelograms have a major part thereof under the ,proximate liners which are-closelyspaced and the vother ,pair-of links of the parallelogramnesting on the ,sideof :the proximate liners. In thezextended position =of'the chain the jointed ,parallelograms have major parts of the links thereof between the proximate liners.

I claim:

ln-an-expanding chain, a string of-closely spaced liners in the retracted position of the chain, each liner having a pair of spaced openings adapted to be 'disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis .of .the chain, the

proximate openings of adjacent liner being also adapted to be on opposite sides of said axis, each of said liners having 'a ,predeterminate lateral contour, a pair of side links each adapted to he connected pivotally with one end thereof to a corresponding opening of the liner on thetop thereof, a-pair of bottom links one for each side link adapted to be connected ,pivotally with one end thereof at the bottom of the liner to a corresponding pivot of side link, the other end of a bottom link being adapted to be ,pivotally coupled :to the other end of a sidelink of a proximate liner, said top and'bottom'lin'ks forming a jointed parallelogram between adjacent liners when the chain is extended, a spring associated with the pivotal coupling of said bottom and side links to normally move the links to closely space the liners, each of the side links having an offset to bring the major part of same into the plane of the liner, said major part of the link having a lateral contour complimentary to that portion of the contour of the liner it is adapted to face in the-closely spaced position of the liners, said liner having notches for corresponding ofisets of the side link to limitthe angular movements between the side links and liner it is coupled with, to limit the extension of the 'chainto prevent undue strain on the springs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,117,395 Bigney May 17, 1938 695,493 Pinson Nov. 30, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,581 Great Britain Mar. 29, 1902 628,966 France Nov. 2, 1927