US3133406A - Expansible band - Google Patents

Description

May 1 1954 S.QHAUSER ETAL EXPANSIBLE BAND 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27, 1961 Z 4 A 25 5 0 5k m 2 8 o 3 aw M \l| 6 1 5 I 4 a w 2 4 x 5 W .3 2 6 am? 5 O 2 5 5 w gm. 4 O o 4 5 4 5 INVENTORS P HHUSEE G VEDEL HTTOENEY May 1 1954 s. HAUSER :ETAL 3,133,406

.EXPANSIBLE BAND Filed April 27', 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet :2

5 INVENTORS E E O I? USE PHMEVG. 75254 L 56 AhJ kEQMLP/V May 19, 1964 s. HAUSER ETAL 3,133,406

EXPANSIBLE BAND Filed April 27, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ELM:

b70 13] I 6 " l g 66 ,1 68 i6 8 I 74 1 '7e a 1 1 A i 7 m kQkgw HTTORA/E Y United States Patent 3,133,406 EXPANSIBLE BAND Seymour Hauser, North Bergen, and Paul E. G. Vedel,

Little Ferry, N.J., assignors to Jacques Kreisler Manufacturing Corporation, North Bergen, N.J., a corpora! tion of New Jersey Filed Apr. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 106,107 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 59-79) Our invention relates to an expansible band and more particularly to an improved expansible band which readily lends itself to adjustment of its length.

Many types of expansible bands are known in the prior art for holding Wristwatches and the like on the wrist of the wearer. Most of the bands presently in use include a row of top or upper links connected to a plurality of bottom or lower links to form the band. These bands employ connectors having legs which are inserted in the open ends of the upper and lower links pivotally to connect the links to each other. Springs housed by the links bear between the link and a connector leg normally to urge the band to its contracted position at which adjacent links abut each other. In constructions of this nature either the links themselves or shells carried by the links are provided with tabs adapted to be bent down over the open ends or sides of the links to retain the connectors in positions at which the legs thereof extend into the open ends to provide the pivotal connections between the links.

It is obviously desirable that bands of the type which are to be employed to retain watches on the wrist be manufactured in standard lengths and that they be able to be shortened to accommodate wrists of all sizes. It is possible with considerable difficulty to shorten bands of the prior art, the construction of which is described above. In shortening such a band the retaining tabs must be bent back to open the ends of the links and the connectors must then be removed. In this manner the band is separated into two pieces. When this has been done another link is opened and the desired number of links are removed from that section ofthe band. Next the two sections of the band are reconnected by reinserting the connectors and bending down the retaining tabs to hold the parts assembled.

It will readily be appreciated that the shortening operation described above is extremely diflicult and tedious. A large number of steps are required to perform the shortening operation. This operation requires the distortion of elements making up the band and it may result in breaking off retaining tabs. It further requires disassembly of a subassembly and the handling of the extremely small connectors which is not only difiicult but which may result in the loss of the connectors.

We have invented an expansible band which overcomes the defects of bands ofthe type described hereinabove. Our band readily lends itself to shortening of the band. It requires no disassembly of subassemblies to achieve the shortening. Shortening may be accomplished with a minimum of operations. No distortion of any of the parts is required to shorten the band.

Expansible bands of the type known in the prior art and described above employ springs acting on the connectors of the band to urge the band to itscontracted condition. These springs must be s-ufficiently strong to hold the band securely in its contracted condition .on the wearers wrist while at the same time permitting the band to be slipped off the wrist with relative case. It will be appreciated that these two requirements are in some degree inconsistent. That is, if relatively strong springs are employed to hold the band on the wrist it is relatively difficult to remove. On the other hand, if light springs 3,133,406 Patented May 19, 1964 permitting ready removal are employed then the band may not be held on the wrist as securely as is desirable.

Our improved expansible band isso constructed that it is securely held in its contracted position on the wearers wrist while at the same time being relatively easy to remove from the wearers wrist. When expansion is initiated, as when the band is being removed, this operation may be continued with relative ease.

One object of our invention is to provide an improved expansible band whichtreadily lends itself to shortening.

Another object of our invention is to provide an expansible band which can be shortened without distortion of any of the parts.

A further object of our invention is to provide an expansible band which may be shortened without disassembiy of any of the subassemblies making up the band.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an expansible band which canbe shortened in a rapid and expeditious manner in a very few operations.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide an expansible band which is securely held in contracted position on the wearers wrist while being readily removable therefrom.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

.In general our invention contemplates the provision of an expansible band in which springs housed by upper links act on couplers, which hingedly connect the upper links to lower links in a readily releasable manner, normally to urge the band to its contracted position. In one form of our invention leaf springs housed by the bottom links act on the couplers to retain them in position on the links and to act against the upper link springs as the band is expended to facilitate the expansion operation and to cushion the return of the band to its contracted position- In a second form of our invention springs in the lower links act on the couplers to assist the upper link springs. Both forms of our invention permit ready adjustment of the band length in one form without any and in the other form with little distortion of parts.

In theaccompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are tobe read in con' pansible band.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of our expansible band showing the band in its contracted position and drawn on an enlarged scale. 7

FIGURES isa fragmentary sectional view of one form of our improved expansible band showing the band in its expanded position and drawn on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the elements making up a pair of adjacent subassemblies of the form of our expansible band shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a link and a pair of couplers of an alternate form of our expansible band.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the form of our expansible band shown in FIGURE 5 with the band in its relaxed condition.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the form of our expansible band shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 with the band in its expanded condition.

Referring nowto FIGURES 1 to 4 of the drawings, our expansible band, indicated generally bythe refer ence character 10, includes a plurality of upper links, indicated generally by the reference character 12. Each upper link 12 has respective sides 14,and 16 and end connectors 18 and 20 forming the frame of the upper link 12. Each upper link 12 is adapted to receive a shell 22 which covers the link and which may be formed of a suitable decorative material. Each of the shells 22 receives a torsion spring 24, the ends 26 and 28 of which are bent downwardly for a reason which will be apparent from the description given hereinafter. In making one of the upper link subassemblies of our band we first dispose a spring 24 within the shell 22 with the ends 26 and 28 extending downwardly out of the shell. The upper link 12 then is inserted within the shell with the connectors 18 and 20 bearing against the spring 24 to retain the spring within the shell. We provide the shell 22 with a plurality of tabs 30 adjacent the corners thereof which are bent under the sides 14 and 16 of the upper link 12 to hold the shell in assembled position on the upper link.

I Each side 14 and 16 of the upper link 12 is provided with a pair of hinge hooks 32 adapted to receive a conpler, indicated generally by the reference character 34, provided with a slot 36 forming respective coupler sides or legs 38 and 40. Each coupler leg 38 is formed with a lug 42 providing a cam surface 44. After a shell 22 has been assembled on an upper link 12 in the manner described with a spring 24 sandwiched between the link and the shell and with the ends 26 and 28 extending generally outwardly of the inside of the frame of the upper link we assemble a pair of couplers 34 on the hooks 32 carried by the sides 14 and 16. In accomplishing this operation we insert the lug 42 of a coupler 34 between the spring end 26 or 28 and the side 14 or 16 adjacent which the spring end is disposed with the cam surface 44 in engagement with the spring end. Thus the spring 24, through its ends- 26 and 28, urges the couplers 34 carried by the hooks 32 on the respective sides to positions at which the legs 38 are held closely against the sides 14 and 16. With the parts so far described assembled in the manner outlined above, we build up one of the upper link subassemblies of our expansible band.

Our band includes a plurality of respective lower or bottom links, indicated generally by the reference character 46, and having sides 48 and 50, each of which is formed with a pair of hinge hooks 52. In order to assemble a pair of upper link subassemblies described hereinafter to form our band we slip one of the couplers 34 of the subassembly onto the hooks 52 of the side 48 which receives the leg 40 of the coupler. Another lower link 46 can then be assembled on the other coupler 34 of the upper link subassembly by slipping its hooks 52 on the side 50 over the leg 49 of the other coupler. Byfollowing this procedure a large number of upper link subassemblies can be joined by lower links 46 to provide a band of the desired length.

Each of the lower links 46 receives a leaf spring 54 which extends along the base 56 of the link 46. These leaf springs 54 act on the coupler legs 46 normally to hold them in engagement with the undersurfaces of hooks 52 to prevent the couplers from slipping off the hooks under their own volition. From the structure so far described it will be apparent that when a band has been built up in the manner described the springs 24 through their ends 26 and 28 act on the cam surfaces 44 of the couplers 34 in a direction to urge the band to its contracted position indicated in FIGURE 2. In this condition of the parts the springs 54 are under maximum compression. From this condition the band can be expanded by pulling the links apart against the action of the springs 24.

We so shape the legs 40 as will be apparent from the figures of the drawings that with the band in its contracted position the legs 40 occupy neutral positions in which they are not urged to rotate in either direction by the compressed springs 54. When expansion of the band is initiated, legs 40 tend to rotate in such a direction that the portions of the legs which engage the springs 54 tend to move away from the springs so that the compressed springs expand and act on the legs 40 to urge the coupler 34 to move in a direction opposite to that in which the couplers are urged to move by the springs 24. When the expansion band is permitted to return to its contracted position, then the springs 54 act against the springs 24 in the return movement to cushion the return action until the band is completely contracted and legs 40 occupy such, positions that they are not urged to rotate in either direction by the springs 54. Legs 49 have upper arcuate edges and arcuate portions on their lower edges and at least one flattened side. The diameter of a circle containing the arcs of the arcuate surfaces is the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the legs 40. Owing to this shape of the legs in the position of the legs shown in FIGURE 2 both spring 54 and the underside of the wall 52 are engaged by 1 1e arcuate surfaces and spring 54- is compressed to its maximum extent in operation of the band. Now, when the band expands, as the connectors rotate, the i pression of springs 54 is relieved from its maximum compression and the springs move to the positions shown in FIGURE 3.

The manner in which we assemble our band will readily be apparent from the description given hereinabove. After placing a spring 24 inside'the shell 22 with the ends 26 and 28 extending out of the shell, an upper link 12 is placed within the shell over the spring with the ends 26 and 28 extending out between the sides 14 and 16 of the upper link 12. When this has been done we bend tabs 30 under the sides 14 and 16 to retain the parts in their assembled positions. We next book the legs 38 of a pair of couplers on the hooks 32 of the sides 14 and 16 with lugs 42 between the sides and the ends of the spring and with the cam surface 44 of a lug in engagement with the spring end. Having built up a number of these subassemblies, we connect them together by slipping the legs 40 of the coupler 34 over the hooks 52 on the sides 48 and 5'3 of a lower link 4-6.

Referring now to FIGURES 5 to 7, an alternate form of our expansible band, indicated generally by the reference character 58, includes a plurality of upper links 60 and lower links 62. The upper and lower links of this form of our invention are substantially identical and are interchangeable. Each of the links 60 and 62 includes a pair of sides 64 and 66 provided with hooks 68 for the reception of couplers having slots 70 forming legs 72 and '74. We join the upper links 66 and the lower links 62 of this form of our invention by slipping the leg 72, for example, of a coupler over the hooks 68 on a side 64 of an upper link and by slipping the coupler leg 74 over the hooks 68 of the side 66 of a lower link 62.

We dispose a spring 76, formed from any suitable fiat spring material generally to the shape of a bow, in each of the upper and lower links. Each spring 76 includes a central portion 78 which bears on one leg of a pair of adjacent couplers and a pair of end portions 80 and 82 which bear on the leg of the other adjacent coupler. It is to be noted that in this form of our invention rather than using the fiat springs 54 in the bases of the lower links we position springs 76 within the lower links 62. With this construction the springs 76 in the upper links and the springs 76 in the lower links all act together normally to urge the band to its contracted condition shown in FIGURE 5. When a force is exerted on the band tending to expand it, the parts move to the relative positions shown in FIGURE 7. In the form of our invention shown in FIGURES 5 to 7, we bend the ends of each link 60 and 62 to form flanges 84 which serve to retain the springs 76 in position within the links.

In operation of the form of our expansible band shown in FIGURES l to 4, in the released or contracted condition of the band the springs 24 hold the legs 38 in engagement with the sides 14 and 16 and legs 49 occupy neutral positions at which springs 54 retain them in engagement with the undersides of hooks 52 while not tending to rotate. the couplers in either direction. When expansion of the band is initiated by a force pulling the links apart, legs 40 move to positions at which springs 54 assist in expanding the band by acting against springs 24. When the expanded band is released, springs 54 cushion its return to contracted condition until legs 40 again occupy their neutral positions.

When it is desired to shorten our expansible band, the links of the band are pulled apart and the hooks 52 of a lower link are slipped out of the slot 36 in a coupler 34 to separate the band into two sections. After this has been accomplished, the desired number of links are removed from one of the sections by slipping the coupler 34 of the last of the subassemblies to be removed off the lower link of the remaining subassemblies and then the two sections are reconnected to form the shortened band.

The form of our expansible band illustrated in FIG- URES to 7 may be shortened with little distortion of parts. In this form of our invention we make the lower links 62 from a material which is sufficiently malleable to permit a flange 84 to be bent down to permit removal of the spring 76. When this has been done, one of the associated upper links is slipped off the hooks 68 of the lower link. By performing this operation at two spaced points the desired number of links can be removed and the remaining parts of the band are rejoined by reversing the procedure outlined above. It will be appreciated that this shortening operation requires but little distortion of parts. It is to be noted that, if desired, we may provide decorative caps on both forms of our invention. While we have shown the legs 72 and 74 as being generally rectangular in cross-section it will readily be appreciated that we may provide them with cam surfaces such as the surface 44 on the couplers in FIGURES 2 and 3 for engaging the springs.

It will be apparent that, owing to the fact that, in each form of our invention, the springs biasing the band to its contracted position act between a pair of couplers rather than between a link and a coupler, disassembly and reassembly of links is facilitated.

It will be seen that we have accomplished the objects of our invention. We have provided an expansible band which can readily be shortened in a simple and expeditious manner without disassembly of subassemblies and without distortion of any of the parts.

In one form of our invention the construction of our expansible band is such that while the band is securely held in contracted position once expansion has been initiated this operation is facilitated. Further, the action of the band in returning to its contracted condition is cushioned.

It will be understood that certain features and subcom binations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and it is within the scope of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of our claims without departing from the spirit of our invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. An expansible band including in combination a plurality of upper links, a plurality of lower links, a plurality of couplers each having an upper leg and a lower leg having a bottom edge, said legs extending in a direction generally transverse of the length of said band, means carried by the respective links for receiving said coupler legs whereby said upper and lower links are connected for movement from positions at which said band is contracted to positions at which said band is expanded, a plurality of springs positioned between adjacent upper coupler legs for acting on said legs normally to urge said links to positions at which said band is contracted and a plurality of fiat springs lying along the bases of said lower links to act on the bottom edges of the lower legs of said couplers against the action of said springs acting on said upper coupler legs.

2. An expansible band including in combination a plurality of upper links, a plurality of lower links, a plurality of couplers, each having an upper leg and a lower leg, interengageable means on said upper links and on said upper legs and interengageable means on said lower links and on said lower legs for holding said upper and lower links in assembled relationship, the arrangement being such that a pair of upper legs are associated with each of said upper links, respective springs disposed between the legs of each pair for normally urging said band to contracted position and a plurality of springs for acting on said lower legs against said upper leg springs, said lower legs normally occupying a position in the contracted condition of said band in which said lower leg springs are compressed and in which the action of said lower leg springs against said lower legs is neutralized, the arrangement being such that when expansion of said band is initiated said lower leg springs act against said upper leg springs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,833,113 Dolansky May 6, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 545,184 Canada Aug. 20, 1957 801,850 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1958 838,014 Great Britain June 22, 1960

Claims (1)

1. AN EXPANSIBLE BAND INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A PLURALITY OF UPPER LINKS, A PLURALITY OF LOWER LINKS, A PLURALITY OF COUPLERS EACH HAVING AN UPPER LEG AND A LOWER LEG HAVING A BOTTOM EDGE, SAID LEGS EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY TRANSVERSE OF THE LENGTH OF SAID BAND, MEANS CARRIED BY THE RESPECTIVE LINKS FOR RECEIVING SAID COUPLER LEGS WHEREBY SAID UPPER AND LOWER LINKS ARE CONNECTED FOR MOVEMENT FROM POSITIONS AT WHICH SAID BAND IS CONTRACTED TO POSITIONS AT WHICH SAID BAND IS EXPANDED, A PLURALITY OF SPRINGS POSITIONED BETWEEN ADJACENT UPPER COUPLER LEGS FOR ACTING ON SAID LEGS NORMALLY TO URGE SAID LINKS TO POSITIONS AT WHICH SAID BAND IS CONTRACTED AND A PLURALITY OF FLAT SPRINGS LYING ALONG THE BASES OF SAID LOWER LINKS TO ACT ON THE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE LOWER LEGS OF SAID COUPLERS AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SPRINGS ACTING ON SAID UPPER COUPLER LEGS.

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