Chain – staple – and horseshoe making – Chains – Ornamental
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-25
2003-05-20
Jones, David (Department: 3725)
Chain, staple, and horseshoe making
Chains
Ornamental
C059S078000, C059S082000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564540
ABSTRACT:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a bracelet, notably a watchband or watch bracelet, comprising removable links.
2. RELATED ART
Different kinds of bracelets formed of rows comprising each several links joined to the next row by rods are known. The diameter of these bracelets can generally be adapted to the wearer's wrist by removing one or several rows of links.
Patent CH676781 (Stelux) for example describes a bracelet formed of rows of links joined by pins provided with a ring groove. Certain pins can be removed by a screw perpendicular to the pin. The screws are visible from the outside, which is hardly aesthetic and can prove uncomfortable for the wearer of the bracelet.
Patent application GB2214778 describes a watch bracelet in which the rows of links are joined by pins set in a marginal link and engaged freely in a blind hole of the symmetrical link. The bracelet is assembled only when the last link has been blocked by the insertion of a special pin. In this construction, the necessary play for articulating the links is added up at each row, so that the bracelet could break up.
Patent application WO89/08997 (Citizen Watch) describes a bracelet whose rows of successive links are joined by pins invisible from the outside. The pin joining each row comprises a flattening which enables a link to be removed from each row by rotating it by 90°, the other link of the same row being thus disengaged by pulling it in the direction of the pin. This solution requires an accurate manufacture of the pins and of the lodgings for the pins in the links.
FR-A1-2693355 describes a bracelet with articulated links comprising several rows of two links, said rows being articulated with each other by means of pins inserted in blind holes. The aim of this document is to avoid all the screws at the articulation between links. This bracelet suffers from the same drawbacks as the bracelet described in GB2214778.
CH-A5-665185 describes a watch bracelet in which the links are articulated by means of dissociable rods. The rods are visible from the outside, so that this bracelet suffers from the same drawbacks as the bracelet described in CH676781.
Other known systems use spring pins, which however have the inconvenience of a limited reliability.
It is a purpose of the present invention to propose a new type of bracelet with removable links that is different from existing bracelets.
Another purpose is to propose a bracelet with removable links that does not have the inconveniences of the bracelets of the prior art.
3. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These claims are achieved according to the invention by a bracelet comprising a plurality of rows of links, each row of links comprising at least two links, the at least two links are in a row of links traversed by a rod engaged in at least one link of a next row, to join the row of links and the next row in an articulate manner. The links of the next row cover a projecting end of the rod. The rod has several dissociable parts and the row is removable by separating the rod.
The one skilled in the art will realise that these characteristics make it possible to produce, at a low cost, a bracelet with removable links that is reliable, strong and whose link fastening system is practically invisible from the outside.
The invention applies for example to the making of watch bracelets with metallic links or to any other type of bracelet of adjustable length.
4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood with reference to the description given as example and illustrated by the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1
shows a top view, partially in cross section, of several rows of links of the bracelet laid flat, the rows being joined in a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2
shows in detail a pin according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3
shows in detail a pin head according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4089161 (1978-05-01), Aoki
patent: 5038557 (1991-08-01), Otsuki et al.
patent: 5197274 (1993-03-01), Braun
patent: 6026637 (2000-02-01), Dombre et al.
patent: 6098394 (2000-08-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 6318064 (2001-11-01), Vandini
patent: 269271 (1951-05-01), None
patent: 661185 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 884007 (1998-12-01), None
patent: 2693355 (1994-01-01), None
patent: 2214778 (1989-09-01), None
Dubois Antoine
Greguitch Ivan
Jones David
Pearne & Gordon LLP
TAG-Heuer SA
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