Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Cases – Wrist worn
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-04
2004-09-28
Martin, David (Department: 2841)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Cases
Wrist worn
C368S276000, C368S289000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06796708
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wrist mounting type portable electronic apparatus having a case integrated type bangle type strap and, more particularly, to a structure for fixing a glass member which closes an upper side opening of a case containing an apparatus main body to a case integrated type bangle type strap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wrist mounting type portable apparatus of a wrist watch, a wrist mounting type altimeter, a wrist mounting type heart beat meter or the like is constituted by a portable apparatus and a wrist mounting piece. The portable apparatus is constituted by an apparatus main body and a case in a circular shape, a square shape or the like containing the apparatus main body at inside thereof. The apparatus main body is constituted by various mechanical parts and electronic parts to realize an inherent function of a wrist watch, an altimeter, a heat beat meter or the like. The portable apparatus is constituted by the case in a circular shape, a square shape or the like for containing and fixing the apparatus main body. The case is a case not only for simply containing and fixing the apparatus main body of the portable apparatus but realizing also properties of water proof property, pressure resistance property, impact resistance property and the like of the apparatus. Therefore, both of the apparatus main body and the case are indispensable for constituting the wrist mounting type portable apparatus.
The wrist mounting piece is generally a member separate from the case. That is, a general wrist mounting piece is a strap made of skin, made of metal, made of plastic or made of cloth, and many of these are constituted by a pair of left and right strap pieces. Left and right end portions of the case are formed with strap attaching portions. Further, the strap is attached to the case by fixedly attaching respective one-side ends of the pair of strap pieces to the left and right strap attaching portions of the case. By attaching the strap to the case, the wrist mounting type portable apparatus is completed. By this construction, according to the strap used in the wrist mounting type portable apparatus, the pair of left and right strap pieces are separate from each other.
However, there is a strap used in a wrist mounting type portable apparatus which is referred to as a bangle type strap integrated with a pair of left and right strap pieces made of hard plastic or made of metal. A bangle is an ornamental bracelet and a bangle in a shape of a complete ring and a bangle in a shape of an incomplete ring turned around to about 300 degrees are representative. The bangle type strap used in a wrist mounting type portable apparatus is a strap in a shape of an incomplete ring and turned around to about 300 degrees as in the latter case. Although the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having such a bangle type strap achieves an advantage that attachment and detachment to and from the wrist is facilitated in comparison with a wrist mounting type portable apparatus having a strap in which a pair of left and right strap pieces are separate from each other, several problems are posed in view of the structure.
There are two kinds of wrist mounting type portable apparatus having a conventional bangle type strap. The first is a wrist mounting type portable apparatus having a case integrated type bangle type strap in which a strap and a case are integrated. The second is a wrist mounting type portable apparatus having a case separated type bangle type strap in which a strap and a case are separated.
The wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case separated type bangle type strap is constituted by a portable apparatus and a case separated type bangle type strap. The portable apparatus is constituted by an apparatus main body and a case in a circular shape, a square shape or the like for containing and fixing the apparatus main body. The case is a case not only for simply containing and fixing the apparatus main body of the portable apparatus but realizing properties of waterproof property, pressure resistance property, impact resistance property and the like of the apparatus.
The case separated type bangle type strap is formed with strap piece portions on a left side and on a right side thereof and formed with an attaching hole for attaching the case at a central portion thereof. The case of the portable apparatus is mounted to the attaching hole of the case separated type bangle type strap and fixed thereto by a fixing part of a setscrew or the like. Owning to the structure, the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case separated type bangle type strap does not effect any influence on the performance of containing the case, the waterproof property, the impact resistance property and the like. However, according to the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case separated type bangle type strap, a fixing part of a setscrew or the like needs to use for fixing the case and therefore, there poses a problem in view of the structure that the case size is enlarged by that amount. Therefore, the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case separated type bangle type strap is not applicable to a wrist watch of a female size.
In contrast thereto, a wrist mounting type portable apparatus having a case integrated type bangle type strap is constituted by a bangle type strap made of metal or hard plastic formed with a case hole at a center portion thereof for coupling a pair of strap pieces substantially in a semicircular shape extended in left and right directions, an apparatus main body contained in the case hole and a glass member closing an upper side opening of the case hole of the bangle type strap.
That is, as shown by
FIG. 4
, the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case integrated type bangle type strap is constituted by a portable apparatus
10
and a case integrated type bangle type strap
20
. The case integrated type bangle type strap
20
is a strap made of metal or made of hard plastic formed with a case hole
22
for containing an apparatus main body at a central portion
21
having a thick wall and a wide width and formed with a left side strap piece
23
and a right side strap piece
24
respectively on left and right sides thereof. A stepped portion is formed at an inner peripheral face at a vicinity of an upper side opening of the case hole
22
. After containing the portable apparatus
10
at a predetermined location of the case hole
22
, a glass member
25
is fitted to the upper side opening of the case hole
22
such that a lower face thereof is seated on the stepped portion and fixed thereto by welding or an adhering agent. In this way, by welding or adhering the glass member
25
and the strap
20
, the waterproof property of the upper side. opening of the case hole
22
is guaranteed.
On the other hand, a lower side opening of the case hole
22
is closed by a male screw
26
in a shape of a circular disk after containing a battery
10
a
at a predetermined location of the case hole
22
. A rubber packing is arranged between a head portion of the male screw
26
in the circular disk shape and a peripheral edge portion of the lower side opening of the case hole
22
and the water proof property of the lower side opening of the case hole
22
is guaranteed by screwing to fasten the male screw
26
in the circular disk shape to a female screw portion formed at an inner peripheral face of the lower side opening of the case hole
22
.
According to the conventional wrist mounting type portable apparatus, in the case of the wrist mounting type portable apparatus having the case integrated type bangle type strap, the strap needs to open to mount to the wrist. That is, it is necessary to open the strap by pulling an end portion
23
a
of the left side strap piece
23
and an end portion
24
a
of the right side strap piece
24
respectively to outer peripheral sides. Then, the case hole
22
of the case integrated type bangle type strap
20
Igarashi Hiroshi
Kawamata Hiroshi
Matsunaga Takenori
Adams & Wilks
Lindinger Michael L.
Seiko Instruments Inc.
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