Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Cases – Wrist worn
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-12
2002-06-18
Miska, Vit (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Cases
Wrist worn
C368S282000, C024S2650WS, C059S080000, C059S901000, C224S168000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06406177
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to an adjust pin for connecting a plurality of blocks of a wrist watch band with each other in a chain like shape, a method of manufacturing the same, and a wrist watch band connection structure using the plurality of the blocks.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
As is generally known, a wrist watch is provided with a band so as to be worn on the wrist and so forth of a user. A tanned skin, for example, cattle, alligator, etc., cut in a strap-like shape, stitched together with a leather of different quality, overlaid thereon, for reinforcement, is generally used for the band of the wrist watch.
Also, there is available another wrist watch band called a metal band, made up of metal blocks, etc., connected together in a chain-like shape using pins called adjust pins, so that the blocks connected in a strap-like shape can be bent around the shape of the arm of a user. Additionally, there has recently become available yet another wrist watch band called a plastic band formed of a synthetic resin such as urethane, and so forth in a strap-like shape.
Either of these wrist watch bands is generally made up of two pieces of strap-like members, and one end of the respective strap-like members is connected with a body of a wrist watch, including a display part, while the other end thereof is connected with each other by means of a catch or the like.
When the wrist watch is worn on the wrist of a user, the wrist watch is placed on the wrist, and the two pieces of the strap-like members are connected with each other by the catch, thereby keeping the wrist watch from falling off the arm.
For the catch, a buckle is mainly used in the case of the leather band and the plastic band while a connecting member called a clasp is often used in the case of the metal band.
The size of a user's wrist portion varies from person to person due to differences in individuals. Accordingly, a wrist watch band is normally made up so as to be adjustable in length within a given scope of length.
For example, in the case of the leather band, one of the two pieces of strap-like members is provided with a plurality of holes opened in succession at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the other one is provided with a positioning bar (buckle tongue) which is to be inserted into one of the holes described, disposed at a position such that a length of the leather band is fixed at an optimum length.
With the metal band, a length thereof is generally adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of blocks, and when adjusting the length of the metal band, the blocks are disconnected from each other by extracting the adjust pin.
A conventional mechanism for adjusting the length of the wrist watch band using the blocks is described hereinafter with reference to
FIGS. 25 and 26
.
FIG. 25
is a perspective view showing an example of a wrist watch provided with a metal band made up of metal blocks connected with each other.
A wrist watch band
103
made of metal, attached to the wristwatch, comprises two braces
105
,
106
, each formed in a strap-like shape by arranging a plurality of blocks
102
, made of a metal, in chain-shape, and by connecting the blocks
102
with each other by means of a connecting pin shown in
FIG. 26
, that is, an adjust pin
111
.
The brace
106
is provided with a clasp
107
functioning as a connecting fixture at an open end thereof, and the clasp
107
is structured so as to connect the brace
106
with the brace
105
.
With the wrist watch band
103
, the number of the blocks
102
is increased or decreased by extracting and inserting the adjust pins
111
when adjusting the length thereof.
A mechanism for adjusting the length of the wrist watch band
103
by extracting and inserting the adjust pins
111
is described hereinafter with reference to FIG.
26
.
For example, in the case of lengthening the wrist watch band
103
, the adjust pin
111
in place at a portion of the wrist watch band
103
, to be extended, is extracted, an additional block
102
C is disposed between the blocks
102
A and
102
B, the adjust pin
111
is inserted into a connecting through-hole of a protrusion of the additional block
102
C through a connecting through-hole
102
a
of the block
102
A, and another adjust pin
111
passed through another connecting through-hole formed in the block
102
C is inserted into a connecting through-hole
102
c
of a protrusion of the block
102
B, thereby connecting the blocks
102
A and
102
C, and the blocks
102
C and
102
B, respectively.
On the contrary, in the case of shortening the wrist watch band
103
, the adjust pins
111
,
111
, in place on both sides of a block which is to be removed, for example, the block
102
C, are pulled out, and the block
102
C is removed before connecting the blocks
102
A and
102
B again by means of the adjust pin
111
.
When inserting the adjust pin
111
into the connecting through-holes of the blocks
102
to connect the adjoining blocks
102
A and
102
B to each other, the adjust pin
111
has to fit tightly into the connecting through-holes of the blocks
102
to prevent it from falling off after the insertion thereof.
However, a strong force required to fit the adjust pin into the respective blocks is contradictory to a necessity of extracting and inserting the adjust pin with ease when adjusting the length of the wrist watch band.
Consequently, since it has been impossible in the past to satisfy both needs at the same time, priority has been given to prevention of the adjust pin from falling off such that a fitting force required of the adjust pin is normally strengthened at the expense of ease with which the adjust pin is extracted. That is, the outside diameter of the adjust pin is designed at a size at which the adjust pin fits tightly (by large spring force as well as frictional force) into the connecting through-holes of the respective blocks.
As a result, inconvenience has been encountered in adjusting the length of the wrist watch band because the adjust pins can not be extracted and inserted with ease.
Meanwhile, there is available an adjust pin
121
of a split-pin type, as shown in FIG.
27
. This adjust pin
121
is formed by folding back a metal wire semicircular in section such that a circular shape in section is formed as a whole by causing flat faces of the metal wire to be folded in half and to face each other. A curved section thereof is formed by causing a portion on both sides of the adjust pin
121
, in the longitudinal direction, to swell outwardly, so that the ease with which the adjust pin
121
can be extracted out of a connecting through-hole
102
a
of a block
102
, and reliability of the adjust pin
121
fitting into the connecting through-hole
102
a
can be obtained by the agency of elasticity of the curved section.
In general, an adjust pin of this type is manufactured by press working, but if material with a high restoring force is used for a constituent material of the adjust pin, press working can not be applied. Accordingly, the normal practice is to use material with a relatively low restoring force. Consequently, a fitting force of the curved section had to be designed on a stronger side at the expense, to a degree, of ease with which the adjust pin can be extracted from the block.
Further, in designing an outside diameter of an adjust pin of the split-pin type such as this, a bore of connecting through-holes of respective blocks into which the adjust pin is inserted, and a height of the curved section of the adjust pin, there have been needs of taking account of working fluctuation, wear and tear caused by extracting and inserting the adjust pin, and so forth. Accordingly, the bore of the connecting through-holes of the respective blocks have been often designed at a value on a fairly smaller side in a relative sense.
As a result, there have been times when it has become difficult to extract and insert the adjust pin and the adjust pin has undergone deformation when a fairly strong force is applied thereto to extract the adjust pin.
Further, the curved se
Fujii Kouji
Fukushima Nobuto
Hara Toshiaki
Komiyama Takeo
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Citizen Watch Co. Ltd.
Goodwin Jeanne-Marguerite
Miska Vit
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