Clasp for portable watch bracelet

Abstract

To provide a clasp for finely adjusting the length of a portable watch bracelet that can be easily and quickly adjusted and handled.SOLUTION: A clasp for portable watch bracelets comprises: a cover 1 connected on a first side to a bracelet strand 200 and on a second side to a folding system 300; connecting means being assembled between the bracelet strand and the cover 1, the connecting means including a sledge 3 sliding in a longitudinal direction of the clasp between a first position where the sledge 3 is engaged in the cover 1, and a second position where the sledge 3 is partially disengaged from the cover 1; and a lever 2 provided with a toothed element, the lever 2, when pressed along a direction perpendicular to the bottom of the cover, causing the toothed element to move from a rest position, in which the toothed element is in mesh with a rack toothing integral with the sledge 3, to an actuated position, in which the toothed element is released from its engagement so that the sledge 3 is free to slide, and in that the cover 1 includes an opening 11 to actuate the lever 2 from the exterior thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a clasp for a bracelet. In particular, the present invention relates to a clasp for a bracelet of a portable timepiece (e.g., a wristwatch, a pocket watch) having means for finely adjusting the length of the bracelet.

Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, clasps having means for finely adjusting the length of a bracelet of a portable timepiece are already known. The term "clasp for finely adjusting the length of a bracelet" should be understood to mean a clasp that allows the length of the bracelet to be adjusted by a short length and to adapt this length as accurately as possible so that the comfort of the person wearing the portable timepiece is optimized. Such a clasp usually has a connection link through which one of the bracelet strands is connected to the cover of the clasp. This end link can slide longitudinally of the clasp between a first position where it is housed in the cover of the clasp and a second position where it protrudes out of the clasp. As a result, the length available for fine adjustment is determined by the amount of movement of the end link between the first and second positions. For example, European Patent Document EP2767184 discloses a clasp. There is a pusher on the bottom side of this clasp, which is attached to a sled and engages with a tooth row. When the pusher is actuated, this tooth row is released, and the length of the bracelet can be adjusted using a sled that moves along the longitudinal axis within the closed cover.

[0003] Another system is described in European Patent Document EP3769640. This system uses an oscillator instead of a pusher, which is attached to a sled and engages with a bar attached perpendicular to the moving direction of the sled.

[0004] Both of these systems described have in common that the operating mechanism is on the bottom side of the clasp, which means that the length cannot be adjusted when the portable watch is being worn. Also, since the length adjustment is only in one direction, it can be disadvantageous for wearing comfort.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above and other problems by providing a clasp for finely adjusting the length of a portable watch bracelet, which is particularly easy and quick to adjust and handle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In such a situation, the present invention relates to a clasp for a portable watch bracelet, comprising a cover connected to a bracelet strand on a first side and to a folding system on a second side, wherein connecting means are assembled between the bracelet strand and the cover of the clasp, the connecting means comprising a sled that slides in the longitudinal direction of the clasp between a first position where the sled is engaged in the cover of the clasp and at least a second position where the sled is at least partially disengaged from the cover of the clasp. According to the present invention, the clasp comprises a lever with toothed elements, and when the lever is pushed along a direction perpendicular to the bottom of the cover, the toothed elements are moved from a rest position where the toothed elements are engaged with a rack tooth row integral with the sled to an operating position where the toothed elements are released from the engagement with the rack tooth row and the sled is free to slide, and the cover has an opening for actuating the lever from the outside of the cover.

[0007] The present invention has the following other features. - The lever is configured to rotate relative to the cover when moving from the first position to at least the second position. - The lever is held in the rest position by using a spring housed in the sled. - The at least one toothed element and the lever form an integral element. - The at least one toothed element and the lever form one integral element. - The sled has a retaining means for preventing the sled from being removed from the cover of the clasp. - The retaining means is formed by a screw that protrudes into a groove formed in the cover to form two end stops. - The cover has an overall U-shaped cross-section and two wing portions facing each other. Each of the wing portions has a guide groove on the inward-facing surface for guiding the sled to move in a translational motion. - The sled has a lateral guide surface, whereby it is guided while sliding in the guide grooves of the wing portions of the cover. - The rack tooth row has teeth. The teeth have an asymmetric shape. A first portion of the teeth faces substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sled along the longitudinal axis of the rack tooth row. The angle formed by a second portion of the teeth with the first portion of the teeth is approximately half of the angle between the first portion of the teeth and the direction of movement of the sled. - The toothed element of the lever is configured to be complementary and asymmetric with respect to the teeth of the rack tooth row. - The lever has two toothed elements. - The lever has a recess for receiving the spring, and the spring is supported at least by the back of the recess and the sled.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reading the following detailed description while referring to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention proposes to enable a user to easily change the length of a portable watch strap without removing the portable watch from the wrist.

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using a portable watch bracelet. For clarity, only one side of the clasp will be described. As shown in the figures, the clasp can be attached to a classic folding clasp or a butterfly clasp, and the length can be adjusted on both sides so that the clasp fits symmetrically on the wrist to provide maximum comfort.

[0012] The clasp 100 according to the present invention comprises a cover 1, said cover 1 being connected on a first side to a first bracelet strand 200 and on the other side to a folding buckle fixing system 300 and to clasp locking means. Since the structure of the clasp locking means is known, it will not be described further here. The first bracelet strand 200 is connected to the cover 1 together with a thread 3 in order to finely adjust the length of the bracelet of a portable watch.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the bracelet strand is formed by a series of links, but can also be a strand made of leather, cloth or even an elastomer material.

[0014] The clasp 100 comprises connecting means assembled between the bracelet strand and the cover 1 of the clasp 100, said connecting means including a thread 3 which can slide longitudinally of the clasp between a first position in which the thread 3 engages within the cover 1 and at least a second position in which the thread 3 is at least partially disengaged from the cover 1.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1, 4a and 4b, the cover 1 has an overall U-shaped cross-section and the cover 1 has two wings 14 facing each other, each of these wings 14 having a groove 12 on its inward-facing surface. Further, at least one groove 13 is formed in the cover 2 and defines the stroke length of the thread 3 relative to the cover 2. The thread 3 has a lateral guide rail 34 and is guided while sliding between the wings 14 within the cover 1.

[0016] Figure 3 shows that the connecting means includes a thread 3, and this thread 3 can slide longitudinally within the clasp 100 between a first position where the thread 3 engages within the cover 1 of the clasp 100 and at least a second position where the thread 3 is at least partially disengaged from the cover 2 of the clasp 100. The available length for adjusting the bracelet is determined by the amount of movement between the first position and at least the second position of the thread 3.

[0017] The thread 3 has two ends that are separated from each other, and between these ends, one end of a link or strand of the second bracelet strand is locked. This assembly is ensured by a bar 9 passing through a hole 35 at the end of the thread 3 and the link / strand of the second bracelet strand.

[0018] The thread 3 further has at least one row of rack teeth 30 extending longitudinally on the bottom side, and each of its teeth 31, 32 defines a separate locking position of the thread 3 with respect to the cover 1.

[0019] The thread 3 further has at least one through - hole 36 into which a cylindrical element such as a screw 6 is inserted. The screw 6 is configured to engage into at least one groove 13, thereby forming an end stop and restricting the amount of movement of the thread 3 within the cover 1.

[0020] The connecting means further includes a lever 2 connected to the cover 1 using a bore 24. The lever 2 has an actuating portion 23 intended to be operated by the user. The actuating portion 23 extends into the opening 11 of the cover 1 on the side opposite the wrist when the clasp is being worn by the user, thereby enabling the user to operate it when the clasp is worn. Thus, the lever 2 has two positions, the first position corresponding to a rest position and the second position corresponding to an operating position, and the lever 2 rotates about its fastening axis 7.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3, 5a and 5b, the lever 2 has a toothed element 20 that meshes with a rack tooth row 30 integral with the sled 3. Each tooth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30 is configured to lock the sled 3 in a predetermined position in association with at least one toothed element 20.

[0022] A single toothed element 20 can be considered, but a pair of toothed elements 20 is safer and the positioning of the toothed elements 20 becomes more accurate.

[0023] As shown, the teeth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30 have an asymmetric shape such that the first part of the tooth faces substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sled 3 along the longitudinal axis, and the angle formed by the second part of the tooth with the first part of the tooth is approximately half of the angle formed by the first part of the tooth with the said direction of movement of the sled.

[0024] Advantageously, the toothed element 20 of the lever 2 is configured to be complementary and asymmetric with respect to the teeth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30.

[0025] The lever 2 can move from its rest position to an operating position, in which the toothed element 20 is disengaged from engagement with one of the teeth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30, allowing the sled 3 to slide freely.

[0026] When the lever 2 is pushed at its actuator part 23 to move to the operating position, the lock between the toothed element 20 and the teeth 31, 32 is released, and the sled 3 is pulled away from the cover 1 via the bracelet strand 200, thereby allowing the length of the bracelet strand 200 to be increased.

[0027] Advantageously, due to the angled nature of the teeth 31, 32 on the rack tooth row 30 and the similar toothed elements 20 of the lever 2, the bracelet strand 200 can be pushed towards the clasp 100, causing the teeth 31, 32 to slide over the toothed element and the lever to rotate without the need for the user to operate the lever 2.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1, 5a and 5b, the lever 2 has a non-through recess 27 that is substantially parallelepiped-shaped at the bottom side of the lever, and the torsion spring 5 is attached to the pin 4 in an articulated form, and the pin 4 is inserted into a lateral hole in the lever 2.

[0029] The torsion spring 5 has at least a first lateral arm 50 disposed at the inner part of the non-through recess 27 and a central arm 51 that extends so as to face a sliding path 33 formed at the upper part of the sled 3. With such a configuration, when the lever 2 is not actuated, the lever 2 is kept in the rest position, and when the bracelet strand 200 is lengthened or shortened, the central arm 51 slides within the sliding path 33 in the sled 3.

[0030] Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, when the sled 3, the lever 2 and the cover 1 are assembled to each other, the torsion spring 5 attached so as to be compressed presses the lever toward the cover 1 so that the toothed element 20 engages with the teeth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30. Conversely, when the lever 2 is pushed against the elastic restoring force of the spring 5, the toothed element 20 is released from the engagement with the rack tooth row 30 of the sled 3, and the sled 3 slides freely with respect to the cover 1.

[0031] The user does not need to open the clasp 1 to access the lever in order to adjust the clasp. The user can simply push the actuating part 23 of the lever 2 to disengage the toothed element 20 from the teeth 31, 32, whereby the sled 3 can be slid freely and the wearer can pull the bracelet strand to lengthen it. Finally, after the wearer has selected the length, the user releases the lever, and under the influence of the spring 5, the lever returns to the rest position and at least one of the toothed elements 20 engages with at least one of the teeth 31, 32 of the rack tooth row 30, locking the position. Then, the wearer can move the sled 3 toward the center of the clasp by simply pushing the bracelet strand 200 to shorten the bracelet strap.

[0032] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can consider various simple alternative forms and modified forms without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0033] 1 Cover 2 Lever 3 Thread 5 Spring 6 Screw 9 List band 11 Opening 12 Guide groove 13 Groove 14 Wing portion 20 Toothed element 30 Rack tooth row 31, 32 Teeth 34 Guide surface 100 Clasp 200 Bracelet strand 300 Folding system

Claims

1. A clasp (100) for a watch bracelet, comprising: A cover (1) connected at a first side to a bracelet strand (200) and at a second side to a folding system (300), A connection means is assembled between said bracelet strand and said cover (1) of said clasp (100), said connecting means comprising a sledge (3) which slides in the longitudinal direction of said clasp (100) between a first position in which said sledge (3) is engaged in said cover (1) of said clasp (100) and at least a second position in which said sledge (3) is at least partially disengaged from said cover (1) of said clasp (100); Said clasp (100) comprises a lever (2) on which there is a toothed element (20), said lever (2), when pressed along a direction perpendicular to the bottom of said cover, moves said toothed element (20) from a rest position, in which said toothed element (20) is engaged with a rack tooth sequence (30) integral with said sledge (3), to an actuated position, in which said toothed element (20) is released from engagement with said rack tooth sequence (30) and said sledge (3) is allowed to slide freely; The cover (1) has an opening (11) for actuating the lever (2) from outside the cover (1). A clasp characterized by:

2. The lever (2) is configured to rotate relative to the cover (1) when moving from the first position to the at least second position.

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

3. The lever (2) is held in a rest position by means of a spring (5).

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

4. The at least one toothed element (20) and the lever (2) form one integral element.

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

5. The sledge (3) has a stop means which prevents the sledge (3) from being removed from the cover (1) of the clasp (100).

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

6. The stop means are formed by screws (6) which protrude into grooves (13) formed in the cover (1) to form two end stops.

6. The clasp according to claim 5.

7. The cover (1) has a generally U-shaped cross section and has two wings (14) facing each other; Each of the wings (14) has a guide groove (12) on its inwardly facing surface to guide the sledge (3) in translational motion.

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

8. The sledge (3) has lateral guide surfaces (34) by which it is guided while sliding in the guide grooves (12) of the wings (14) of the cover.

8. The clasp according to claim 7.

9. The rack tooth row (30) has teeth (31, 32), the teeth (31, 32) have an asymmetric shape, a first portion of the teeth (31, 32) being oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the sledge (3) along the longitudinal axis of the rack tooth row (30); The angle that the second portion of the teeth (31, 32) forms with the first portion of the teeth (31, 32) is approximately half the angle between the first portion of the teeth and the direction of movement of the sledge (3).

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

10. The toothed element (20) of the lever (2) is configured complementary and asymmetrical to the teeth (31, 32) of the rack tooth arrangement (30).

10. The clasp according to claim 9.

11. The lever (2) has at least one toothed element (20).

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

12. The lever (2) has a recess for receiving the spring, The spring is supported at least in the deep part of the recess.

2. The clasp according to claim 1 .

13. The clasp according to claim 1 A wristband (9).

14. A wristwatch case configured to receive at least the wristband of claim 13. A portable watch characterized by the above.

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