A bracelet

Abstract

There is provided a bracelet (1) comprising a container (10) and a stretchable member (30) for extending around a body part of a wearer The container (10) comprises a first opening (12) for receiving a capsule of repellent into the container, and wherein the stretchable member (30) extends from the container (10) at the first opening (12).

Description

[0001] A BRACELET

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a wearable device or bracelet, more specifically to a bracelet for repelling insects such as mosquitos from a wearer of the bracelet, and to a capsule of insect repellent comprising one or more fins.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Flying insects such as mosquitos are a common nuisance to humans and there are various repellents known in the art to deter them, for example by applying the repellent to the person’s skin. The repellent may also deter and protect against certain biting and stinging arachnids, for example ticks. However, it is inconvenient to apply repellent to the skin, and inconvenient to remove it afterwards. Many repellents also have the potential to irritate the skin of the wearer and so contact with the skin is undesirable.

[0006] It is known to encapsulate repellent within a semi-permeable housing so that the repellent can gradually permeate through the housing and diffuse into the surrounding atmosphere, thereby providing continuous protection to the wearer. Such capsules are commonly fitted into bracelets to be worn around the arms or legs of the wearer. Such bracelets commonly have a container that receives the capsule therein. The container aims to hold and protect the capsule from any damage that could rupture the semi-permeable housing, whilst still allowing the repellent to diffuse out of the container into the surrounding atmosphere. Rupture of the semi-permeable housing is to be avoided, to prevent release of the repellent onto the skin of the wearer. Some known bracelets have a container that can be opened to allow the capsule to be replaced after a period of time when the repellent has lost effectiveness, whereas in other cases the whole bracelet has to be replaced. Containers allowing replacement of the capsule typically incorporate some kind of mechanism for opening and closing the container, and the mechanism may be susceptible to breakage / failure, and / or result in additional manufacturing costs. It is therefore an aim of the invention to provide an improved bracelet for holding a replaceable capsule of repellent.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a wearable device or bracelet comprising a container and a stretchable member for extending around a body part of a wearer. The container comprises a first opening for receiving a capsule of repellent into the container, and the stretchable member extends from the container at the first opening. Since the opening is at the location that the stretchable member extends from, the opening is close to the body of the wearer and may face tangentially to the bracelet and so tangentially to the body part of the wearer. External objects, for example objects that may pierce the capsule of repellent, will typically approach the bracelet and the body part from a radial direction relative to the bracelet, not a tangential direction relative to the bracelet, and so will be less likely to enter the first opening and damage the capsule. If an object does approach the body part of the wearer and impact the bracelet from a tangential direction close to the body where the first opening is located, then the impact may simply rotate the bracelet about the body part of the wearer rather than pinching the bracelet between the object and the body part of the wearer, and so be less likely to cause damage. The stretchable member may extend through the first opening and into the container. The bracelet preferably forms a closed and continuous path for encircling fully around the body part of the wearer.

[0009] The bracelet may comprise a first bead adjacent to the container, the stretchable member extending out of the first opening and into the first bead. Accordingly, the first bead may be configured to block up the first opening, to help retain the capsule inside the body of the container and / or reduce the airflow through the container to reduce the rate of emission of repellent from the container and prolong the useful life of the capsule. The stretchable member may be biased to draw the first bead into the first opening, and so the first bead may block the first opening when the bracelet is not being worn. When the bracelet is being worn, the stretchable member may be stretched against its bias. This allows the first bead to move away from the first opening, providing a path for the repellent to diffuse from the container. The first bead may have a diameter of only 5% - 30% greater than a diameter of the first opening, and so may nestle into the first opening, and help support the container in position on the body part of the wearer. The beads are preferably spherical.

[0010] The container may comprise a second opening opposite from the first opening, and the stretchable member may extend through the first and second openings. Thus, the container may be threaded onto the stretchable member via the first and second openings. The container may be symmetrical either side of a mid-plane through the container, the mid-plane being centrally between the first and second openings. Accordingly, the capsule could be inserted into the container from the first opening or from the second opening.

[0011] The bracelet may comprise a second bead adjacent to the container, the stretchable member extending out of the second opening and into the second bead. The second bead may be configured to block up the second opening, for example under the bias of the stretchable member, similar to the first bead as described above. The stretchable member may also extend through further beads, the further beads being intermediate of the first and second beads and serving to keep the stretchable member away from the wearer’s skin for comfort.

[0012] The stretchable member is for extending around a body part of the wearer, and may be configured to continuously extend all of the way around the body part of the wearer, to encircle the body part of the wearer. The stretchable member may comprise a stretchable string, for example an elastomeric string. Thus, a diameter of the bracelet may be increased against a bias of the stretchable member, enabling the bracelet to be passed over a hand, foot or head of the wearer, and the stretchable member subsequently recoiling to reduce the diameter of the bracelet and retain it about the arm (e.g. wrist), leg (e.g. ankle) or neck of the wearer. The container may comprise an interior cavity into which the capsule of repellent is received, for example the interior cavity may be a cylindrical region with the first and second openings defining opposing ends of the cylindrical region. To increase diffusion of the repellent out of the container, rather than simply relying on the first and / or second openings, the container may comprise at least one aperture extending from the interior cavity to an exterior of the container. Preferably the aperture extends in a direction that is transverse to the stretchable member within the container, for example a direction that is perpendicular to an arc segment of the bracelet that is formed by the container. Each aperture of the at least one aperture is preferably too small for the capsule to pass through the aperture, to help retain the capsule within the container. Each aperture of the at least one aperture should also be small to increase the protection provided by the container to the capsule.

[0013] The at least one aperture may comprise at least one slot running parallel to the stretchable member within the container. Since a slot is used, a large aperture area can be achieved whilst still normally preventing any objects larger than the width of the slot from entering the container and damaging the capsule. Preferably, the at least one aperture comprises three slots running in parallel to one another and evenly spaced around the container.

[0014] The container may be in the shape of a barrel with the first and second openings at opposing ends of the barrel to one another, and the barrel may comprise the interior cavity aligned along a central length axis of the barrel.

[0015] The container and beads may be formed of plastics, but are preferably formed of more natural materials such as wood to minimise any possible allergic reactions to the bracelet by the skin of the wearer. Wood is also environmentally friendly & may be more sustainable than plastics, with the added benefit of capturing carbon through photosynthesis during the growth of the originating plant.

[0016] The interior cavity may have a length extending from the first opening to the second opening, and the interior cavity may be straight (rather than curved) along its length, and may have a constant diameter along its whole length. Alternative embodiments where the interior cavity is curved along its length, or wherein the diameter of the interior cavity increases when moving away from the first and second openings towards the mid-point of the length of the interior cavity, are also possible to help retain the capsule inside the interior cavity.

[0017] The capsule may comprise one or more fins protruding from the capsule along sides of the capsule. The fins may press against an interior surface of the container, such as the sides of the interior cavity, to retain the capsule inside the container by friction. Since the capsule is retained in the interior cavity by friction, there is no need for any complex or breakable mechanism to enable replacement of the capsule. Instead, the capsule can be pushed into one of the first and second openings and held in place by friction. When the capsule is to be removed, an object, for example a pen, may be pushed into one of the first and second openings to push the capsule out of the other of the first and second openings.

[0018] The bracelet may be sized to be worn around an arm or leg of the wearer. Alternatively, the bracelet may be sized to be worn around a neck of the wearer in the manner of a necklace.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a capsule comprising a housing and repellent inside the housing, the housing being semi- permeable to the repellent, the housing comprising one or more fins extending from the housing, the fins configured to form a friction fit against an interior surface of a container for receiving the capsule. For example, the fins may be deform against the interior surface of the container, or the part of the housing supporting the fins may deform inwardly when the fins press against the interior surface of the container. The housing may comprise a first fin extending longitudinally along a first side of the capsule and a second fin extending longitudinally along a second side of the capsule, the first and second fins being directly opposite from one another.

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective diagram of a bracelet according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0023] Fig. 2 shows a schematic side diagram of the bracelet of Fig. 1 ; and

[0024] Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective diagram of part of the bracelet of Fig. 1 in a state where a capsule of repellent is being inserted into the container.

[0025] The figures are not to scale, and same or similar reference signs denote same or similar features.

[0026] An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The schematic diagram of Fig. 1 shows a bracelet 1 , comprising a stretchable member 30, container 10 and beads 20. Two of the beads 20 are marked as 20a and 20b, corresponding to first and second beads respectively. In this embodiment, the stretchable member 30 may be a stretchable elastomeric string 30, the container 10 may be a barrel-shaped container, and the beads 20 may be spherical.

[0027] The container and the beads 20 may be threaded onto the stretchable member 30, and the stretchable member may be a continuous loop. The continuous loop may be formed by attaching opposing ends of the stretchable member 30 to one another by knotting or welding them together, once the stretchable member 30 has been threaded through the container and beads. Since the stretchable member 30 passes inside of the beads 20 and the container 10, the stretchable member 30 is not directly visible and so is shown as a dashed line in Fig. 1 to indicate its location.

[0028] The container 10 may comprise a first opening 12 and a second opening 14 at opposite ends of the container to one another, and the stretchable member 30 may exit the container 10 through the openings 12 and 14. The first opening 12 may face in a direction 15 that is tangential to the bracelet 1 , and the second opening 14 may face in the opposite direction to the first opening 12, which is also a tangential direction. The openings 12 and 14 may be circular openings, and their shapes may match the circular shape of the first and second beads 20a and 20b.

[0029] The first and second openings 12 and 14 both lead into an interior cavity 11 within the container 10, and the interior cavity 11 may have a length extending from the first opening 12 to the second opening 14. The interior cavity 11 may be linear along its length from the first opening 12 to the second opening 14. The interior cavity 11 may be tubular, for example cylindrical, with an axis aligned along the length of the container.

[0030] The container 10 has an exterior surface 10a which is preferably smooth since it will be in contact with the skin of the wearer when the bracelet is worn. The container may comprise apertures in the form of three slots 16a, 16b and 16c (also see Fig. 2). Each slot 16a, 16b and 16c may extend from the exterior surface 10a to the interior cavity 11 . The slots 16a, 16b and 16c may be evenly spaced around the circumference of the barrel-shaped container 10, as best seen in Fig. 2. Preferably, the slots each have a length extending from adjacent the first opening to adjacent the second opening, and a width that is less than a quarter of the length. The slots may be parallel to the length of the interior cavity. The slots may be in the sides of the container, and so may each face in a direction transverse (i.e. perpendicular) to the length of the interior cavity, for example slot 16b facing in direction 17. Accordingly, the slots may face in directions that are perpendicular to the stretchable member 30 passing through the container 10. The direction 17 is a radial direction to the bracelet, however the container may be allowed to rotate about its length and so the slot 16b may not always face radially away from the bracelet.

[0031] The container 10 and beads 20 may fully conceal the stretchable member 30 in a state where the stretchable member has recoiled (i.e. contracted) as far as allowed by the container 10 and beads 20, and so the container and beads may all abut one another under the influence of the stretchable member pulling the container and beads into a small circle. The contraction of the stretchable member 30 draws the first bead 20a into the first opening 12 and the second bead 20b into the second opening 14, blocking up the first and second openings 12 and 14 with the beads 20a and 20b. The beads 20a and 20b may be spherical and have a diameter that is approximately 10% greater than the diameters of the first and second openings 12 and 14, and so the beads nestle into the first and second openings to fully block them.

[0032] Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the insertion of a capsule of repellent 40 into the container 10. As shown, the bracelet 1 has been stretched a little, stretching the stretchable member 30 enough for the first bead 20a to be moved away from the first opening 12. The capsule of repellent 40 may be sized to closely fit inside the interior cavity 11 of the container, and the capsule of repellent 40 may be pushed into the first opening 12 in a direction 42 until it is fully inside the container 10.

[0033] The capsule of repellent 40 comprises a housing 45 that is filled with repellent, and the housing 45 is semi-permeable to the repellent, allowing slow release of the repellent through the housing. The use of a semi-permeable membrane to slowly release repellent is well known in the art, and so the details of the semi-permeable housing (membrane) and the repellent are not discussed in any detail herein.

[0034] In accordance with the invention, the housing 45 may comprise fins 48 that protrudes outwardly from the housing 45 along the opposing sides of the capsule 40. When the capsule 40 has been inserted into the container 10, the fins 48 may press against the interior surface of the container that defines the interior cavity 11 , providing friction that retains the capsule 40 inside of the container 10. The fins 48 may be defined by one continuous fin that extends all of the way around the housing 45 of the capsule.

[0035] Since the fins 48 are present on directly opposite sides of the housing 45 to one another, and since the container has an odd number of evenly spaced slots 16a, 16b and 16c, even if the fin 48 on one side of the capsule 40 enters one of the slots 16a, 16b and 16c, the fin 48 on the other side of the capsule will not enter one of the slots and will instead form a friction fit against the interior surface of the interior cavity 11 . The housing 45 may have a length that extends parallel to a length of the interior cavity 11 , and the housing 45 may have a circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the length of the housing. The circular cross-section may have a constant diameter over at least 75% of the length of the housing 45.

[0036] Once the capsule 40 has been inserted into the container 10, the stretchable member 30 is allowed to contract, blocking the first opening 12 with the first bead 20a and reducing emission of repellent from the container. This is useful when the bracelet is not being worn and so when repellent is not required. When the bracelet is worn, the stretchable member 30 may be stretched, moving the first and second beads 20a and 20b away from the respective first and second openings 12 and 14, and providing additional routes for the repellent to exit the container.

[0037] The repellent can also exit the container via the slots 16a, 16b and 16c, and the slots are narrow enough to minimise the chances of any external object passing through one of the slots and rupturing the housing 45.

[0038] The length of the stretchable member 30 and the number and size of the beads 20 may be greater or lower depending on the size of bracelet 1 that is required. In the illustrated embodiment the bracelet 1 is sized to be worn around an arm or leg of a wearer. However, in other embodiments the bracelet 1 may be sized to be worn around a neck of a wearer in the manner of a necklace.

[0039] Many other variations of the described embodiments falling within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A bracelet comprising a container and a stretchable member for extending around a body part of a wearer, wherein the container comprises a first opening for receiving a capsule of repellent into the container, and wherein the stretchable member extends from the container at the first opening.

2. The bracelet of claim 1 , wherein the first opening faces in a direction that is tangential to the bracelet.

3. The bracelet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the bracelet comprises a first bead adjacent to the container, the stretchable member extending into the first bead.

4. The bracelet of claim 3, wherein the first bead is configured to block up the first opening.

5. The bracelet of claim 3 or 4, wherein the stretchable member is biased to draw the first bead into the first opening.

6. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the container comprises a second opening opposite from the first opening, and wherein the stretchable member extends through the first and second openings.

7. The bracelet of claim 6, wherein the bracelet comprises a second bead adjacent to the container, the stretchable member extending into the second bead.

8. The bracelet of claim 7, wherein the second bead is configured to block up the second opening.

9. The bracelet of any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the bracelet comprises further beads, the stretchable member extending through the further beads.

10. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the stretchable member is a stretchable string.11 . The bracelet of claim 10, wherein the stretchable string is an elastomeric string.

12. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the container comprises an interior cavity into which the capsule of repellent is received.

13. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the container comprises at least one aperture for emission of repellent from the capsule of repellent.

14. The bracelet of claim 13 when appended to claim 12, wherein the at least one aperture extends from the interior cavity to an exterior of the container in a direction that is transverse to the stretchable member within the container.

15. The bracelet of claim 13 or 14, wherein the at least one aperture comprises at least one slot running parallel to the stretchable member within the container.

16. The bracelet of claim 15, wherein the at least one aperture comprises an odd number of slots running in parallel to one another.

17. The bracelet of claim 15 or 16, wherein the slots are evenly spaced around the container.

18. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the container is in the shape of a barrel with the first opening at an end of the barrel.

19. The bracelet of claim 18 when appended to any one of claim 12 and any claim dependent on claim 12, wherein the barrel comprises the interior cavity aligned along a central length axis of the barrel.

20. The bracelet of any preceding claim, further comprising the capsule of repellent inside the container21 . The bracelet of claim 20, wherein the capsule comprises one or more fins protruding from the capsule along sides of the capsule, the fins pressing against an interior surface of the container to retain the capsule inside the container by friction.

22. The bracelet of claim 3 or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the first bead has a diameter that is between 5% and 30% greater than a diameter of the first opening.

23. The bracelet of any preceding claim, wherein the bracelet is sized to be worn around an arm or leg of the wearer.

24. The bracelet of any of claims 1 to 22, wherein the bracelet is sized to be worn around a neck of the wearer.

25. A capsule comprising a housing and repellent inside the housing, the housing being semi-permeable to the repellent, the housing comprising one or more fins extending from the housing, the fins configured to form a friction fit against an interior surface of a container for receiving the capsule.

26. The capsule of claim 25, wherein the one or more fins comprise a first fin and a second fin, wherein the housing comprises the first fin extending longitudinally along a first side of the capsule and the second fin extending longitudinally along a second side of the capsule, the first and second fins being directly opposite from one another.

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