Adjustable Bracelet Link with Variable Attachment Point
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bracelets and wristbands have limited adjustable length options, often requiring the exclusion of link portions, leading to unattractive appearance and potential snagging issues.
Innovation Solution
A continuously adjustable bracelet design featuring a link with two fixed points of attachment and a stopper with a through hole and releasable locking mechanism, allowing the link to vary in length without excluding any portion, using a securing element and a variable attachment point located halfway between the fixed and locking points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a stopper is used to adjust the useful length of a link by excluding portions, then the length can be adjusted, but link portions are excluded and hang in an unattractive manner liable to catch on uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of excluding link portions from the useful length (traditional approach), the invention inverts the approach by ensuring all link portions are included in the useful length. The stopper is positioned to define the useful length from the fixed point to the stopper, with the variable attachment point allowing the entire link to contribute to the bracelet length without excluded hanging portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a variable attachment point on the link that can be repositioned along the link length. This dynamic element allows the useful length to be continuously adjusted by changing where the link attaches to the stopper, rather than using fixed discrete positions. The variable attachment point moves with the stopper to maintain proper geometry while enabling continuous adjustment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional stopper configurations are used, then length adjustment is possible, but fine adjustment of the bracelet length is rarely possible
Solution Approach 1:
The variable attachment point can be continuously repositioned along the link, enabling fine adjustment of the bracelet length. Unlike traditional fixed-position systems, this dynamic attachment mechanism allows for precise, continuous length variation rather than discrete steps, achieving fine adjustment capability while maintaining overall adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The link is functionally segmented into portions that contribute differently to the useful length based on the variable attachment point position. This segmentation allows independent control of different link portions, enabling precise adjustment by varying the effective contribution of each segment to the total useful length.
3Device complexity
If discrete fastening positions are used for leather straps, then the structure is simple, but only a few predetermined fastening positions are possible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces static discrete fastening positions with a dynamic variable attachment point that can continuously change position along the link. This maintains structural simplicity by using a single movable element rather than multiple fixed holes or positions, while dramatically increasing the number of possible fastening positions from discrete to continuous.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a bracelet or wristband of adjustable length, including:a first link including two ends defining first and second fixed points of attachment,a stopper including a through hole that allows the link to pass therethrough, releasable means for locking the link in the hole, and means for securing one of the ends of the link, anda securing element associated with the first point of attachment, the link being on one hand secured to the stopper by the second fixed point of attachment using the securing means, and on the other hand engaged in the hole so as to be able to be locked at a variable locking point, by the locking means, or to slide therein when the locking means are released, and the link further comprising, a variable point of attachment located substantially half-way between the second fixed point of attachment and the variable locking point (42).