Wearable band having incremental adjustment mechanisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10463120-B2
Application number	US-201615264528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A wearable band may be coupled with an electronic device, and a user can secure the electronic device around a body part of the user with an attachment mechanism of the wearable band. The wearable band and/or the attachment mechanism can include an incremental adjustment mechanism. The attachment mechanism can produce an initial fit or tightness when the wearable band is secured around the body part of the user. The incremental adjustment mechanism can be used to incrementally adjust the initial fit of the wearable band on the body part. The incremental adjustment mechanism is configured to allow the user to adjust the fit or tightness of the wearable band around the body part more finely than the attachment mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable band configured to couple to an electronic device, comprising:
a first band segment comprising multiple first attachment mechanisms, wherein adjacent pairs of the first attachment mechanisms are separated by a distance;
a second band segment comprising:
a first band sub-segment;
a second band sub-segment movably coupled to the first band sub-segment; and
a second attachment mechanism configured to engage one of the multiple first attachment mechanisms and couple the first and second band segments together; and

an incremental adjustment mechanism operably connected to at least one of the first band sub-segment and the second band sub-segment and configured to move the first band sub-segment with respect to the second band sub-segment to incrementally adjust a tightness of the wearable band, the first band sub-segment and the second band sub-segment being separated by a gap that is adjustable between a minimum size and a maximum size, the maximum size being smaller than the distance separating the adjacent pairs of the first attachment mechanisms.

2. The wearable band of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a smart watch.

3. The wearable band of claim 1 , wherein the incremental adjustment mechanism comprises:
a first toothed edge formed in the first band sub-segment;
a second toothed edge formed in the second band sub-segment opposite the first toothed edge; and
a gear configured to rotate between the first and second toothed edges to move the first and second band sub-segments relative to one another.

4. The wearable band of claim 3 , wherein a tooth at an end of the first toothed edge is larger than other teeth of the first toothed edge and configured to act as a stop mechanism for the gear.

5. The wearable band of claim 1 , wherein:
the first attachment mechanisms comprise openings through the first band segment; and
the second attachment mechanisms each comprises a post configured to be inserted into one of the openings.

6. A wearable band configured to couple to an electronic device, comprising:
a first band segment;
a second band segment comprising:
a first band sub-segment; and
a second band sub-segment movably coupled to the first band sub-segment;

an attachment mechanism configured to couple the first and second band segments together in one of multiple band segment arrangements to adjust a tightness of the wearable band within a first range; and
an incremental adjustment mechanism operably connected to at least one of the first band sub-segment and the second band sub-segment and configured to move the first band sub-segment with respect to the second band sub-segment to adjust the tightness of the wearable band within a second range that is smaller than the first range.

7. The wearable band of claim 6 , wherein the electronic device comprises a smart watch.

8. The wearable band of claim 6 , wherein the incremental adjustment mechanism comprises:
a first toothed edge formed in the first band sub-segment;
a second toothed edge formed in the second band sub-segment opposite the first toothed edge; and
a gear configured to rotate between the first and second toothed edges to move the first and second band sub-segments relative to one another.

9. The wearable band of claim 8 , wherein a tooth at an end of the first toothed edge is larger than other teeth of the first toothed edge and configured to act as a stop mechanism for the gear.

10. The wearable band of claim 6 , wherein the attachment mechanism comprises:
openings through the first band segment; and
a post extending from the second band segment and being configured to be inserted into one of the openings.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• De Iuliis Daniele
• Perkins Ryan C
• Webb Michael J

Classifications

• A44C5/246 Primary

  having size adjusting means · CPC title