Strap with improved fastening structure and wearable electronic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10524548-B2
Application number	US-201715668302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2017
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a wearable electronic device that includes a strap detachably fastened to at least a part of a housing and including a plurality of unit links, a button operatively exposed from at least one of the plurality of unit links, a tension rib secured to an end portion of the button in an internal space of the unit link and having opposite ends that have positions that are changed by pressing of the button, and a hinge pin secured to each of the opposite ends of the tension rib, and disposed to at least partially protrude from left and right sides of each of the unit links, wherein the plurality of unit links are fastened to or separated from each other, such that the hinge pins of a unit link, moving by means of the pressing of the button, are inserted into or extracted from pin-receiving recesses formed in an adjacent unit link.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:
a housing; and
a strap detachably fastened to at least a part of the housing,
wherein the strap comprises a plurality of unit links,
wherein each of the plurality of unit links comprises:
a button that is exposed from a unit link and is operable to the unit link;

a tension rib secured to an end portion of the button in an internal space of the unit link and having opposite ends, the positions of the opposite ends being changed by pressing on the button; and
a pair of hinge pins secured to each of the opposite ends of the tension rib, and disposed to at least partially protrude from left and right sides of the unit links, and
wherein the plurality of unit links are fastened to or separated from each other, such that hinge pins of a unit link, moving by the pressing on the button, are inserted into or extracted from pin-receiving recesses formed in an adjacent unit link.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of unit links are formed of metal, ceramic, or a synthetic resin.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the tension rib is secured, at a central region thereof, to a rib-fixing protrusion protruding from the end portion of the button.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the tension rib is secured to a surface of the rib-fixing protrusion through a soldering, welding, bonding, fusing, or taping process.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the tension rib is fixedly inserted into a slot formed in the rib-fixing protrusion to a predetermined depth.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the tension rib is secured to the rib-fixing protrusion by a rivet or a screw that passes through a through-hole formed in the tension rib and is then fastened to a fixing hole formed in the rib-fixing protrusion.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein a protrusion-positioning recess is formed in the internal space of the unit link at a lower depth than a depth of an inner surface of the unit link, to receive the pressed rib-fixing protrusion and a part of the tension rib.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein a rib-stopping piece is formed around the protrusion-positioning recess to a predetermined height from the inner surface and induces deformation of the tension rib by supporting the tension rib.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the tension rib is formed of aluminum, stainless steel, or a synthetic resin.

10. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the tension rib is formed in a plate spring type or in a string type.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of hinge pins is secured to opposite end portions of the tension rib through a soldering, welding, bonding, or taping process.

12. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of unit links further comprises:
a link body that receives the button, the tension rib, and the pair of hinge pins in the internal space of the unit link; and
a link block protruding from each of opposite ends of the link body.

13. The wearable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of unit links are connected together such that a pair of hinge pins protruding from opposite side surfaces of a link body of a unit link is inserted into pin-receiving recesses formed at corresponding positions of link blocks disposed in an adjacent unit link.

14. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the hinge pins moves into the internal space by means of the tension rib, which is deformed to have a reduced length by the pressing on the button.

15. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein among the plurality of unit links, a unit link coupled to the housing is secured such that a pair of hinge pins protruding from opposite side surfaces of the unit link coupled to the housing is inserted into pin-receiving recesses formed in strap-fastening parts of the housing.

16. The wearable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the electronic device further comprises strap detection sensors disposed in the pin-receiving recesses and sensing whether the hinge pins are present in the pin-receiving recesses.

17. The wearable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the electronic device further comprises a display that visually outputs, to a user, information about whether the hinge pins are inserted in the pin-receiving recesses, the information being sensed by the strap detection sensors.

18. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a watch-type electronic device having a housing that is held on a user's wrist using the strap.

19. A wearable electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a strap detachably fastened to at least a part of the housing,
wherein the strap comprises a plurality of unit links,
wherein each of the plurality of unit links comprises: a button assembly embedded in the strap and detachably connecting the strap to the housing,
wherein the button assembly comprises:
a button-receiving body including an internal space;
a button that is exposed from at least a part of the button-receiving body and is operable to the at least a part of the button-receiving body;
a tension rib secured to an end portion of the button in the internal space inside the button-receiving body and including opposite ends having positions that are changed by pressing on the button; and
a pair of hinge pins secured to each of the opposite ends of the tension rib, and disposed to at least partially protrude from left and right sides of the button-receiving body,
wherein the strap is fastened to or separated from the housing such that the pair of hinge pins, moving by the pressing on the button, is inserted into or extracted from pin-receiving recesses formed in the housing.

20. The wearable electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the electronic device further comprises strap detection sensors disposed in the pin-receiving recesses and sensing whether the hinge pins are present in the pin-receiving recesses.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sungeun

Classifications

• G04B37/1486

  Arrangements for fixing to a bracelet (building watches into bracelets (montre marquise) G04B37/12; arrangements for hanging pocket- or other watches on chains G04B37/1446) · CPC title

• G04B37/1493

  by means of a feather spring (Barette á ressort) · CPC title

• A44C5/18

  Fasteners for straps, {chains or the like}(buckles A44B11/00) · CPC title

• A44C5/0053

  Flexible straps · CPC title

• G04G21/08

  Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces · CPC title