Bracelet fastening system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11058191-B2
Application number	US-201916364900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2019
Priority date	Jun 4, 2018
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A bracelet including two strands provided with a fastening system which includes at least one longitudinal groove on one of the two strands and at least one longitudinal protuberance on the other strand. The material and the shape of the groove and of the protuberance are configured such that these two elements interlock under pressure exerted by the bracelet user, over two overlapping portions of the bracelet strands. The connection between the strands can easily be separated, preferably by peeling the upper strand away from the lower strand. The bracelet is continuously adjustable in length, without requiring heavy or complex elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bracelet comprising:
a first strand and a second strand and wherein one surface of one of the strands at least partially covers one surface of the other strand when the bracelet is fastened,
wherein:
the bracelet further comprises a fastening system including only at least one groove which extends over said first strand surface in the longitudinal direction of said first strand, and at least one protuberance which extends over said second strand surface in the longitudinal direction of said second strand, and wherein the protuberance and the groove comprise a housing portion and a neck section with said neck section located between the housing portion and the respective strand surface,
the material of at least one of the protuberance and the groove has a degree of flexibility which allows the housing portion of the protuberance to interlock with the housing portion of the groove such that one of said first or second strands is in a lower position and the other of said first or second strands is in an upper position, and
the bracelet does not include a clasp or a magnet,

wherein the first strand comprises two grooves and the second strand comprises two protuberances, the two grooves and the two protuberances being arranged on both sides and in a symmetrical manner with respect to the central longitudinal plane of the respective strands,
wherein the cross-section of an upper surface of the first strand is curved convex and the second strand and the two grooves and the two protuberances are positioned such that, when the two protuberances are positioned in the two grooves, a lower surface of the second strand is concave between the two protuberances to follow a curvature of the upper surface of the first strand, and
wherein, when the two protuberances are positioned in the two grooves, the lower surface of the second strand laterally outside of the two protuberances is substantially planar.

2. The bracelet according to claim 1 , configured such that, in the fastened position of the bracelet, peeling the second strand away from the first strand allows the protuberance to be removed from the groove to unlock the bracelet fastening system.

3. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein the strands are uniform elements formed of a flexible material.

4. The bracelet according to claim 3 , wherein the strands are formed of polymer or rubber.

5. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of said groove and said protuberance is an element formed of flexible material, and wherein said flexible material is a different material from the material of the strand to which the at least one of the groove and the protuberance formed of flexible material is attached.

6. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the groove and the protuberance is provided with one or more areas whose surface is provided with a structure that increases the roughness of said surface.

7. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of at least one of the groove and the protuberance is provided with dimensional changes in said surface, at regular intervals.

8. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein the housing portions of the protuberance and of the corresponding groove have a cross-section of circular shape.

9. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second strands are connected to each other by one of the ends thereof to form a one-piece band.

10. The bracelet according to claim 9 , wherein the first and second strands are made in one piece.

11. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein the bracelet is a watch or jewellery bracelet.

12. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the groove of said first strand surface is equal to a length of the protuberance of said second strand surface.

13. The bracelet according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two grooves includes a plurality waves at regular intervals along a longitudinal direction of each of the two grooves.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Martin Jean-Claude
• Nicolas Cedric

Classifications

• A44C5/107

  with links made of more than two elements including connecting elements · CPC title

• A44C5/0053

  Flexible straps · CPC title

• G09F3/005

  Identification bracelets, e.g. secured to the arm of a person · CPC title

• A44C5/2057 Primary

  Fasteners locked by sliding or rotating of the male element of the fastener; Turn-button fasteners · CPC title

• A44C5/2071 Primary

  with the two ends of the strap or chain overlapping each other and fastened by an action perpendicularly to the main plane of these two ends (A44C5/2009 - A44C5/2057 take precedence) · CPC title