Wearable object comprising a case, a removable bracelet and a system for fastening the bracelet to the case

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11903459-B2
Application number	US-202217817746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2022
Priority date	Dec 20, 2021
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A wearable object including a middle of a case, a bracelet, and a fastening system for removably securing the bracelet to the middle, the middle including two longitudinal cavities configured to form a slide-bar and receive a hooking head of the bracelet of complementary shape and configured to cooperate by sliding. The fastening system includes elastic casing elements to bolt the axial movement of the hooking head inside the longitudinal cavity, the elastic casing elements including: a rigid bolting protrusion, arranged on an inner wall of each of the longitudinal cavities, cooperating with; two obstacles arranged in the vicinity of an elastic portion of the hooking heads, the obstacles delimiting an inter-obstacle space designed to receive the bolting protrusion and form locking elements of the bolting protrusion; the elastic casing elements being configured to elastically distort the elastic portion of the hooking head during the insertion of the bracelet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wearable object comprising:
a case having a middle, a bracelet, and a fastening system for removably securing each end of said bracelet to the middle, the middle comprising two longitudinal cavities configured to form a slide-bar, each of the end of the bracelet comprising a hooking head of complementary shape and configured to cooperate by sliding with one of the longitudinal cavities to form the fastening system, wherein the fastening system comprises elastic casing elements to bolt an axial movement of said hooking head inside the longitudinal cavity, the elastic casing elements comprising:
a rigid bolting protrusion, arranged on an inner wall of each of the longitudinal cavities, cooperating with;
two obstacles arranged in a vicinity of an elastic portion of the hooking heads, the obstacles delimiting an inter-obstacle space designed to receive the bolting protrusion and form locking elements of the bolting protrusion;
the elastic casing elements being configured to elastically distort the elastic portion of the hooking head during an insertion of the bracelet, so as to allow a passage of the bolting protrusion beyond the obstacles and lock the bolting protrusion in the inter-obstacle space bolting the axial movement of the hooking head by elastic return of the elastic portion,

wherein the hooking heads comprise a groove designed to receive the bolting protrusion, the two obstacles being arranged in the groove.

2. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic casing elements are configured to elastically distort the elastic portion of the hooking head in a direction of a bottom of the longitudinal cavity.

3. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic portion of the hooking heads is a zone of lesser thickness formed by a hollow arranged at an end of the hooking heads.

4. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the groove is arranged at a bottom surface of the hooking heads.

5. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the two obstacles arranged in the vicinity of the elastic portion of the hooking heads have a ramp wherein thicker portions of the ramps delimit the inter-obstacle space.

6. The wearable object according to claim 5 , wherein the ramps have an inclined plane oriented in a direction of sliding of the hooking head in the longitudinal cavity.

7. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic casing elements are configured to be reversible and enable a release of an axial position of the hooking heads without damaging one of elements forming the elastic casing elements.

8. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the bracelet comprises two strands, each of the strand comprising the hooking head forming an end of the strand, and wherein the respective hooking head is integral with the respective strand of the bracelet.

9. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the hooking heads are made of polymer material.

10. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the hooking heads are made of thermoplastic elastomer.

11. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the middle of the case is made of thermoplastic.

12. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the fastening system is configured to enable fitting of the bracelet either by a first end or by a second end of the longitudinal cavity.

13. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal cavities extend over two circular segments of the middle located at 6 o'clock and at 12 o'clock.

14. The wearable object according to claim 1 , wherein the wearable object is a wristwatch.

15. A wearable object comprising:
a case having a middle, a bracelet, and a fastening system for removably securing each end of said bracelet to the middle, the middle comprising two longitudinal cavities configured to form a slide-bar, each of the end of the bracelet comprising a hooking head of complementary shape and configured to cooperate by sliding with one of the longitudinal cavities to form the fastening system, wherein the fastening system comprises elastic casing elements to bolt an axial movement of said hooking head inside the longitudinal cavity, the elastic casing elements comprising:
a rigid bolting protrusion, arranged on an inner wall of each of the longitudinal cavities, cooperating with;
two obstacles arranged in a vicinity of an elastic portion of the hooking heads, the obstacles delimiting an inter-obstacle space designed to receive the bolting protrusion and form locking elements of the bolting protrusion;
the elastic casing elements being configured to elastically distort the elastic portion of the hooking head during an insertion of the bracelet, so as to allow a passage of the bolting protrusion beyond the obstacles and lock the bolting protrusion in the inter-obstacle space bolting the axial movement of the hooking head by elastic return of the elastic portion,

wherein the elastic portion of the hooking heads is a zone of lesser thickness formed by a hollow arranged at an end of the hooking heads.

16. A wearable object comprising:
a case having a middle, a bracelet, and a fastening system for removably securing each end of said bracelet to the middle, the middle comprising two longitudinal cavities configured to form a slide-bar, each of the end of the bracelet comprising a hooking head of complementary shape and configured to cooperate by sliding with one of the longitudinal cavities to form the fastening system, wherein the fastening system comprises elastic casing elements to bolt an axial movement of said hooking head inside the longitudinal cavity, the elastic casing elements comprising:
a rigid bolting protrusion, arranged on an inner wall of each of the longitudinal cavities, cooperating with;
two obstacles arranged in a vicinity of an elastic portion of the hooking heads, the obstacles delimiting an inter-obstacle space designed to receive the bolting protrusion and form locking elements of the bolting protrusion;
the elastic casing elements being configured to elastically distort the elastic portion of the hooking head during an insertion of the bracelet, so as to allow a passage of the bolting protrusion beyond the obstacles and lock the bolting protrusion in the inter-obstacle space bolting the axial movement of the hooking head by elastic return of the elastic portion,

wherein the two obstacles arranged in the vicinity of the elastic portion of the hooking heads have a ramp wherein thicker portions of the ramps delimit the inter-obstacle space.

17. The wearable object according to claim 16 , wherein the ramps have an inclined plane oriented in a direction of sliding of the hooking head in the longitudinal cavity.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Schlichtig Dohan
• Willemin Roger

Classifications

• A44C5/14 Primary

  characterised by the way of fastening to a wrist-watch or the like · CPC title

• A44C5/2071

  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

• A44C5/145 Primary

  Hooks · CPC title

• A44C5/147 Primary

  Watchcase itself used as fastener · CPC title

• G04B37/0008

  for pocket watches and wrist watches · CPC title