U.S. patent number 3,685,107 [Application Number 05/100,600] was granted by the patent office on 1972-08-22 for clip for watch bracelet.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Societe dite: Compagnie Industrielle du Bracelet C.I.B. (Societe Anonyme). Invention is credited to Eugene Jean Robert Epiard.
United States Patent |
3,685,107 |
Epiard |
August 22, 1972 |
CLIP FOR WATCH BRACELET
Abstract
A clip for watch bracelet, formed of one piece of plastic having
a trough r receiving a watch bar and two branches capable of being
detachably connected while one branch can be attached to the watch
band or bracelet whereby said watch can be detachably connected by
the clip to one side of said watch.
Inventors: |
Epiard; Eugene Jean Robert
(Besancon, FR) |
Assignee: |
Societe dite: Compagnie
Industrielle du Bracelet C.I.B. (Societe Anonyme) (Besancon,
FR)
|
Family
ID: |
9049521 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/100,600 |
Filed: |
December 22, 1970 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Jan 23, 1970 [FR] |
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7002447 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/601.7; 24/906;
24/265WS; 24/907 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44C
5/145 (20130101); Y10T 24/45445 (20150115); Y10S
24/906 (20130101); Y10S 24/907 (20130101); Y10T
24/4782 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44C
5/14 (20060101); A44C 5/00 (20060101); A44b
013/02 (); A44b 017/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/237,265WS,265H,265R,265AL,265SH,241S,241SA,73AP ;248/74PB |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gelak; Bernard A.
Claims
I claim:
1. A clip for watch bracelets comprising a clip of a single piece
of elastically deformable plastic material having three portions
with one portion being in the form of a trough and the other two
portions being two elongated branches each integral with an edge of
said trough portion, said trough portion having a length less than
that of the bar of the watch, said branches being disposed in a V
in a normal unstressed condition, both branches being more rigid
than said trough, a transversely elongated hook on the inner
surface of one branch having an overhanging lip extending away from
said trough and snappingly engageable with an opening in the other
of said branches; for detachably retaining said branches one on the
other when said trough is enrolled around the bar of the watch and
means on said one branch capable of being fastened to the
bracelet.
2. A clip for watch bracelets comprising a clip of a single piece
of elastically deformable plastic material having a trough portion
capable of being enrolled around the the bar of the watch, said
trough portion having a length less than that of said bar, a branch
portion integrally extending from an edge of said trough portion in
a plane on a tanget to said trough portion, a second branch portion
which is shorter than said first branch portion, positioned
obliquely in relation to said first branch portion and being an
integral extension of a second edge of said trough portion, said
second branch portion having an interval face positioned in a plane
spaced from the bottom of said trough portion a distance
substantially equal to the diameter of the bar of the watch and
means for making said branch portions more rigid than said trough
portion, a transversely elongated hook on the inner surface of said
second branch portion having an overhanging lip extending away from
said trough and snappingly engageable with an opening in said
branch portion, and means on said second branch portion for
fastening to the bracelet.
3. A clip for watch bracelets as claimed in claim 2 wherein said
means is provided by ribs on one of said branch portions and hooks
on the other of said branch portions for connecting said branch
portions.
4. A clip for watch bracelets as claimed in claim 2 wherein said
second branch portion has rivets extending therefrom capable of
insertion with openings therefore in the bracelet and being riveted
thereover.
Description
The present invention concerns a clip for watch bracelet of the
quick-fastening type.
The state of the art on this subject can be illustrated by French
Pat. No. 1 546 247, filed Dec. 1, 1967. Such a clip, made of sheet
steel, permitted to quicker attachment of the clip-bracelet
assembly on the bar-holder of the watch, in the manner of a snap
hook. The attachment of the clip to the bracelet was done by
engaging one of the branches of the clip in a slot of the lining at
the extremity of the corresponding end of said bracelet which
extended beyond said clip and had a self-adhesive surface apt to
cover said clip after mounting on the watch.
Technical requirements and fashion having evolved, such a clip is
no longer suitable for bracelets made of plastic material or metal
and, generally, for current bracelets made of a single band,
eventually stratified, but whose different layers are
inseparable.
The clip, subject of the present invention, which is suitable for
all existing bracelets, is remarkable in that it is made of plastic
material, molded in a single piece, having in section the form of a
V, whose two branches can be applied and hooked one over the other,
thus surrounding the bar of the watch, the outer face of one of
said branches of the clip comprising means for the fixation of the
extremity of one of the bands of the bracelet.
The present invention is better understood from the following
description made in reference to the attached drawing, given merely
as an indication, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clip according to the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of this clip;
FIG. 3 is a similar view showing its attachment to a watch
bracelet.
Referring to the drawing, it can be seen that the clip, made of
semi-rigid plastic material, but elastically deformable, is
obtained by molding in a single piece.
The clip has three parts: a median part 1 in the form of a trough
whose edges are extended by two branches 2 and 3 capable of being
applied and fixed elastically against one another.
When the two branches 2 and 3 are applied one against the other,
the trough 1 is closed and forms a sheath capable of surrounding
the bar A of the watch.
The keeping of branches 2 and 3 in contact is provided by a device
for mutual coupling formed by hooks 4 projecting from the upper
face of branch 3 arranged facing branch 2 and capable of being
engaged elastically in openings 5 of branch 2 by pressing both said
branches one against the other. To this end, the distances
separating the openings and the center of the trough and those
separating the corresponding hooks and said center are
substantially equal.
The arrangement of branches 2 and 3 with respect to the trough 1 is
such that the two said branches are locked one against the other,
their plane of junction is situated tangentially to the bar A of
the watch.
To this end, the inner face of branch 2 is tangent to the trough,
while the inner face branch 3 is situated in a plane whose distance
separating it from the bottom of said trough is substantially equal
to the diameter of bar A of the watch.
Branch 3 has, on its face opposite hooks 4, teats 6 capable of
traversing holes in the extremity of band B of the bracelet, or its
lining, allowing it to fasten said band to the clip.
In fact, teats 6 constitute rivets whose extremities 7 are
flattened by fusion of the material.
Branch 2 extends beyond the extremity of branch 3 and permits, by a
lever effect, the opening of the clip to free the bar of the
watch.
As is shown in FIG. 3, the clip can be used bare but it can also be
covered with a self sticking tongue forming extension of the outer
covering of the bracelet.
* * * * *