HK1007673B - Articulated bracelet, particularly for watches - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a bracelet with links, particularly for watches, and in particular a bracelet with an inner chain of links on which ceramic decorative elements are threaded.

The FR 2 633 164 already contains a bracelet with an inner chain made up of articulated links on which decorative elements are placed.

The links of the chain each have a central part from which two side arms protrude and are connected to each other by a hinge device that includes the nesting of the central part of one link between the arms of the next link. The central part and arms of each link are equipped with holes for receiving connection axes that pivotally connect the links to each other. In addition, the bracelet has a plurality of decorative elements arranged side by side threaded on the inner chain and partially surrounding the latter. The connection braces protrude the lateral sides of the inner chain and cooperate with braces arranged respectively in the inner portions of the decorative elements.

In a second embodiment described in this document the ends of the connecting axes cooperate with through-hole holes made in the sides of the decorative elements to hold or block the decorative elements on the inner chain.

Although the construction of means of holding or blocking decorative elements on the inner chain by means of connecting shafts is in itself effective, it has some disadvantages.

The fact that the decorative elements are pierced almost excludes the possibility of choosing hard materials such as ceramics, which are currently very popular, if one does not want to increase the price of the bracelet prohibitively by carrying out expensive machining or molding operations on the decorative elements.

Moreover, these perforations remain visible after the bracelet is fitted and affect the overall aesthetics of the bracelet, which is contrary to the general aim of bracelet manufacturing, which is to make the bracelet as attractive as possible for the consumer.

The purpose of the invention is therefore to overcome the disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art by providing a bracelet construction with decorative elements, which allows in particular the use of hard materials for the realization of decorative elements without significantly increasing the cost price of the bracelet, on the one hand, and without prejudice to its aesthetic appearance, on the other.

For this purpose, the invention is a bracelet as defined in claim 1 of the patent.

According to another aspect of the invention, the invention also concerns a bracelet as defined by claim 9.

The preamble to claims 1 and 9 is based on the way the bracelet is made as shown in Figure 1 of FR 2 633 164.

These characteristics make it possible to make a bracelet with a chain of links on which a variety of decorative elements are placed and in which these elements are held in place on the inner chain by means which are not visible from the outside of the bracelet and which therefore do not affect its aesthetic appearance in any way.

It should also be noted that, advantageously, the decorative elements are only fitted with a passage to be threaded onto the inner chain so that they can be made directly by injection or by pressing and sintering.

Another important point to be noted is that the design of the bracelet with links according to the invention does not complicate its fitting or its shortening or its lengthening.

Other advantages and features of the invention will be clearly seen by reading the following description of the means of realisation of the invention, given for illustrative and non-limiting purposes in conjunction with the drawings annexed to this invention, among which: Figure 1 is a split perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention;Figure 2 is a partially cut up view of the embodiment of the bracelet according to the invention as shown in Figure 1 as the bracelet is assembled;Figure 3 is a cut-up view according to line III-III of Figure 2 of a first embodiment of the invention;Figure 4 is a split up view of an inner link comprising the first embodiment of the bracelet according to the invention;Figure 5 is a split up view of the arrow V of Figure 4;Figure 6 is a split up perspective view of the means of locking the decorative elements on the first inner chain according to the embodiment of the bracelet according to the invention;Figure 7 is a split up view according to line VII of an element of the invention;Figure 8 is a split up view of an inner link comprising the first embodiment of the bracelet according to the invention;Figure 9 is a split up view of the second embodiment of Figure 12;Figure 12 is a split up view according to the third embodiment of the bracelet according to Figure 12;Figure 13 is a split up view according to Figure 12;Figure 12 is a split up view from Figure 9 to Figure 13;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 12 of the invention;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 12 to Figure 13;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 12;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13;Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13 is a split up view from Figure 13

The first method of making the bracelet according to the invention described in general reference 1 is shown by reference to Figures 1 to 11. This bracelet 1 has an inner chain 2 consisting of 4 identical articulated links on which are threaded a plurality of decorative elements 6 of which only two have been represented in Figure 1.

Each link 4 has a central part 8 comprising a front edge 10 and a rear edge 12 relative to the position of the link in Figures 1 and 4. Two side arms 14 protrude from the front edge 10 of the central part. These arms 14 extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet, represented by the axis 16 in the drawing, and are offset laterally relative to the L-width of the central part 8. The latter has, on its rear edge 12 and noticeably in its centre, an obvious 18 forming on either side of the latter of the projections 20. The side arms 14 and projections 20 are respectively traversed by pinholes 22, 24 extending along the joint axes 26 of a link relative to its neighboring link.

As can be seen particularly in Figures 1 and 5, the central part 8 of each link has a face 28 which is lowered relative to the plane M through the axes of junction 26 and represented by a mixed line in Figure 5.

It is clear that the centre part 8 is not limited to the rectangular shape shown in the drawing and may have other configurations. In this respect, the centre part 8 may, according to one variant, not include the clearance 18.

The links 4 are connected to each other by means of a hinge assembly device, which in the example shown in Figure 1 involves the nesting of the centre part 8 between the side arms 14 of the next link, combined with the placement of the pins 30 in holes 22, 24.

Referring to Figure 3, it can be seen that, according to an important feature of this bracelet design, the distance between the 26th axis of the 22nd and 24th holes of a link is such that when the central part 8 of this link is nested and articulated between the side arms 14 of its neighbouring link, the ends 32, 34 of the arms 14 which face it delimit a free space 36.

This free space 36 in connection with the housing formed by the lowering of the face 28 provides a means of fitting for a blocking or restraining element 38 the decorative elements in relation to the inner chain 2 which is shown in Figure 1 first in a position on the chain 2 and a second time in a position in which it is ready to be set up above the chain 2.

In particular, referring to Figures 6 to 8, it is seen that the block element 38 has the general configuration of a C which has a central branch 40 and two side branches 42 forming side protrusions.

The dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 16 of the clearance is substantially equal to the width L of the central part 8 of the links. Furthermore, the longitudinal dimension of the central branch 40 of the locking elements 28 is substantially less than the longitudinal dimension of the lowered side 28 of the links 4.

Finally, according to another important feature of the invention, the side branches 42 of the locking element 38 parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet extend, in a direction perpendicular to the latter, beyond the side arms 14.

Referring now also to Figures 9 to 11, we see a decorative element 6 which has the general configuration of a rectangular parallelepiped with two large opposite sides 46, 48 having a generally flat face, two small opposite sides 50, 52 having a convex round face and two other small opposite sides having a concave round face 54, called front face, and a convex round face 56, called rear face, respectively.

The large sides 46, 48 and the small sides 50, 52 extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet while the other two small sides 54, 56 extend in a direction perpendicular to the latter.

This decorative element 6 also comprises a passage 58 of oblong shape with a shoulder 60 and thus comprises a first part 62 of a first width L1 leading from the front side of 54 and a second part 64 of a second width L2 lower than the first leading from the rear side of 56, the H-height of passage 58 being the same in the first and second parts of the latter and considerably higher than the E-thickness of the links of the chain 2.

According to another feature of the invention, the R-rays of the front and rear faces 54, 56 of the decorative elements are identical and the length of the second part of the passage is such that the distance D between the axes of junction 26 and the apex of the rounded rear face 56 is substantially equal to the R-ray when the decorative elements are installed on the inner chain 2.

In this respect it should be noted that the structure defined above allows a seamless connection between the decorative elements when the links 4 are pivoted around the pins 30.

In addition, the D-distance is easily adjustable by changing the shape of the locking element 38, for example by changing the length of its branches 42.

Decorative element 6 can be made from a wide variety of materials, preference being given in the example above to a ceramic element which is rich in appearance and can be sintered to sufficiently precise dimensions so that it is no longer necessary to re-use them except for polishing.

It should be noted that, according to the structure of the bracelet of the invention, the traction exerted on the bracelet is transferred only to the inner chain and that the decorative elements do not undergo any such traction. This is of course particularly advantageous if a fragile material such as ceramic is used for these decorative elements.

Although in the example shown the decorative elements completely surround the inner chain, these elements may, according to a variant of design, cover only part of the chain and, for example, include only a top part covering the entire inner chain and two side parts covering the side edges of the chain respectively.

To mount the bracelet described in detail, the following procedure is followed: the inner chain 2 is formed to the desired length by nesting the links 4 and connecting them together by means of the conventional 30 pins, after which a first locking element 38 is placed on the chain 2, the face of the branch 40 with the gap 44 being directed towards the face 28 of the link 4. A first decorative element 6 can then be threaded through the part of the 62 58.The decoration element 6 is then held in a correct position and the next blocking element can be arranged and the associated decoration element threaded. The same procedure is followed for the assembly of the following decoration elements up to the last decoration element. According to one method of manufacture, each side 50, 52 of the last decoration element is provided with a drill into which one of the ends of a pin is penetrated which runs laterally beyond the 14 branches of the last link 8.

Reference now to Figure 12 shows a second method of making a bracelet with links according to the invention in which the elements identical to those described above are designated by the same numerical references.

In this embodiment, while the decorative element 6 is identical to that described in conjunction with Figures 1 to 11, the locking element 70 has the configuration of a bar fitted on one of its large faces 72 of a protruding organ 74, and each link 4 forming the inner chain 2 has an opening 76 intended to cooperate with the said protruding organ 74. The protruding organ 74 is arranged substantially in the middle part of the bar 70 and the opening 76 is spared in the lowered face 28 of each link 4.

Of course, the thickness of bar 70 is such that when arranged on its associated link, the total thickness of the assembly does not exceed the largest thickness of the link.

Reference to Figure 13 shows a third method of making a bracelet with links according to the invention in which the elements identical to those described above are designated by the same numerical references.

In this third embodiment, the central branch 40 of each locking element 38 has in its middle part a projection 80 which extends between the branches 42 of the locking element 38 and is considerably receding from their ends.

In this case, the locking element 38 can be easily made, for example by moulding, from a synthetic material, which makes it possible to reduce the weight of the bracelet considerably while maintaining a good rigidity of the inner chain.

In the variant of this third method of manufacture shown in Figures 14 and 15, the protruding part 80 of each block element comprises in its central part and on part of its thickness a groove 84 which runs parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet. The groove 84 is intended to cooperate with a groove 86 reserved for this purpose on a wall 88 of the passage 58 of the decorative element 6 to which it is associated and this along its entire length.

Although the invention has been described in connection with two preferred embodiments, other variations and modifications such as changes in shape or dimensions may appear to the professional without going beyond the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims (13)

1. Bracelet (1) including an inner chain (2) made up of articulated links (4) extending in a longitudinal direction (16), each link including a central part (8) from which two lateral arms (14) project and said links being coupled together by a hinge arrangement which includes insertion of the central part (8) of a link (4) between the lateral arms (14) of the following link, said central part (8) and said lateral arms (14) being provided with holes (22, 24) for receiving pins (30) pivotally coupling said links (4) one after the other, said bracelet (1) further including a plurality of decorative elements (6) arranged side by side, strung onto the inner chain (2) and at least partially surrounding such latter, and blocking means for each decorative element (6) relative to the inner chain, characterized in that each said blocking means comprises a blocking element (38) positioned on said inner chain (2), said blocking element (38) comprising two projecting parts (42) extending laterally beyond said lateral arms (14) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet (1), each decorative element (6) comprising a passage (58) provided with a shoulder (60), said shoulder being brought to bear against said projecting parts (42) of the blocking element (38) when such latter is arranged on the inner chain (2) and the decorative element (6) is strung onto the inner chain (2).
2. Bracelet according to claim 1, characterized in that the blocking elements (38) are positioned on the inner chain (2) by nesting means (44, 28).
3. Bracelet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the facing ends (32, 34) of the lateral arms (14) of two successive links (4) of the inner chain bound a free space (36).
4. Bracelet according to claim 3, characterized in that each said blocking element (38) has the form of a C which exhibits a central limb (40) and two lateral limbs (42) respectively forming said projecting parts and in that said central limb (40) extends over the central part (8) of the link (4), said projecting parts fitting into said free spaces (36).
5. Bracelet according to claim 4, characterized in that the central limb (40) of the blocking element (38) as well as a portion of the central part (8) of the link onto which it is fitted each comprise a recess (44, 28).
6. Bracelet according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the blocking element has a centrally located projection (80) which extends between the lateral limbs (42) for cooperating with a predetermined oblong recess (82) in central part (8) of the link (2).
7. Bracelet according to claim 6, characterized in that the blocking element comprises centrally and on one side of its thickness a groove (84) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet for cooperating with a rib (86) located on a wall (88) of the passage (58) of the decorative element (6) to which it is associated to form means of centering the decorative elements (6) on the interior chain (2).
8. Bracelet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said projecting parts (42) exhibits a cross-section having a half-moon form with their rectilinear parts facing one another.
9. Bracelet (1) including an inner chain (2) made up of articulated links (4) extending in a longitudinal direction (16), each link including a central part (8) from which two lateral arms (14) project and said links being coupled together by a hinge arrangement which includes insertion of the central part (8) of a link (4) between the lateral arms (14) of the following link, said central part (8) and said lateral arms (14) being provided with holes (22, 24) for receiving pins (30) pivotally coupling said links (4) one after the other, said bracelet (1) further including a plurality of decorative elements (6) arranged side by side, strung onto the inner chain (2) and at least partially surrounding such latter, and blocking means for each decorative element (6) relative to the inner chain, characterized in that each said blocking means comprises a blocking element (70) positioned on said inner chain (2), said blocking element (70) having the form of a bar provided on one of its large faces with a projecting member (74), in that the links (4) forming the inner chain (2) exhibit an opening (76) cooperating with said projecting member (74), and in that each decorative element (6) comprises a passage (58) provided with a shoulder (60), said shoulder being brought to bear against said end parts of said blocking element (70) when such latter is arranged on the inner chain (2) and the decorative element (6) is strung onto the inner chain (2).
10. Bracelet according to claim 9, characterized in that the blocking element has the form of a bar (70) which fits into a recess (28) provided in the central part (8) of the link.
11. Bracelet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said passage (58) exhibits an oblong cross-section.
12. Bracelet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decorative elements (6) completely surround said inner chain (2).
13. Bracelet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decorative elements (6) are of ceramic.