Abstract:
A mental watch band and the connecting joints used thereof, wherein the joints each includes a first assembly, a second assembly and a decorative cover, a connecting part of a lower drum in the second assembly is connected to a first short fork and a second short fork in the first assembly while a chamber of the decorative cover is clasped into an upper drum, and tightened by the first and second decorative cover clasps. The long fork of the first assembly in one joint is inserted into a groove part of the second assembly in an abutting joint. The abutting joint can be connected together or the abutting joint can be detached. The watch band according to aspects of the present invention can be disassembled quickly and easily, and can be used on many kinds of bands. Advantageously, the watch band provided herein is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority of and the benefit of Chinese patent application No. 200410098872.2 filed on Dec. 13, 2004, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.  
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a watch band. More particularly, it relates to an elastic watch band having links that can easily be attached and detached.  
       BACKGROUND ART  
       [0003]     Watches, as a timer and an ornament, are widely used by people with a typical watch generally comprising a watch panel and a watch band. Usually, the watch band is manufactured with an extended length that can be re-sized r to satisfy the needs of different customers. To re-size the band to fit a certain wrist size, one or more of the watch band joints are removed and then the band is subsequently re-connected to provide a desired fit.  
         [0004]      FIGS. 1A-1D  and  FIGS. 2A-2D  show a disassembly and assembly process of a conventional prior art watch band, respectively.  
         [0005]     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1A-1D , the disassembly process of a typical prior art watch band  20 ′ comprises a number of intricate steps. The first step, as illustrated in  FIG. 1A , the watch band, which comprises at least one joint  10 ′, is placed with its bottom surface facing up. The band is then pulled so that the joints  10 ′ are stretched. The second step, as illustrated in  FIG. 1B , the decorative covers  300 ′ of the watch band  20 ′ are removed and the abutting clasps  12 ′ are bent and separated from the joints  10 ′. The third step, as illustrated in  FIG. 1C , apply a force along the directions indicated by the two arrows F to separate the watch band  20 ′ into two parts. The fourth step, as illustrated in  FIG. 1D , one or more joints  10 ′ are detached in the manner of the third step until a desired number of joints are removed.  
         [0006]     The assembly process of the watch band  20 ′ is shown in  FIGS. 2A-2D . The first step, as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , two parts of the watch band  20 ′ are placed in opposing relationship and attached together. The second step, as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the clasps  12 ′, which separate as mentioned above, are bent to their original configuration and then re-connected together. The third step, as illustrated in  FIG. 2C , the decorative cover  300 ′ is attached. The fourth step, as illustrated in  FIG. 2D , the decorative cover is fixedly connected to the joint  10 ′. Thus, the assembly process of the watch band  20 ′ is finished.  
         [0007]      FIGS. 3A-3C  and  FIGS. 4A-4C  show a disassembly and assembly process of another conventional prior art watch band, respectively.  
         [0008]     The watch band  20 ″ comprises at least one joint  10 ″. The disassembly process of the watch band  20 ″ is shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C . The first step, as illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the elastic sheet  310 ″ of the decorative cover  300 ″ of the watch band  20 ″ is removed. The process of removing the elastic sheet  310 ″ from joint  10 ″ is clearly shown in  FIG. 3B . The second step, as illustrated in  FIG. 3C , the sleigh shaped fork  130 ″ is pulled out from the decorative cover  300 ″, which then separates the watch band  20 ″ into two parts. The third step, the appropriate number of the joints  10 ″ are detached in the same manner by repeating steps  3 B and  3 C. In this way, the disassembly process of the watch band  20 ″ is finished.  
         [0009]     The assembly process of the watch band  20 ″ is shown in  FIGS. 4A-4D . The first step, as illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the disassembled two-part watch band  20 ″ are placed at a right angle to one another, or at some other angle as shown in  FIG. 4A . The second step, as illustrated in  4 B, the decorative cover  300 ″ is connected to the sleigh shaped fork  130 ″. The third step, as illustrated in  FIG. 4C , each joint of the watch band  20 ″ is positioned next to one or more adjacent joints. Then in the fourth step, as illustrated in  FIG. 4D , the elastic sheet  310 ″ is inserted into the decorative cover  300 ″ and, after doing so, the assembly process of the watch band  20 ″ is finished.  
         [0010]     The two prior art conventional watch bands  20 ′ and  20 ″ shown in  FIGS. 1A-4D  have several shortcomings in the manner in which the parts for the watch band are disassembled and assembled.  
         [0011]     Firstly, the disassembly process is very difficult. It requires loosening or pulling out the clasps  12 ′ and the elastic sheets  310 ″ to remove a number of joints from the band for sizing the band to fit an individual. This generally requires special tools possessed only by a skilled artisan, such as a watch repair technician.  
         [0012]     Secondly, after the joints  10 ′ and  10 ″ are disassembled, there are scattered parts (such as, decorative cover  300 ′, elastic sheet  310 ″, and so on) that can easily be lost or misplaced making the band difficult to assemble. Furthermore, some of the parts are very thin and small, which make them impossible, for some people whose fingers are relatively large, to pick up.  
         [0013]     The width of the above-mentioned joints  10 ′ and  10 ″ in the watch band  20 ′ and  20 ″ cannot be made relatively narrower due to mechanical limitations of the conventional technology. Therefore, the watch bands  20 ′ and  20 ″ made from the aforementioned joints  10 ′ and  10 ″ can only be used as men&#39;s watch bands.  
         [0014]     Lastly, the cost of the watch bands  20 ′ and  20 ″ in the conventional art are relatively high due to the complexity of the parts yet they readily deform during pulling tests.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a watch band that has a length that can easily be adjusted.  
         [0016]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a watchband joint that can be disassembled and assembled easily, which overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional watch bands.  
         [0017]     To achieve the above-mentioned objects of the present invention, a watch band is provided with at least one joint, and the joint comprises:  
         [0018]     A first assembly comprising: a upper drum having a chamber of the upper drum, the upper drum comprises a first and a second edge parts that are disposed at the opposite two sides of the upper drum, and a first and a second ends of the upper drum that are disposed at the opposite two ends of the upper drum, a first elastic sheet that is disposed within a decorative cover, a long fork comprising a first end of the long fork and an opposite second end of the long fork, the first end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, and the second end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, a first short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, a second short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, wherein, the first short fork is parallel to the second short fork;  
         [0019]     A second assembly comprising: a lower drum comprising a connecting part, a groove part, and a chamber of the lower drum that is seated between the connecting part and the groove part, a second elastic sheet seating within the chamber of the lower drum;  
         [0020]     A decorative cover comprising a chamber of the decorative cover, and at least one first clasp of the decorative cover and at least one second clasp of the decorative cover, which are seated at the opposite two edges of the chamber of upper drum;  
         [0021]     Wherein the connecting part of the lower drum in the second assembly is connected to the first and the second short forks; and the chamber of the upper drum is attached to the upper drum, and tighten the first and the second clasps of the upper drum.  
         [0022]     The watch band according to the invention comprises at least one joint with the above mentioned structure, within the groove part of the second assembly in one joint can be connected to the long fork of the first assembly in the abutting joint, thus, the adjacent joints can be detachedly connected together. On the contrary, the adjacent joint can be detached when the groove part of the lower drum of the second assembly in one joint is separated from the long fork of the first assembly in the abutting joint.  
         [0023]     At the same time, the invention provides a joint used for the watch band, the joint comprises:  
         [0024]     A first assembly comprising: a upper drum which comprises a chamber of the upper drum, a first and a second edge parts that are disposed at the opposite two sides of the upper drum, and a first and a second ends of the upper drum that are disposed at the opposite two ends of the upper drum, a first elastic sheet within a decorative cover, a long fork comprising a first end of the long fork and a opposite second end of the long fork, the first end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, and the second end of the long fork is seated between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, a first short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the first end of the upper drum, a second short fork seating between the chamber of the upper drum and the first elastic sheet in the second end of the upper drum, wherein, the first short fork is parallel to the second short fork;  
         [0025]     A second assembly comprising: a lower drum comprising a connecting part, a groove part, and a chamber of the lower drum which is seated between the connecting part and the groove part, a second elastic sheet seating within the chamber of the lower drum;  
         [0026]     A decorative cover comprising a chamber of the decorative cover, and at least one first clasp of the decorative cover and at least one second clasp of the decorative cover which are seated at the opposite two edges of the chamber of upper drum;  
         [0027]     Wherein the connecting part of the lower drum in the second assembly is connected to the first and the second short forks; and the chamber of the upper drum is attached to the upper drum, and tighten the first and second clasps of the upper drum.  
         [0028]     The two abutting joints can be jointed together through the groove part of the second assembly in one joint being connected to the long fork of the first assembly in adjacent another joint.  
         [0029]     According to one aspect of the present invention, the two abutting joints can be assembled/disassembled easily through the groove part of the second assembly in one joint being connected to/disconnect with the long fork of the first assembly in adjacent another joint, and the assembly/disassembly process can be operated easily without any help of a special tools.  
         [0030]     According to the second aspect of the present invention, after one joint has been disassembled to resize the band, the remaining joints can be detached without having a plurality of loose parts. Therefore, the parts of the watch band will not be lost, and a user, possessing relatively large fingers, can easily pick up the parts of the watch band and complete the assembly process.  
         [0031]     According to the third aspect of the present invention, the minimal width of the watch band is 6.4 mm. Therefore, the watch band constructed by the joints can be used as men&#39;s watch band, women&#39;s watch band and children&#39;s watch band.  
         [0032]     In addition, the watch bands provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention have excellent performance in anti-pulling bend and twisting tests.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0033]     The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0034]      FIG. 1  shows an assembled view of a watch band as provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention.  
         [0035]      FIGS. 1A-1D  are schematic views showing the disassembly process of a first conventional prior art watch band;  
         [0036]      FIGS. 2A-2D  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first conventional prior art watch band;  
         [0037]      FIGS. 3A-3C  are schematic views showing the disassembly process of a second conventional prior art watch band;  
         [0038]      FIGS. 4A-4D  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the second conventional prior art watch band;  
         [0039]      FIGS. 5A-5B  are schematic views showing various watch band parts of a first assembly provided in accordance with aspects of a first embodiment of the invention and the assembly process thereof, shown in  FIG. 5A  prior to assembly and  FIG. 5B  after assembly;  
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view showing parts of the first assembly and the assembly process thereof in accordance to the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0041]      FIGS. 7A-7B  are schematic views showing some parts of a second assembly and the assembly process thereof in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIG. 7A  prior to assembly and  FIG. 7B  after assembly;  
         [0042]      FIGS. 8A-8B  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first assembly and the second assembly mated together with a decorative cover provided in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIG. 8A  prior to assembly and  FIG. 8B  after assembly;  
         [0043]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view showing ten joints joined together in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0044]      FIGS. 10A-10D  are schematic views showing various watch band parts of a first assembly and the assembly process thereof provided in accordance to a second embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIG. 10A  prior to assembly of the long fork, in  FIG. 10B  after assembly of the long fork, in  FIG. 10C  prior to installation of the long fork with the upper drum, and  FIG. 10D  after assembly into the upper drum;  
         [0045]      FIG. 11  is a schematic view showing parts of the first assembly and the assembly process thereof according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0046]      FIGS. 12A-12D  are schematic views showing some parts in the second assembly and the assembly process thereof according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention, with  FIG. 12A  showing the lower drum from one perspective, in  FIG. 10B  of the same lower drum from another perspective, in  FIG. 10C  of the second elastic sheet, and  FIG. 10D  after assembly of the parts;  
         [0047]      FIGS. 13A-13B  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the first assembly, the second assembly, and the decorative cover according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention, shown in  FIG. 13A  with the decorative cover spaced from the connecting part and in  FIG. 13B  with the decorative cover attached to the connecting part;  
         [0048]      FIG. 14  is a schematic view showing ten joints assembled together according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0049]      FIGS. 15A-15B  are schematic views showing the disassembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the first and the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0050]      FIGS. 16A-16C  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the first embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0051]      FIGS. 17A-17B  are schematic views showing the assembly process of the watch band according to aspects of the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0052]     The preferred embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to explain the invention in greater detail.  
         [0053]     Although various aspects of watch bands are discussed herein in detail in conjunction with a watch panel, the watch bands can be used for different applications, such as an elastic disassembly strip. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments expressly discussed herein. In addition, although the watch bands can be made of stainless steel, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other appropriate material can be used.  
         [0054]     The watch band  20  provided in accordance with aspects of the invention comprises at least one removable joint  10  (See, e.g.,  FIG. 1 ). The watch band according to the invention is configured to connect to the two ends of a watch panel using two connecters (not shown). The connection techniques between the watch panel and the connecters on the two free ends of the watch band  20  are well known in the art and further detailed description is deemed unnecessary.  
         [0055]     Referring now to  FIGS. 5-8 , various parts of a joint  10  and the assembly process thereof used to form a watch band  20  accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention are shown.  FIG. 5  shows parts of a first assembly  100  and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 6  shows additional parts of the first assembly  100  and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 7  shows various parts of the second assembly  200  and the assembly process thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 8  shows the assembly process of the first assembly  100 , the second assembly  200 , and the decorative cover  300  according to the first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0056]     Broadly speaking, the joint  10  comprises a first assembly  100 , a second assembly  200 , and a decorative cover  300 . The first assembly  100  comprises an upper drum  110 , a first elastic sheet  120 , a long fork  130 , a first short fork  140 , and a second short fork  150 . The second assembly  200  comprises a lower drum  210  and a second elastic sheet  220 .  
         [0057]     In detail, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the first assembly  100  comprises an upper drum  100 , which comprises an upper drum chamber  112 , a first edge  114  and second edge  116  of the upper drum chamber  112 , and a first end  118   a  and second end  118   b  of the upper drum chamber  112  ( FIG. 5A ). As shown in the drawings, the upper drum  110  comprises a generally hexahedron shape, and the first edge  114  and the second edge  116  extend a distance toward its center from the opposite sides of the upper drum chamber  112 . The first edge  114  and the second edge  116  are each provided with two cut-outs  400  ( FIG. 5B ). However, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the first edge  114  and the second edge  116  may be formed without the cut-outs. It is preferable that the first and second edges are each formed with two cut-outs  400 , which facilitate bending the first and second edges  114 ,  116  toward the center of the upper drum chamber  112  as well as save raw material that goes into making the upper drum.  
         [0058]     As illustrated in  FIG. 5A , the first assembly  100  comprises a first elastic sheet  120 , which has a generally undulating configuration having two ends  402  raising and a center  404  projecting, and a long fork  130 . The long fork  130  ( FIG. 5A ) comprises a central body section  406  having a first extending end  132  and a second extending end  134 , which are disposed oppositely. The first and the second extending ends  132 ,  134  of the long fork extend a certain distance toward the center of the central body section  406  from the two ends of the central body section  406  of the long fork  130 . As further discussed below, the two extending ends  132 ,  134  and the central body section  406  define a receiving space  408  for receiving the first elastic sheet  120 .  
         [0059]     The first elastic sheet  120  is placed into position inside the receiving space  408  between the first extending end  132  and the second extending end  134  of the long fork  130 . The combination first elastic sheet  120  and long fork  130  is then placed into the upper drum chamber  112  of the upper drum  110  such that the first edge  114  and the second edge  116  of the upper drum  110  are in a clasped relationship with the first elastic sheet  120  ( FIG. 5A ). Thus, the first extending end  132  of the long fork  130  is pressed into position between the first elastic sheet  120  and the upper drum chamber  112  at the first end  118   a  of the upper drum  110  and the second extending end  134  of the long fork  130  is pressed into position between the first elastic sheet  120  and the upper drum chamber  112  at the second end  118   b  of the upper drum  110 . A unit A is obtained thereby, as shown in  FIG. 5B .  
         [0060]     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the first assembly  100  comprises a first short fork  140  and a second short fork  150 , which are both formed with a generally “U” shape configuration. The first short fork  140  and the second short fork  150  can be inserted into unit A as shown in  FIG. 5 , respectively. That is, the first short fork  140  can be inserted into the position between the upper drum chamber  112  of the upper drum  110  and the first elastic sheet  120  at the first end  118   a  of the upper drum and the second short fork  150  can be inserted into position between the upper drum chamber  112  and the second elastic sheet  120  at the second end  118   b  of the upper drum  110 . After the insertion, the first short fork  140  and the second short fork  150  are generally parallel with the long fork  130 .  
         [0061]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , the second assembly  200 , which is part of a joint  10 , comprises a lower drum  210  and a second elastic sheet  220 . The assembly process of the second assembly  200  is shown in  FIG. 7A .  
         [0062]     As shown in the view, the lower drum  210  comprises a connecting part  212 , an opposite groove part  214 , and a lower drum chamber  216  between the connecting part  212  and the opposite groove part  214 . The connecting part  212  extends a distance toward the center of the lower drum chamber  216  from one side of the chamber of the lower drum  216 . The connecting part  212  comprises a first connecting part clasp  212   a  and a second connect part clasp  212   b  disposed oppositely from one another. The center of the opposite groove part  214  has a cut  214   a  thereon. However, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the center of the groove part  214  may be formed without the cut  214   a , although such a cut-out  214   a  is preferable to facilitate assembly of the various parts, which will be described in more detail hereafter.  
         [0063]     The second elastic sheet  220 , which is similar to the first elastic sheet  120 , has a generally arc shape configuration with its two ends  410  raising and the center  412  projecting. The second elastic sheet  220  is configured to be inserted into the lower drum chamber  216 , thus forming unit B, as shown in  FIG. 7B .  
         [0064]     In addition, as illustrated in the  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the joint  10  comprises a decorative cover  300 , which comprises a decorative cover chamber  310 , a first set of decorative cover clasps  320 , and a second set of decorative cover clasps  330 . The functions of the first and second decorative cover clasps  320 ,  330  are the same as the first and second clasps  212   a ,  212   b  of the connecting part  212  of the lower drum  210 . There are two individual first decorative clasps  320  and two individual second decorative cover clasps  330  shown in  FIG. 8A  so as to fix the parts from multiple points on each side or edge  414  of the decorative cover  300 . The other side of the bottom surface  416  of the decorative cover chamber  310  forms a part of the watch band  20  that is exposed to the user or wearer of the watch band. Therefore, the shape of the decorative cover chamber  310  can be any desired shapes such as arc, straight, and curve with traces thereon. To increase the aesthetic appeal of the watch band  20 , other appropriate shapes can be used, such as adding a shape on the exposed surface of the decorative cover chamber  310 , namely, the exposed surface of the decorative cover  300  can be any shape.  
         [0065]     Thereafter, the unit B obtained according to the above process is connected with the first and the second short forks  140 ,  150  ( FIG. 8A ). The exposed parts of the first and the second short forks  140 ,  150  are inserted into the connecting part  212  of the lower drum  210  and are firmly attached to the connecting part  212  of the lower drum  210  through the first and the second connect part clasps  212   a ,  212   b . Thereafter, the first assembly  100  and the second assembly  200  of the joint  10  are connected together.  
         [0066]     Then, as illustrated in  FIG. 8B , the decorative cover  300  is clasped into the bottom of the upper drum  110  after the first assembly  100  is connected with the second assembly  200 . The upper drum  110  is mated with the decorative cover  300  via the first and the second decorative cover clasps  320 ,  330  so as to form a completed joint  10 .  
         [0067]      FIG. 9  shows ten joints  10  joined together side-by-side as provided in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment of the invention to form the watch band  20 . The long fork  130  of the first assembly  100  of the first joint  10  is connected with the groove part  214  of the lower drum  210  of the second assembly  200  in the adjacent joint  10  and so forth to form the chain shown in  FIG. 9 . After connecting an appropriate number of joints  10  to form a band having a desired length, the band has two free ends  418 ,  420 . One end  418  comprises a long fork  130 , and the other end  420  comprises a groove part  214 . Thus, the two ends  418 ,  420  of the watch band  20  can be connected together to form a loop or ring, or can each separately connected to a connecter (not shown) so as to connect the watch band  10  to a watch panel. In one exemplary embodiment, the width of the joint  10  is approximately 15.5 mm.  
         [0068]     The minimal width of the watch band  20  according to aspects of the present invention can be 6.4 mm. Thus, the watch band  20  incorporating a plurality of joints  10  provided in herein can be used as men&#39;s watch bands, women&#39;s watch bands and as children&#39;s watch bands.  
         [0069]      FIGS. 10-14  show a second watch band embodiment provided in accordance with further aspects of the present invention. In detail,  FIGS. 10A-10D  show various parts of a first assembly  100  and the assembly process thereof according to the second embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 11  shows additional parts of the first assembly  100  and the assembly process thereof according to the second embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 12A-12D  show various parts of the second assembly  200  and the assembly process thereof according to second embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 13A-13B  show the assembly process of the first assembly  100 , the second assembly  200 , and the decorative cover  300  according to the second embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 14  shows ten joints  10  joined together side-by-side according to the second embodiment of the invention. In one exemplary embodiment, the minimal width of the watch band  20  of the second embodiment can be 6.4 mm.  
         [0070]     The assembly process of the plurality of joints  10  forming the watch band  20  of the second embodiment of the invention is the same as the first embodiment. Accordingly, certain detailed assembly description will be omitted. As illustrated in  FIGS. 10A-10D , the upper drum  110  has a generally hexahedron shape having a first edge  114  and a second edge  116 . The first edge  114  and the second edge  116  both extend inwardly a distance toward its center  422  from the two sidewalls  424  of the upper drum  110 . The first edge  114  and the second edge  116  are each provided with a spaced cut  426 . As compared to the first embodiment ( FIGS. 5-9 ), there is fewer number of cuts  426  incorporated in the first edge  114  and the second edge  116  of upper drum  110 . Thus, the width of the upper drum  110  measured from the first end  118   a  to the second end  118   b  is decreased and the width of the watch band  20 , after assembling the various joints together, similarly decreased. In one exemplary embodiment, the width of the watch band  20  can be about 6.4 mm.  
         [0071]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12A-12D , the lower drum  210  comprises a connecting part  212 , a groove part  214 , and a lower drum chamber  216  bounded, at least in part, by the connecting part  212  and the groove part  214 . In one exemplary embodiment, the connecting part  212  extends a distance toward the center  428  from one side of the lower drum chamber  216  and comprises a first connecting part clasp  212   a  and a second connecting part clasp  212   b  that are oppositely disposed and having a projection  218  at approximately the center thereof. The groove part  214  also extends a distance toward the center  428  of the lower drum chamber  216  from another side of the lower drum  216 . In addition, the lower drum  210  is provided with two convex lines  218   a  on the back surface  430  of the lower drum chamber  216 . In one exemplary, the two convex lines are parallel to one another.  
         [0072]     As illustrated in the  FIGS. 13A and 13B , the decorative cover  300  comprises a decorative cover chamber  310 , a first decorative cover clasp  320  disposed in between a first two projections  320   a , and a second decorative cover clasp  330  disposed between a second two projections  330   a . The two clasps  320 ,  330  are formed on two side walls  432  of the decorative cover  310 . The functions of the first decorative cover clasp  320  and the second decorative cover clasp  330  are the same as the first connecting part clasp  212   a  and the second connecting part clasp  212   b  of the connecting part  212  of the lower drum  210  ( FIG. 12 ). The two sets of projections  320   a ,  330   a  formed on the two side walls  432  of the decorative cover  300  are configured to cooperate with the convex lines  218   a  on back surface  430  of the lower drum  210 .  
         [0073]     As previously discussed, because the width of each part of a joint  10  according to the second embodiment decreases, the width of the watch band  20  can be about 6.4 mm wide after being assembled. The watch band  20  with a width of 6.4 mm is shown in  FIG. 14 .  
         [0074]      FIGS. 15A-15B  show the disassembly process of the watch band  20  according to the first and the second embodiments of the invention. As the disassembly process of the watch band  20  according to the first embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, only the disassembly process of the watch band  20  according to the first embodiment will be discussed. As illustrated in  FIG. 15A , the watch band  20  according to aspects of the present invention is first folded into a first part  434 , a second part  436 , and a third part  438 , having one or more joints  10  to be removed. The third part  438  forms a certain angle relative to the first part  434  and the second part  436 , for example, about 45°. A force is then applied to one of the joints  10 , and more particularly to a long fork  130  of a first assembly  100 , in the direction of the arrow F. The force will cause one joint  10  to separate from the groove part  214  of the second assembly  200  of the adjacent joint  10 . Thereafter, the watch band  20  will be separated into two parts  434 ,  436 , as illustrated in  FIG. 15B . To remove additional joints, the above-described process is repeated until a desired number of joints  10  are removed.  
         [0075]      FIGS. 16A-16C  show the assembly process of the watch band  20  according to the first embodiment of the invention, which is the same as for the second embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 16A , the two disassembled parts  434 ,  436  of watch band  20  are placed at an angle of about 90° from one another or at some angle to permit a long fork  130  of the first assembly  100  in one joint  10  to clasp into a groove part  214  of a second assembly  200  in the adjacent joint  10 . Thereafter, as illustrated in  FIG. 16B , the two disassembled parts  434 ,  436  of watch band  20  are rotated in the directions of the two arrows until the two parts of the watch band  20  are coupled and aligned as a single line or band. At this point, as illustrated in  FIG. 16C , the two parts  434 ,  436  of the watch band  20  are twisted or tussled so as to slide the long fork  130  into the groove part  214  and connect the two together. Finally, the watch band is pulled by grabbing the two free ends  418 ,  420  to confirm the connection.  
         [0076]      FIGS. 17A-17B  show the assembly process of the watch band  20  according to the second embodiment of the invention, which is the same as the assembly process of the watch band  20  according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The two disassembled parts  434 ,  436  of the watch band  20  are placed at an angle to one another, such as a 90° angle. The long fork  130  of the first assembly  100  in one joint  10  is then clasped into the groove part  214  of the second assembly  200  in the adjacent joint  10 . Thereafter, the two parts of the watch band  20  are rotated until the two parts of the watch band  20  are aligned in a single line or band, as illustrated in  FIG. 17A . As illustrated in  FIG. 17B , the watch band  20  is then pushed upward in the direction of the arrow so that the first or the second convex sheet  320   a  or  330   a  (See, e.g.,  FIG. 12B ) is connected to the convex line  218   a . The lower drum  210  concurrently moves upward to force the long fork  130  downward. The elastic sheet  220  ( FIG. 12C ) will be compressed and the long fork  130  will enter into position between the lower drum  210  and the elastic sheet  220 . The long fork  130  is thus connected with the groove part  214  of the lower drum  210 . Finally, the watch band is pulled to confirm the connection.  
         [0077]     The watch bands  20  according to aspects of the present invention and the joints  10  used thereof are made of stainless steel.  
         [0078]     The watch bands  20  according to aspects of the present invention can be connected/disconnected by manipulating the groove part  214  of the lower drum  210  in the second assembly  200  of one joint  10  to clasp with/separated from the long fork  130  of the first assembly  100  of the adjacent joint  10  to adjust the length of the band  20 . Thus, the length of the watch band  20  can be adjusted by the user my merely manipulating a groove part  214  and a long fork  130  of two joints.  
         [0079]     In addition, when a joint  10  of the watch band  20  provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention is removed from the band, the various parts of the removed joint and the remaining joints will not separate from one another to risk being misplaced. Furthermore, the joints are easy to pick up and manipulate.  
         [0080]     Furthermore, the minimal width of the joint  10  can be 6.4 mm. Thus, the watch band  20  formed by the joints  10  can be used as men&#39;s watch bands, as women&#39;s watch bands, and as children&#39;s watch bands.  
         [0081]     Watch bands according to aspects of the present invention perform well against pulling, bending, and twisting, and yet relatively inexpensive to produce.  
         [0082]     A test report provided by the China Quality Assurance Lab for the watch bands according to aspects of the present invention includes the following information:  
         [0083]     Pulling test (4.5 kg max)  
         [0084]     Equipment-fixtures simulating spring bar connection with force gage/dial indicator, gage pins.  
         [0085]     Samples shall be attached to force gage and apply the force to 4.5 kg (max).  
         [0086]     Acceptance criteria—no broken or distortion of the band allowed once force is released. Samples must be functional and meet the above static load requirements.  
         [0087]     Flex test (2 k cycles)  
         [0088]     Equipment—a motorized cyclical fixture that applies tension-release-tension on attachment simulating customer removal/return of attachment to wrist.  
         [0089]     Each sample shall be subjected to a two-thousand (2,000) cycle test.  
         [0090]     Upon completion, attachment will be evaluated for wear/durability resistance to known standard expectations.  
         [0091]     Extended Flex test (10 k cycles)  
         [0092]     Same as the Flex test requirement, but increase to a ten-thousand (10,000) cycle test.  
         [0093]     Remove/assembly adjustable link test (5 times)—engage/disengage work instruction is required for customers.  
         [0094]     Pull test/flex test after remove/assembly links.  
         [0095]     Twist test  
         [0096]     Samples shall be subjected a 70 degree twist across a span of 5.9 inches (150 mm) without damage, unfolding, separation of leakage.  
         [0097]     While aspects of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.