Abstract:
A portable watch and band is provided which is capable of being worn on various parts of the body and secured to other objects. The watch and band assembly has an articulated folding mechanism wherein the watch forms an element of the folding mechanism. The band is removable from the folding mechanism and is expandable. Both the folding mechanism and the expandable band serve to fix the assembly around various sizes of body parts or other objects.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to watches and other portable watches and more particularly to an improved articulating band mechanism for use in such watches.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Tri-part articulated watch bands are known in the art. Such a band is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,542 as having three elements which are pivotally connected to each other so that in a closed position they fold over each other in zig zag pattern to draw the watch band closed. The clasp is typically provided on one of the elements and locks with the catch on the element is folded onto.  
           [0003]    An improvement to the basic tri-part articulated watch band is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,604 wherein the first part of the device is shaped to receive and partially protect the watch. The first part is formed of two parts that rotate and fold over each other. The third part also folds over the first two and is disposed beneath the first two so that the articulated device cannot be seen as it is hidden behind watch body.  
           [0004]    It is desirable to produce a portable watch which is capable of being secured to various parts of the body such as hands, fingers, or wrists and around other tubular components such as handle bars, steering wheels, or other assemblies. A problem exists with the known tri-part watch bands in that they are not adjustable for large variations in band size and they are not typically separable to allow installation on other components. For example, such wrist bands are not easily adaptable for wearing on hands or fingers. Also, such wrist bands are not separable to allow installation around other closed components such as a steering wheel or tubular constructions on a bike or motorcycle.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0005]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a portable watch and band which is capable of being worn on various parts of the body and secured to other objects. This and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a watch and band assembly having an articulated folding mechanism wherein the watch forms an element of the folding mechanism. The band is removable from the folding mechanism and is expandable. Both the folding mechanism and the expandable band serve to fix the assembly around various sizes of body parts or other objects. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures of which:  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a watch according to the invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the watch of FIG. 1 in an open position.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  of FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 having the folding mechanism in a partially open position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 having the folding mechanism in an open position.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a first alternate embodiment wherein the folding mechanism is disengaged from the watch.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a second alternate embodiment wherein the folding mechanism is disengaged.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the third alternate embodiment wherein the folding mechanism is disengaged from the band.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line  9 - 9  of FIG. 7.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  10 - 10  of FIG. 8  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of fourth alternate embodiment in which the folding mechanism contains openings for the watch face.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the fourth alternate embodiment in an open position.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line  13 - 13  of FIG. 11.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 13 having the folding mechanism in a partially open position.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 16 shows a fifth alternate embodiment wherein the watch is temporarily fixed to the band beneath the watch face. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    The watch  10  according to the present invention will now be described generally with reference to FIG. 1. The watch  10  consists of two major components. A face  12  is connected to a band  20  at two locations to form the watch  10 . The face  12  includes a watch mechanism and a housing. The face  12  may include any type of watch mechanism such as the digital or analog mechanism. Referring to FIG. 2,8 can be seen that the band  20  consists of three major sections which form an articulating mechanism. The first leg  22  is connected to the face  12  by a pin  36  (FIG. 3). The first leg  22  has a pin receiving barrel  38  at a first end and a hinge portion  29  formed at a second end. The second leg  24  extends from the first leg  21  and has hinge portion&#39;s  28 ,  30  formed at both ends. A catch  32  extends outward from the second leg near a hinge portion  30 . A strap  26  connects one end of the face  12  with the second leg  24 . To strap  26  may be formed of either a solid or flexible material and is preferably flexible and expandable to allow a tight fit around various size body parts or other objects. For example, the watch  10  may be fixed around a thumb, other fingers, a wrist, or handle bars of a bicycle or motorcycle. The strap  26  is connected to the face  12  by a pin  36  passing through an opening in the strap  26  as best shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0023]    Operation of the watch  10  and band  20  assembly will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS.  4  an  5 . Referring first to FIG. 5, the assembly is shown in the fully open position wherein both the first and second legs  22 , 24  are fully extended and urged into this open position as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5. To close the assembly, the first leg  22  is first rotated toward the face  12  as shown in FIG. 4. The second leg  24  is then rotated toward the first leg  22 . It should be noted here that the underside of the face  12 , the first leg  22 , and the second leg  24  are contoured to fit over each other. The second leg  24  is further rotated until the catch  32  engages the pin receiving barrel  38  of the first leg  22 . Once the catch  32  engages the pin receiving barrel  38 , the assembly is secured in the fully closed position as shown in FIG. 3. It should be noted that both legs  22 , 24  are fully concealed in this position.  
         [0024]    The first alternate embodiment  110  will now be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the interface between the first leg  122  and the face  112  has a slightly different configuration. The second leg  24  and the strap  26  are the same as the first embodiment shown in FIGS.  1 - 4 . The first leg  122 , however, is modified to have a hook  138  in place of the pin receiving barrel  38 . The hook  138  is profiled to engage the hook engaging member  136  formed on the underside of the face  112 . The hook engaging member  136  is preferably formed as a rod extending between ends of the face  112 . The hook engaging member  136  may alternatively be a projection or recess which is complementary to and receives the hook  138 . This arrangement allows for the alternate watch  110  to be removed from a solid object by disengagement of the hook  138  from the hook engaging member  136 . Also, recall that the strap  26  may be expandable to allow a tight fit over various size body parts or objects. This embodiment is especially useful for securing the alternate watch  110  to handle bars of a bicycle or motorcycle.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 7 shows a second alternate embodiment  210  in which the hinge portion  29  of the first embodiment is replaced with the hook  229 . Here, the same functionality as shown in FIG. 6 is achieved however the disengagement point is moved from one end of the first leg  222  to the opposite end. FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the hook  229  and the hook engaging portion  228  of the second leg  224 . These parts engage similar to those described with reference to FIG. 6.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 8 shows a third alternate embodiment  310  in which the hinge portion  30  of the second leg  24  is replaced by a hook  330 . The hook  330  engages a hook engaging portion  325  on the strap  326 . Disengagement allow separation of the second leg  324  from the strap  326 . The engagement and disengagement of these parts is similar to that described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 10 shows in further detail the hook  330  and the hook engaging section  325 .  
         [0027]    FIGS.  11 - 15  show a fourth alternate embodiment  410  in which the first and second legs  422 , 424  fold over the top surface of the face  412  instead of being concealed on the underside of the face  12  as was shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1. The first leg  422  is contoured to match the upper surface of the face  412 . An opening  423  is formed in the first leg  422 . The opening  423  is shaped to receive a portion of the face  412 . The first leg  422  is hinged at both ends wherein a first end is hinged to the face  412  while a second end is hinged to the second leg  424  forming an articulating mechanism. Proximate the hinge connecting to the second leg  424 , a catch  432  extends toward the face  412 . The second leg  424  is similarly contoured to fit over the first leg  422  and has an opening  425  formed therein. The opening  425  is formed to be in alignment with the opening  423  when the legs are in a closed position as shown best in FIGS. 11 and 13. This articulating mechanism is similarly opened and closed as the one described in the previous embodiments of FIGS.  4  an  5 .  
         [0028]    Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15 opening and closing the articulating mechanism will be described in greater detail. FIG. 15 shows the watch  410  in a fully open position wherein the legs  422 , 424  and the face  412  are fully extended. As the second leg  424  is occurs in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 14, the articulating the mechanism begins to close. The second leg  424  first contacts the first leg  422  and then both are urged further toward the face  412  until the catch  432  engages the engaging member  413  on the face  412  to secure the assembly in a closed position as best shown in FIG. 13.  
         [0029]    A fifth alternate embodiment  510  is shown in FIG. 16. In this embodiment, the watch  510  has a face  512  secured to a strap  526  at a first end. The opposite end of the strap  526  has a fastening material  527  disposed on its surface. This fastening material may be VELCRO or other suitable tacky material. Similarly, complementary fastening material  528  is position on the underside of the face  512 . The strap  526  may be flexible or rigid depending upon the application and is removable from the face  512  at the fastening material interface  527 ,  528 . It should be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art that this fastening feature could be combined with the articulating mechanisms of the other embodiments. For example VELCRO could be used in place of a catch shown in the previously described embodiments  
         [0030]    An advantage of the present invention is that a portable watch is provided for use on various size objects and body parts such as a thumb, fingers, the wrist, handle bars, or other devices. This is made possible because the strap is made to be flexible to adapt to various size members and in some embodiments, the strap is removable from the face to allow the watch to be easily removed from a closed member.