Abstract:
The cufflink comprises at least an end containing a movable part, a shaft and a wing attached to said shaft, wherein the shaft comprises releasing means cooperating with said moving part to allow displacement of said moving part in a protruding position, and the position of said wing being adjustable with respect to said shaft to allow a variation of the length of said shaft.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to Swiss patent application No. 01853/10 filed on Nov. 5, 2010, the content of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety in the present application. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention concerns the field of cufflinks. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0003]    Cufflinks have already been described in different publications of the prior art. U.S. D479.488 discloses an ornamental design for a cufflink which comprises an elongated part rotatably connected to both ends of a central part. Said central part is intended to be inserted in a cuff-hole while the elongated parts are rotated 90 degrees to hold the cuff. 
         [0004]    Another example of the prior art is disclosed in WO 206/111800. In this document, the cufflink comprises an elongated central part, adapted for being inserted in a cuff-hole, a first end part extending from a first extremity of said central part in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said central part, a second end part extending from a second extremity of said central part in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said central part. At least one of said first and second end parts comprises a mobile locking element connected to it, and having an extended locked position and a retracted unlocked position, said locking element protruding or rotating from said end part beyond the corresponding extremity of said central part in the locked position. 
         [0005]    A major drawback of the prior art devices resides in the fact that the known cufflinks are difficult to put on and to remove. They may also be difficult to attach without using both hands and they do not adapt easily to the shirt being worn and in particular to the thickness of the cuffs. 
         [0006]    The aim of the present invention is to propose an improved cufflink which overcomes the above mentioned defects. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The cufflink according to the present invention is defined in the appended claims and it comprises different moving parts allowing fulfilling the intended aim. 
         [0008]    The cufflink according to the invention comprises at least an end part containing a movable part, a shaft to be inserted into a cuff hole of a sleeve and a wing attached to said shaft, wherein the shaft comprises releasing means cooperating with said moving part to allow displacement of said moving part in a protruding position. 
         [0009]    In an embodiment, the release means comprises a release button. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment, the release button extends in the shaft. 
         [0011]    In an embodiment, the moving part is blocked into a non-protruding position when a ball is retained in an inner hole of the shaft. 
         [0012]    In an embodiment, the moving part takes a protruding position by means of a compressed spring released by actuation of the release means. 
         [0013]    In an embodiment, the position of the wing is adjustable with respect to the shaft to allow a variation of the length of the shaft. 
         [0014]    In an embodiment, a free length part of the shaft is modified to a shorter length by rotation of the wing. 
         [0015]    In an embodiment, the shaft part comprises several holes for defining stable positions of the wing as it rotates around its axis. 
         [0016]    In an embodiment, the wing comprises a spring and a ball, and the wing stops rotating around the axis when the spring pushes the ball to enter the holes in the shaft. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The present invention will be better understood from a detailed description and from the annexed drawings in which 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of the cufflink according to the invention in a first state. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a side cut view of the cufflink of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a side cut view of the cufflink in a second state; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of the cufflink in a third state; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a side cut view of the cufflink of  FIG. 1  in the third state; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C and  5 A,  5 B,  5 C illustrate side and front views (cut views for  FIGS. 4C and 5C ) of a specific feature of the cufflink according to the invention; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate different configurations of the cufflink according to the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  illustrates the steps followed to use a cufflink according to the present invention and 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  illustrate a detail of functioning of the cufflink of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    In the following description, identical parts will be identified with the same reference numbers for the sake of clarity. 
         [0028]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the cufflink according to the invention comprises mainly a first end part  1 , a shaft part  2  intended to be inserted in a cuff-hole and fixed to said first part, a wing part  3  fixed in a mobile manner to the shaft  2 , a release button  4  in said shaft  2  and a moving part  5  in said first end part. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates in more details the different parts of the cufflink and their interactions. The end part  1  is hollow and contains at least an inner shaft  1 . 1  supporting spring means  1 . 2 . It also comprises a screw  1 . 3  which is used as a stop to block the movement of the moving part  5  (as will be explained and illustrated later in the present specification). 
         [0030]    The shaft  2  comprises an inner hole which guides the release button  4  (its movements being illustrated by the arrows in  FIG. 1A ), said button  4  comprising a head  4 . 1  and an end  4 . 2 . The shaft is fixed on the part  1  which comprises a hole  1 . 4  allowing the end  4 . 2  of the button  4  to penetrate into the hollow of the end part  1 . More specifically, the moving part  5  also comprises a hollow  5 . 1  which covers the spring means  1 . 2  and a housing  5 . 2  containing a spring  5 . 3  and a ball  5 . 4 , said arrangement being such that the ball  5 . 4  remains in the housing  5 . 2 . 
         [0031]    The wing  3  also comprises a housing  3 . 1  with a spring  3 . 2  and a ball  3 . 3  the use of which will be explained later in the present specification. 
         [0032]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 2A , the moving part  5  is pushed inside the hollow of the end part  1  against the spring  1 . 2  and is blocked in this retracted position by the ball  5 . 4  cooperating with the hole  1 . 4  in the end part  1 . The button  4 , in particular its end  4 . 2  being aligned with the hole  1 . 4 , moving of the button upwards in  FIG. 1A  pushes the ball  5 . 4  into the hole  1 . 4  and into the housing  5 . 2  against the spring  5 . 3  thus allowing the moving part  5  to move in the hollow part of end part  1 . The beginning of movement (to the left) of the moving part  5  illustrated in  FIG. 2A . 
         [0033]      FIGS. 3 and 3A  illustrate the cufflink when the moving part  5  is nearly fully deployed outside the end part  1 , being pushed by spring  1 . 2 . The end of moving part  5  is being maintained inside the hollow of the end part  1  by stop  1 . 3  cooperating with a groove  5 . 5  in the corresponding side of the moving part  5 . 
         [0034]    Since the hollow part  1  containing the moving part  5  only has a single opening from the moving part protrudes, there is less risk that dirt may enter the mechanism. 
         [0035]    In  FIGS. 4A to 4C  and  5 A to  5 C, a specific feature of the cufflink is illustrated and explained. All the parts of the cufflink discussed with reference to the previous figures are illustrated similarly in these  FIGS. 4A to 4C  and  5 A to  5 C and for the sake of simplicity, they will not be discussed again here the focus being put on the different possible positions of the wing  3  illustrated in these figures. 
         [0036]    More specifically,  FIGS. 4B and 4C  correspond to the configurations illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 3A  and reference is made to the corresponding description applies. Focussing now on  FIG. 4A , one has represented here a front view which shows the features allowing a variation of the position of the wing  3 . To this effect, the shaft  2  comprises several holes  2 . 1  to  2 . 5  which are used to define stable positions of the wing  3 . The wing itself is mounted on an axis  6 . 1 , for example a screw  6 . 1  (see  FIG. 5C ) which allows the rotation of the wing from position of  FIG. 4A  (approximately horizontal or perpendicular to the shaft  2 ) to the position of  FIG. 5A  (approximately vertical, or parallel to the shaft  2 ). The holes  2 . 1  to  2 . 5  are used as stops along the rotation of the wing around its axis  6 . 1  by cooperation with the ball  3 . 3  pushed by spring  3 . 2  (see  FIGS. 1A to 3A  and  4 C), the end position of the rotation being set by a stop  6 . 2  cooperating with the groove  2 . 6  of the shaft  2 . 
         [0037]    Accordingly, by rotating the wing  3 , it is possible to vary the free length of the shaft  3  from a length L ( FIG. 4B ) to a length L′ ( FIG. 5B ), this allowing to adjust to the thickness of the materiel forming the cuff or to the size of the wearer or his/her wishes. These configurations are illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , with the shorter length L′ in  FIG. 6A  and the longer length L in  FIG. 6B . 
         [0038]    In  FIG. 7 , the different steps followed to use the cufflink according to the present invention are showed. 
         [0039]    In steps  1  and  2 , the wing  3  is inserted in the cuff-holes  7 . 1  and  7 . 2  respectively. 
         [0040]    Then in steps  3  and  4 , the cufflink is rotated so that the shaft is then inserted in the cuff-holes  7 . 1 ,  7 . 2 . In these steps also, the button  4  and its head  4 . 1  are pressed by the introduction in the cuff-holes (see horizontal arrow in step  3 ) which has the result that the moving part  5  is freed and moves out from the end part  1 , thus helping the rotation of the cufflink as illustrated in steps  3  and  4 . 
         [0041]    Finally, in step  5 , the cufflink is in its final position with the moving part  5  protruding this stabilizing the position of the cufflink. The position of the wing may then be adjusted as illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  described above. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  illustrates two steps used to free the moving part  5  and bring it in a protruding position. In step  1 , the arrow illustrates the action of pressing on the release button  4 , this action allowing the moving part  5  to protrude from the end part  1 . 
         [0043]    To remove the cufflink, the steps illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  are taken in the reverse order, as will a skilled man understand. 
         [0044]    Of course, the different elements and shapes are given above as illustrative examples not to be construed in a limiting manner and modifications are possible in the frame and scope of the present invention. For example, equivalent means may be used. 
         [0045]    Any suitable material may be used for the different parts of the cufflink. Preferably, they are in metal or precious metal. The relative sizes/proportions of the elements are also only given as examples and they may vary.