Title: Wristband or bracelet adjustable in length, in particular a watchband, including an electrical conductor embedded in its thickness
Abstract: There is disclosed a wristband for a portable electronic instrument including at least a first wristband strand (50) including outer and inner faces and one end (50A) of which is intended to be fixed to a case of a portable electronic instrument, this first wristband strand (50) including, housed between said outer and inner faces, an electric conductor including a conductive plate (10) of elongated shape arranged longitudinally in said first wristband strand (50). The conductive plate (10) includes a plurality of electric contact zones (30) with the conductive plate (10) distributed longitudinally over the first wristband strand, the first wristband strand (50) being arranged to be cut with the conductive plate (10) along several transverse cutting lines arranged in each portion located between two adjacent electric contact zones (30).
Patent Number: 6,960,016 Issued on 11/01/2005 to Apothéloz, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Apothéloz; David (Corcelles, CH);
Oian; Nicolas (St-Blaise, CH);
Clerc; Nicolas (Le Locle, CH)
|
| Assignee:
|
The Swatch Group Mangement Sevices AG (Biel, CH)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
891526 |
| Filed:
|
July 15, 2004 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
368/282; 224/165; 343/718; 343/720; 455/344 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G04B 037/00; A44C 005/00; H01Q 001/12; H04B 001/06 |
| Field of Search: |
368/10,47,281,282
224/165
343/718,720
455/344
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4303109 | Dec., 1981 | Cohen.
| |
| 4754285 | Jun., 1988 | Robitaille.
| |
| 5014040 | May., 1991 | Weaver et al.
| |
| 5134724 | Jul., 1992 | Gehring et al.
| |
| 5135694 | Aug., 1992 | Akahane et al.
| |
| 5152693 | Oct., 1992 | Matsui et al.
| |
| 5526006 | Jun., 1996 | Akahane et al.
| |
| 6619835 | Sep., 2003 | Kita.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 604 597 | Sep., 1978 | CH.
| |
| 125 930 | Nov., 1984 | EP.
| |
| 126 629 | Nov., 1984 | EP.
| |
| WO 86/0364/5 | Jun., 1986 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Miska; Vit W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sughrue Mion, PLLC
Claims
1. A wristband for a portable electronic instrument including at least a first
wristband strand including outer and inner faces and one end of which is intended
to be fixed to a case of said portable electronic instrument, this first wristband
strand including, housed between said outer and inner faces, an electric conductor
including a conductive plate of elongated shape arranged longitudinally in said
first wristband strand,
wherein said electric conductor includes a plurality of electric contact zones
with said conductive plate distributed longitudinally over said first wristband
strand,
said first wristband strand being arranged to be cut with said conductive plate
along several transverse cutting lines arranged in each portion located between
two adjacent electric contact zones.
2. A wristband according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said outer and inner
faces of the first wristband strand is provided with transverse markers arranged
on said cutting lines to facilitate the cutting of said first wristband strand.
3. A wristband according to claim 1, including a second wristband strand identical
to the first wristband strand, said first and second wristband strands being attached
to each other by a wristband fastening device assuring an electric connection between
the conductive plates housed in said first and second wristband strands.
4. A wristband according to claim 2, including a second wristband strand identical
to the first wristband strand, said first and second wristband strands being attached
to each other by a wristband fastening device assuring an electric connection between
the conductive plates housed in said first and second wristband strands.
5. A wristband according to claim 3, wherein said first and second strands have
substantially identical lengths after cutting.
6. A wristband according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the first wristband
strand is attached to a wristband fastening device,
wherein said first wristband strand includes a plurality of orifices arranged
transversely between said outer and inner faces of the wristband to access electrically
said electric contact zones with said conductive plate,
and wherein the wristband fastening device is electrically connected to one of
said electric zones with said conductive plate via an electrically conductive pin
housed in one of said orifices.
7. A wristband according to claim 3, wherein the other end of the first wristband
strand is attached to a wristband fastening device,
wherein said first wristband strand includes a plurality of orifices arranged
transversely between said outer and inner faces of the wristband to access electrically
said electric contact zones with said conductive plate,
and wherein the wristband fastening device is electrically connected to one of
said electric zones with said conductive plate via an electrically conductive pin
housed in one of said orifices.
8. A wristband according to claim 5, wherein the other end of the first wristband
strand is attached to a wristband fastening device,
wherein said first wristband strand includes a plurality of orifices arranged
transversely between said outer and inner faces of the wristband to access electrically
said electric contact zones with said conductive plate,
and wherein the wristband fastening device is electrically connected to one of
said electric zones with said conductive plate via an electrically conductive pin
housed in one of said orifices.
9. A wristband according to claim 6, wherein each electric contact zone with
the conductive plate includes a lug cut into said conductive plate and bent along
a longitudinal line in the direction of one of said outer and inner faces of the
first wristband strand, each of said transverse orifices allowing electric access
to a lug.
10. A wristband according to claim 7, wherein each electric contact zone with
the conductive plate includes a lug cut into said conductive plate and bent along
a longitudinal line in the direction of one of said outer and inner faces of the
first wristband strand, each of said transverse orifices allowing electric access
to a lug.
11. A wristband according to claim 8, wherein each electric contact zone with
the conductive plate includes a lug cut into said conductive plate and bent along
a longitudinal line in the direction of one of said outer and inner faces of the
first wristband strand, each of said transverse orifices allowing electric access
to a lug.
12. A wristband according to claim 9, wherein said transverse orifices are through
orifices and wherein said electrically conductive pin includes a screw and a counter
screw that sandwich one of said lugs.
13. A wristband according to claim 10, wherein said transverse orifices are through
orifices and wherein said electrically conductive pin includes a screw and a counter
screw that sandwich one of said lugs.
14. A wristband according to claim 11, wherein said transverse orifices are through
orifices and wherein said electrically conductive pin includes a screw and a counter
screw that sandwich one of said lugs.
15. A wristband according to claim 1, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
16. A wristband according to claim 2, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
17. A wristband according to claim 3, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
18. A wristband according to claim 6, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
19. A wristband according to claim 9, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
20. A wristband according to claim 12, wherein said conductive plate forms an
antenna element.
Description
The whole content of priority document EP Patent Application No. 03016050.1 filed
on Jul. 15, 2003 by the Assignee is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally concerns a wristband for a portable electronic
instrument including at least a first wristband strand including outer and inner
faces and one end of which is intended to be fixed to a case of the portable electronic
instrument, this first wristband strand including, housed between said outer and
inner faces, an electric conductor including a conductive plate of elongated shape
arranged longitudinally in the first wristband strand.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wristbands incorporating electric conductors are already known. EP Patent
Applications No. 0 125 930 and No. 0 126 629 disclose for example a wristband answering
the general definition given hereinbefore, the electric conductor incorporated
in the wristband being used to assure an electric connection with a component placed
in the wristband (for example a battery) or to form a loop antenna around the wrist.
In this latter case, in particular, each strand of the wristband is provided with
an electric conductor one end of which is connected to the case of the electronic
instrument and the other end of which is connected to corresponding end of the
other strand via a wristband fastening device, the latter being itself electrically
conductive. Other examples are known. WO Patent Application No. 86/03645 for example,
proposes a solution wherein the wristband fastening device can be of the type including
a buckle with a tongue or of the type with male and female parts that plug into
each other. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,135,694 and 5,526,006 propose a solution wherein the
position of the wristband fastening device can be adjusted on one of the wristband
strands, this wristband strand including several zones distributed longitudinally
on the inner face of the wristband where the electric conductor is exposed and
to which the wristband fastening device is electrically connected. These documents
also propose a solution for manufacturing the wristband, which consists in providing
one or several extensions on the conductive plate for holding the plate in a mould
during an operation of overmoulding a synthetic material around the conductive
plate, the extension or extensions being provided to be broken after overmoulding.
In the aforementioned solutions, in order to assure electric contact with the
conductive plate while allowing the length of the wristband to be adjusted, it
will be noted that parts of the conductor are exposed to allow contact elements
arranged on the wristband fastening device to be directly applied against the conductive
plate. This type of solution has a drawback insofar as the exposed parts of the
conductive plate can quickly be oxidised and thus cause a deterioration in the
quality of the electric contact. Such oxidisation is accelerated, in particular,
by the presence of sweat when the wristband is worn on the wrist. From an aesthetic
point of view, this type of solution is also undesirable.
Another drawback of these solutions lies in the relatively large thickness
of the wristband around the fastening device, the two wristband strands being superposed
there. Finally, this type of solution limits the possibilities for manufacturing
the wristband fastening device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention thus to propose a solution assuring
adequate electric contact with the electric conductor that is incorporated in the
wristband and also enabling the length of the wristband to be adjusted. It is a
particular object to assure adequate electric contact with a wristband fastening
device that is itself a conductor, particularly for connecting two electric conductors
incorporated in each of the wristband strands in order to form a loop conductor
adjustable in length around the user's wrist and able to operate like a loop antenna.
The present invention thus concerns a wristband for a portable electronic instrument
of the aforementioned type whose features are listed in claim 1.
Advantageous embodiments of the present invention form the subject of
the dependent claims.
It is thus proposed to arrange a plurality of electric contact zones with the
conductive plate, which is incorporated in the wristband, these electric contact
zones being distributed longitudinally on the wristband strand. This wristband
strand is also arranged to be cut with the conductive plate along several transverse
cutting lines arranged in each portion located between two adjacent electric contact zones.
Preferably transverse markers coinciding with the cutting lines are made
on one and/or other of the inner and outer faces of the wristband in order to facilitate
the cutting of the wristband strand.
The wristband can advantageously include two identical wristband strands of this
type which are attached to each other by a wristband fastening device assuring
an electric connection between the conductive plates housed in the wristband strands.
Preferably, the wristband strands are arranged to have identical lengths after
cutting. This is preferable from an ergonomic and aesthetic point of view. Within
the scope of use as an antenna, this is also preferable from an electrical point
of view, the wristband fastening device, which is itself also a conductor, being
thus arranged in the middle of the wristband. Indeed, this minimises the effects
on the tuning of the antenna of any contact between the user's skin and the wristband
fastening device.
It will be noted that solutions consisting in adjusting the length of a wristband
by cutting a wristband strand are already known. CH Patent No. 604 597 discloses
for example a method for fixing a buckle to a wristband strand, which enables the
strand to be shortened to a suitable length before fixing the buckle to it by inserting
an intermediate metal piece forming a handle-like part in which the bar of the
buckle engages. The first wristband strand includes a series of transverse grooves
in its lower face whereas the tweezer-shaped intermediate part includes two ribs
capable of being engaged in two of the grooves. The strand can thus be cut to the
desired length, then the intermediate part can be inserted by engaging it in the
two grooves closest to the cut end of the strand. It will be noted, however, that
the wristband disclosed in this document does not have any electric conductor in
its thickness.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly
upon reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention,
given solely by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the annexed drawings,
in which:
FIGS. 1
a, 1
b and 1
c respectively show a
side view, a plan view on the outer face side and a perspective view of a conductive
plate forming the electric conductor intended to be incorporated in a wristband
strand according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 2
a, 2
b, 2
c and 2
d respectively
show a plan view on the inner face side, a lateral cross-section, a plan view on
the outer face side and a perspective view of a wristband strand incorporating
the conductive plate illustrated in FIGS. 1
a to 1
c;
FIGS. 3
a, 3
b, 3
c are respectively a cross-section,
a side view and a plan view on the outer face side illustrating the way in which
an electric contact between the conductive plate and a wristband fastening device
can be achieved according to a preferred embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following description, a preferred embodiment of the invention in which
the conductor incorporated in the wristband is intended to operate like an antenna
element will be described. More specifically, within the scope of this non-limiting
example, the wristband includes two identical wristband strands, each including
a same conductor, these two strands being attached to each other by a wristband
fastening device, which also ensures an electric connection between the two conductors
of the wristband strands so as to form a loop conductor around the wrist that operates
like a loop antenna. This type of antenna configuration in a wristband is well
known and its operating principle will not therefore be explained here. Fuller
information on this point can be found in the documents cited in the preamble.
It should, however, be noted that the invention is not limited to an antenna
application.
The conductor incorporated in the wristband can thus a play another role, such
as electrically connecting a component placed on the wristband or capable of being
connected to the wristband to another electric or electronic component inside the
case of the portable electronic instrument.
FIGS. 1
a,
1b and
1c respectively show a
side view, a plan view on the outer face side (by definition the "outer face" is
defined as the face oriented towards the outside of the wrist when the wristband
is being worn, as opposed to the "inner face" which designates the face of the
wristband that is in contact with the wrist when the wristband is being worn) and
a perspective view of a conductive plate, designated by the reference numeral
10,
forming an electric conductor intended to be incorporated in a wristband strand
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. This conductive plate
10
is self-supporting, i.e. it is formed of a plate of an electrically conductive
material (for example steel, copper, etc.), which is cut out and bent to the appropriate
shape. This conductive plate
10 has an essentially rectangular shape the
longitudinal axis of which corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the wristband
strand in which said conductive plate
10 is to be incorporated.
In the preferred embodiment, a first end
10A of conductive plate
10
is bent and intended to allow the connection of plate
10 to the corresponding
components housed in the case of the portable electronic instrument. This case
is not illustrated in the Figures. One only needs to know that the case preferably
has a similar configuration to that of a watchcase, end
10a of conductive
plate
10 thus being located around the attachment of the wristband strand
to the case.
The way in which conductive plate
10 is electrically connected in the
electronic instrument is not decisive for the purposes of the present invention.
According to the configuration illustrated here by way of non-limiting example,
bent end
10A of conductive plate
10 is provided with two orifices
for assuring the electric connection of conductive plate
10 via screws to
corresponding contact paths or lugs of the case of the portable electronic instrument.
On the side of end
10A of plate
10, it will also be noted that there
are two orifices designated by the reference numeral
12, the use of which
we will return to hereinafter.
In the illustrated example, the other end designated
10B of conductive
plate
10 is intended, as already mentioned, to be electrically connected
to another identical conductive plate housed in another wristband strand. It is
this second end
10B and its configuration that concerns us more specifically
within the scope of the present invention.
In FIGS. 1
a to
1c, it can thus be seen that conductive plate
10 includes a plurality of lugs
20, here eleven in number, arranged
longitudinally along conductive plate
10. These lugs
20 are made
by cutting out conductive plate
10 and bending the cut out portions outside
the general plane of the conductive plate along a line parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the wristband. As will be seen hereinafter in detail, lugs
20
are thus essentially bent at right angles towards one (inner or outer) of the wristband
faces. In this particular case, these lugs
20 are bent towards the inner
face of the wristband.
As will be seen hereinafter, the plurality of lugs
20 allows several possibilities
for roughly adjusting the length of the wristband, the unused end part of the wristband
being able to be cut. One could thus envisage that only one of the wristband strands
incorporates a plurality of lugs, as illustrated in the Figures and that the other
wristband strand has only one.
It will be understood that each lug
20 is intended to allow electric connection
to conductive plate
10. Each of these lugs
20 thus defines an electric
contact zone with conductive plate
10. In FIGS. 1
a to
1c,
the eleven contact zones thereby defined are delimited by the dotted lines and
are indicated by the reference numeral
30.
Each lug
20 preferably includes a through orifice
21, which is
intended to allow electric connection of conductive plate
10 via an electrically
conductive pin arranged transversely in the wristband strand between the inner
and outer faces of the wristband. These orifices
21 also advantageously
allow conductive plate
10 to be held in place via its lugs
20 in
a mould during an operation of overmoulding a synthetic material around conductive
plate
10. Indeed, during the synthetic material overmoulding operation,
conductive plate
10 is held in the mould via one or several of lugs
20
and by the two support points formed by orifices
12. These support points
are recommended for ensuring that conductive plate
10 is correctly positioned
in the mould during the overmoulding operation.
FIGS. 2
a to
2d show the general appearance of the wristband
strand (designated by the reference numeral
50) according to the preferred
embodiment after the overmoulding operation around conductive plate
10.
This conductive plate
10 is added to FIGS. 2
a and
2b in
order to illustrate its position in the wristband strand after overmoulding. The
inner and outer faces of conductive plate
10 are thus totally covered by
the synthetic material forming wristband strand
50, with the exception of
end part
10A of conductive part
10, which is intended to be electrically
connected to the components housed in the case of the portable instrument as already
mentioned. It can be seen that this end, designated
50A, of wristband strand
50 is configured to include the means for attaching to the case of the portable
instrument. Here they are two protruding parts
500 each provided with a
through orifice for the passage of a screw for securing end
50A of wristband
strand
50 and the case of the electronic instrument. Any other suitable
attachment means can be provided.
The electric access points to conductive plate
10, on the side of the
other end
50B of wristband strand
50, are arranged laterally on the
wristband strand. As illustrated in FIGS. 2
c and
2d, it can
thus be seen that a plurality of orifices
51, preferably through orifices,
are arranged transversely between the inner and outer faces of the wristband strand,
in order to allow access to each of lugs
20 of conductive plate
10.
On the inner face of wristband strand
50, as illustrated in FIGS. 2
a
and
2b, a set of grooves and/or recesses is provided. A set of
transverse grooves
55 is thus made from end
50B of the wristband
strand, each of these grooves coinciding with the limits of each electric contact
zone
30 with conductive plate
10. These grooves
55 thus play
the role of markers for facilitating the cutting out of the wristband in each portion
located between two adjacent electric contact zones
30. The markers can
be arranged on one and/or the other of the outer or inner faces of the wristband
strand. Moreover, instead of grooves, the markers could simply be formed of suitable
impressions on one or other of the faces of wristband strands
50.
The set of grooves designated by the reference numeral
56 made on the
inner face of wristband strand
50, as illustrated in FIGS. 2
a and
2b, is simply intended to improve the flexibility of the wristband
strand on the side of its attachment to the case. On the inner face of wristband
strand
50, the presence of two orifices
52, which coincide with orifices
12 arranged in conductive plate
10, will also be noted. These orifices
52 result from conductive plate
10 being held by orifices
12
during the overmoulding operation.
Reference will now briefly be made to FIGS. 3
a to
3c to
show a preferred embodiment allowing the electric connection of conductive plate
10 via lugs
20. As already mentioned in the preamble, one particularly
wishes to electrically connect conductive plate
10 to the other identical
conductive plate arranged in the other wristband strand, via a wristband fastening
device that is itself a conductor. In FIGS. 3
a to
3c, only
a part of such a wristband fastening device has been shown, namely a conventional
clasp element designated
60. This may, in particular, be an unfolding buckle
clasp or similar.
As illustrated in FIG. 3
a, element
60 has essentially the shape
of a cap made of electrically conductive material provided with two side walls
61, which partly cover the edges of wristband strand
50. The electric
connection between element
60 and conductive plate
10 is assured
by an electrically conductive pin designated as a whole by the reference numeral
80. This pin
80 is preferably made in two parts
81,
82
for sandwiching one of lugs
20. It is advantageously a screw
81 and
a counter-screw
82 able to be secured to each other. In the example of FIG.
3
a, screw
81 is provided with a threaded end
81a arranged
to pass through orifice
21 arranged in lug
20 and to be introduced
into a corresponding internal screw threading
82a made in counter-screw
82. Lug
20 is thus sandwiched between a shoulder of screw
81
at the base of threading
81a and the end of counter-screw
82
consequently assuring electric contact with conductive plate
10. The electric
contact with clasp element
60 is assured by application of the heads designated
81b and
82b of screw
81 and counter-screw
82.
By way of alternative to using a conductive pin
80 formed of two parts,
one could envisage directly screwing screw
81 into lug
20 and not
using a counter-screw
82, in which case the through orifice
51 could
be not a through orifice. Making pin
80 in two parts for sandwiching lug
20 seems preferable however to assure proper electric contact with conductive
plate
10 and clasp element
60.
It was already mentioned hereinbefore that wristband strand
50 could be
cut to adjust the length roughly. This cutting operation is carried out, if necessary,
when the electronic instrument is first tried on around the wrist. The appropriate
length of the wristband is determined and the superfluous wristband length is cut
along the appropriate marker
55 on the wristband. Clasp element
60
is then mounted by means of pin
80 at the appropriate position on the wristband.
Preferably, as already mentioned, the wristband includes two identical
strands whose conductors are connected to each other by the wristband fastening
device to form a loop conductor for operating like a loop antenna. Within the scope
of such a use, it is preferable to ensure that the wristband fastening device is
located at an equal distance from the case of the portable electronic instrument.
This in fact minimises the effects of any contact of the fastening device with
the user's skin on the operation and tuning of the antenna. This is also preferable
from the point of view of comfort during wear. When the length of the wristband
strands is roughly adjusted, care should thus be taken that the two wristband strands
have substantially identical lengths after cutting.
Within the scope of use as an antenna, it will be noted that the fact of cutting
a part of conductive plate
10 will affect the tuning of the antenna. Account
must therefore be taken of this fact to tune the antenna at the desired frequency,
which can be carried out directly by an appropriate tuning circuit in the radio-frequency
receiver, which is connected to the antenna.
It will be understood that various modifications and improvements that are obvious
to those skilled in the art can be made to the embodiment described in the present
description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the annexed
claims. In particular, within the scope of the present invention, the electric
contact zones with the conductive plate could be achieved differently than with
lugs cut out and bent outside the plane of the conductive plate as illustrated.
In order to implement the claimed invention, it is simply important for a plurality
of electric contact zones to be arranged and distributed longitudinally over the
wristband strand and for the wristband strand to be arranged so as to be able to
be cut along several transverse lines located between each contact zone. The lug
solution is, however, particularly advantageous because of its manufacturing simplicity.
Further, as already mentioned, the invention is not limited to a wristband including
a conductive plate acting as an antenna element but covers any solution requiring
a conductor to be incorporated in a wristband.
*
