GB2178942A

GB2178942A - Link element for an ornamental band

Info

Publication number: GB2178942A
Application number: GB08609106A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Toru Takagi
Original assignee: Orient Watch Co Ltd
Current assignee: Orient Watch Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-08-08
Filing date: 1986-04-15
Publication date: 1987-02-25
Also published as: DE3613203A1; KR870001802A; DE3613203C2; GB8609106D0; GB2178942B; KR870001774B1; FR2585931A1; FR2585931B1; CH670038A5

Abstract

A link element for an ornamental band or bracelet comprising pieces of ornamental material linked together at opposite ends comprises a main body 1 formed with an aperture 3 for holding the end of a shaped piece 9 of ornamental material and a pair of inner and outer lobes 4, 5. The lobes are located in staggered relationship such that, when a number of such elements are linked together, each outer lobe 5 overlies the inner lobe 4 of the adjacent element and is secured to it by a pin 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Link Element for an Ornamental Band The present invention relates to ornamental bands or bracelets and is particularly concerned with link elements for such bands.

Ornamental bands or bracelets may be composed of cut or shaped pieces of valuable or ornamental materials such a precious stones, glass, shells or hard wood, linked together in chain. These materials are in general very difficult to handle in shaping, cutting and finishing. Some are too fragile to be worked to a desired shape or held securely in linked position in the band. Because of this, in some bands, these materials are cut into pieces of simple shape or reduced size and joined together into an assembly through a flexible linkage. For example, as disclosed in laid open Japanese Utility Model application no: 145667/1974, the shaped pieces of ornamental material are appropriately bored and strung together on thread into a band. In an alternative method of linkage, the shaped pieces are joined in a chain through linked plates secured individually to the sides of the pieces.

However, these prior art forms of linkage have been found to have problems. With the strung linkage, the use of transparent pieces makes a linked band rather unattractive because the threads are visible through the pieces. In the linkage in which the pieces are joined into a chain through linked plates attached individually to their sides, the overall design tends to present an unattractive impression of looking like a chain rather than an ornamental band. It is this situation that gave rise to the present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved link element for use in ornamental bands in which the shaped piece of ornamental material can be fitted in fixed position, without the need of special trimming work in order to fit the piece for attachment.

According to the present invention a link element for an ornamental band comprising a linked assembly of shaped pieces of ornamental material, each braced at opposite ends by a link element, comprises a main body, formed with a bracing portion for bracing the end of a shaped piece of ornamental material, a pair of inner and outer lobes each having a transverse hole, the lobes being formed at opposite ends of the main body, and located in staggered relationship such that, when assembled, each link element has its outer lobe overlying the inner lobe of the adjacent link element, and a connecting pin for insertion into the aligned holes in the overlapped inner and outer lobes of a pair of adjacent link elements.

Examples of link elements in accordance with the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ornamental band formed with link elements constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a link element according to a further embodiment of the present invention; Figures 3(a) and (b) are partial top and side views of an ornamental band assembled with link elements according to the embodiment of Figure 2; Figures 4(a) to (e) illustrate different modifications of the link element of this invention; Figure 5 is an exploded, perspective view of a link element constructed in accordance with the present invention, suitably formed for bracing an ornamental piece of particular shape;; Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of a link element according to a different embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7(a) to (d) are linkworks assembled in various layout and combinations of link elements of similar or different shape, constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In Figures 1 and 3, a see-through ornamental wrist-watch band is made up of multiple link elements 1 constructed in accordance with the present invention, with shaped pieces 9 of transparent ornamental material such as glass braced in position in the elements 1. In the shown linkwork, the multiple link elements 1 are laid side by side, in two parallel rows, such that the shaped pieces 9 are held at both ends thereof, respectively, by the paired elements 1 in the opposed rows. Each link element 1 comprises a main body 2 dimensioned larger than the cross section of the shaped piece 9 which is braced by the element and a pair of inner and outer lobes 4 and 5 formed at opposite ends thereof. In the main body 2 is formed a bracing portion 3 to fix to the link element 1 the end of the respective shaped piece 9.The bracing portion 3 may be an opening in the wall, as illustrated in Figure 1, or a recess formed in the inside face of the main body 2, as shown in Figure 2.

The inner and outer lobes 4, 5 are located at their positions in staggered relationship such that, in assembly, each link element has its outer lobe 5 overlie the inner lobe 4 of the adjacent element 1, as best seen in Figure 1. Also, in the inner and outer lobes 4, 5 is provided a transverse hole 7 bored in the centre of each lobe to receive therein a connecting pin 6, which connects the adjacent link elements 1 when they are laid side by side, with the inner and outer lobes 4, 5 being placed in overlap, one outside the other, between the elements. In the linkwork, the connecting pins 6 are provided not only to link the elements flexibly but also to give ample spacing between the adjacent shaped pieces enough to permit the linked band to bend to desired curvatures as when it is worn on the user's wrist.In a modified form of this embodiment the link elements 1 are joined together with tubular pieces 8 of ornamental material, properly shaped for insertion into the hole 7, replacing the connecting pins 6.

In assembly, the shaped pieces 9 are secured individually with an adhesive or by other known means, in the bracing portions of the link elements 1, laid side by side in two parallel rows, and the connecting pins 6 are inserted into position in the aligned holes 7 of the inner and outer lobes 4, 5 between the adjacent elements. The linkwork thus assembled allows freedom to select either side thereof as the external side of the band, and may make a reversible see-through ornamental wrist-watch band.

In this particular embodiment, the link elements join up a chain of shaped pieces 9 made of transparent glass into a see-through wrist-watch band. However, since the link element of this invention is very simple in design and hence it is easy to secure the shaped piece 9 thereto, a variety of valuable or ornamental materials which are very difficult to handle in shaping and finishing, can be used, when suitably shaped, as the ornamental pieces 9, which are joined by the link elements 1. These include hard wood materials such as rosewood, ebony and boxwood and shells such as golden lip, pearl oyster and abonone as well as ivory, coral, hides, tortoiseshell, cloisonne ware, enamel ware, ceramics, lacquer, precious stones, semiprecious stones and vacuum coated or patterned metal.

Figures 4(a) to (e) illustrate different modified forms of the link element 1 in which the main body 2 is divided into a plurality of segments, each formed with a separate bracing portion 3' to which a correspondingly shaped piece 9 of ornamental material is secured. The resultant band includes in each link element multiple shaped pieces 9, producing a beautiful visual effect by light reflected from their cut faces.

Figure 5 illustrates a link element 1 suitably shaped to brace round ornamental pieces 9, equipped with a fixing means to brace the piece 9 in position in the element main body, constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.

The fixing means consists of screw or pin 14 which is inserted into a recess 10 formed in a surface of the round piece 9, through an aligned screw hole 12 provided in the link element 1.

Figure 6 shows a link element 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the main body of which comprises split arms 21, each with a free end 22, which are preferably located at the rear side of the linkwork assembled from similar link elements. When the shaped piece 9 is inserted in position in the link element 1, both ends 22 of the arms 21 are bent into a recess 10 formed in the surface of the piece 9 so that the piece is fixedly braced in the link.

Figure 7 illustrates linkworks assembled in different layouts and combinations of link elements of similar or different shapes formed according to the present invention.

Figure 7(a) shows a layout of link elements 1 of substantially similar shape, arranged side by side in two parallel rows, with the shaped pieces 9 between the rows, in such a manner that each link element has its bent forward end placed to overlie the straight rear end of the adjacent element 1.

Figure 7(b) is a layout comprised of first pairs 1 and second pairs 1' of parallelly laid link elements, the first pairs 1 placed to alternate with the second pairs 1' along the length of the linkwork. In each first pair, the link elements 1 are more widely spaced from each other than paired link elements 1', with the shaped pieces 9, 9' of ornamental material varied correspondingly in length and braced in the respective paired elements 1, 1'. In assembly, each element 1 has its straight forward end placed to overlie the straight rear end of the adjacent element 1', while each element 1' has its bent forward end to overlie the bent rear end of the adjacent element 1.

Figure 7(c) is a layout basically similar to Figures 7(b), except that, in assembly, each link element 1' has its forward bent end placed to come beneath the rear bent end of the adjacent element 1.

Figure 7(d) is a layout which may suitably be empolyed for ornamental wrist-watch bands for women, since it assembles the link elements into reduced width, particularly when the band has to be fastened to the timepiece body through wide brackets.

The linkwork comprises a first pair 1 a, which is fastened to the wrist-watch body through a bracket, a second pair 1 b, and a chain of third pairs 1 c of link elements, arranged in row. The second pair of elements 1 b are spaced from each other less widely than the first element pair 1 a, while wider than third element pairs 1 c. Thus, the linkwork is made to gradually decrease in width, starting from the link elements 1 a directly linked to the wrist-watch body.

Claims

1. A link element for an ornamental band comprising a linked assembly of shaped pieces of ornamental material, each braced at opposite ends by a link element, the element comprising a main body, formed with a bracing portion for bracing the end of a shaped piece of ornamental material, a pair of inner and outer lobes each having a transverse hole, the lobes being formed at opposite ends of the main body, and located in staggered relationship such that, when assembled, each link element has its outer lobe overlying the inner lobe of the adjacent link element, and a connecting pin for insertion into the aligned holes in the overlapped inner and outer lobes of a pair of adjacent link elements.

2. A link element as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bracing portion is a recess in the main body.

3. A link element as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bracing portion is an aperture in the main body for the reception of the end of a shaped piece.

4. A link element as set forth in claim 1, including a plurality of divided bracing portions in the main body, each adapted to hold in position the end of a shaped piece of ornamental material.

5. A link element as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bracing portion is formed with a projection for insertion into a corresponding recess formed in the surface of the shaped piece.

6. A link element as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bracing portion includes a hole for a pin which is inserted into the hole and extends into a recess in the shaped piece to fix it.

7. A link element for an ornamental band substantially as described and as illustrated with reference to Figure 1, Figures 2 and 3 or any one of Figures 4(a) to 4(e), Figure 5 or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.