US2420435A - Watch strap - Google Patents

Description

May 13, 1947. c w 2,420,435

Filed Sept. 25, 1945 INVENTOR EMIL LACK-OW.

ATTORNEY h Patented May 13, 1947 UNITED STATES rArENr orrlce WATCH STRAP Emil Laclrow, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 25, 1945, Serial No. 618,474

" Claims. 1

This invention relates to watch straps, particularly of the type adapted for use with wrist watches.

Ihe conventional form of watch strap consists of two separate strap members, one end of each containing a loop in engagement either with an ear extending outwardly from the wrist watch, or with a spring bar associated with the Wrist watchthe other ends of the straps being provided with a buckle arrangement. In attaching this form of watch strap to the wrist, it is generally necessary to hold the watch and strap combination against the body, or to otherwise hold the two strap members between the fingers, while the buckle attachment is being effectuated. This operation is generally inconvenient and difiicult to perform, and occasionally results in an inadvertent dropping of the watch. It is within the contemplation of my invention to eliminate this dimculty in applying watch straps to the wrist by enabling the combination of watch and strap members to be readily and easily slipped over the wrist, without the necessity of difficult maneuvering.

With conventional watch straps of the type above mentioned it is generally necessary to temporarily remove the entire watch and strap assembly from the wrist during the washing of ones hands. ihis is not only an inconvenient operation in itself, but it may result in the loss of a watch when it is placed upon a wash stand and then forgotten, which is not an infrequent occurrence. It is accordingly another important object of my invention to obviate this danger by avoiding the necessity of completely detaching the component parts of the strap assembly, and enabling it to be moved upwardly to a portion of the arm remote from the wrist. And in the accomplishment of this objective, it is a further object to enable a watch strap, which may be made of inextensible material such as leather, to be expanded so that it may be readily moved to the upper part of the arm, or to a point near the elbow.

And it is a further object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and readily fabricated device capable of performing the aforesaid functions.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the watch strap of my invention shown in its open condition.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device of Figure 1 shown in its fully closed condition, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the watch strap of my invention shown on an arm in a position remote from the wrist.

In the drawings which show a preferred form of my invention, the essential component parts thereof are the flexible strap member 5, the coacting strap member 6 and the flexible connecting member 1. Members 5 and 6 are provided with loop portions 8 and 9, respectively, and these are mounted over pin bars l0 and II associated in conventional manner with the wrist watch l2. Strap member 6 contains the buckle 13 through which the terminal portion IA of strap member 5 is slidably movable, said terminal portion l4 also being capable of entry within loop [5 attached to the buckle member 6, in conventional manner.

The flexible connecting member i has attached to the two terminals thereof the loop members i6 and 11, said loop members being slidably disposed over strap members 5 and 6, respectively. The operative slidable movement of loop ll along buckle member 6 is limited by the watch l2 and the loop i5; and the operative slidable movement of loop IE is limited by the watch I2 and the raised ornamental stop member l8 secured to the terminal portion 14 of member 5. The thickness 01' said stop i8 is such that it will extend outwardly beyond the undersurface it of loop iiithat is, it is of a thickness sufficient to prevent the ioop from sliding off the terminal M. 11118 thickness of stop l8, however, is less than the height of the opening IS in the buckle, and less than that of the opening 28 in loop 5, whereby it may readily pass through the buckle and through said loop it.

In operatively employing this device, the entire assembly is first expanded by slidably moving the loops It and ii outwardly towards terminal i i and buckle B, respectively, whereby the combined efiective circumference of members 5, 6 and i will be suificient to enable the assembly to be slipped over the hand and to the wrist. Thereafter terminal Ill is passed through buckle l3 and loop i5 in conventional manner to close the strap and enable it to conveniently envelop the wrist. During this operation, the loops l6 and I1 will slidably move along strap members 5 and 6, so that the connecting member I will adjustably position itself in proper relation to the wrist and the coacting members 5 and ii, forming a double and reenforced strap arrangement along certain 3 portions of the assembly, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

Should one desire to disengage the strap so as to move it upwardly along the arm to a position remote from the wrist, as would be desirable dur- 5 ing the washing of ones hands, all that need be done is to disengage the buckle and expand the assembly in the manner aforesaid, whereby the circumference will be increased to permit the strap to be slidably moved to the position shown in Figure 3;

Although the particular form of my invention illustrated shows both loop members l6 and I! in slidable engagement with strap members .5 and- 6, it is also within the contemplation of my invention to arrange the connectingmember I with only one slidable loop member such.as I6, the other loop member being afiixedor anchored in place at a predetermined point.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention hasbeen shown merely by wayof example and in preferred form, but obviously many variations and 1 modifications may be made therein which will still becomprised within itsspirit; It is to be understood, therefore, that the. inventioniis notlimitedtto anyspecific form or-embodiment, exceptinsofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I.-claim:

1. In a watch strap, two flexible strapmem- 3 bers; ho1ding-means at aterminal of each of said members for attachment'to a-wristwatch, the opposite-terminal portions of said members being; ;detachably engageable Witheach other, and a flexible connecting member extending, between 3,

and-slidably mountedupon bothof said-strap members.-,

2. In1a, watch strap; two flexiblestrap mem. bers, holding means at a terminal of eachuofisaid:

members for attachmentto a wrist watch,,the

opposite terminal portio s of said membersbeing detachably engageable with each other, a flexible.- connecting; member. extending, between said strap; members, loop, means, attached. to the terminals-10f, said connecting member and. slide 4-;

ablymounted-over, said, strap members, ,andzstop; meansin the! regionpf the terminal/portions. of. the strap members .for limiting. the operative movement of said loop means, over: the strap,

members 3. In a watch strap, two flexible; strap, mem-. bers; holding; means ata terminal of each of said members. for attachment to a wrist watch, the. opposite terminal portions of said members being detachably engageable with each other, a flexible connecting member extending between and engageable with the inner surfaces of said strap members, loop means attached to the terminals of said connecting member and slidably mounted over said strap members, and stop means in the region of the terminal portions of the strap members for limiting the operative movement of said loop means over the strap members.

4; In a watch strap, two flexiblestrapmembers, holding means at a terminal of each of said members for attachment to a wrist watch, the opposite terminal portions of said members being detachably engageable with each other, a flexible connectingmember extending between said strap, members, loop means attached to the terminals of said connecting member and slidably mountedover said strap members, and stop means in the region of the terminal portions of the strap members for limiting theoperative movementof said loop meansoverthe stra-p members, the-stop means at one of the said detachably engageable terminal portions of-the strap members comprising, a; raisedornamental member; proportioned for abutmentwith the loop means onthevadja cent terminal of the connecting member.

5. In- I a watchgstrap,-,two1 flexible strap. mem-- bers, holdingmeans at alterminal ofjeach of saidmembersfor attachment,- to, awrist, watch, a buckle "-at' the opposite terminal portion ofone 101? said members, ,the correspondingterminal portion'of the other,- of said members being detachably engageable with said buckle-and containing a raised stop member, a fiexibie connecting member extending; between and: engageable with" the:

REFERENCES CITED l The followingreferences are of record in-- the filer-ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date- 2',394,'856;; Hickman Feb; 12, 1946--

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