ADJUSTMENT RING, ADJUSTMENT MEMBER, AND RING

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Chinese Patent Application No. 202411215095.9, filed Aug. 30, 2024; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to an adjustment ring, an adjustment member, and a ring.

BACKGROUND

Jpn. UM. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H7-36720 discloses a size-adjustable ring including a metal ring body having a recess formed in an inner circumferential surface, and a size adjustment unit including a U-shaped metal leaf spring and a metal attachment portion, and the attachment portion of the size adjustment unit is fitted into and fixed in the recess of the ring body.

SUMMARY

An adjustment ring according to an embodiment comprises; a ring including a plurality of locking portions formed at different positions in a circumferential direction of an inner circumferential surface; and an adjustment member that is attached to the ring and is formed with a plurality of engaging portions, the engaging portions being configured to engage with, in a one-to-one manner, at least two of the locking portions of the ring.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an adjustment ring, an adjustment member, and a ring with excellent attachment performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an adjustment ring according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a ring body of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the ring body of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a spacer of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a part of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the spacer of the adjustment ring as viewed from the inner side.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the spacer of the adjustment ring as viewed from the outer side.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the spacer of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second spacer of the adjustment ring.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the adjustment ring to which the second spacer is attached.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the second spacer as viewed from the inner side.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the second spacer as viewed from the outer side.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the second spacer.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the adjustment ring with a spacer of the adjustment ring attached to a face portion.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a part of the adjustment ring with two spacers of the adjustment ring are attached to the ring body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an adjustment ring 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

The adjustment ring 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a ring body 10 (ring) and a spacer 20 as an adjustment member to be attached to the ring body 10.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ring body 10 includes an annular band portion 11 to be worn around the periphery of a finger, and a face portion 12 provided on an outer side of a part of the band portion 11 in a circumferential direction.

The band portion 11 includes metal such as SUS. For example, the band portion 11 is formed in an annular shape along the periphery of the finger, and forms a finger hole 11a through which the finger is inserted from the tip. The finger hole 11a is formed in a shape that allows the insertion of the finger for wearing. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a part of an inner wall surface of the band portion 11 may be formed in a flat shape. As an example, an inner circumferential surface of the band portion 11 according to the present embodiment includes a curved surface portion 111 having an arc shape along a reference circle CC (see FIG. 4) corresponding to a preset size, and a flat surface portion 112 located on a back side of the face portion 12. For example, in the present embodiment, a part of the inner surface of the band portion 11, which is the back side of the face portion 12, is formed in a flat shape, and the other part is formed in an arc shape curving along the reference circle CC. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat surface portion 112 is located at a position overlapping the reference circle CC of the curved surface portion 111 or outside the reference circle CC. For example, both ends in the circumferential direction of the curved surface portion 111 extend slightly outward and are connected to both ends of the flat surface portion 112 located outside the circle of curvature of the curved surface portion 111.

Note that a thickness t1 of the band portion 11 orthogonal to the width direction and circumferential direction of the band portion 11 may vary in a manner that depends on the section. The thickness t1 of the band portion 11 is configured to be minimized, for example, at a second reference position P2 on the side opposite to a first reference position P1 where the face portion 12 is disposed in the circumferential direction of the band portion 11. Furthermore, a width dimension of the arc-shaped curved surface portion 111 of the band portion 11 is configured such that the widths of both ends continuous to the face portion 12 are the widest and the width at the second reference position P2 is the narrowest. That is, the width dimension of the band portion 11 gradually decreases from, for example, both ends continuous to the face portion 12 toward the second reference position P2 on the side opposite to the face portion 12. Furthermore, in the curved surface portion 111 of the band portion 11, attachment portions 14 including holes 13 as locking portions that engage with engaging portions of the spacer 20 are provided on both one side and the other side of the face portion 12 in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the attachment portions 14 are provided on both one side and the other side with respect to the face portion 12 in the circumferential direction, for example. The attachment portions 14 each includes a plurality of the holes 13 arranged in the circumferential direction. For example, three holes 13 are arranged at equal intervals in each of the attachment portions 14 located on one side and the other side. Therefore, a total of six holes 13 are formed in the band portion 11. In each of the attachment portions 14, axial directions of the three holes 13 are configured to be parallel to each other. For example, the axis of the central hole 13 among the three holes 13 extends along a radial direction of the circle of the curved surface portion 111. Each of the holes 13 is a through-hole penetrating the band portion 11 in a thickness direction. For example, the attachment portions 14 may be each formed with a recess 14a corresponding to a predetermined region of the outer surface recessed to a predetermined depth. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, the rectangular recess 14a is formed, and the plurality of holes 13, which are through-holes, are formed in the recess 14a. As an example, of the three holes 13 of each of the attachment portions 14, two holes 13 adjacent to the second reference position serve as locking portions that engage with pins 23 of the spacer 20.

In the band portion 11, a first spacer 20 is attached to a predetermined range including the second reference position P2 on the side opposite to the first reference position P1 where the face portion 12 is disposed. For example, it is provided in a range extending to the attachment portions 14 on both sides in the circumferential direction. As an example, the second reference position P2 corresponds to a center position in an extending direction of the first spacer 20 in the circumferential direction. For example, an alignment mark 15 serving as a guide in attaching the first spacer 20 is formed at the second reference position P2 of the band portion 11.

Note that the face portion 12 may be provided with a decorative portion such as a gemstone, or may be a ring-type device equipped with various components. For example, the ring body 10 may be configured in the shape of a wristwatch. Furthermore, the face portion 12 of the ring body 10 may be a watch equipped with a watch module, the watch module including: a display unit including a dial plate and pointers for displaying information such as time and date, a movement for operating the display unit, and various components necessary for a watch function, such as a circuit board on which electronic components such as an IC and an antenna are mounted and a battery.

The first spacer 20 is attached in an overlapping manner to the inner surface of the band portion 11 and is disposed at the opening of finger hole 11a within the band portion 11, thereby narrowing the opening of the finger hole 11a according to its thickness to adjust the size. For example, a user can perform, by selecting and attaching a spacer (the first spacer 20 or a second spacer 20A) suitable for the size of the user's finger from a plurality of types of spacers (the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A), size adjustment according to the size of the spacer. As an example, in the present embodiment, the ring body 10 is formed with a ring size 22. FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 show an example in which the first spacer 20 corresponding to a ring size 16 is attached to the ring body 10. Furthermore, FIG. 11 shows, as another embodiment, an example in which a second spacer 20A corresponding to a ring size 19 is attached to the same ring body 10. The two types of spacers (the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A) are different from each other in dimensional conditions such as a thickness and configurations of identification marks 26 and 26A for distinguishing among the types, but the other configurations are similar.

For example, the first spacer 20 shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 and the second spacer 20A shown in FIGS. 10 to 14 are configured to be elastically deformable with soft resin such as silicone resin. The first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A each integrally include a base plate 21 as a base portion disposed to face the inner circumferential surface of the band portion 11, an edge cover 22 as a pair of cover portions erected on both sides in the width direction of the base plate 21, and a plurality of the pins 23 as protrusions provided at predetermined positions of the base plate 21. For example, the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A are molded components, and the plurality of pins 23 and the edge cover 22 are integrally formed with the base plate 21.

The base plate 21 is formed in a curved plate shape that ensures that the base plate 21 is positioned along the inner circumferential surface of the band portion 11 upon attachment. A thickness of the base plate 21 is configured according to the adjustment size. That is, the base plate 21 has an arc-shaped outer circumferential surface conforming to the arc-shaped inner circumferential surface of the band portion 11 and an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface corresponding to the adjustment size, and its thickness is configured according to the adjustment size. For example, a thickness t3 of the second spacer 20A for the ring size 19 is configured to be thinner than a thickness t2 of the first spacer 20 for the ring size 16. Note that the thickness of the base plate 21 may vary in a manner that depends on the position. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the base plate 21 of the first spacer 20 is configured to have its maximum thickness at the central portion positioned at the second reference position P2, and is configured to become gradually thinner toward both ends.

In the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A, attachment portions 24 including the pins 23 as engaging portions are provided on both one side and the other side in the extending direction along the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the attachment portions 24 are provided on a curved outer surface of the base plate 21. The attachment portions 24 each include the plurality of pins 23 arranged in the circumferential direction. For example, two pins 23 are arranged at equal intervals in each of the attachment portions 24 located on one side and the other side. Therefore, a total of four pins 23 are formed in each of the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A.

The pins 23 are protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface of the base plate 21 at a plurality of positions that correspond to the holes 13 upon attachment. Each of the pins 23 is formed in a columnar shape protruding outward from the outer circumferential surface of the base plate 21. For example, each of the pins 23 is configured to be insertable into the corresponding hole 13, and in each of the attachment portions 24, the two pins 23 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, each positioned at the center in the width direction. In each of the attachment portions 24, axial directions of the two pins 23 are configured to be parallel to each other. The pins 23 in each of the attachment portions 24 engage with at least two of the plurality of holes 13. For example, the pins 23 are inserted into and engage with the two holes 13 on the center side among the three holes 13 in each of the attachment portions 14.

The edge cover 22 is a wall-shaped member erected on both sides in the width direction of the base plate 21, extending outward from the curvature of the base plate 21. The edge cover 22 covers the side surfaces at both ends in the width direction of the band portion 11 in a case where the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is attached to the band portion 11. For example, the edge cover 22 has a height dimension equivalent to the thickness dimension of the band portion 11. The edge cover 22 has its proximal end connected to the base plate 21 and its distal end in contact with the side surface portions in the width direction of the ring body 10 to hold the ring body 10. Furthermore, a pair of the edge covers 22 formed on both sides in the width direction have thickened distal ends located on the outer side of the curvature, and a distance between the pair of edge covers 22 gradually decreases from the proximal ends adjacent to the base plate 21 toward the distal ends located on the outer side. That is, the pair of edge covers 22 are formed with inclined surfaces that decrease a distance between a pair of facing wall surfaces 22a from the inner circumference to the outer circumference of the ring. Therefore, an opening groove 27 formed by the outer circumferential surface of the base plate 21 and the facing wall surfaces 22a of the pair of edge covers 22 is configured such that its opening width decreases toward the outer circumference. For example, width dimensions W1 and W2 at the distal ends where the width is the smallest in the opening groove 27 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) are configured to be smaller than a width dimension of the corresponding portion of the band portion 11 held by the groove 27. Therefore, in the attached state, both end surfaces in the width direction of the band portion 11 are in contact with the facing wall surfaces 22a of the pair of edge covers 22, and the band portion 11 is held between the edge covers 22. For example, an alignment mark 25 serving as a guide in attaching to the band portion 11 is formed on the outer surface in the width direction of the edge cover 22. Note that the edge cover 22 is formed in a portion excluding a region where the attachment portions 24 at both ends are formed in the extending direction of the base plate 21. For example, in a length direction of the base plate 21, the edge cover 22 is formed over a predetermined central region other than the region where the pins 23 are formed. That is, the attachment portion 24 where the pins 23 are formed and the edge cover 22 are arranged at positions not overlapping each other in the circumferential direction.

For example, on the surface of the edge cover 22 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A), the identification marks 26 and 26A serving as indicators for distinguishing among the plurality of types of spacers (the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A) are formed. For example, the identification marks 26 and 26A are recesses formed in the outer circumferential surface of the base plate 21. As an example, the first spacer 20 has one circular identification mark 26 formed at the second reference position P2. Next, the second spacer 20A has two circular identification marks 26A formed at two positions on either side of the second reference position P2.

For example, in the first spacer 20 and the second spacer 20A, the base plate 21 and the edge cover 22 are configured to be elastically deformable with silicone resin, and can be attached by being deformed to increase the opening width of the opening groove 27 upon attachment, and the band portion 11 is held between the pair of edge covers 22 by being restored after attachment.

In a case where the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is attached to the ring body 10, first, the base plate 21 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is deformed into a curved form and placed to face the inner surface of the finger hole 11a. At this time, the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is fitted into the finger hole 11a of the ring body 10 such that the alignment mark 25 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is aligned with the alignment mark 15 of the ring. Then, the distance between the pair of edge covers 22 is increased, and the band portion 11 is placed into the opening groove 27 of the pair of edge covers 22. Further, each of the pins 23 is positioned to face the corresponding hole 13, the pair of edge covers 22 sandwich both sides of the band portion 11, and the shape of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is restored, thereby holding the band portion 11 between the pair of edge covers 22.

That is, the base plate 21 and the edge cover 22 are configured to be elastically deformable with, for example, silicone resin and are restored after attachment achieved by being deformed to increase the groove width of the opening groove 27, so that both side surfaces in the width direction of the band portion 11 come into contact with the facing wall surfaces 22a of the edge cover 22 and are covered by the edge cover 22, the band portion 11 is held between the pair of edge covers 22, and, as a result, the first spacer 20 and the band portion 11 are fitted together. Thereafter, each of the pins 23 is pressed and inserted into the corresponding hole 13. As an example, the pins 23 are inserted into the two holes 13 other than the hole 13 closest to the face portion 12 among the three holes 13.

Depending on the method for fixing the ring body and the size adjustment unit disclosed in Jpn. UM. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H7-36720, the size adjustment unit easily comes off the ring body in a case where the size-adjustable ring drops, resulting in poor attachment performance. On the other hand, if the size adjustment unit is attached to the ring body by means of welding or bonding, replacement or removal becomes impossible.

According to the adjustment ring 1, the ring body 10, and the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) configured as described above, the size can be adjusted by attaching the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) to the inner circumferential surface of the ring body 10, and attachment performance can be improved by engaging the plurality of engaging portions with the plurality of locking portions. Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, holding the band portion 11 between the edge covers 22 allows for an improvement of retention in the width direction, and for example, even in a case where the finger relatively moves in the width direction upon wearing, a configuration that prevents the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) from coming off easily can be achieved. Furthermore, since positioning in the radial direction and the circumferential direction is enabled by the pins 23 and the holes 13, while positioning in the width direction is enabled by the pair of edge covers 22, it is possible to prevent misalignment in a plurality of directions while making the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) detachable.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the configuration in which the inner wall surface of the ring body 10 incudes the curved surface portion 111 and the flat surface portion 112, and the reference circle CC is secured can prevent pressure from being locally applied to the finger. Furthermore, since the base plate 21 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is configured to be thicker at the central portion positioned at the second reference position P2 and gradually becomes thinner toward both ends, a step formed between the inner wall surface of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) and the inner wall surface of the band portion 11 is reduced upon attachment, thereby allowing for an improvement of wearing comfort.

Furthermore, since the band portion 11 is configured to become gradually narrower toward the second reference position P2 where the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is attached, in a case where the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is attached, the outer surface of the edge cover 22 of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is smoothly continuous with the band portion 11, thereby allowing for an improvement of wearability and appearance. Furthermore, since the base plate 21 is disposed at a position where the attachment portion 24 on which the pins 23 are formed and the edge cover 22 do not overlap each other in the circumferential direction, the base plate 21 is easily deformed into a curved form, thereby allowing for an improvement of workability in insertion of the pins 23 located at both ends.

Note that the embodiment described above is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. For example, in the embodiment described above, the engaging portion and the locking portion are respectively configured with the protruding pins 23 and the recessed holes 13; however, the protrusion and recess may be reversed, for example. Furthermore, although an example in which the locking portion is configured with the through-holes 13 has been described, the locking portion may be configured with a recess having a bottom instead of a through-hole. Furthermore, the positions of the attachment portions 14 and 24 are not limited to the above-described positions. For example, two protrusions and two recesses may be formed side by side at the central portion of the base plate 21 in the circumferential direction and at positions facing the center portion.

Furthermore, the attachment position of the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is set, but not limited, to a position opposite to the face portion 12, and the spacer may be attached to the face portion 12 side as in a spacer 20B shown in FIG. 15 as another embodiment, for example. Furthermore, the ring body 10 may be configured without the face portion 12, and may be configured in a circular shape along the reference circle over its entire circumference without the flat surface portion 112 on the inner wall surface.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, an example in which a spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is attached to the band portion 11 of the ring body 10, and the spacer (the first spacer 20, the second spacer 20A) is provided across the two attachment portions 14 has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a configuration may be employed in which separate spacers 20C and 20C are individually attached, in a one-to-one manner, to two attachment portions 14 provided apart from each other in the circumferential direction in a band portion 11, and each spacer 20C is provided with a plurality of engaging portions. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the band portion 11 is provided with the attachment portions 14 on one side and the other side in the circumferential direction relative to the face portion 12, and the separate spacers 20C and 20C are attached to the plurality of attachment portions 14 in a one-to-one manner. The plurality of spacers 20C and 20C each include pins 23 that are inserted into and engage with at least two of the holes 13 of the corresponding attachment portion 14. As an example, two pins 23 are formed in each spacer 20C.

Although an example in which the pins 23 and the holes 13 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the base plate 21 and in the inner circumferential surface of the curved portion, respectively, has been described, the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example, a configuration may be employed in which the pins 23 and the holes 13 are formed on the facing surface of the edge cover 22 and in the side surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the band portion 11 facing the edge cover 22, respectively. Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, an example in which the ring has a watch-like design has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to such an example.

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, the present disclosure encompasses the disclosure recited in the claims and equivalents thereof.