ACCESSORY FOR WRIST WATCH
An accessory for a wrist watch is provided and includes a substantially planar lower surface, an end surface, and an upper surface. The substantially planar lower surface is configured for selective attachment to a wrist watch. The end surface extends upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface. The upper surface extends between the substantially planar lower surface and the end surface. The upper surface is configured to conform to a user's wrist.
An accessory for a wrist watch can be selectively attached to a back plate of a wrist watch.
BACKGROUNDWrist watches can be prone to shifting on the user's wrist which can affect a user's ability to readily observe the face of the wrist watch. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a mechanism to maintain proper placement of a wrist watch on an individual during use.
SUMMARYIn accordance with one embodiment, an accessory for a wrist watch is provided and comprises a substantially planar lower surface, an end surface, a concave upper surface, and an adhesive layer. The end surface extends upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface. The concave upper surface extends between the substantially planar lower surface and the end surface. The adhesive layer is coupled to the substantially planar lower surface and is configured to facilitate selective coupling of the planar lower surface to a back plate of a wrist watch.
In accordance with another embodiment, an accessory for a wrist watch is provided and comprises a first end, a second end, a substantially planar lower surface, an upper surface, and an adhesive layer. The substantially planar lower surface extends between the first end and the second end. The upper surface extends between the first end and the second end. The upper surface is spaced from the substantially lower surface and cooperates with the lower surface to define a maximum thickness and a minimum thickness. The maximum thickness is more proximate the first end than the second end. The adhesive layer is coupled with the substantially planar lower surface and is configured to facilitate selective coupling of the planar lower surface to a back plate of a wrist watch.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, an accessory for a wrist watch is provided and comprises a substantially planar lower surface, an end surface, an upper surface, and a pair of side surfaces. The substantially planar lower surface is configured for selective attachment to a wrist watch. The end surface extends upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface. The upper surface extends between the substantially planar lower surface and the end surface. The upper surface is configured to conform to a user's wrist. Each side surface extends between the substantially planar lower surface and the upper surface. The upper surface is spaced from the substantially lower surface and cooperates with the lower surface to define a maximum thickness and a minimum thickness. The maximum thickness is more proximate the first end than the second end.
Various embodiments will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings wherein:
Selective embodiments are hereinafter described in detail in connection with the views and examples of
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The accessory 10 is shown to be generally rectangular-shaped and sized to fit upon the back plate 17 of the wrist watch 12. It will be appreciated that the accessory can be provided in any of a variety of suitable alternative sizes or arrangements. For example, an accessory can be generally circular and sized to substantially overlie a round back plate.
The end surface 22 is shown to have a substantially convex configuration and the side surfaces 24 are shown to be generally planar surfaces that are generally parallel to one another. It will be appreciated that any of a variety end surface and/or side surface configurations is contemplated. For example, one continuous side surface can extend from the end surface and along the second end 16 such that the thickness of the taper at the second end 16 is defined by the height of the side surface. It will also be appreciated that although the each of the surfaces of the accessory are shown to be continuous and contoured, the accessory can have any of a variety of additional and/or alternative surfaces, such as surfaces with discontinuities, multiple contours, chamfers, etc.
The lower surface 18 can be configured for selective attachment to the wrist watch 12. As illustrated in
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The accessory 10 can be selectively oriented on the back plate 17 of the wrist watch 12 such that the first end 14 is beneath an upper portion of a dial (e.g., at about the 12 on the dial) and the second end 16 is beneath a lower portion of the dial (e.g., at about the 6 on the dial). When the wrist watch 12 is worn on a user's wrist, the wedge-shape configuration of the accessory 10 can angle the dial of the wrist watch 12 at a more effective viewing angle than would otherwise be possible with a conventional wrist watch. To this end, when the user beings the wrist watch 12 into view, the user does not need to rotate her wrist into a strained position in order to properly view the dial of the wrist watch 12.
The accessory 10 can be selectively removed from the back plate 17. Therefore, if the accessory 10 begins to degrade or become dirty over time or the adhesive layer 28 begins to lose adhesion, the accessory 10 can be removed and replaced with another accessory 10. It will be appreciated that the accessory 10 can be removed from the back plate 17 of the watch 12 by lifting the accessory 10 away from the back plate 17 (e.g., peeling) with sufficient force to overcome the adhesion between the accessory 10 and the back plate 17.
The upper surface 20 can be spaced from the lower surface 18 and can cooperate with the lower surface 18 to define a minimum thickness and a maximum thickness for the accessory 10. To achieve the wedge-shape configuration of the accessory 10, the maximum thickness can be more proximate the first end 14 than the second end 16. As illustrated in
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The shape and radius of curvature of the upper surface 20 can be configured to conform to the shape of a user's wrist, and more particularly, to conform to the shape of the pisiform bone of the wrist. The wrist watch 12 can accordingly be positioned more consistently on top of a user's wrist (e.g., resting on or near the pisiform bone) and can be less prone to inadvertently moving out of position, such as when the dial shifts to the side or underneath the user's wrist during use.
In some embodiments, the material of the accessory 10 can be selected to provide added comfort and/or durability for a user. For example, the accessory 10 can be formed from an elastomeric material, such as rubber or silicone having a durometer value of between about 25 A and 60 A. In another example, the accessory 10 can be formed from leather. In yet another example, the accessory 10 can be formed from copper, a magnetic material, or any of a variety of materials that might have certain therapeutic benefits when worn on a user's wrist. In some embodiments, the accessory 10 can be formed from a rigid material that is coated with a softer material, such as neoprene, to provide both comfort and durability. It will be appreciated that the accessory 10 can be formed from any of a variety of suitable alternative materials that can provide effective comfort and/or durability.
As illustrated in
The foregoing description of embodiments and examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described for illustration of various embodiments. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto.
Claims
1. An accessory for a wrist watch, the accessory comprising:
- a substantially planar lower surface;
- an end surface extending upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface;
- a concave upper surface extending between the substantially planar lower surface and the end surface; and
- an adhesive layer coupled to the substantially planar lower surface and configured to facilitate selective coupling of the planar lower surface to a back plate of a wrist watch.
2. The accessory of claim 1 further comprising a pair of side surfaces, each side surface extending between the substantially planar lower surface and the concave upper surface.
3. The accessory of claim 1 wherein the side surfaces are substantially parallel with one another.
4. The accessory of claim 1 wherein the accessory is formed from an elastomeric material that comprises at least one of rubber and silicone.
5. The accessory of claim 4 wherein the elastomeric material has a durometer value of between about 25 A and 60 A.
6. The accessory of claim 1 further comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the concave upper surface and the end surface intersect along an upper edge that is more proximate to the first end than the second end.
7. The accessory of claim 6 further comprising a maximum length that is the maximum distance between the first end and the second end, wherein the upper edge is spaced from the first end by a first distance, the upper edge is spaced from the substantially planar lower surface by a second distance, and the ratio of the first distance to the maximum length is about 1:8 and the ratio of the second distance to the maximum distance is about 1:5.
8. An accessory for a wrist watch, the accessory comprising:
- a first end;
- a second end;
- a substantially planar lower surface that extends between the first end and the second end;
- an upper surface that extends between the first end and the second end, the upper surface being spaced from the substantially planar lower surface and cooperating with the substantially planar lower surface to define a maximum thickness and a minimum thickness, wherein the maximum thickness is more proximate the first end than the second end; and
- an adhesive layer coupled with the substantially planar lower surface and configured to facilitate selective coupling of the substantially planar lower surface to a back plate of a wrist watch.
9. The accessory of claim 8 further comprising a pair of side surfaces and an end surface extending upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface, wherein the upper surface is a concave surface, the upper surface and the end surface intersect along an upper edge, and the distance between the upper edge and the substantially planar lower surface defines the maximum thickness.
10. The accessory of claim 9 further comprising a maximum length that is the maximum distance between the first end and the second end, wherein the upper edge is spaced from the first end by a first distance, the upper edge is spaced from the substantially planar lower surface by a second distance, and the ratio of the first distance to the maximum length is about 1:8 and the ratio of the second distance to the maximum distance is about 1:5.
11. The accessory of claim 10 wherein the maximum length is about 30 mm, the first distance is about 4 mm, and the second distance is about 6 mm.
12. The accessory of claim 10 wherein the side surfaces are substantially parallel with one another.
13. The accessory of claim 12 wherein the accessory is formed from an elastomeric material that comprises at least one of rubber and silicone.
14. The accessory of claim 13 wherein the elastomeric material has a durometer value of between about 25 A and 60 A.
15. A wrist watch comprising the accessory of claim 8.
16. An accessory for a wrist watch, the accessory comprising:
- a first end;
- a second end;
- a substantially planar lower surface configured for selective attachment to a wrist watch;
- an end surface extending upwardly from the substantially planar lower surface;
- an upper surface extending between the substantially planar lower surface and the end surface, the upper surface being configured to conform to a user's wrist; and
- a pair of side surfaces, each side surface extending between the substantially planar lower surface and the upper surface; wherein: the upper surface is spaced from the substantially planar lower surface and cooperates with the substantially planar lower surface to define a maximum thickness and a minimum thickness; and the maximum thickness is more proximate the first end than the second end.
17. The accessory of claim 16 wherein the upper surface is a concave surface.
18. The accessory of claim 16 wherein the upper surface is a concave surface, and the upper surface and the end surface intersect along an upper edge that is more proximate to the first end than the second end.
19. The accessory of claim 17 further comprising a maximum length that is the maximum distance between the first end and the second end, wherein the upper edge is spaced from the first end by a first distance, the upper edge is spaced from the substantially planar lower surface by a second distance, and the ratio of the first distance to the maximum length is about 1:8 and the ratio of the second distance to the maximum distance is about 1:5.
20. A wrist watch comprising the accessory of claim 16.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 24, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 29, 2013
Inventor: Martin R. Cooper (Cincinnati, OH)
Application Number: 13/404,155
International Classification: A44C 5/00 (20060101);