AU602091B2 - Spectacles with extractable temples - Google Patents

Description

Australia 6020 c I Form PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: SInt. Cl: Application Number: I Lodged* Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Prio ity: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT ALROY STANLEY ASSOCIATES INC. Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: 10019 Carrollwood Center, Tampa, United States of America Florida 33618, Actual Iriventor: Address for Service: SMITH B. STANLEY and YORAM ALROY CALLINANS Patent Attorneys, of 48-50 Bridge Road, Richmond, State of Victoria, Australia.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "SPECTACLES WITH EXTRACTABLE TEMPLES" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-* SNote: The description is to be typed in double spacing, pica type face, in an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good quality and it is to be inserted inside this form.

Field of the Invention I The present invention relates to spectacles with extractable temples and, more particularly, to eyeglasses, sunglasses, stereoscopic-viewing glasses, polarized-lens glasses, eye-protective glasses and the like, hereinafter referred to broadly as spectacles, composed of long-life or short-lived materials for repeated use or single-use applications for retention or disposal, and utilizing glass, or synthetic-resin (plastic) lenses, and which can be supplied or stored in a compact configuration whereby a temple is at least partly received in the bridgepiece between lenses or the frame structure overlying same.

i Background of the Invention The usual pair of spectacles, as this term has been defined above, comprises a frame which have a bridgepiece interconnecting a pair of window-forming portions which can be provided with respective lenses, with a respective temple being pivotally connected to each of these portions and formed with an S 20 earpiece.

When the spectacles are worn, the frame is supported on the nose of the wearer by the bridgepiece, the lenses are located in front of the eyes, and the temples extend rearwardly along the Ssides of the head and may engage, e.g. with the earpieces, behind the ears of the wearer.

Spectacles have been provided for a wide variety of purposes only some of which need be alluded to here. For example, they may be provided as ordinary eyeglasses with corrective lenses or lenses intended to assist in normal vision, either fabricated t specially for the user or to provide magnification or some other a special effect.

S- -la 1-.0 Sunglasses, for example, may be used as filters or attenuators to protect the eyes from the sun, while stereoscopic glasses may be used to provide three-dimensional illusions in ;i viewing three-dimensional displays in which two distinct images are created by polarized light or color effects.

Colored-lens glasses may also be used simply as novelty items without sunlight filtering effects.

Spectacles may also be used to protect the eyes against vapors, the spattering of liquids and flying particulates.

For conventional frames, synthetic resin materials may be used or other materials such as wire and metals can be employed in whole or in part. Disposable or single-use spectacles, e.g. as sunglasses or for viewing three-dimensional motion pictures may be distributed widely at low cost and may utilize materials such as cardboard or paperboard.

^In recent years, a compact construction has been desired. In the standard mode of use, the temples of a pair of spectacles are permanently hinged at the outer ends of the frame to allow the temples to be swung inwardly and enable the folded pair of glasses to be inserted into a standard sleeve, into a pocket or otherwise stored. Sometimes a hinge or flexible connection is provided at the bridge piece to enable the I! spectacles to be folded into a somewhat more compact Sconfiguration.

While these systems have proved to be relatively compact, they invariably are somewhat bulky and it is desirable in some cases to provide an extremely flat construction.

i' iObjects of the Invention i4 It is the principal object of the present invention to |i 30 provide an improved spectacle structure which'has a flatter configuration than earlier spectacles but which nevertheless has }greater versatility.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple, flat, compact spectacle construction avoiding disadvantages of prior art systems.

i: Summary of the Invention These objects and others which will become more readily apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the invention, in which is provided a flattened spectacle frame provided with at least one longitudinal channel extending across the lens-receiving portion of the frame and through a bridgepiece thereof while opening at an end of the frame to enable a temple to be at least in part retracted from this channel and to be swung into a position of use in which this temple lies substantially transverse to the plane of the frame and channel.

Generally, the channel will accommodate two such temples, each of whicn can be extended from the channel in a respective direction generally linearly before the temple is swung into its use position.

l This arrangement has the advantage that the temples re largely received within the frame while the latter retains its flat and preferably planar construction, without requiring folding of the temples or even telescoping of various sections of a temple into one another, systems which increase the complexity of 2b mcnufacture and use. While the invention is applicable to the use of any materials, it can be carried out utilizing temples of plastics material, wire and other materials which are commonly utilized in spectacles.

According to a feature of the invention, each temple is provided with an earpiece which may continue to project when the S,'t temple is otherwise received in the respective channel so that the earpiece can serve as a holder enabling the temple to be extended from the channel.

SAlternatively, the earpiece may be partly received within the frame in a more compact construction.

The free end of the temple remote from the earpiece can be shaped, e.g. with a head of transverse formation, to prevent 4 the shank of the temple from being fully extracted from the channel.

The frame of the spectacle can be molded in one or more pieces from a synthetic resin material. Especially in the latter case, it has been found to be advantageous to provide two distinct 3 Liz and parallel channels to accommodate the respective temples which can be more or less rigid and can be provided with means in their inner ends to enable the swinging motion of each temple about a hinge point at the end of the respective channel. In this case, each channel may open only at a respective side of the frame and may be closed at the opposite side of the frame.

One of the channels may lie in front of the other or the channels may be provided one above the other.

Advantageously, in the embodiment in which the temples are rigid, an earpiece can be hingedly connecteO' to the temple so as to be able to swing between a position in which the elongated earpiece lies substantially at a right angle to the respective temple into a position in which the earpiece includes an obtuse angle therewith.

In the first of these positions, the earpiece can lie close to the side of the frame for a compact construction of the spectacles when the temples are retracted in their respective channels while the second position corresponds to a position of use and is, of course, more comfortable for the user.

Detent means may be provided between the earpiece and the temple to index the earpiece relative to. the temple in each of the two positions previously described or in additional positions of adjustment to accommodate the predilections or requirements of the user Advantageously, the channels are formed by upper and lower frame members which are held together by a channel formed on a lens-carrying member which depends from the channel-forming structure and can be provided with any nosepiece engaging the bridge of the nose of the wearer.

Brief Description of the Drawing 1 The above objects, features and advantages of the f. present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which: FIG. 1 is a top view of a pair of spectacles utilizing the principles of the invention and showing the temples retracted 4 L in solid lines, but extended in a dot-dash view; FIG. 2 is a front-elevational view, partly broken away of the spectacles; FIG. 3 is a detail view in section along the line III-III of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a section through a rigid-frame spectacle of the invention having two channels for respective rigid temples lying in a front-to-back relationship according to the invention; FIG. 5 is a top view with part of the cover broken away to show the two channels; FIG. 6 is a side view of one of the temples showing part of the indexing means thereof; FIG. 7 is a top view of this temple; a FIG. 8 is a side view of the earpiece adapted to tti cooperate with this temple; FIG. 9 is a top view of a portion of this earpiece; 0 FIG. 10 is a section through the lens-forming member; S and Ett FIG. 11 is an elevational view with the earpiece in place showing an alternative position in dot-dash lines.

Specific Description In FIGS. 1-3, we have shown another embodiment in which the generally flat character of the spectacles is retained.

The frame 40 can comprise a pair of lens-receiving portions 41 and 42 interconnected by a bridgepiece 43, molded rigid therewith. The portions 41 and 42 are provided with windows 0 0' 44, 45 each of which receives a lens 46, 47. In this embodiment, a channel 48 is provided in the linear rigid member formed by the upper parts of members 41 and 42 and by the bridgepiece 43.

While a common channel is utilized to receive the two temples and 51 (only one of which is shown in FIGS. 2 and it will be understood that separate channels can also be employed, if desired (see FIGS. 4 and Each of the temples 50, 51, is formed with an earpiece 52 and projects through a passage 53 at the respective end of the frame so that the temple can be retracted through this 'm m iil^ i.ll 1_ i i t 1

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I

i t passage and swung into a rearwardly open slot 54 (FIG. the retraction being limited by an enlarged head 55 at the end of the temple.

Thus in the retracted position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in solid lines, the temples are practically completely received within the channel and only the earpieces 52 remain exposed and are coplanar substantially with the balance of the frame. When, however, the temples are retracted, they can be swung into the normal use position shown in dot-dash lines at 56 and 57 to engage the head of the wearer. It is also possible in both of the embodiments described to form the channels from a tubular member which can be applied to the frame element, e.g. by heat sealing, adhesive bonding or other conventional means.

r These principles have been extended in the embodiment of I FIGS. 4 and 5 to a frame 90 in which a pair of channels 91 and 92 in a front-and-back relationship are provided in a rigid bar extending above both lenses and across the bridge of the spectacles. This bar is constituted by a base 93 and a cover 94, each of which can be injection molded from synthetic resin material and which, when interfitted as shown in FIG. 4, define the two channels. The two members 93 and 94.may be held together by a channel-shaped portion 95 of the lens-forming member 96. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5,each of the channels 91 and 92 receives a respective temple 97, 98, the temples being shown in their swung-out positions in FIG. 5 where the two channels 91 and 92 are also visible. Hinge formations are provided at 99 and 100 for the temples to enable them, when they each reach the end of the respective channels, to be swung outwardly into the position shown in FIG. The temples are each provided with earpieces as has been shown for the temple 97 in FIGS. 6 and 7. More particularly, each temple is formed at its free end with a hollow circular lug 101 with a pair of pins 102, 103 projecting in opposite directions so as to form a pintle for the earoiece which can be slipped over the lug. The pintle has ramps 104 which facilitate spreading of the bifocated end of the earpiece to ensure that it will snap over a pivot upon the pintle.

~-j 6- 1~L 0 0o tO 4 0 I P 0 to 0 A pair of bumps 105, 106 is provided on each lug to form detent means for the earpiece and a stop in the form of a projection 107 is likewise provided on this lug.

The earpiece is best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9 and has been represented at 110. It has a bifurcated end 111 which is adapted to snap over the pintle and has a bore 112 into which the pintle fits to allow a limited pivoting movement of the earpiece on the temple. A cavity 113 in the pintle accommodates the projection 107.

The earpiece 110 (FIG. 11) can thus be indexed in either of the two positions shown, i.e. in the dot-dash position in which the earpiece is substantially at a right angle to the temple so that it will lie close to the side of the frame and provide a compact configuration when the temple is fully inserted in its channels, and in the solid-line position in which the earpiece may be rotated for use. Other detent means or ratchet configurations may be provided to allow for additional positions which comfort so warrants.

FIG. 10 shows the lens member 96 in greater detail, the lens being seen at 114.

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Claims (6)

1. A pair of spectacles comprising: a rigid member carrying a lens element and formed with a pair of channels overlying lenses on said element; and respective temples received in said channels and extendable therefrom at opposite ends of said member and swingable relative to said member upon extension from said channels to lie along opposite sides of the head of the user.

2. A pair of spectacles defined in claim 1 wherein said member is formed from two interfitting members defining said It,* channels between them. Se

3. The pair of spectacles defined in claim 2 wherein said element has a channel-shaped structure receiving said interfitting members and holding them together.

4. The pair of spectacles defined in claim 1, further comprising an earpiece swingably mounted on.a free end of each of said temples.

The pair of spectacles defined in claim 4, further comprising indexing means for indexing said earpieces in a plurality of relative angular positions with reference to the respective temples.

6. A pair of spectales substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. D A T E D this 3rd day of June, 1988. ALROY STANLEY ASSOCIATES INC. By its Patent Attorneys: CALLINANS 8 L