AU744941B2

AU744941B2 - Automatic eyewear strap winding device

Info

Publication number: AU744941B2
Application number: AU28528/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hidetoshi Oshikawa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-07-08
Filing date: 1997-07-08
Publication date: 2002-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2017-07-08
Also published as: AU2852897A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT ee Name of Applicant: HIDETOSHI OSHIKAWA Actual Inventor: HIDETOSHI OSHIKAWA Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Invention Title: "AUTOMATIC EYEWEAR STRAP WINDING DEVICE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -1- .i i -,ii.i ,lu. l rj ;I -2- The present invention relates, in general terms, to devices that allow eyewear, such as sunglasses, to be worn in a set position with headgear such as a cap, worn normally as glasses, or allowed to hang down on the chest.

As is well known, as standards of living rise, lifestyle levels in terms of food, clothing and shelter are improved due to scientific and technological advances but, on the other hand, rampant so-called diseases caused by civilization are harming people's health.

Nowadays even otherwise healthy persons, who are neither nearsighted nor farsighted, frequently wear sunglasses or goggles while engaging in sports activities, and many people carry sunglasses for fashion purposes.

Even while carrying glasses with them, however, people do not always wear these glasses, but often put them in a pocket or handbag. It is common to see people carrying their glasses hanging down on their chest, as shown in Figure 14 of the accompanying drawings, by means of an arrangement wherein, attached to the arms of the frame of the glasses is a clip, which has attached at its end a strap that is attached in the shape of a circle and hangs around the neck of the wearer at the collar of the clothes.

o has also become quite common for people to sometimes carry their glasses on their head as an aspect of fashion, a position from which the glasses can easily 0 be put on for use as eyeglasses.

~Carrying eyewear, such as glasses, by placing them in a pocket or handbag, °.however, has the disadvantage that people frequently forget where they placed their glasses and are unable to access them for use when necessary. There is also the .problem of possible breakage or loss when the glasses are accidentally dropped upon taking them out of the pocket or handbag. Furthermore, although hanging glasses from the neck as shown in Figure 14 is quite convenient, the straps sway and are an impediment and hindrance to movement, making it inconvenient. In addition, with glasses hanging from the neck as shown in Figure 14, when engaging in sports or other pastimes involving movement, the glasses tend to sway with each movement 8n/97GS9277.SPE,- 2 -3of the body and can be a hindrance to movement, also making it inconvenient.

Moreover, hanging glasses in this manner has a health-related disadvantage in that, if one should accidentally fall down, the glasses can break and the glass can cause injury. Furthermore, there are fashion consequences when a strap is hung around the neck. For example, when a person wishes to change the colour of a strap, the process can be surprisingly troublesome, limiting the ability to make such changes.

The present invention seeks to solve the problems and disadvantages associated with the prior art methods of hanging eyewear, such as sunglasses around the neck of the user by providing an automatic eyewear strap winding mechanism that has all the potential merits of carrying glasses by hanging them around the neck, allows setting and resetting to be performed with a single touch is highly fashionable, provides little or no hindrance during activities such as sports. has an operation that can be easily controlled automatically, is highly durable, can be produced at low cost and will be of use in the eyewear maintenance technology.

In accordance with the present invention, therefore, there is provided an 2 eyeglass holding device including: a strap including an eyeglass frame attachment S2o at one end thereof; a housing; a detachable mount for attaching said housing to an i article of clothing; and a winding mechanism, disposed within said housing, for drawing into and releasing said strap from said housing, said winding mechanism including a retractor for pulling said strap into said housing, a lock for stopping motion of said strap into said housing, and a manual lock release permitting 25 retraction of said strap into said housing.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect there shall now be described in detail preferred embodiments of strap winding device in accordance with the invention. The ensuing description is given by way of non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a cutaway, diagonal expanded component view of a first embodiment of the invention; 04/01/02,jf9277 clm,3 -4- FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3

FIGURE

is a half cross-sectional component view of the embodiment of Figure 1; is a side cross-sectional view of the arrangement of the case guide holes; is a rear perspective view of glasses set above the visor of a hat; is a front perspective view of glasses set above the visor of a hat; is a front perspective view of glasses worn on the face; is a front perspective view of glasses hanging down; is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1, of the twin magazine type; is an exploded perspective view of the mechanism that connects the two release buttons of the twin magazine type of Figure 8; is an exploded view of the overlapping form of the twin magazine type; is an exploded side view of the glasses frame fine-adjustment mechanism; is a rear view of a further embodiment of the present invention; is a rear perspective view of yet a further embodiment of the present invention; and is a view of an existing form of glasses hanging from the neck of a user.

FIGURE 9 FIGURE 10 FIGURE 11 .20

FIGURE

FIGURE 14 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The method of implementing this invention is explained below based on Figures 1 through 14. Components identical to those in Figure 14 will be explained utilizing the same item numbers. The embodiments illustrated employ a cap type hat as the mounting medium, but the mounting medium could of course be a hunting hat, sun visor, or any other type of headgear.

8n/97GS9277.SPE,-4 S~ In Figures 1 through 7, component is the automatic eyewear strap winding device that is the subject of the present invention. This unit is of the single type.

The automatic winding device is roughly divided into exterior cap-type front and rear cases and an interior magazine The rear case has attached thereto Velcro (trade mark) fastener (19) of any given size, and is fastened to and removed from the cap which is used as the mounting medium and has another Velcro (trade mark) fastener at a designated position at the rear, affixed by means of adhesive.

Within the magazine a reel (14) with a single winding groove (13) is attached to a pair of circular straps for the left and right sides. Bearings within the reel (14) move freely so as to rotate in both directions by means of the release button (16) and shank On the rear of the shank a pawl (17), which acts as a stopper, is prevented from moving by a circular ratchet rack (18) on the interior rear of the reel Integral with the exterior edge of the shank (16') is a flange (19) and, installed between the flange (19) and the reel is a compression spring (20) for relative-slip rewinding. One end of coil spring (22) is attached to the reel (14) and the other end is attached to the release button (16) and shank The coil spring (22) winds and the reel (14) is rewound.

The case joint has a male-female type clip and the outside of the case 0 has an integral hand operated hook (23).

To attach the automatic eyewear strap winding device of the present .invention to a particular location on a cap a Velcro fastener is affixed in advance to the designated location with an adhesive which is attached to another Velcro fastener (10) affixed to the rear of the case Furthermore, when °25 the reel which is attached to the straps is wound a certain number of *times by the coil spring the pawl (17) locks the ratchet rack (18) to hold the magazine which freely winds by means of bearings (15) in the release button in a fixed position.

As shown in Figure 3 the interior and exterior cases have guide holes 8n/197GS9277.SPE,- 5 -6- (24, 24) at both ends. Stoppers (25, 25) on the straps that extend to the left and right of the reel (14) are on the outside of the guide holes (24,24), and each strap is attached solidly to the ends of the arms of the frame of the sunglasses by means of clips The clips (26) are fitted on the straps at the optimal length for when the sunglasses are placed on the face.

It is possible to adjust the position of the automatic eyewear strap winding mechanism of this application according to how the cap is worn by adjusting the Velcro fastener (10, Furthermore, when setting the sunglasses in a fixed position above the visor of a cap when the sunglasses are set above the visor of the cap (11) by grasping the frames with both hands, the straps which are attached to the frames (1 by means of clips the straps cause the reel (14) to rotate around the outside of the release button (16) with resistance from the coil spring (21) and the straps are drawn out. When the glasses are placed in the set position, the pawl (17) stops the ratchet rack and the sunglasses are set in a fixed position on the visor of the cap (11) without shortening the straps Although the wearer can freely move the glasses, there S is absolutely no chance of dropping the sunglasses.

It is possible to set the sunglasses in a fixed position above the visor (11') of the cap as shown in Figures 4 and When the sunglasses are placed on the face in their normal position, as shown in Figure 6, by pulling the sunglasses forward by grasping the frames with both hands, the straps cause the reel (14) to rotate with resistance from the coil spring and when the sunglasses are placed on the face, by pressing the automatic eyewear strap winding device release button (16) with one hand the 25 release button (16) is pressed by the return spring (20) and the pawl (17) is 0. separated from the ratchet rack so the coil spring (21) rotates in the opposite direction to the force of the spring and the straps are drawn in and wound on the reel The stoppers (25) prevent further pulling on the straps from the set position of the sunglasses When pressure is removed from the release button 8n/97GS9277.SPE- 6- -P i -il :i i. .r r. i. i, I -7the pawl (17) stops the ratchet rack and the sunglasses are maintained in a fixed position.

Thus, the sunglasses and the automatic eyewear strap winding device (7) are connected in a manner that they pull on one another so that, when the wearer engages in skiing or other sports, he can move freely without the sunglasses (1) coming off and, since the straps are connected to the automatic eyewear strap winding device in such a manner, even when there is a chance of the sunglasses coming off there can be no accidental dropping.

Furthermore and with reference again to Figure 7, when carrying eyewear and engaging in activities other than sports, by grasping the frames of the sunglasses with the hands and pulling them diagonally down and to the front, the straps cause the reel (14) to rotate in the normal direction with resistance from the coil spring (21) and, with one complete stroke, the straps are withdrawn, as shown in Figure 7, and the sunglasses are set hanging down on the chest.

By making the straps of tape, changes in the hanging position of the glasses do not occur as a result of the elasticity of the material, which prevents the tape from swaying.

S"Furthermore, when the sunglasses are returned to the position shown in Figures 4 and 5, set above the visor of the cap (11) or worn on the normal 20 position on the face as shown in Figure 6, by pressing the release button (16) with one hand the pawl (17) is released from the ratchet rack the reel (14) rotates in the opposite direction as a result of the force of the coil spring the straps are shortened. By setting the sunglasses in position with one or both hands and releasing the pressure from the release button the pawl (17) stops the ratchet rack (18) and the sunglasses are held in a fixed position, the same as described above.

Next, Figure 8 shows a twin type automatic eyewear strap winding device, which incorporates a pair of the automatic eyewear strap winding devices shown in Figures 1 through 3. Each of the automatic eyewear strap winding devices has 8nT/9GS9277.SPE,- 7 1~ .1 Z~ i ~r I -8a guide hole and can release or draw in a strap one on the left and one on the right. In this form, the release buttons (16, 16) are connected by a tie rod and both the left and the right straps can be pulled out independently, making possible use of the sunglasses in positions where the balance of the left and right straps is not even. By operating the tie rod with a single hand, the reel (14) in each magazine rotates simultaneously in opposite directions, drawing in the straps.

The form shown in Figure 10 is a twin type with the winding devices placed one on top of the other. This form also allows the length of the straps to be adjusted independently, so that the sunglasses can be used in a position where the balance of the left and right straps is not even, the same as described above.

Next, Figure 11 shows a method of further guaranteeing that the length of the strap can be adjusted or securely clamped in position by means of the clips (26) on the frame of the sunglasses A curved lever (27) on the top portion of the clip (20) is supported by a link (28) that is attached to the end of the arm of the frame There is a stopper (30) on the handle bar which is inserted into a pocket (31) in the arm 11") of the frame With the strap drawn in by the coil spring (21) and the length controlled by the stopper by turning the handle bar (29) of the lever (27) in the direction of the arm 011') with one hand, the action of the link (28) causes the arm 1 and the clip (26) to draw closer to one another 20 and the sunglasses are set in a closer position. Furthermore, since the stopper is set in the pocket this position is fixed quite solidly. The fine adjustment and mechanism of the working of the stopper shown in Figure 11 can be used not only with the single type winding device shown in Figures 1 through 7, but also with the twin types shown in Figures 8 through 25 As explained above, when glasses are worn in a hanging position, they have a close relationship with fashion. Accordingly, it is possible to fulfil fashion needs by replacing the magazine cassette which is attached to the straps including the tape wound around the reel (14) in the magazine, and is made in a variety of colours and sizes, by opening the and closing the case 8flI97GS927?.SPE,- 8 -9- Figure 13 shows an automatic eyewear strap winding device of the present invention affixed to the collar of clothing by means of a Velcro fastener attached in a designated position in advance with adhesive and fastened to a Velcro fastener (10) on the case This allows the sunglasses to be worn or set in a hanging position.

The arrangement of the present invention is not limited to those methods explained above, but can be used in other ways. For example, the mounting medium need not be a cap, but could be a hunting hat, sun visor, or other headgear.

Furthermore, the mounting medium need not be limited to head gear, but could also be clothing such as a muffler, scarf, or ear muffs. In addition, eyewear that the invention can be used with is not limited to sunglasses, but also includes goggles as well as eyeglasses for nearsightedness and farsightedness and loupes.

Possible design modifications include placing a micromotor and setting a battery at a particular location on the headgear as a power source for the frame and operating the device through electrical power.

Furthermore, it is also possible to pull the glasses over the head and hang them on the back when carrying large items, etc.

additional possible design modification is to decrease the difference between the coefficient of dynamic friction and coefficient of statistical friction with the stopper engaged to allow the length of the straps withdrawn from the magazine to be controlled automatically by the elasticity of the straps.

oooo Another possible design modification is to use rubber or other material of a specific elasticity for the straps.

using the present invention, it is possible to hang sunglasses or other O, 25 eyewear from the neck by means of straps and, by placing the automatic eyewear ***strap winding device on the rear of a hat or other item used as the mounting medium, to have the straps automatically lengthen or shorten to place the eyewear above the visor of the cap or on the face for use. Furthermore, it is possible to hang the glasses from the neck on the chest; because the eyewear is attached to the 8n/97GS9277.SPE,- 9winding device by means of the straps, the glasses cannot be dropped or lost, and, therefore, freedom of movement during sports and other activities is guaranteed, and fashion requirements can be sufficiently met.

In addition, since the magazine is affixed to the mounting medium by an attachment device including a Velcro fastener or a hook, it can be easily removed and, from this perspective too, the ease and freedom of wearing glasses is increased.

Since the glasses can be worn in any position desired, fashion is also maintained.

Finally it is to be understood that the aforegoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.

o **o go• eio° 8/7/97GS9277.SPE,- 10 I i illm: ~ill-r I ci-ji.-

Claims

1. An eyeglass holding device including: a strap including an eyeglass frame attachment at one end thereof; a housing; a detachable mount for attaching said housing to an article of clothing; and a winding mechanism, disposed within said housing, for drawing into and releasing said strap from said housing, said winding mechanism including a retractor for pulling said strap into said housing, a lock for stopping motion of said strap into said housing, and a manual lock release permitting retraction of said strap into said housing.

2. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein said winding mechanism includes a magazine removable from said housing.

3. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein said winding mechanism includes a reel on which said strap is wound by rotation of said reel about a shank on which said reel is rotatably mounted. o•

4. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said housing S includes two separable cases.

5. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said detachable mount includes a first mount attached to said article of clothing and a i second mount attached to said housing. 25

6. The holding device according to claim 5, wherein said first mount and said second mount include hook material and loop material.

7. The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said eyeglass frame attachment includes a clip attachable to an eyeglass frame.

8. The holding device according to claim 7, wherein said clip includes a curved lever disposed on a top portion of said clip and supported by a link attached to an end of a bow of said frame, a handle bar pivotably coupled to said lever and ding a stopper insertable into a pocket in said bow of said frame, whereby 04/01/02,jf9277 clm, 11 -12 turning said handle bar in a direction of said bow causes said bow and said clip to draw closer to one another and said stopper to be set into said pocket.

9. The holding device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein said retractor includes a torsion spring coupled between said shank and said reel.

The holding device according to claim 9, wherein said torsion spring is substantially in equilibrium when said strap is wound about said reel such that said strap is generally contained within said winding mechanism, whereby said torsion spring exerts a retracting force when said strap is extended outside of said reel.

11. The holding device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lock release includes a ratchet and a pawl. 15

12. An eyeglass holding device, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. 9 a 9' 9t a 0r 9 6 0 9* C a a 0 9*00 ar 000 a *000 DATED this 4 th day of January ,2001 HIDETOSHI OSHIKAWA By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE 04/01/02,jf9277 clm,12 :?4bi-1: