EP0639944A1

EP0639944A1 - Device for attaching a pair of spectacles to head gear

Info

Publication number: EP0639944A1
Application number: EP93910105A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nicolas Simone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-05-14
Filing date: 1993-05-11
Publication date: 1995-03-01
Also published as: FR2691051A1; JPH07506634A; FR2691051B1; CA2135166A1; AU4074893A; US5720040A; WO1993022946A1; KR950701500A

Abstract

Device for attaching a pair of spectacles or eye protection screen (20) to headgear (10) or to a rigid head band. The device comprises a first upper hinge pin with its axis being substantially horizontal and parallel to the wearer's forehead, said hinge pin being extended by a telescopic arm formed from a tubular body (30) in which slides a rod (32). The other end of the telescopic arm is connected by means of a second hinge pin (22) to the centre of the pair of spectacles or of the eye protection screen (20). The axis of the second hinge pin is also substantially horizontal and parallel to the wearer's forehead. The device further includes means for temporalily maintaining the open position of the hinge pins and the length and slant of the telescopic arm.

Description

DEVICE FOR ATTACHING A PAIR OF EYEWEAR TO A HEAD COVER

The present invention relates to a device for fixing a pair of glasses, or other protective screen for sight, to a head covering such as a hat, cap, helmet, or even to a sufficiently rigid headband. A headgear thus supplemented with a pair of glasses, for example of the sun type, is particularly appreciated by distracted people frequently forgetting the place where they left their pair of glasses for the last time, but always knowing perfectly where finds their cap, this one being much more visible.

Document US 1,473,013 discloses in Figures 9 and 10 a cap, the underside of the visor is completed by a pair of lenses pivotally mounted from a vertical position of use to a position stored against this internal face. In the usage position, each lens can also be rotated 90 degrees to reach parallel to the nose so that only one right or left lens is used, as required. In this embodiment, there is therefore only one degree of freedom: a rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the wearer's forehead, to adjust the position of these glasses relative to the face, which turns out clearly insufficient given the diversity of body types and the many ways to wear - a cap.

Document EP 0 412 737 discloses a headband completed with a visor under the underside of which is attached a notched slide, the lateral edges of which have a dovetail shape for receiving a holding piece of a pair of glasses. More precisely, this retaining part is in the form of a clamp oriented downwards into which the bridge of the pair of glasses. In this embodiment, therefore, there is only one degree of freedom: an advance or a retreat of the glasses along the slide to adjust the position of these glasses relative to the face. In addition, if you only want to use the visor momentarily, it is necessary to extract the glasses from the clip which then loses its clamping efficiency as these manipulations go until it becomes unusable.

Document EP 0 321 617 discloses a cap provided with a visor, the underside of which is also completed with a zipper in which a holding piece for a horizontal bar 23 mounted parallel to the center of the bridge can slide back and forth. 'a pair of glasses. Thanks to this arrangement, this pair of glasses can on the one hand be raised under the visor and on the other hand be adjusted forward or backward relative to the face. However, maintaining the desired more or less vertical position depends only on simple friction between the horizontal bar and its housing in the holding part. In other words, this pair of glasses quickly becomes wobbly when the dimensions of this housing have increased due to

Wear and tear.

Especially in these three embodiments mentioned, no height adjustment is provided between the pair of glasses in the use position and the headgear, which greatly disadvantages people who have a forehead. Too high or too low compared to the average. This lack of height adjustment is also a drawback for those who wish to be able to permanently modify the wearing further in front or behind their visor while wanting to keep the pair of glasses very close to the eyes.

The document FR-E-66 810 discloses a helmet without visor receiving a vertical frame constituted by a slide, an upright with a braking device limiting the sliding, and a ball joint on which come tighten the forks with a telescopic rod. The opposite end of the rod supports a second ball joint on which a pair of glasses is articulated. We can then adapt the glasses to eye height by adjusting the support along the slide and / or the telescopic rod.

However, a ball joint being a joint formed of a spherical part which can rotate in a hollow housing inside a cone of angle travel at the top usually of the order of 150 degrees, we find ourselves in this case , with one degree of freedom too much, namely a possible lateral movement in which the pair of glasses is no longer centered relative to the nose. In addition, the telescopic rod has no anti-rotation means, which practically requires the use of two side mounts which are rather expensive to make and less easy to adjust.

Document DE 2,030,546 illustrates a pair of glasses held on the visor of a construction helmet by two lateral uprights, each being assembled at their upper end to a hook by means of a horizontal bolt allowing a first rotation, and in their lower end to the bezel circle by a horizontal tenon allowing a second rotation. The height adjustment device is made by the fact that the holding pins of the pair of glasses in the uprights can be moved inside a vertical oblong hole formed in the middle of each upright. This device is however only possible if the uprights are lateral so that the pair of glasses does not come to interfere with them when it is mounted. In addition, the angles of rotation rotation are limited, and the means for maintaining the angular position of the telescope are particularly complicated.

The object of the present invention is a simplified device for attaching a pair of glasses, or a protective screen for sight, to a headgear or to a headband _. rigid, device which allows easier and more exact adjustment of the position of this pair of glasses in front of the eyes whatever the momentary position of the headgear on the head. It is therefore desirable that the parts of this device have a very high mobility with respect to each other to offer wide possibilities of adjustment from front to back, tilt and height, and this in an easy manner.

Once these position adjustments have been made, this device must moreover ensure a sufficiently rigid and reliable blocking of the final position by itself without requiring complicated additional operations.

Obviously, this fixing device must remain solid so as not to break even after multiple manipulations. It would moreover be desirable for this fixing device to allow a certain interchangeability of the glasses according to the mood of the wearer. Finally, the constituent parts must be of a sufficiently simple design to allow mass production at reduced cost, in particular by injection of thermosetting plastic.

These goals are achieved by the fact that the first hinge is extended by a single telescopic arm, formed by a tubular body in which slides a rod, the other end of which is connected by a second hinge in the center of the pair of glasses or the protective screen, this second hinge also having its axis substantially horizontal and parallel to the front of the wearer, this device further comprising means for temporarily maintaining the open position of the hinges, as well as the length and the angular orientation of the telescopic arm.

According to a first embodiment, the means for temporarily maintaining the open position ^' of a hinge is produced by tightening the female knuckle, in the form of two parallel clamps, around an axis replacing the male knuckle at the end of the pivoting part.

According to a second embodiment, the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge is produced by covering the lateral shoulders of the male knuckle over the edges of the female knuckle thus constituting a significant friction zone which , if desired, can be improved by a series of small notches.

According to a third embodiment, the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge comprises a series of bosses formed on the lateral faces of the male knuckle, bosses coming to settle in recesses formed in correspondence on the walls internal lateral branches of the female knuckle, or vice versa: the recesses being formed on the lateral faces of the male knuckle. In this embodiment, the angular position is then indexed, for example by intervals of 10 degrees, but proves to be a little firmer than in the previous embodiment.

According to a fourth embodiment, the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge is produced by the axis of. the hinge, a first threaded end of which is engaged in the threaded ori ice of one of the branches of the female knuckle, and the other end of which presents a head pressing against the external face of the other branch of the female knuckle, the shape of this head allowing to turn it manually or being completed by a butterfly key. If the hinge embodiment is somewhat longer to handle, it allows for adjustment against ^'the fine angular position and a particularly rigid support.

Usefully, the means for temporarily holding the length of the telescopic arm comprises one or more bosses formed on the sliding rod, bosses coming from install in orifices in the wall corresponding to the hollow tubular body. It will be noted that, in addition to the possibility of adjustment step by step and a sufficiently rigid support, this type of connection also allows the interchangeability of the glasses by completely removing the rod from the body and by reinserting that of the following pair of glasses.

The means for maintaining the angular position of the telescopic arm, that is to say the position in rotation relative to the longitudinal axis of the telescopic arm, may comprise a longitudinal groove in the internal duct of the tubular body, groove in which engages a lug of the sliding rod. This means of maintaining this angular position of the telescopic arm can be produced more directly thanks to a rectangular or polygonal section given to the sliding rod and to the internal conduit of the tubular hollow body.

When this device is applied to a hat or cap comprising a large front visor, the first hinge can be fixed under the internal face close to the front edge of this visor, the second hinge then being fixed on the front face and close to the edge upper of the pair of glasses or the protective screen. The fixings can. be permanent, such as gluing or sewing, or better removable in the form of clips. The clip of the lower hinge can be completed with one or more internal bosses penetrating into one or more orifices formed on the upper edge of the telescope. The upper and lower hinges then preferably have a travel angle greater than 120 degrees. Thanks to this arrangement comprising two hinges, the pair of glasses can always be retracted very easily although starting from a particularly advanced position.

When this device is applied to a headgear without a visor, such as a bicycle, motorcycle or other helmet, or when applied to a simple headband, the first hinge can then be fixed in the middle of the headgear or headband by a knuckle whose base is substantially vertical, the second hinge being fixed on the rear face and close to the upper edge of the telescope or the protective screen . The hinges then have a travel angle of between 200 and 260 degrees. It is then possible to completely raise the pair of glasses against the front face of the headgear, or to bring it exactly in front of the eyes. In this embodiment, provision can also be made for the tubular body of the telescopic arm to be completed on either side also by screens completing the protection of sight.

The invention will be better understood from the study of embodiments taken by way of nonlimiting examples and described by the following figures:

- Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a first embodiment applied to a cap having a visor, the pair of glasses being respectively in use position and in retracted position, - Figure 3 is a view in perspective of a second embodiment applied to a cap comprising a visor,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a clip hinge used in the embodiment of FIG. 3,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of a third embodiment applied to a helmet without a visor, the pair of glasses being respectively in an extended position of use and a retracted storage position,

- Figures 7, 8 and 9 respectively illustrate three additional embodiments of hinges.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a cap 10 completed with a visor 12 seen in an underlying manner. ^ Under the visor 12 is attached a pair of glasses 20, in this case mono-block, by means of a fastening device comprising an upper hinge 14 anchored under the visor 12, a telescopic arm composed of a tubular body 30 in which slides a rod 32, and a lower hinge 22 connecting the pair of glasses 20 to the end of this telescopic arm.

The base of the hinge 14 can be either glued directly against the visor 12, or included and then sewn during the production of the cap. Preferably, this hinge 14 is of the type as illustrated in FIG. 7,

10 that is to say, the male knuckle 35 has a series of bosses 16 along a circular line, bosses which engage in recesses formed in correspondence on the internal faces of the branches of the female knuckle 17. A single axis 40 provides the connection between the male knuckle 35 and the

15 female knuckle 17.

As can best be seen in the upper part of FIG. 9, the sliding rod 32 has a rectangular section and is completed at its end by a pair of bosses 33 intended to engage in holes 31 formed in the face corresponding to the tubular body 30 also rectangular.

The lower hinge 22 is, in this embodiment, directly glued to the front face of the bezel 20, and this close to the upper edge.

25. In FIG. 3 is illustrated a second remarkable embodiment in that the two hinges 50 and 60 constitute at the same time clips for attaching the fixing device on the one hand to the visor 12 and on the other hand to the pair. glasses 20.

30 ^* More particularly and as illustrated in Figure 4, the upper hinge clip 50 comprises two legs ^{^} clamping 51 and 53 of relatively large area, one or both of which may be lined on their faces in vis-à-vis of teeth 52 for apprehending the visor. The surface large of these 51.53 clip branches, of the order of 2.5 x 3.5 cm, ensures effective coupling with the rigid surface of the visor.

The branch 52 constitutes the base for the female knuckle which is here in the form of two clamps (or forks) 54 adjacent parallel. Through the central space 55 can then be forcibly inserted an axis 29 directly constituting the end of the tubular body 30. The diameter of this axis is initially greater by 5 to 15 percent than the diameter of the female knuckle thus inducing sufficient friction forces to keep the parts stationary relative to each other while allowing manual adjustment when desired. To reduce the weight, the branch 51, not supporting any other part, can be hollowed out at its center so as to form only a loop.

Likewise, the lower hinge 60 has on both sides two openings 65 open upwards into which the pin 28 terminating the rod 32 can be forcibly inserted. The relatively oblong body of this hinge is curved and comprises a groove 67 acting as a clip snapping onto the upper edge of the pair of glasses 20. If desired, the clamping effect is reinforced by a boss device 62 internal to groove 67 penetrating into orifices formed in correspondence in the edge of the bezel. One of the great advantages of this second clip hinge is that the user can undo the frame at any time to install another one of a different shape or color, which is highly appreciated for objects that change mode such as glasses. of Sun.

The user normally installs the cap 10 on his head with the pair of glasses 20 in the retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 2. Once his cap is properly in place, he lowers the pair of glasses 20 to a substantially vertical position. which involves a simultaneous rotation of the upper 14/50 and lower 22/60 hinges, which makes movement even easier. he can then easily, holding the hinge 14/50 with one hand and the body 30 of the telescopic arm with the other hand, adjust the length of the latter to bring the pair of glasses 20 in the exact desired position more or less close to the eyes. The engagement of the bosses 33 at the telescopic arm as well as the friction forces generated by construction in the hinges are sufficient to maintain the pair of glasses 20 permanently in the desired position. If the wearer is brought to modify the position of the cap 10 on his head, for example because the lighting conditions have changed in his environment, it will suffice for him to modify only the angular position of the upper hinge , from the bottom hinge or the length of the arm.

In the embodiment applied to a helmet

15 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tubular body 30 is directly connected to the upper hinge 19 while the sliding rod 32 is connected to the lower hinge 24. The base of the female knuckle 18 of this upper hinge 19 is attached against the helmet vertically by gluing or screwing. In addition, the connecting axis 37 is sufficiently distant from the base to allow a movement of 0 to 240 degrees for the male knuckle 36.

As best illustrated in FIG. 8, this male knuckle 36 comprises on either side two shoulders 39 covering the edge, that is to say the edge of the branches of the female knuckle 18. Initially, the radius of the circular part of these branches of knuckle 18 is slightly greater than the radius of the circular part of shoulders 39 so that, during the installation of the axis 3J through knuckles, an effective friction force is created on this overlap area. One can also provide for the production of slight notches 13 on the periphery of these branches of female knuckle 18 to confirm this friction connection. In this embodiment, the lower hinge 24 also has a deflection angle of the order of 240 degrees, and is fixed to the rear of the pair of glasses 21 close to its upper edge.

Thanks to this arrangement, and as can be seen in Figure 6, the pair of glasses 21 can be returned completely above against the front part of the helmet 15, therefore completely out of the field of vision of the wearer when desired .

To put the lenses in front of the eyes, the wearer just has to grab them at the top to bring them in front of the eyes by a circular movement, the front face of the bezel remaining permanently directed forward, thanks to the simultaneous double rotation of the upper 19 and lower 24 hinges. A rapid adjustment of the length of the telescopic arm, as before, makes it possible to perfect the position of these glasses.

If desired, the upper hinge can be replaced by the hinge illustrated in FIG. 9 in which the axis 42 includes a threaded end engaged in a threaded orifice in the left branch of the female knuckle 17, the head at the other end resting against the external face of the straight branch of this same knuckle 17. Thus, by turning this axis 42, for example by means of the attached butterfly key 44, the branches of the female knuckles 17 are forcibly tightened against the male knuckle 35.

The parts constituting this fixing device, namely the female or male knuckles attached to the headgear or the pair of glasses, the tubular body and the sliding rod of the telescopic arm are advantageously produced by injection of synthetic material, in particular plastics such as polypropylene of various colors. This molding technique is advantageous because it allows precisely the production, at a very reasonable cost, of substantially complex shaped parts and which we can easily compensate for the low dimensional imprecision.

Thanks to this manufacturing technique, it is also possible to envisage supplementing the tubular body of the telescopic arm on either side with complementary sunscreens, which improve vision protection as well. One can also envisage a spectacle frame foldable in two along a vertical median axis going from the hinge to the nose pads, a device with toothed wheels ensuring a symmetrical opening. Many improvements can be made to this fixing device in the context of the invention.

Claims

1. Device for attaching a pair of glasses or a protective screen for sight (20) to a head covering (10) or to a rigid headband comprising an upper central hinge whose axis is substantially horizontal and parallel to the front of the wearer, characterized in that this first hinge (14) is extended by a single telescopic arm formed by a tubular body (30) in. which slides a rod (32), and the other end of which is connected by a second hinge (22) in the center of the pair of glasses or of the protective screen (20), this second hinge also having its substantially horizontal axis and parallel to the wearer's forehead; and in that this device comprises means for temporarily maintaining the open position of the hinges, as well as the length and the angular orientation of the telescopic arm.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge (50) is produced by tightening the female knuckle, being in the form of two clamps (54) parallel, around an axis (29) replacing the male knuckle at the end of the pivoting part (30).

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge (50) is produced by covering the lateral shoulders (39) of the male knuckle (35) by- above the edges (13) of the female knuckle (18) thus constituting a friction zone, if desired, improved by a series of notches.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge comprises a series of bosses (16) formed on the lateral faces of the male knuckle (35), bosses coming to settle in recesses formed in correspondence on the internal lateral walls of the branches of the female knuckle (17), or vice versa: the recesses being formed on the lateral faces of the male knuckle (35).

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for temporarily maintaining the open position of a hinge is produced by the axis of the hinge, a first threaded end of which is engaged in the threaded orifice of the 'one of the branches of the female knuckle (17), and the other end of which has a head (42) pressing against the external face of the other branch of the female knuckle (17), the shape of this head making it possible to rotate it manually or being supplemented by a butterfly key (44).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for temporarily holding the length of the telescopic arm comprises one or more bosses (33) formed on the sliding rod (32), bosses coming to settle in orifices (31) formed in the wall corresponding to the hollow tubular body (30).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for maintaining the angular position of the telescopic arm is produced by the rectangular or polygonal section given to the sliding rod (32) and to the internal conduit of the tubular hollow body (30).

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the means for maintaining the angular position of the telescopic arm of circular section comprises a longitudinal groove in the internal conduit of the tubular body (30) in which comes s' engage a lug on the sliding rod (32).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims applied to a head covering comprising a front visor (12), characterized in that the first hinge (50) is fixed under the internal face close to the front edge of this visor (12) by a clip.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second hinge (60) is fixed on the front face and close to the upper edge of the telescope or of the protective screen (20) by a clip, if desired, the clip being completed with one or more internal bosses (62) penetrating into one or more orifices provided in the upper edge of the telescope.

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8 applied to a headband or to a headgear without visor, such as a helmet, characterized in that the first hinge (14) is fixed in the middle of the cover head or headband by a substantially vertical knuckle, the second hinge being fixed on the rear face and close to the upper edge of the telescope or of the protective screen; and in that the hinges (14,22) have a displacement angle of about 240 degrees.