Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C11/00—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00
  • A45C11/04—Spectacle cases; Pince-nez cases
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C13/00—Details; Accessories
  • A45C13/10—Arrangement of fasteners

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a closed spectacle case as defined in the introductory part of the appended claim 1.
• a spectacle case of this type is used for holding a folded pair of spectacles to protect said spectacles against mechanical damage and any dust or the like when not in use.
• they may be designed to provide different degrees of mechanical protection and to exhibit varying degrees of dimensional stability.
• the present invention relates to spectacle cases which possess the minimum dimensional stability required to establish and maintain closure between the cover element and the bottom element. However, this does not preclude such spectacle cases from still possessing a considerable degree of flexibility, a property which may be useful for some applications and which is acceptable in particular in connection with the holding of spectacles which are elastic and consequently tolerate a certain degree of deformation.
• a spectacle case having a bottom element, a cover element, a hinge and a locking means designed to secure the cover element to the bottom element in the closed position of the case.
• the cover element and the bottom element of such spectacle cases are usually composed of comparatively rigid components connected by means of the hinge element which, in state-of-the-art spectacle cases, are provided with pivot pin systems or film hinges.
• the locking means comprises a spring-loaded latch.
• the invention provides a spectacle case of the type described above which is characterized by the features described in the characterizing part of claim 1.
• the invention provides a particularly simple construction since it eliminates the need for a separate hinge mechanism. Moreover, an elegant design is obtained as well as a convenient opening function which does not involve the risk of the spectacles unintentionally falling out during opening.
• the cover element comprises a first substantially rectilinear reinforcement at the zone where it meets the bottom element, a second substantially rectilinear reinforcement opposite the first one and substantially parallel with the first one as well as an elongated sheet of a resilient material extending between the two reinforcements.
• the first reinforcement may be realised in the form of a bend which may be angular or rounded.
• the reinforcement in this embodiment does not require additional material, use being made of the cover material proper since, due to its geometry, bending generates a rectilinear reinforcement.
• this does not preclude alternative realisations of the first reinforcement, e.g. by means of a corrugation in the cover surface or by securing the cover to a reinforcement portion of the bottom element. Parallel use of combinations of these reinforcement methods is also an option.
• the second reinforcement of the preferred embodiment is realised as a bend so as to exploit the cover material whereby the need for further material is eliminated.
• the bend may be angular or rounded.
• the second reinforcement may also be supplemented with or realised in the form of a corrugation in the cover material or it may have a fitted reinforcement element.
• the bend which constitutes at least a portion of the second reinforcement extends so far that it may engage with the corresponding end of the bottom element and secure the cover element in a releasable manner.
• This embodiment utilizes the flexing properties of the resilient element which is integral with the cover element for the locking means so as to obtain a particularly simple solution.
• This embodiment of the locking means presents a particular advantage in tolerating a substantial degree of twisting and bending of the case, the mutually engaging portions of the cover element and of the bottom element being able to slide mutually along a direction parallel to the generatrices of the bends without losing the locking engagement.
• the bottom element comprises two lateral edges which extend from the area in which the cover element meets the bottom element and to the area which is immediately below the second rectilinear reinforcement in the closed position of the cover, the cover according to this embodiment being so designed that, in its closed position, it abuts on the two lateral edges with spring loading substantially continuously along the entire periphery of the elements.
• Such continuous, flexible abutment ensures that no slits occur in the case in its closed state whereby complete closure is ensured.
• the case is composed of two lateral elements and an elongated sheet of thin flexible material having at its one end a section bent into the form of a cylinder sector to constitute the end surface opposite the connecting portion, a planar or slightly curved section which forms the bottom, a section bent into cylinder sector form to constitute the end surface and the first reinforcement at the connecting area, a planar or slightly curved section which forms the cover plane, and a section at the opposite end of the elongated sheet which is bent into cylinder sector form to constitute the locking means and the second reinforcement, the two lateral elements being permanently joined with those portions of the elongated sheet which form the bottom and the two end surfaces, respectively, and being provided with edges which form abutment surfaces to support the cover portion in the closed position.
• This embodiment allows the case to be assembled from a total of three components, viz. two identical lateral elements and an elongated sheet of a thin, resilient material.
• the lateral elements may be connected to the elongated sheet material by glueing, welding or structural engagement, and they serve to brace the corresponding portions of the elongated sheet material so as to permit that those portions of the case which are, during use, perceived as rigid are in fact partially constituted of exactly the same resilient elongated sheet material as the portion, viz. the cover, which is perceived as completely flexible.
• glueing, welding or structural engagement serve to brace the corresponding portions of the elongated sheet material so as to permit that those portions of the case which are, during use, perceived as rigid are in fact partially constituted of exactly the same resilient elongated sheet material as the portion, viz. the cover, which is perceived as completely flexible.
• the case unit shown in the figures, reference being made in particular to Figure 2, is designated by the reference numeral 1, and it comprises a bottom 2 and a cover 3.
• the bottom 2 forms an upwardly open box delimited by a bottom plane 8, two lateral elements 6, an end plane at the hinge area 4 and an end plane opposite the hinge area 5.
• the opening of this box-like construction is substantially sealingly closed by means of the cover 3, the closed position of which being illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.
• hinge area is used herein, it is to be understood that the case according to the invention does not comprise an actual hinge.
• the portion bent during the closing operation is not strictly delimited but comprises the major part of the cover 3 which is bent to varying degrees, the most acute bending being effected close to the hinge area 4 while the bending of the remainder of the cover decreases in pace with the distance from the hinge area.
• the two identical lateral elements may comprise oval plates cut from plastics or the like material to the shape illustrated in Figure 3.
• the remainder of the case may be made of essentially one single elongated sheet of a resilient material which is bent to form an envelope element 11 by bending of a section near the one end of the elongated sheet about an appr. 180° cylinder sector to form the end surface opposite the hinge area 5, a bordering section being slightly curved to form the bottom plane 8, a section is bent appr. 180° to form the end surface at the hinge area 4, a section being curved upwards to form the cover surface 10 which arches upwards when not restrained (cf. fig. 2) and the last section being bent appr. along 135° of a cylinder sector to form the bent hooking edge 9 of the cover, i.e. a bend which serves as an engagement hook and secures the cover by engagement with the end planes of the bottom opposite the hinge area 5.
• the arched shape of the cover when unrestrained implies that essentially any cross section of the cover from the end surface at the hinge area to the hooking edge will be subjected to a bending moment when the cover is closed. These bending moments cause the cover to be pressed against the edges of the lateral elements.
• the arched shape of the cover is preferably matched to ensure a generally even contact pressure along the edges of the lateral elements.
• the lateral elements of the preferred embodiment are connected by glueing to those areas of the enclosure element which constitute the end surface opposite the hinge area 5, the bottom 8 and the end surface at the hinge area 4. The lateral elements brace the adhered portions of the enclosure element so as to form a substantially rigid box which constitutes the bottom element 2 of the case.
• the bends may be polygonal or rectangular since the rectilinear reinforcement according to the invention may be realised by any type of bend that has rectilinear generatrices.
• the rectilinear braces may also be realised in the form of corrugations or by fitted reinforcement elements whereby the envelope element is allowed to have other designs.
• the insides of the case are conveniently provided with a padding 7 or alternatively a moulded insert may be inserted to hold and support the spectacles to be contained therein.
• the insert may be designed integrally with lateral elements which replace the lateral elements 6 described above.
• the envelope element may be made of stainless steel having a dimension within the range of 0.2-0.6 mm, in particular having a thickness of 0.3-0.5 mm.
• the dimensions of the assembled case are routinely adapted to the dimensions of the spectacles to be contained therein.
• cover of the case according to the invention could also be provided in other embodiments, e.g. with cover connection at an elongated side edge and it may optionally have other shapes than rectangular.
• the case assembly distinguishes itself being elegant and in possessing convenient handling properties.
• the case is easily closed by light squeezing of the cover and bottom in the vicinity of the bent hooking edge of the cover, and it is opened by upward pushing of the outermost rim of the cover's bent hooking edge while the bottom is held by pressure onto the lateral elements.

Landscapes

• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)
• Eyeglasses (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8093938

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1995
  • 1995-04-21 DK DK199500472A patent/DK174376B1/da not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-01-24 AT AT96900549T patent/ATE205676T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-01-24 AU AU44314/96A patent/AU4431496A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-01-24 DE DE69615357T patent/DE69615357T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-01-24 WO PCT/DK1996/000041 patent/WO1996032858A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1996-01-24 EP EP96900549A patent/EP0822763B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-24 JP JP53140896A patent/JP3863918B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-24 PT PT96900549T patent/PT822763E/pt unknown
  • 1996-01-24 ES ES96900549T patent/ES2162020T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime

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