GB2248121A

GB2248121A - Elastic spectacle hinge

Info

Publication number: GB2248121A
Application number: GB9114902A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rinaldo Montalban
Original assignee: Visottica SpA
Current assignee: Visottica SpA
Priority date: 1990-07-19
Filing date: 1991-07-10
Publication date: 1992-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-10
Also published as: IT9041658A1; HK189795A; GB2248121B; IT9041658A0; GB9114902D0; FR2664990A1; FR2664990B1; IT1243287B

Description

IMPROVED ELASTIC HINGE FOR SPECTACLES The present invention relates to an improved elastic hinge for spectacles.

An elastic hinge for spectacles is already known and is the subject of Italian patent application Nr. 41617 A/90 filed May 31, 1990 by the same Applicant, to which reference is made.

Said hinge comprises, at the end of a rod, an elongated hollow body with a flat end which contains a cylindrical helical spring comprised between the head of a pin which traverses it axially and an abutment element which is locked in said body by means of a snap-ring.

The pin passes through the abutment element and engages a first hinge element to which a second hinge element is pivoted; said second hinge element is fixed to the front part of the spectacles, and has a polygonal profile, one side of which rests on the planar end of the hollow body.

The snap-ring is appropriately accommodated inside a bore defined in the hollow body.

The hinge is mounted by first pre-assembling its various elements and by then inserting them inside the hollow body so that the snap-ring is accommodated in said bore.

Although it is optimum from the point of view of operation, said elastic hinge, during mounting, has been found to have disadvantages, due mainly to the awkward placement and insertion of the snap-ring in its seat.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved elastic hinge for spectacles which eliminates the disadvantages described above in the prior art.

A consequent primary object is to provide an improved hinge which can be assembled in a simple and rapid manner.

Not least object is to provide an improved hinge which can be manufactured at low cost with conventional production systems.

This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter may be achieved by an elastic hinge for spectacles, of the type which comprises, at the end of a rod, an elongated hollow body which contains an elastic means which is comprised between -the head of a pin which traverses it axially and an abutment element to be locked in said body, said pin passing through said abutment element and engaging a first hinge element to which a second hinge element is pivoted, said second hinge element being'fixable to the front part of the spectacles, said hinge being characterized in that said abutment element comprises portions which are suitable for expanding elastically by virtue of the action of said elastic means compressed bv said pin, said portions being provided with elements suitable for accommodating in an adapted seat of said body.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of an embodiment thereof, illustrated only by way of nonlimitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a hinge according to the invention; figure 2 is an exploded view of the hinge of figure 1; figure 3 is a view of the hinge according to the invention at the moment in which its pre-assembled parts are inserted in the hollow body.

With reference to the above figures, an improved elastic hinge for spectacles comprises an elongated hollow body 2 which is fixed to the end of a rod 1 and has a substantially parallelepipedal shape with a planar end face 3; a cylindrical hole 4 leads onto said face 3 and passes longitudinally through it, into said elongated hollow body 2.

Said cylindrical hole 4, the end 4a of which is flared, internally accommodates a cylindrical helical spring 5 which embraces the stem 6 of a screw 7 -with a head 8 upon which the spring 5 abuts with one of its ends.

The other end of the screw 7 rests in an abutment element 9 which has a substantially cylindrical shape.

In particular, said abutment element 9, which is conveniently made of plastic material, has a median cylindrical portion 10 from which two semi-cylindrical sectors 12 with a smaller diameter extend on the side of the spring 5 and are divided by a diametrical slot 11, Said sectors 12 can conveniently expand by virtue of the elastic deformation of the region which connects them to said portion 10.

Conveniently, said spring 5 rests on said sectors 12, in particular on the corresponding portions of a truncatedcone seat 13 defined in the head of said sectors.

Said sectors 12 also have, in their head respective sections, circumferential raised portions 14 which are suitable for being accommodated, upon the elastic expansion thereof, in a bore 15 defined inside the hole 4.

Said abutment element 9 furthermore comprises, on the side opposite to said sectors 12, a portion 16 which has a diameter smaller than the median portion 10 and is crossed by a diametrical slot 17.

A through hole 18 axially traverses the element 9, and the stem 6 of the screw 7 is inserted therein; the threaded end of said screw engages a complementarily threaded hole 19 of a first hinge element 20 which, by being substantially parallelepipedal, is inserted between the walls of the slot 17 and is internal to the hollow body 2 with said element 9.

Said first hinge element 20 protrudes from the body 2 with a portion 21 which has a hole 22 for pivoting to a second hinge element 23 which is substantially fork-shaped and has pivoting holes 24 for a screw pivot 25 which is fixed to the front part 26 of a pair of spectacles.

The outer profile of the rectangular fork of said second hinge element 23 comprises three sides, respectively 27, 28 and 29, one of which rests on the end face 3 of the hollow body 2.

The three sides 27, 28 and 29 define three stable equilibrium positions for the rotation of the rod 1, which can occur by virtue of the compression of the spring 5 due to a traction performed by the first hinge element 20 and therefore by the screw 7.

As regards the assembly of the hinge according to the invention, the screw 7 is inserted inside the spring 5 and the abutment element 9, passing through them and engaging the hole 19.

The screwing of the screw 7 causes the compression of the spring 5 and appropriately expands the sectors 12 of the abutment element 9.

After said assembly, the various elements are inserted inside the cylindrical hole 4, while radially compressing the two sectors 12, manually or with a tool.

This operation is also facilitated bv the presence of the flared portion on the end 4a of the hole 4.

The abutment element 9 is then caused to slide inside the hole 4 until the circumferential raised portions 14, again by virtue of the action of the spring 5, accommodate and expand inside the bore 15, locking the entire assembly in place.

At this point it should be noted that the improved elastic hinge according to the invention can be assembled in a more rapid and easy manner with respect to known types, since it is completely devoid of elastic locking rings.

In practice it has been observed that the improved hinge according to the invention may achieve its intended aim and objects.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.

In practice, the materials employed, so long as compatible with the contingent use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements.

Claims

1. Improved elastic hinge for spectacles comprising, at the end of a rod (1), an elongated hollow body (2) containing an elastic means (5) arranged between the head (8) of a pin (7) which traverses it axially and an abutment element (9) to be locked in said body (2), said pin (7) passing through said abutment element (9) and engaging a first hinge (20) element to which a second hinge element (23) is pivoted, said second hinge element (23) being fixed to the front part of the spectacles (26), said hinge being characterized in that said abutment element (9) comprises portions (12) which are suitable for expanding elastically by virtue of the action of said elastic means (5) compressed by said pin (7) said portions (12) being provided with elements (14) suitable for accommodation in an adapted seat (15) of said body (2).

2. Improved elastic hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that said abutment element (9), which is conveniently made of plastic material, substantially has a cylindrical shape and has a cylindrical median portion (10) from which two semi-cylindrical sectors (12) extend, said sectors (12) being divided by a diametrical slot (11) and being able to expand by virtue of their elastic deformation in the region which connects them to said median portion (10)

3. Improved elastic hinge according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said sectors (12) of said abutment element (9) have, at their head, corresponding portions of a resting seat (13) for said elastic means (5).

4. Improved elastic hinge according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that said elements suitable for accommodation in an adapted seat of said body are constituted by corresponding sections of circumferential raised portions (14) with which said semi-cylindrical sectors (12) are provided at their head, said seat being constituted by a bore (15) defined in said body (2).

5. Improved elastic hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said abutment element (9) comprises, on the side-opposite to said semicylindrical sectors (12), a portion (16) which is crossed by a diametrical slot (17), said abutment element (9) being crossed by a hole (18) in which said pin (7) is inserted, the threaded end of said pin (7) engaging a threaded hole (19) of said first hinge element (20), which is appropriately provided with a parallelepipedal portion inserted in said diametrical slot (17).

6. Improved elastic hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the expansion of said semi-cylindrical sectors (12) is caused by the thrust of said elastic means (5) compressed by screwing said pin (7) in said first hinge element (20).

7. Improved elastic hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said bore (15) is defined between the walls of an axial cylindrical hole (4) which is present in said hollow body (2), said hole having a flared end (4a).

8. Improved elastic hinge for spectacles, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.