GB2288883A

GB2288883A - Forehead spectacle support

Info

Publication number: GB2288883A
Application number: GB9506578A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Max Fairclough Wichers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-04-11
Filing date: 1995-03-30
Publication date: 1995-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 2015-03-30
Also published as: GB2288883B; IES61000B2; GB9506578D0; IES940330A2

Abstract

A forehead spectacle support 2 has no frontally visible connection between it and lens rims 1, and is connected to lens rims 1 by a U-shaped arm which curves downwards and then forwards. A lower arm of the U-shaped arm may have a sliding trombone action sleeve 6 to adjust vertex distance. Vertically acting hinges 8 on the sleeves 6 may rotate the lens by 90 DEG - 270 DEG . Forehead pad 5, temple hinge 4, soft covers 7 for temple members and counterbalance 9 are shown. <IMAGE>

Description

SELF SUPPORTING SPECTACLE STRUCTURE WITH NO FORNAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SUSPENSION DEVICE AND LENSES In the development of headband type suspension systems there has been a need to find a way to use lightweight small sized lenses which are more in demand by wearers and still have a cosmetically attractive overall appearance. Until the device herein disclosed was developed all lenses used had to be on the order of 40 to 50 millimetres deep in order to both conceal the headband and still have the lower rim of the spectacles deep enough to be in the normal position for phthalic or sun lenses. Such lenses in addition to having the appearance of goggles were heady and could cause wearers discomfort with a front heavy feeling resulting from long periods of wearing.

By spacing the lenses from the brow bar or forehead rest an enhanced cosmetic appearance results with lightweight lenses now needing to be in the region of 25 to 35 millimetres deep and still centred properly before the eyes, with the lower portion of the lens rims being low enough to be out of the line of sight in the normal position.

The materials used may be of either plastic or of metal. By using the appropriate types of plastics or metals with different more rigid materials for the front of the headband as compared to more flexible perhaps thinner materials for the temple members rearwards of the headband hinges 4 this device can be equally effective and work well when made of either material.

The forehead pad 5 is very thin and flexible conforming to any head shape of the forehead without adjusting. It is concealed behind the rigid wire front to which it is attached 2. The drawing shows the central front portion as being flat which is for clarification purposes only to show that there is no connection between the lenses and forehead bar. The top view could show a continuous arc or curve as shown in an alternative design as in Figure III b, with the lenses plane being directly below the posterior to the position shown in Figure IIIa, for more closeness to the wearer's eyes than shown in III a.

Number 1 constitutes the lens rim which is attached to a pair of vertically acting hinges unlike traditional spectacles which have a horizontally acting (8) pair of hinges used for folding. These hinges in turn are attached to sliding sleeves 6 which trombone the lenses to and from the wearer's eyes for precise control of the vertex distance over a range of approximately 5 millimetres.

This is all possible with no adjustment or alteration of nose pads as is the case with ordinary spectacles. Temple members 7 may be of springy metal with a soft sleeve or of a springy plastic. Counterbalances 9 may be used to offset the weight of the lenses 1 to prevent front heaviness of the system.

The present invention herein described is shown on Figure 1 with prior art being shown in Figure II which as described above needs a large lens in order to conceal the headband suspension system.

REFERENCE NUMBER KEY 1 Lens frame or rim 2 Support member 3 Temple hinge 5 Forehead pad 6 Telescopic connector 7 Temple members with soft cover to improve comfort on the ears 8 Pivot hinge 9 Counterbalance 10 Combined support member and forehead pad

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A unique configuration of the anterior or front portion of the suspension system contacting the wearer's forehead, just above the eyebrows, featuring an absence of any direct frontally visible connection between it and the rims of the lenses. The connection supporting the lenses accomplished by a U shaped arm curved downwards at the sides of the head (temporal area) and then downwards to support the lenses from behind attaching onto the lenses at conventional locations on the lens front rims.
2. By a separation of the lenses which are spaced away from the suspension system it is thus possible to use small lenses and still place the optical centers correctly before the patient's or wearer's eyes. Additionally much less weight is located at the front for more wearer comfort than with heavier thicker large lenses needed in earlier models for a desirable cosmetic appearance. Such large deep lenses which are now going of fashion were needed in order to both cover the headband for a desirable cosmetic appearance and to place the optical centre in the correct position before the wearer's eyes.
3. Claims 1 and 2 may be in combination with and added claim made possible by the configuration of the device specifically that this is the first practical method of varying the wearer's lens vertex distance using the point of reference the wearer's forehead instead of the nose as in conventional eyewear. With the headband front being rigid and not flexing it is possible to utilize a sliding trombone action sleeve attached to the lower arms as illustrated. This permits rapid and easy vertex distance adjustments by the wearer. The head clasping action is provided by the temple side members which secure the device in position on the head.
4. Claims 1, 2 and/or 3 above may be in combination with the further improved as illustrated by vertically acting hinges on the sliding sleeves as described in Claim 3 above which may rotate the lenses by 90 to 270 degrees depending on the hinge design used. These hinges enable easy and rapid pantoscopic angle adjustments by the wearer and when folded with the lenses horizontally in the upwards position the lenses are protected in the cage formed by the suspension system above and the lower arms on which the sleeves telescopically slide.