GB2499854A

GB2499854A - Apparatus for attaching eye-wear to clothing

Info

Publication number: GB2499854A
Application number: GB1203811.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Susan Lorraine Webster
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-03-03
Filing date: 2012-03-03
Publication date: 2013-09-04
Also published as: GB201203811D0

Abstract

An apparatus 201 for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing comprises: a first element (301) engagable with an item of clothing; a second element (302) attached to the first element and configured to restrain said eye-wear; wherein the first element comprises a folded clip 303 and magnetically attracted elements 304; the folded clip has an open configuration to facilitate attachment to clothing, and a closed configuration to secure the folded clip to the clothing; and after attachment to the clothing, the folded clip is restrained in the closed configuration by the magnetically attracted elements.The folded clip may be spring loaded to prefer the open configuration; it may comprise a hole (308) cut through the folded section of the folded clip. The eye-wear may be spectacles or sun glasses.

Description

1

Holder for Eye-wear

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application represents the first application for a patent directed towards the invention and the subject matter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many people wear some form of eye-wear on a day to day basis, being either corrective eye-wear such as glasses to assist with vision or protective eye-wear, such as sunglasses or protective safety glasses to prevent other objects from interfering with the eyes. However, when not in use, the eye-wear can be easily misplaced or put down and forgotten about. This can further lead to damage or loss of such eye-wear which is highly inconvenient for the wearer.

It is known in the art to have devices which hold spectacles or sunglasses. Commonly, these are in the form of holders which can be placed on desks or attached to the interior of motor vehicles which do not address the problem of having somewhere for a user to their glasses when they are out and walking around.

Some holders are available in the form of clips or pins which can be fixed to a piece of clothing which hold the spectacles in position. The problem with such holders is that not only can these attachment mechanisms damage

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the item of clothing, they can also be easily pushed aside and moved around and may also fall off when being worn.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an 5 apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use, comprising: a first element engagable with an item of clothing; and a second element attached to said first element and configured to restrain said eye-wear, characterised in that: said first element comprises a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements; said folded clip has an open 10 configuration to facilitate attachment to clothing; said folded clip has a closed configuration to secure said folded clip to said clothing; and after attachment to clothing, said folded clip is restrained in said closed configuration by said magnetically attracted elements.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided 15 a method of attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use, comprising the steps of: receiving an apparatus comprising a first element comprising a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements and a second element attached to said first element; attaching said folded clip to said item of clothing by positioning said folded clip in an open 20 configuration; securing said folded clip to said item of clothing by positioning said folded clip in a closed configuration; restraining said folded clip in said closed configuration by said magnetically attracted elements; and attaching said eye-wear to said second element to restrain said eye-wear to said item of clothing.

25 According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing an apparatus for attaching corrective

and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use comprising a first element and a second element, said first element comprising a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements, comprising the steps of: folding a blank to form said folded clip such that said folded clip has an open configuration and a closed configuration; attaching said magnetically attracted elements to said folded clip to enable said folded clip to be restrained in said closed configuration by said magnetically attracted elements; and attaching said second element to said first element and configuring said second element to restrain said eye-wear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a user wearing eye-wear;

Figure 2 shows the user of Figure 1 utilising apparatus to support eyewear;

Figure 3 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 in isolation;

Figure 4 shows a view of the apparatus when the folded clip is in an open configuration;

Figure 5 shows a view of the apparatus when the folded clip is in a closed configuration;

Figure 6 shows a view of the apparatus being worn on an item of clothing of a user;

Figure 7 shows a blank suitable for manufacturing the folded clip therefrom;

Figure 8 shows the first element of the apparatus comprising the folded clip in isolation;

Figure 9 shows the folded clip of Figure 8 with the second element of the apparatus attached; and

Figure 10 shows a method of manufacturing an apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows a user 101 wearing eye-wear 102. Eye-wear 102 may be either corrective or protective eye-wear worn for any number of reasons. In an embodiment, eye-wear 102 comprises corrective spectacles, such as glasses for assisting with long-sighted or short-sightedness or other similar eye-sight restrictions. Corrective spectacles can be worn at intervals, such as when reading or driving, but do not always need to be used, for example when the wearer is not reading and eye-sight correction is not required.

In an alternative example, eye-wear 102 comprises protective eye-wear such as sunglasses, which are again used for selected periods and not used when the wearer is shaded from the sun. In other embodiments, the eye-wear could be alternative forms of protective or corrective eye-wear such as safety spectacles or personal protective equipment.

Figure 2

The present invention as described herein describes an apparatus for attaching the examples of corrective and/or protective eye-wear. Figure 2 therefore shows user 101 utilising apparatus 201 to support eye-wear 102 having removed eye-wear 102 when not in use. Apparatus 201 includes a second element comprising a loop of substantially flexible material which will be described further in Figure 3. This allows eye-wear 102 to be hooked through the loop to provide support to the eye-wear when not in use. Eye-wear

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102 can thus be suspended from item of clothing 202 to enable user 101 to easily relocate eye-wear 102 when further use is required.

It should be noted that apparatus 201 is configured to be easily removed by a user and reused from one item of clothing to another. This gives 5 a user flexibility to wear the apparatus when needed and removed if it is not required. However, the aesthetic appearance of the apparatus further allows a user to leave the apparatus on the item of clothing without leaving an unsightly clip when not in use.

Figure 3

10 Apparatus 201 is shown in isolation in Figure 3. Apparatus 201

comprises a first element 301 which is configured to be engagable with an item of clothing, such as item of clothing 202 shown in Figure 2. Apparatus 201 further comprises a second element 302, which is attached to first element 301 and is configured to restrain eye-wear, such as eye-wear 102 shown in the 15 previous Figures. First element 301 comprises a folded clip 303 and magnetically attracted elements 304A and 304B.

Folded clip 303 comprises a first arm 305 and a second arm 306 which are connected by a folded section 307. First arm 305 and second arm 306 are substantially similar in length, however, in alternative embodiments any one of 20 the two arms is longer in length than the other. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, folded section 307 comprises a hole 308 cut through the folded section to assist the flexibility of the clip. When the magnetically attracted elements 304 are attracted to each other, hole 308 allows folded clip 303 to close together without suffering from severe warping or resistance. In 25 alternative embodiments to that shown in the Figures, hole 308 is not required and is not present. It should be noted that while the sides of the folded clip as

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shown in Figure 3 are tapered, in an alternative embodiment they are straight.

In an embodiment, folded clip 303 is manufactured from a suitable metal or metallic material, for example, aluminium or stainless steel. It is appreciated that alternative metals suitable for the same use may also be 5 used. In a further embodiment, the folded clip 303 is manufactured from leather and can be configured to provide an appearance designed to match a user's outfit or clothing. In an alternative embodiment, the folded clip is manufactured from a flexible or elastic material such as rubber. It is appreciated that any other suitable material can be used for the folded clip. 10 In an embodiment, folded clip 303 is spring-loaded to prefer an open configuration as described in Figure 4.

In an embodiment, the magnetically attracted elements 304 comprise two substantially similar magnets positioned on inner surfaces 309A and 309B of folded clip 303. In an embodiment, the substantially similar magnets are 15 disc magnets which co-operate to restrain folded clip 303 in the closed configuration shown in Figure 5.

In an alternative embodiment, the magnetically attracted elements comprise a magnet and a magnetisable element made from a ferromagnetic material such as steel which is configured to restrain the folded clip 303 in the 20 closed configuration shown in Figure 5. It is appreciated that any suitable combination of ferromagnetic material and magnets can be used to achieve the effect of maintaining the closed configuration of Figure 5. In a further embodiment, the magnetically attracted elements are an integral part of folded clip 303. For example, first arm 305 of folded clip 303 is manufactured from a 25 ferromagnetic material such as steel and second arm 306 is manufactured from a magnetic material and configured to be magnetically attracted to each other.

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Folded clip 303 is configured to have an open configuration to facilitate attachment to an item of clothing (as shown in Figure 4) and a closed configuration to secure said folded clip to the item of clothing (shown in Figure 5). Once attached the folded clip 303 is restrained in the closed configuration 5 by the magnetically attracted elements 304.

Second element 302 comprises a loop of substantially flexible material 310. The substantially flexible material may be manufactured from rope, fabric or a similar material. In an alternative embodiment, the loop is made from a metallic material and is not substantially flexible but retains the eye-wear while 10 apparatus 201 is attached to the item of clothing.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, second element 302 also comprises a decorative element 311 which is attached to folded clip 303. In an embodiment, decorative element 311 is removably attached to folded clip 303 to allow a user to change the decorative element such that it is suitable to wear 15 with different outfits or on different occasions. The decorative element is configured to be supplied in a variety of shapes and sizes but without affecting the attachment method. In an embodiment, the decorative element is soldered to the folded clip and held in place.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the substantially flexible loop 310 20 is attached to decorative element 311. Decorative element 311 includes a hollow tube 312, through which substantially flexible loop 310 is threaded. Loop 310 is held in position within hollow tube 312 and fixed such that a piece of eye-wear can be supported through the loop 310.

In an alternative embodiment, the loop of substantially flexible material 25 310 is attached directly to folded clip 303. In a further embodiment, decorative element 311 is a top surface 312 of folded clip 303, rather than a separate element attached to the clip.

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Figure 4

A view of apparatus 201 when folded clip 303 is in an open configuration is shown in Figure 4. The open configuration shown in Figure 4 facilitates attachment of apparatus 201 to an item of clothing 401. In the open 5 configuration, the magnetically attracted elements 304A and 304B are held apart such that item of clothing 401 can be placed between the two magnetically attracted elements 304A and 304B. In an example embodiment, folded clip 303 is spring-loaded to prefer the open configuration shown.

In order to attach the apparatus 201 to item of clothing 401, folded clip 10 303 of apparatus 201 is positioned in the open configuration as shown. While in the open configuration, folded clip 303 is positioned over item of clothing 401 as shown such that item of clothing 401 is between the first arm 305 and the second arm 306 of folded clip 303. Folded section 307 rests on the top of item of clothing 401 to maintain folded clip 303 in a position dictated by the 15 user.

Folded clip 303 is designed such that it can be positioned over pockets, collars, belts, trousers or any other trims of an item of clothing, such that a user can attach apparatus 201 to any part of the clothing that he or she desires.

20 Figure 5

Figure 5 shows a view of apparatus 201 when folded clip 303 has been moved from the open configuration of Figure 4 to a closed configuration. Item of clothing 401 is now held securely between the first arm 305 and the second arm 306 of folded clip 303. To secure apparatus 201 to item of clothing 401, 25 first arm 305 and second arm 306 are brought together to allow the magnetically attracted elements 304 to close together. When the magnetically

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attracted elements 304 reach a given threshold of their magnetism the folded clip 303 will be restrained into the closed configuration. When in the closed configuration, item of clothing 401 is held securely such that it does not move around and apparatus 201 remains in a substantially similar position on item of 5 clothing 401. In this way, the item of clothing 401 is held in position by the folded section 307 and secured in place by the two magnetically attracted elements 304.

Figure 6

Figure 6 shows a view of apparatus 201 being worn on an item of 10 clothing 401 of user 101. Apparatus 201 has been moved from the open configuration of Figure 4 to the closed configuration of Figure 5, such that apparatus 201 now rests securely on pocket 601 of item of clothing 401. Following attachment of apparatus 201 to pocket 601, eye-wear 102 has been attached to second element 302 by hooking eye-wear 102 through the loop of 15 substantially flexible material 310 such that the arm of eye-wear 102 is supported by substantially flexible material 310. Eye-wear 102 is now restrained to item of clothing 401 meaning user 101 can easily move around without losing their eye-wear or remembering where it has been placed. Decorative element 311 of apparatus 201 can be clearly seen to provide an 20 aesthetic appearance that matches the item of clothing 401.

Figure 7

As described previously, apparatus 201 comprises a first element 301 and a second element 302. First element 301 comprises a folded clip 303 as previously described in detail in Figure 3. The manufacture and construction of 25 apparatus 201 will now be described with reference to Figures 7 to 8. Figure 7

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shows a blank 701 suitable for manufacturing folded clip 303 therefrom. Blank 701 has been cut into an appropriate shape suitable for apparatus 201. It is appreciated that, in an embodiment, the blank is be ergonomically shaped as shown but in alternative embodiments the blank is substantially rectangular in 5 shape. Other alternative shapes may also be used. In an embodiment, the blank comprises any suitable metal or metallic material. In alternative embodiments, the blank is made from leather or other fabrics suitable for wearing. In a further embodiment, the blank comprises a flexible or elastic material such as rubber.

10 In an embodiment, blank 701 further comprises a hole 702 which is drilled substantially central along the length of blank 701. In alternative embodiments, the hole is positioned away from centre but is still drilled along the fold line 703 which is folded to form the folded clip 303. Fold line 703 is positioned at the point in which the folded section 307 (previously described in 15 Figures 3 and 4) is required. If the two arms of folded clip 303 are required to be different lengths, then fold line 703 is positioned closer to one end of the blank 701 than the other such that blank 701 can be folded accordingly.

In an embodiment where the magnetically attracted elements 304 are two disc magnets 304A and 304B, magnet 304A and magnet 304B are glued 20 to the blank 701 prior to folding. In an alternative embodiment, magnet 304A and magnet 304B are glued to the folded clip 303 after it has been folded. It is appreciated that other attachment methods can also be used to attach the magnets to the blank 701 or folded clip 303 provided the magnets 304 are held securely and do not fall off in use.

25 In an embodiment where folded clip 303 is manufactured from a metal or metallic material, epoxy steel glue is used to glue the magnets to folded clip 303. In alternative embodiments, other suitable adhesives may be used.

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In embodiments where the magnetically attracted elements comprise a ferromagnetic material it is appreciated that the ferromagnetic material may also be glued on or attached at this stage (or following folding). In other embodiments where the magnetically attracted elements comprise a ferromagnetic material forms part of the folded clip 303, attachment is not required.

Figure 8

The first element 301 of apparatus 201 comprising the folded clip 303 previously described is shown in isolation in Figure 8. Magnetically attracted element 304B can be seen glued into position on the inner surface 309B. Hole 702 is now visible in a semi-circular form on each side of the folded clip 303 following folding along fold line 703.

As previously described, first arm 305 and second arm 306 are substantially similar in length such that hole 702 has been drilled centrally along blank 701. In further embodiments the fold line 703 is positioned away from the central length to enable first arms and second arms of differing lengths to be manufactured.

Figure 9

The folded clip 303 as shown in Figure 8 is further shown in Figure 9 with the second element 302 of the apparatus 201 attached. Second element 302 comprises a substantially flexible loop 310 configured to restrain corrective and/or protective eye-wear. In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the substantially flexible loop 310 has been threaded through a hollow tube 312 and the hollow tube 312 has been attached to folded clip 303.

In an alternative embodiment, a decorative element (not shown in this

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Figure) is attached to folded clip 303 and the hollow tube 312 is also attached to the decorative element rather than to each other. In the embodiment shown, however, the substantially flexible loop 310 is attached to the folded clip 303 directly.

5 In an embodiment, in addition to the apparatus as shown in Figure 9,

folded clip further has a decorative element which can be attached to a surface, such as surface 901, of folded clip 303. It is appreciated that the decorative element can further be attached to the opposite side of the folded clip 303, indicated by numeral 902.

10 Figure 10

Step 1001 requires obtaining a suitable blank which can be manufactured to form a folded clip. As described the blank may be any 15 suitable shape. In practice, several blanks of a standard shape may be obtained and then cut into the different shapes as required.

On obtaining the blank, at step 1002, a hole is drilled such that, when the apparatus is manufactured, the folded clip can move from the open configuration to the closed configuration with comparative ease when in use. 20 Step 1003 involves attaching the magnetically attracted elements of the apparatus to the blank such that when the blank is folded they are positioned such that they are mutually co-operable and can be attracted to each other when in use.

It is appreciated that steps 1002 and 1003 can be carried out in either 25 order depending on the manufacturing process. It may be preferable to attach the magnetically attracted elements to the blank prior to drilling the hole or vice

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versa.

At step 1004, the blank is folded along the fold line to form the folded clip, such that the folded clip is configured to have an open configuration and a closed configuration. If step 1003 has not already been performed, in an 5 embodiment, the magnetically attracted elements are attached following the folding operation.

At step 1005, the second element is attached including the substantially flexible loop and/or decorative elements as required. In an embodiment, the decorative element is fixedly attached. In an alternative embodiment the 10 decorative element is removably attached.

Following manufacture, in an embodiment, the apparatus is put in suitable packaging ready to be passed on to vendors for selling. The packaging may be any suitable format including, but not limited to, vacuum packed packaging, blister packs or boxes.

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Claims

Claims

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use, comprising:

5 a first element engagable with an item of clothing; and a second element attached to said first element and configured to restrain said eye-wear, characterised in that:

said first element comprises a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements;

10 said folded clip has an open configuration to facilitate attachment to clothing;

said folded clip has a closed configuration to secure said folded clip to said clothing; and after attachment to clothing, said folded clip is restrained in said closed

15 configuration by said magnetically attracted elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said eye-wear comprises corrective spectacles, not used when eye-sight correction is not required.

20 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said eye-wear comprises sun glasses, not used when shaded from the sun.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second element comprises a loop of substantially flexible material.

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5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said folded clip is spring-loaded to prefer said open configuration.

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6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of said magnetically attracted elements comprises a ferromagnetic material.

5 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said magnetically attracted elements form part of said folded clip.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said magnetically attracted elements comprise two substantially similar magnets positioned on

10 respective inner surfaces of said folded clip.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said folded clip includes a hole cut through the folded section of the folded clip.

15 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a decorative element removably attached to said folded clip.

11. A method of attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use, comprising the steps of:

20 receiving an apparatus comprising a first element comprising a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements and a second element attached to said first element;

attaching said folded clip to said item of clothing by positioning said folded clip in an open configuration;

25 securing said folded clip to said item of clothing by positioning said folded clip in a closed configuration;

restraining said folded clip in said closed configuration by said

16

magnetically attracted elements; and attaching said eye-wear to said second element to restrain said eyewear to said item of clothing.

5 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said eye-wear comprises corrective spectacles, not used when eye-sight correction is not required.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said eye-wear comprises sun glasses, not used when shaded from the sun.

10

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said second element comprises a loop of substantially flexible material, and said method further comprises the step of hooking said eye-wear through said loop.

15 15. A method of manufacturing an apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use comprising a first element and a second element, said first element comprising a folded clip and magnetically attracted elements, comprising the steps of:

folding a blank to form said folded clip such that said folded clip has an 20 open configuration and a closed configuration;

attaching said magnetically attracted elements to said folded clip to enable said folded clip to be restrained in said closed configuration by said magnetically attracted elements; and attaching said second element to said first element and configuring said 25 second element to restrain said eye-wear.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of

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manufacturing a hole through the folded section said folded clip.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of attaching a decorative element to said folded clip.

5

18. An apparatus for attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use as described substantially herein with reference to the accompanying Figures.

10 19. A method of attaching corrective and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use as described substantially herein with reference to the accompanying Figures.

20. A method of manufacturing an apparatus for attaching corrective 15 and/or protective eye-wear to an item of clothing when not in use as described substantially herein with reference to the accompanying Figures.