IES940330A2

IES940330A2 - Self supporting spectacle structure with no frontal connection between the suspension device and lenses

Info

Publication number: IES940330A2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Max Fairclough Wichers
Original assignee: Max Fairclough Wichers Dr
Priority date: 1994-04-11
Filing date: 1994-04-11
Publication date: 1994-09-07
Also published as: GB9506578D0; IES61000B2; GB2288883B; GB2288883A

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.

Description

SELF SUPPORTING SPECTACLE STRUCTURE WITH NO FRONTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SUSPENSION” DEVICE AND LENSES CO — O: O UJ u c cr. z cr a o w 7 □ Q < Q_ Z O ΙιΛ OAS L Γ i NEE. θ| BE δ LLI ω IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEADBAND TYPE SUSPENSION SYSTEMS THERE HAS BEEN AlNEED TO FIND A WAY TO USE LIGHTWEIGHT SMALL SIZED LENSES WHICH ARE MORE DEMAND BY WEARERS AND STILL HAVE A COSMETICALLY ATTRACTIVE OVERALL APPEAR UNTIL THE DEVICE HEREIN DISCLOSED WAS DEVELOPED ALL LENSES USED HAD T0| BE ON THE ORDER OF 40 ΤΘ 50 MILLIMETERS DEEP IN ORDER TO BOTH CONCEAL THE Π1 HEADBAND AND STILL HAVE THE LOWER RIM OF THE SPECTACLES DEEP ENOUGH TO BE ™ THE NORMAL POSITION FOR OPHTHALMIC OR SUN LENSES. SUCH LENSES IN ADDITION z UJ Q_ IN J30I z HAVING THE APPEARANCE OF GOGGLES WERE HEAVY AND COULD CAUSE WEARER DISFORT 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 MILLIMETERS DEEP AND STILL CENTERED 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 OP 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 THE 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 0? 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 AND POSTERIOR TO THE POSITION SHOWN IN FIGURE Ilia, 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 (δ) 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 MILLIMETERS.

THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE WITH NO ADJUSTMENT OR ALTERATION OF NOSE PADS AS IS THE CASE WITH ORDINARY SPECTACLES. TEMPLE MEMBERS f MAY BE OF SPRINGY METAL WITH f 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 I WITH PRIOR ART BEING SHOWN IN FIGURE II WHICH AS DESCRIBED ABOVE NEEDS A LARGE LENS IN ORDER TO CONCEAL THE HEADBAND SUSPENSION SYSTEM. Οδ3 Ο REFERENCE NUMBER KEY LENS FRAME OR RIM SUPPORT MEMBER TEMPLE HINGE FOREHEAD PAD TELESCOPIC CONNECTOR TEMPLE MEMBERS WITH SOFT COVER TO IMPROVE COMFORT ON THE EARS PIVOT HINGE COUNTERBALANCE 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 FORWARDS TO SUPPORT THE LENSES FROM BEHIND ATTACHING ONTO THE LENSES AT CONVENTIONAL LOCA TIONS 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 OUT OF FASHION WERE NEEDED IN ORDER TO BOTH COVER THE HEADBAND FOR A DESIRABLE COSMETIC APPEARANCE AND TO PLACE THE OPTICAL CENTER 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 TBE DEVICE SPECIFICALLY THAT THIS IS THE FIRST PRACTICAl METHOD OF VARYING THE WEARER'S LENS VERTEX DISTANCE USING AS 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 TBE DEVICE IN POSITION ON THE HEAD.

4. CLAIMS 1, 2, AND/OR 3 ABOVE MAY BE IN COMBINATION WITH AND 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. FIGURE