US1801406A - Antiglare goggles - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1931- J. F. WOODMANSEE 1,801,406

ANTIGLARE GOGGLES Filed Oct. 10, 1929 Patented Apr. 21, 1531 UNITED STATES JOHN F. WOODMAFTSEE, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN ANTIGLARE GOGGLES Application filed October 10, 1929.

My invention relates to improvements in anti lare goggles, with particular reference to t at class of oggles employed by the drivers of motor riven vehicles. The object of my invention is to rovide means whereby clear vision may e had along the line of travel and laterally thereof at one side (ordinarily the right hand side) while efiectually protecting the eyes from the glare of the headlights of approaching vehicles and from the sun as the latter approaches the horizon, although permitting the user to observe the conduct of the approaching vehicle and other objects along the opposite or left hand side of the roadway along which the user is traveling.

Numerous attempts have heretofore been made to accomplish the above stated objects by attachments applied to the Windshields of vehicles, by goggles provided with translucent or opaque screens, but the problems involved have been so numerous and various requirements being in apparent conflict, the efforts heretofore made have provided only partial solutions which have proved so inadequate that commercial success has not heretofore been attained.

It is, therefore, my general object to pro vide inexpensive goggles which can be worn without inconvenience and with complete safet andwhich will not only completely satisgy commercial requirements, but also successfully solve the aforesaid problems.

In the drawings of goggles embodying my invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing a modified form of construction having adjustable glare excluding screens, also embodying my invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view drawn generally to line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the preferred form so far as concerns the Figure 1 is a perspective View of a set.

Serial No. 398,621.

translucent area and forwardly rojecting shields, although slightly modified from the form disclosed in Fig. 1 by omitting all provisions for rotative adjustment.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several vlews.

Clear vision of the roadway along which one is driving, including the space lateral to the adjacent side margin of the roadway merely requires unobstructed view through a lower quadrant of a circle having its center slightly offset upwardly and laterally outward from the center of the space occupied by an eyeglass or goggle rim, and in my improved goggles this quadrant is left entirely unobstructed while the remaining space within the rim 1 is covered by a translucent screen 2, permitting dim vision, but excluding objectionable glare. This portion 2 may be attached to the rimdn any convenient manner, preferably by 'folding the margin of the screen about the rim. The screen may be composed of any suitable material such as celluloid, referably colored with green pigment, alt ough amber may be employed, if desired. 7

At the margins of the unobstructed View space 3, which is a little larger than the lower right hand quadrant of the rim onclosed space of the goggles shown in Figure 1, I provide a forwardly projecting vertical wall 4 and another forwardly projecting horizontal wall 5. These walls are preferabl formed integrally with the screen 2 and with each other, the portions 4 and 5 being elbowed at 6 and their inner margins, where they are integrally united with the screen 2, define the above mentioned clear vision space. These portions 4 and 5 extend forwardly far enough to intercept all objectionable rays from the left or from above the field of vision. The horizontally extending portion 5 performs the function of a visor, and the vertical portion 4 performs a similar function in excluding rays of light diverging from the headlamps of an approaching vehicle.

y holding hishead at the proper angle, the driver of a vehicle will be able to utilize these shields to exclude glaring rays of light emanating from any point above a distant point on the roadway surface along the line of his own travel, and also exclude rays of light emanating from any point at he left of his line of travel. The shields 4 and 5 project far enough forwardly from the plane occupied by the goggle rim 1 to prevent any such rays of light from entering the eye from a point where objectionable glare or blinding effects will result.

It will be observed in Figure-3 that the translucent screen, including the members 2, 4 and 5, may be attached to the rim 1 by partially folding the edge margin of the portion 2 about the rim and providing clamping lips 8 at intervals which will permit a release of the screen or auotative adjustment thereof whenever occasion requires. By this means the screen may be attached to goggles speciall made for the purpose or, if desired, it may e applied directly to eyeglasses (or spectacles) thus converting them into combination eyeglasses and goggles and avoiding the necessity of superposing goggle frames upon eyeglass frames.

Also the use of clamping clips or members enables the user to rotatively adjust the screen. Ordinarily no adjustment is required since the vertical position of the extension 4 and horizontal position of the extension 5 will be preferred. But occasionally, and particularly where the usei wears eyeglasses iaving bifocal lenses, a slightly different adjustment will be found desirable. While preferably the screens may he formed with a clear vision space 3 of an area greater than one-quarter of the circular space enclosed by the rim 1, the relative sizes of the area 3 and the portion 2 of the screen may also be varied without departing from the sco e of my invention. Similarly the length an the degree of forward projection of the members 4 and 5 may be varied to suit the desire of the user.

In Figure 2 I have illustrated a modification of my invention for use by those who are willing to make the necessary adjustments of the screen to suit the requirements for driving in sunlight and driving at night. In this modification the clear vision space 301 occupies substantially one-half of that enclosed by the rim 1. The translucent screen 2a covers the remaining portion of said space and a sin le forwardly projecting member 9 extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the portion 2a. This portion 9 has a length nearly equal to the diameter of the area of vision, i. e. of the space enclosed by the rim 1 and it divides "away and shaped to clamping y embrace the rim 1 as indicated at 10. Above the bracket 11 to which the how 12 is pivotally connected, one or more additional clamping clips 13 and 14 are provided. The material of which the screen is composed is preferably celluloid or a material having the general characteristics of celluloid which has sufiicient resilience to allow these clamping clips to embrace the rim 1 and allow a rotative adjustment of the screen thereon. It will be obvious that by having the clamping member 10 offset into the clear vision space 30, it will be possible to rotate the screen a full one-quarter turn if the clam ing clip 14 is correspondingly set back rom the opposite end of the projecting screen 9 so that this clamping clip 14 will not engage the nose bridge 16 before the one-quarter turn has been completed.

It will therefore be obvious that when it is desired to exclude the glare of the sun, the screen may be adjusted to the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, but when driving at night the screen may be readjusted to the position indicated by full lines in Figure 2, thus excluding th glare from the approaching vehicle while permitting clear vision not only of the right hand side of the roadway but of the space above it.

By employing translucent material for each of the screen members 2, 4 and 5 and for the screen members 2a and 9, shown in Figure 2, it becomes possible for the driver to not only have clear vision of his own portion of the roadway, but to also permit him to observe, although less distinctly, the opposite side of the road and the movements of the approaching vehicle. In some cases it has been attempted to accomplish the desired results by providing parallel forwardly projecting screens, and although such screens permlt a certain area of clear vision in the space between them they confuse the sight and prevent accurate observation of that portion of the roadway not within the clear vision area. They are, therefore, ineffective to safeguard the driver from the hazard of a swerving vehicle on the other side, being little if any better than opaque screens in this regard. 1

It is therefore regarded as of great importance to employ a translucent screen not only for the rim enclosed space to be par tially obstructed by the screen but also for the forwardly projecting flanges 4, and 5 or 9 and it is equally important to have the clear vision space unobstructed laterallythereof except in so far as necessary to ex clude the glare of the sun and of the headlights of approaching vehicles.

flanges.

JOHN F. WOODMANSEE.

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