US2204470A - Ophthalmic mounting - Google Patents

Description

June ill, 1940.

' s. E. BOUCHARD OPHTHALMIC MOUNTiNG Filed Sept. 56, 1939 SAMUEL E.BQUCHARD INVENT R ATTORN S Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,204,410 OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Samuel E. Bouchard, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 30, 1939, Serial No. 297,396

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to ophthalmic mountings and more particularly to ophthalmic mountings for rimless eyeglasses.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an ophthalmic mounting having relatively soft bendablestraps and a hard, stiff shoe. A further object is to provide a unitary ophthalmic mounting for rimless spectacles in which the ends of the lens shoe will not bend away from the edge of the lens. Another object is to provide an ophthalmic mounting in which a hard, stiif shoe is soldered to a pair of lens straps without a substantial reduction of hardness.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of an ophthalmic mounting embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lens strap stamping.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the lens shoe stamping.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the two stampings in assembled relation.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line B-8 of Fig. 7.

The. steps involved in the making of my new lens connection are illutrated in the drawing wherein Iii designates generally a blank or stamping. The ends of the blank Ill form lens straps l2 and I3 which are connected by a narrow neck ll. The-strap I2 is provided with a smooth hole 15 and a tapped hole It is formed in the strap 13.

A ridge or key l1 extends across the narrow neck .betweenthe straps l2 and IS.

The shoe I8 is preferably stamped from a rod or wire and is formed with a transverse groove 19 in its rear surface corresponding in size and shape to the ridge or key I! on the surface of the neck I.

The shoe I8 is placed against the neck 14 between the straps I2 and 13 so that the ridge ll engages in the groove l9 and, while in this position, the shoe l8 and blank l are soldered or welded together.

The straps l2 and 13 are then bent toward each other past the shoe It to engage the opposite surfaces of an ophthalmic lens illand the shoe I8 is bent or curved to conformed to the edge of the lens 20 as shown in Fig. 1. A spectacle or eyeglass part such as the bridge 2| may be soldered or welded to the lens connection in the manner well known in the art.

' The connection may be any suitable, manner. simplicity of illustration, I have shown the connection secured to the lens 20 by a screw 22 which passes through the hole 15 in the strap l2, through a hole drilled in the lens 20 and is threaded into the tapped hole IS in the strap l3. Obviously, other securing means such as the molded rivet illustrated in my Patent No. 1,878,371 issued September 20, 1932, may be used.

It is essential that the lens straps of an ophthalmic mounting be soft and bendable so that they can be made to conform to lenses of different thickness. It is equally essential that the shoe be stiff and rigid so its ends will not bend and back away from the edge of the lens.

In order to incorporate these properties in my new mounting, the blank Ill may be made in a suitable material such as nickel silver. This metal is easily worked and the heat of soldering so the shoe l8 to the blank Ill anneals it leaving it freely bendable.

The shoe it, which must remain still, is made of a metal having ahigh annealing or recrystallization temperature, that is, a metal which will 25 -not lose any substantial hardness of stiffness when it is soldered. A number of metals meet this requirement. The alloy known as Inconel. which contains 78% to 80% of nickel, 12% to 14% of chromium and from 6% to 8% of iron, the chromium-nickel alloys known as "Chromel" and Nichrome, the hardenable nickel known as "Z-nickel and some of the austenitic stainless steels are satisfactory. Both the shoe l8 and blank in are preferably made from gold-fllledss stock or they may be plated with a precious, noncorroding metal.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide a new and improved lens connection 40 in' which the straps are freely bendable while the shoe is stiff and rigid. Various modifications of structure and manner of making as well as suitable changes of material can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ophthalmic mounting for rimless spectacles comprising strap means for engaging a surface of an ophthalmic lens, said strap means having a neck portion overlying the edge of the lens, a shoe member for engaging the edge of the lens, said shoe member being heat joined to said neck portion, said shoe member being formed of a metal having a relatively high re- 5;

secured to the lens 20 in For convenience and crystallization temperature whereby the metal will not lose any susbtantial amount of hardness or stifiness by the application of the heat necessary to unite the shoe member to said neck portion, said strap means being formed-of a metal which is annealed by the heat of the joining operation whereby the strap means may be bent for adjustment.

2. An ophthalmic mounting for spectacles comprising two straps for engaging opposite surfaces of an ophthalmic lens, a neck portion connecting said straps, and a shoe member for engaging the edge of the lens, said shoe member being heat joined to said neck portion, said shoe being formed of a metal having a relatively high recrystallization temperature whereby the metal will not lose any substantial hardness or stiffness by the application of the heat necessary to unite the shoe to the neck'portion, said straps and neck portion being formed of a metal which is annealed by the heat of the joining operation whereby the straps may be adjusted.

3. An ophthalmic mounting for spectacles comprising a pair of straps for engaging, respectively, the opposite faces of an ophthalmic lens, a neck portion connecting said straps, said neck portion having a centrally located recess, a shoe member for engaging the edge of the lens, said member being positioned in said recess and soldered to said neck portion, said member being formed of a metal having a relatively high recrystallization temperature whereby the shoe member will not lose any substantial amount of hardness or stiffness when subjected to the heat required for soldering, the straps and neck portion being formed of a metal which is annealed by the heat of the soldering operation whereby the straps may be bent for adjustment.

SAlVIUEL E. BOUCHARD.

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