US3397026A - Adjustable eyeglass retaining strap - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 13, 1968 I J. SPINAY 3,397,026.

ADJUSTABLE EYEGLASS RETAINING STRAP Filed Nov. 19, 1964 Joseph Sp/na 1N VE N TO R.

406%. BY wnl vm United States Patent 3,397,026 ADJUSTABLE EYEGLASS RETAINING STRAP Joseph Spina, 3420 Washington Road, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33405 Filed Nov. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 412,507 1 Claim. (Cl. 351157) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An elastic cord of requisite length and inherent tension having knotted free ends provided with funnel-like sleeves, more particularly, truncated flattened plastic sleeves through the medium of which end portions of the cord are bent upon themselves and fashioned into noose-like loops. These loops are manually regulable and are attachable to and adjustable along the usual temple-pieces. The size of each loop can be adjusted at will. A third truncated slack tape-up sleeve is slidingly adjustable on the median strand portions of the cord and is regulable by hand to vary the effective length and to enable a user to reliably hold his spectacles in place for security, comfort and safety.

This invention relates to eyeglasses or spectacles which are adapted to better and more effectively serve their intended purposes by reason of the fact that when they are applied to the person the likelihood of accidental displacement and inadvertent misplacement is reduced to a practical minimum.

Briefly, the concept herein revealed has to do with a pair of spectacles comprising lens-equipped frame means embodying the usual nose-bridge, and rigid temple-pieces having their forward ends hingedly joined to their respective lens holding frames. Novel dual purpose means is carried by the temple-pieces and is two-fold in purpose in that it constitutes a yieldingly conformable safety guard when in one position, and a neck embracing suspension type hanger when in another position.

As will be evident from the foregoing the eyeglasses or spectacles are unchanged. On the other hand by applying a simple, practical and feasible attachment to the templepieces, either at the hinge points or at the rearward terminal end portions the over-all construction, the spectacles plus the attachment, provide the desired improved twofold result. Accordingly, the added attachment functions (1) to conveniently and comfortably hold the glasses tightly in place when they are in a customarily usable position and to in this manner prevent dangerous and accidental displacement and (2) to permit the user to drop the spectacles down .on the body and in now generally well-known manner suspend the same by hanging them from the wearers neck.

As will be evident from the preceding explanation it is old in the art to provide attachment means for templepieces on conventional type spectacles. In other words, the provision of guard means which is intended to cope with the likelihood of accidental displacement is old in the art. It is also old in the art to provide a flexible ribbon, strap or the like which has ends connected to the end portions of the temple-pieces and which is .of a length that it drapes around the neck of the user and serves to suspend the eyeglasses in an out-of-the-way but ready-to-use position.

The objective in the instant invention is to provide a simple and feasible attachment which serves both of the aforementioned purposes. To the ends desired the attachment is characterized by a simple one-piece length of elasticized cord which is about Ai-inch in diameter and which is available in black, brown and blond to match the wearers hair color. Means is provided at the forward free ends of the cord for attaching the same to intended portions of the temple-pieces whereby to thus facilitate the step of 3,397,026 Patented Aug. 13, 1968 applying the cord for satisfactory results. Means is also provided on an intermediate portion of the cord so that it can be adjusted in length to either fit conformingly and tightly but yieldably around the back of the users head, or can be quickly adjusted to a length so that it functions to provide the aforementioned free hanging and suspending means.

Another aspect of the concept has to do with the invention construed as a simple and economical attachment for temple-pieces of conventional type spectacles, the same characterized by an elongated elastic cord of prescribed length and cross-section having free ends fashioned into adjustable elastic noose-like attaching and retaining loops and provided on a median portion thereof with a manually adjustable friction retaining slack take-up cord length adjusting and cord looping sleeve for varying and changing the effective length of the cord.

Construed even more explicitly the invention comprises a simple length of elasticized cord having its free ends knotted, having its free ends bent to form the noose-like loops, having truncated pyramidal relatively small plastic sleeves to assist in forming and fashioning the extensible and retractable loops and wherein a third sleeve, also a truncated pyramidal type, is slidingly mounted on the median portion to provide the aforementioned friction retained slack take-up and cord adjusting sleeve or member.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a pair of conventional spectacles worn in the usual way and provided with the improved attachment means, the means being here shown as a safety-type guard, that is, a guard which prevents accidental displacement of the temple-pieces and consequently provides one of the safeguards desired.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale and fragmentarily shown in perspective and the purpose of which is to show how the noose-like loop at one end can be used to embrace the hinge pin and to guard against accidental displacement of the hinge pin or pintle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the attachment by itself.

FIG. 4 is a view on a satisfactorily enlarged scale which shows one of the adaptable noose-like loops.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the elasticized cord or equivalent flexibly resilient element is denoted by the numeral 6. It is of suitable length and as suggested can be of the shade or color desired. The precise median portion thereof is provided with a split shot or equivalent element 8 which constitutes a marker, that it divides the over-all length of cord into two components, namely the left strand or end portion 10 and the companion right strand or end portion 12. The forward free end of each component portion 10 or 12, as the case may be, is fashioned into an adjustable extensible and retractible noose-like loop. Each loop is the same in construction and is denoted by the numeral 14. The loop has a bight portion 16 which is bent to provide a return bent end portion 18 which terminates in a retaining knot 20. The other side or end portion 22 of the loop is coordinated with the side 18 and these two portions are passed through a restricted truncated end portion 24 of a relatively small funnel-like plastic or equivalent sleeve 26. The wider or mouth end portion is denoted at 28. This sleeve is best shown in FIG. 4 where it will be evident that it is of truncated pyramidal form and has fiat walls 30 opposed and in spaced parallelism and converging walls 32. This arrangement provides an ideal manner of fashioning the end portion of the cord into an adjustable noose-like assembling and retaining loop 14. As is evident in FIG. 4

the knotted end portion is wedged in the restricted or narrowing end portion of the sleeve or connector 26. Thus, this funnel-shape provides an ideal adaptation for forming a noose-like loop for adjusting the component portions 18 and 22 so that the size of the loop can be quickly adjusted and so that once the size is set the given size is retained. On the other hand and because the loop is elastic it will be evident that the part which it embraces is yieldingly but snugly friction-gripped.

The noose-like adjustable and yieldable loops 14 provide the means for attaching the free end portions of the components or strands and 12 to the rear end portions 34 of the temple-pieces 36 of the lens equipped frame means 38 of the spectacles. Incidentally the forward end portions of the temple-pieces are provided with hinge knuckles 40 and 42 joined by a hinge pintle (FIG. 2) in the usual way. If instead of attaching the noose-like loops 14 to the rear end portions 34 one so desires it is within the purview of the invention to embrace the hinging knuckles and hinge pins in the manner shown in FIG. 2 whereby to thus guard against accidental displacement of the hinge pintle.

When it is desired to use the attachment for merely suspending or hanging the spectacles around the neck in a generally well-known manner as shown for example in the patent to Nyberg (Spectacle Neck Support), 2,539,922, the slack take-up and length adjusting means shown in FIG. 3 in particular is desirably adapted and used. Here again this means is in the form of a truncated pyramidal or funnel-like plastic sleeve 44. The broad open end 46 faces forwardly and the truncated restricted end 48 faces rearwardly. In either event the strands or components 10 and 12 pass Wedgingly and slidingly through the hollow portion of the Sleeve 44 and through and beyond the truncated end 48. While the restricted end portion 48 serves to frictionally grip the pos tions 10 and 12 passing therethrough it will be obvious that the size of the adjustable loop 50 can be varied quickly and readily by simply holding the adjusting and take-up sleeve 44 between the thumb and fingers on one hand and then pulling the strands 10 and 12 therethrough in order to increase or decrease the size of the loop 50 and to accordingly vary the over-all effective length of the attachment means 6. Consequently this means can be adjusted to serve as a guard and protector in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 or the sleeve 44 can be slid in a manner to permit substantially the Whole length of the cord 6 to then be available whereupon the device functions as the aforementioned hanger or suspension means for spectacles.

Emphasis is placed on the significance and capability of this simple and economical attachment for spectacles which is of the utmost in simplicity, is attractive and appealing to the eye and achieves the two important jobs above-mentioned. It is aptly appealing in appearance and simple of operation. It is all in one-piece form and therefore there are no separate and independent parts to give trouble. It is almost infinitesimal in weight. The nooselike ends can be readily applied and removed and adjusted and the slack take-up sleeve 44 can be quickly adjusted to permit the device to function in the significant ways previously set forth. It follows that the owner does not need one appliance or accessory to hold glasses firmly in place and another wholly different to swing and suspend them around his neck. Accordingly this invention constitutes an aid which well serves the purposes for which it is intended and performs both of the services with requisite efii'ciency.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the specification taken in conjunction with the views of the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the construction, the features and advantages and mode of use. Under the circumstances a more restricted description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a pair of spectacles embodying a lens-equipped frame and hingedly mounted frame positioning and retaining temple-pieces, an attachment means for said temple-pieces, said attachment means comprising a one-piece elongated elastic cord of uniform crosssection from end to end, said cord having free ends, each free end of said cord being provided with a cord-end looping, loop-forming, adjusting and retaining sleeve, said sleeve being made of plastic material and being truncated, flattened and funnel-like in shape, the cooperating end portion of the cord having a terminal knot wedge-fitted and retentively lodged in the smaller truncated end portion of said sleeve, that portion of the cord proximal to said knot being fashioned into a return bend and adjustably slid through the truncated end and through and beyond the enlarged opposite end of the sleeve and defining a manually regulable and adjustable loop, the truncated end of each sleeve being directed toward the bight portion of the cooperating loop, said loop constituting an extensible and retractable as well as an elastic attaching and retaining noose, and an auxiliary manually adjustable slack take-up sleeve of the same shape as the first named sleeves, said auxiliary sleeve having its smaller truncated end directed toward the median portion of the over-all elastic cord, and said auxiliary sleeve being slidably mounted on opposed coacting portions of the elastic cord at a point spaced a predetermined distance from said loops.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,264,351 12/1941 Willson 351-156 X 2,481,946 9/ 1949 Pendleton 351157 2,539,922 l/l951 Nyberg 351157 2,660,092 11/1953 Bloom 351156 2,808,632 10/1957 Cline.

2,819,650 1/1958 Seron 351-156 2,846,688 8/1958 Meeker 2-150 2,896,217 7/1959 Cedarstaff 2-150 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,269,683 7/1961 France.

DAVID H. RUBIN, Primary Examiner.

I W. LEONARD, Assistant Examiner.

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