WO2003073155A1

WO2003073155A1 - Information medium to be mounted on an elongated element, such as an eyewear temple piece

Info

Publication number: WO2003073155A1
Application number: PCT/FR2003/000505
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bertrand Masquelier
Original assignee: Masquelier,
Priority date: 2002-02-27
Filing date: 2003-02-17
Publication date: 2003-09-04
Also published as: FR2836586A1; AU2003222920A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an information medium which is mounted on an elongated element, such as an eyewear temple piece. The inventive medium comprises a passage section for the elongated element and means of locking the medium in place on the elongated element once said element has been passed through the passage section. The medium comprises a body and at least one lateral flange (26) which extends out laterally from said body. The aforementioned passage section comprises a hole (21) which cuts through said body. The lateral flange (26) or the elongated element can be elastically deformed between a first rest position, whereby the elongated element is not passed through the through hole, and a second active position, whereby the elongated element is passed through the through hole. Moreover, in said second position, the lateral flange (26) or the elongated element is deformed and the free end (27) of the lateral flange (26) is applied with a certain degree of pressure against the elongated element. Preferably, the body and the lateral flange form a one-piece unit which is obtained, for example, by means of moulding. The above-mentioned through hole comprises a plurality of bumps (24) which are made from an elastically-deformable material and which extend longitudinally on the two large walls (22, 23) of the through hole (21).

Description

SUPPORT FOR INFORMATION TO BE MOUNTED ON A LONG-SIZED MEMBER, IN PARTICULAR A BRANCH OF A GLASSES

The present invention relates to the field of information relating to articles presented to consumers, in particular and not exclusively the cost and brand of said articles. It relates more particularly to an information carrier which is intended to be mounted on a long elongated member, such as in particular a bezel branch.

In optical stores, the glasses are displayed for sale in displays so that they can be taken in hand and tested by the consumer. In addition, they must include information able to inform the consumer in particular as to its price. We have already proposed different types of information carriers to mount on the branch of a pair of glasses.

According to a first embodiment, the information carrier is constituted by a plate of any shape, for example square, rectangular or oval to which is fixed an end of a narrow band and flexible. This band is folded and passes through an orifice formed in said plate so that on one side of the plate the band forms a loop and the other exceeds its free end. To secure this information carrier on a telescope leg, it is sufficient to introduce said branch into the loop formed by the flexible band, then to pull on the free end of said band which slides in the hole made in the plate so that the loop closes on the branch. Optionally a locking system allows the definitive locking of said support on the branch. It may for example be a notching system made on the band and in I Orifice the plate, preventing the sliding in the opposite direction of the band.

According to a second type of embodiment, the information carrier is formed of two plates, contiguous and secured to one another by four flexible connecting elements. These connecting elements are arranged so that by separating the two plates from one another they define, two by two, a passage section for the telescope branch. Once the bezel branch introduced into said passage section, holding in position of the information carrier is obtained through the elastic return of the flexible connecting elements which tends to bring the two plates. Both types of embodiments have both disadvantages. The main disadvantage of the first type of embodiment is that the plate, supporting the information, remains suspended from the branch during the fitting which is a nuisance for the consumer. As for the second type of embodiment, its implementation on the telescope branch proves difficult, insofar as it is necessary to introduce the branch first in a first passage between the first two connecting elements, then between the two plates and finally in the second passage between the last two connecting elements.

The purpose that the applicant has set is to provide an information carrier that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks of the two known embodiments.

It is an information carrier that is to be mounted on a longiform element, including but not exclusively a telescope branch. This information carrier has in known manner a passage section for said elongated element and a means for locking in position of said support on the elongated element once it has passed in the passage section.

Typically, according to the invention, this information carrier comprises a body and at least one lateral wing, laterally extending said body; in addition the passage section consists of a hole passing through said body; finally the lateral wing (or the elongate element) is elastically deformable between a first rest position, the elongated element not having passed through the through hole, and a second so-called active position, the elongate element being passed in the through hole, in which second position the lateral wing (or the elongate member) is deformed and in which the end free of the lateral wing applies with some pressure on the elongate element.

For the introduction of this information carrier on the elongated element, simply introduce it into the through hole and slide said element until the free end of the side wing is in support on said element thus realizing the locking in position of the information carrier according to the invention. Depending on whether the elongated element is rigid or itself elastically deformable, the constituent material of the lateral wing is chosen. If the elongated element is rigid, the lateral wing will be in an elastically deformable material. If the elongate element is itself elastically deformable, the lateral wing may be in a rigid material.

As it is a lateral wing in an elastically deformable material, said wing may be made of elastomer or of soft polyvinyl chloride.

In a preferred embodiment, the body of the information carrier is in an elastically deformable material, by compression, so as to obtain the deformation of the cross-section of the through hole for the passage of the elongate element. In particular for a telescope branch, the through hole has an oblong cross section.

Preferably in this case, the body being in an elastically deformable material, the section of the transverse hole has a length which is greater than the height of the elongate member and a width which is smaller than the thickness of the elongate member. Thus, in this configuration, it is not possible to carry out the direct introduction of the elongated element into the through hole. It is necessary to compress the body so as to obtain the deformation in width of the passage section of the through hole to allow this introduction. Once the installation is complete, the body is no longer compressed, the walls of the through hole tighten and apply with some pressing against the elongated element, which further improves the locking in position of the information carrier.

A particular difficulty may arise when the information carrier of the invention is intended to be mounted on a longiform element which has in the mounting area of said information carrier dimensions much smaller than those it has in the zone of its free end corresponding to the introduction into the through hole. This is particularly the case of branches of glasses that are equipped with particularly large protective sleeves compared to the dimensions of the branch itself, in the mounting area.

Of course, it would be possible to envisage providing information carriers that are specific to each type of eyeglass branch and that make it possible to obtain, after passage of the protective sleeve, the tightening of the walls of the through hole and their application with certain pressure against the branch itself, in the mounting area.

However, it is preferable for both the manufacturer and the user to have a limited range of information carriers that can be used for any type of glasses branch.

To overcome this drawback, the proposed solution consists in providing that the through hole is provided with a plurality of protuberances, formed in an elastically deformable material, which extend longitudinally on the two large walls of the through hole. When introducing the protective sleeve into the through hole, if the dimensions thereof are particularly important, the pressure exerted will cause the deformation of the protrusions against the walls; on the other hand, when the information carrier reaches its mounting area, of smaller size, the protrusions return in place and apply to the elongated element for the purpose of blocking the information carrier, in combination with the side wing, as shown previously.

Preferably, the protuberances are obtained during molding of the body and the side wing, forming a one-piece assembly, in an elastically deformable material, for example Santoprene ®. According to a preferred embodiment, each protrusion has a square or rectangular cross section. For example there are six protuberances on each wall, regularly distributed over the entire length of said wall, said protrusions being opposite each other. it may also be preferable to impart some additional rigidity to the body at the through hole. In this case, it is possible to provide this additional rigidity by providing that on one of the walls, two adjacent median protuberances are joined by their base to form a U-shaped cross section protrusion.

Preferably the body and the lateral wing form a one-piece assembly, obtained in particular by molding.

The information carrier, according to the invention preferably comprises a flat or curved face to support the information, in particular by gluing a tag.

This support face may be constituted at least by the outer face of the side wing, which is opposite to the elongate member once it has passed through the through hole.

To improve the blocking position of the information carrier, in particular to prevent the end of the lateral flange applying against the elongated member undergoes an involuntary movement, it can also be expected that this side wing has, to its free end, two guide lugs of the elongate element. These guide tabs are somehow stops on either side of the free end of the side wing.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the description which will be made of a preferred embodiment of an information carrier for a telescope branch, consisting of a one-piece assembly of elastically deformable material, illustrated by the appended drawing in which: - Figure 1 is a representation side of the information carrier;

- Figure 2 is a top view of said support in which is glued a label;

- Figure 3 is a side view of the support of Figure 1 mounted on a bezel branch; FIG. 4 is a front view of the support and

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of an information carrier whose through hole is equipped with longitudinal protuberances and whose side wing is equipped with two guide tabs.

The information carrier 1 which is illustrated and which will be described precisely hereinafter is formed of a one-piece assembly obtained by molding an elastically deformable material, in particular of soft polyvinyl chloride or elastomer. This embodiment, which is more particularly suitable for an information carrier for spectacles, is not exclusive of the present invention. It could in particular be made of several separate elements, assembled to each other and formed of possibly different materials.

According to this preferred version, the information carrier comprises a part constituting the support body and another part constituting a lateral wing 3, laterally extending the portion forming the body 2. A through hole 4 is provided in the body 2. The section inside of this opening hole 4 is provided to allow the passage of the elongate element 5.

It is the outer face 3a of the side wing 3 which is intended to support information such as price, reference, brand or other similar information for the consumer. It may be in particular a label 6 bonded to said outer face 3a. This label 6 can also be folded along the extreme edge 7 of the lateral flange 3 to be also bonded to the inner face 3b, which is opposite to the outer face 3a. This may be of some use if this label portion, folded on the inner face 3b comprises the GENECODE of the article. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the through hole 4 provided in the body 2 of the support 1 has a general direction, represented in dashed lines in FIG. 1, which cuts the end terminated by the extreme edge 7 of the lateral wing 3. It is understood that, as a result, the positioning of the elongate element, especially if it is rectilinear in the direction represented by the said dotted lines, can only be done by pushing back the lateral wing 3; to say by elastically deforming said lateral flange so that the end edge 7 bears on the corresponding face 5a of the bezel branch 5, as shown in FIG. 3. In practice, the operator introduces the free end 8 of the bezel branch 5 in the inlet 4a of the through hole 4, then slides the branch 5 into the through hole until the information carrier 1 is positioned in the desired zone 9 of the branch 5. In this case, sliding, the end l 8 of the branch 5 has come into contact with the inner face 3b of the side wing 3 and pushed said flange 3 until the end edge 7 bears on the face 5a of the branch 5. In this configuration , the lateral flange 3 exerts a pressure force which locks the information carrier 1 in position on the branch 5, by a double support, namely a linear support at the extreme edge 7 of the lateral flange 3 and a surface or possibly linear support at the inner wall 4c of the through hole 4.

The opening hole has an inner section which must allow the passage of the branch 5 during the establishment of the information carrier 1. It is in particular oblong, optionally rectangular. In the preferred version according to which the body 2 is in an elastically deformable material, the section has an oblong shape whose width e is less than the thickness of the branch 5 at least in the zone 9 where the information carrier must be placed. By cons its length L is greater than the height of said leg 5 in this area 9. In Figure 4, the opening hole has a substantially rectangular section with an internal narrowing, corresponding to the width e above. To achieve the introduction of the branch 5, the operator compresses the body 2 at the two faces 10,11 parallel to the two short sides of the rectangle, which has the effect of deforming the body 2 and ovalizing the section of passage of the opening hole 4 until its width is greater than the thickness of the branch 5 to allow the easy introduction of the free end 8. Of course this compressive action on the body 2 is necessary only if the thickness of the branch 5 at said free end 8 is less than the width e. In the opposite case, the operator introduces the free end 8 and slides the information carrier 1 until reaching the zone 9, this sliding being done with friction during the increase in the thickness of the branch. In this position and the possible compression on the body 2 being completed, the body and thus the opening hole 4 tends to resume its initial configuration; the inner walls 13, 14 of the through hole 4 are applied with a certain pressure against the two faces 5a, 5b of the branch 5, which further improves the holding in position of the information carrier 1 on the branch. In one embodiment, given merely by way of example, the length e was of the order of 2.5 mm, given that the average thickness of a spectacle arm is of the order of 3 to 7 mm. .

The embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 5 is more particularly suitable for spectacles whose branches comprise a protective sleeve which is particularly bulky with regard to the dimension of the branch itself, in the mounting area of the information carrier.

According to this embodiment, the information carrier 20 has an oblong through hole 21, the large walls 22, 23 of which are provided with a plurality of protrusions 24 which extend longitudinally and which are formed of a material elastically deformable. When the information carrier 20 is itself obtained by molding such a material, the protuberances 24 are themselves formed during this molding. In the specific example which is illustrated in FIG. 5, each of the two inner walls 22, 23 comprises six longitudinal protuberances, the cross section of which is rectangular, the long side of the rectangle corresponding to the height of the protuberance while the minor side is the width. The six protuberances are regularly distributed over the entire length L of the through hole. In addition, the protuberances 24 of a given internal wall 22 are opposite the protuberances 24 situated on the other inner wall 23.

During the introduction of the protective sleeve, there is not only ovalization of the opening hole 21 but also compression and deformation of the protrusions 24, which artificially increases the possible passage section. When the protective sleeve is passed through the opening hole, the protuberances 24 take their place and define, therefore, one another, the width e of the section of the through hole which it is recalled that it must be less than thickness of the elongated element in the mounting area of the information carrier. It should be noted that in the illustrated example, on one of the walls 23, two median protuberances are connected by their base so as to form an outgrowth 25 having in cross section the shape of a U. This particular arrangement makes it possible to imparting some additional rigidity to the body of the information carrier 20 at the through-hole 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the lateral flange 26 comprises, towards its free end 27, two guide tabs 28 which project on either side of the zone of this free end 27. When the information carrier is mounted on the elongated element, the latter is applied on the one hand against the walls of the opening hole and on the other hand on a portion of the free end 27. The two guide lugs 28 serve as abutments elongate element, preventing it from leaving the field of action of the lateral wing 26.

The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment which has just been described. In particular the information carrier may comprise two lateral wings extending on either side of the body, which allows the holding in position with three supports and not two as in the example above. Finally, it would be possible to envisage an information carrier with a solid body in an elastically deformable material and traversed by a through hole, this support being held in position on the elongate element thanks to a single surface support formed at the walls. interior of the opening hole, the configuration of the opening hole - in particular the surface of its walls - and the choice of the material - in particular its coefficient of friction - constituting the body being determined so that the tightening of said walls against the body during the relaxation of the the compressive action exerted on the body is sufficient to ensure this holding in position.

Claims

1. Information support to be mounted on a elongated element, in particular a telescope branch, having a passage section for said elongated element and a means for locking in position of said support on the elongated element once it has passed in the passage section, said support comprising a body (2) having a through hole (4) acting as a passage section, characterized in that at least one lateral wing (3) laterally extends said body (2) and in that the lateral wing (3) or the elongated element (5) is elastically deformable between a first so-called rest position, the elongated element not having passed through the through hole, and a second so-called active position, l the elongate element being passed through the through hole, in which the lateral position (3) or the elongate element (5) is secondly deformed and in which the free end (7) of the lateral wing (3) is applies with a certa ine pressure on the elongated element (5).

2. Information carrier according to claim 1 characterized in that the body (2) and the side wing (3) form a one-piece assembly, in particular obtained by molding.

3. Information carrier according to one of claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the lateral wing and possibly the body are made of soft polyvinyl chloride or elastomer.

4. Information carrier according to one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the body (2) is in a material elastically deformable by compression so as to obtain the deformation of the section of the through hole (4) allowing the passage of the elongated element (5).

5. Information carrier according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the elongated element being in particular a branch of glasses (5), the through hole (4) has a section oblong cross section.

6. Information carrier according to claim 5 characterized in that the length (L) of the cross section of the through hole (4) is greater than the height of the elongated element and the width of said section (e) is less at the thickness of said elongated element (5) at least in the mounting zone (9) of the information carrier (1).

7. Information carrier according to one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that it comprises a flat or curved face (3a) to support the information, in particular by sticking a label (6).

8. Information carrier according to claim 7 characterized in that the support face is constituted by the outer face (3a) of the lateral wing (3).

9. Information carrier according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lateral wing (3) is curved and, in its rest position, cuts the general direction of the through hole (4).