WO2017098285A1

WO2017098285A1 - Improved spectacles

Info

Publication number: WO2017098285A1
Application number: PCT/GB2016/054050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karen Smith
Original assignee: Plasses Ltd
Priority date: 2015-12-11
Filing date: 2016-12-22
Publication date: 2017-06-15
Also published as: GB201521944D0; GB2545892A

Abstract

Wearable spectacles disclosed including a mounting portion with side portions for wrapping around the head of the user to mount and retain the spectacles thereto. Lenses are mounted in the mounting portion such that, when the spectacles are being worn a line of vision of the user passes through said at least one lens. The mounting portion is made from fabric and is stiffened with a stiffening material. This ensures a close and comfortable fit which means that the eyes receive the maximum protection from the sun's UV rays.

Description

Improved Spectacles

The present invention relates to improved spectacles. In particular, the present invention relates to improved sunglasses, that is, spectacles for protecting the eyes of the user from the harmful rays of the sun.

It is known that ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are a constituent part of the rays emitted from the sun, can cause damage to the eyes, in particular to the eyes of children. Indeed, at the time of writing, it is estimated that the majority of the damage done to eyes by UV rays emitted from the sun occurs in the first ten years of life.

In an attempt to mitigate this damage, it is known for a user to wear sunglasses, which comprise lenses that are adapted to filter UV light from the rays emitted from the sun that enter the eyes of the user.

Whilst sunglasses are a well known solution to the problem of UV damage to eyes, problems nevertheless exist. In particular, it can often be difficult to ensure that children in particular wear their sunglasses when required, to prevent damage from the sun. Moreover, due to the typical plastics formation of sunglasses, the disposal of sunglasses can often be potentially damaging to the environment.

These problems also exist with conventional spectacles, which provide the user with improved vision as a result of specially designed lenses, without necessarily incorporating any protection from UV light emitted from the sun.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome, or at least alleviate, at least the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide improved spectacles, such as (i) spectacles for providing the user with improved vision and/or (ii) sunglasses, whilst mitigating the damage to the environment when they are eventually disposed of, when compared to known prior art spectacles.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided wearable spectacles comprising: - a mounting portion comprising side portions for wrapping around the head of the user to mount and retain the spectacles thereto; and at least one lens mountable to said mounting portion, such that, when the spectacles are mounted to the head of the user, a line of vision of the user passes through said at least one lens, characterised in that said mounting portion is made from fabric. This provides the advantage that the spectacles can be customised to suit the user. By means of example, mounting portions can comprise various colours and designs of fabric to be selected as desired by the user. As a result, the spectacles can be made to be more appealing to children, thereby encouraging their use. It is however to be appreciated that the customisable nature of the spectacles and in particular the various mounting portion options also results in the spectacles also being more appealing to the adult user. Furthermore, in having a mounting portion made from fabric, this provides the further advantage that more options in terms of pattern and colour of the mounting portion can be provided to the user, since it is generally easier to print onto fabric when compared to the hard plastics material normally used in prior art spectacles.

It is also the case that the flexible nature of the spectacle frames means that they fit closely to the face of the user. This in turn provides advantages including ensuring that the eyes and the delicate skin around the eyes are protected from damaging UV rays. Standard sunglasses only protect a user to the extent that the sunglasses shade the eye and surrounding areas. For example, when the sun is overhead UV rays can strike the eyes or the area around the eyes through the gap between the glasses and the user's head. In the present invention light hitting the user's eyes is reduced to a minimum and the shape of the user's head does not affect the amount of light which hits the eyes. The close-fitting nature of the sunglasses to the user's head generally ensures contact between the fabric of the frame and the user making the spectacles comfortable to wear. This contact is in particular around the eyebrows and as a result, the porous nature of the fabric acts to wick sweat away from the eyes which is particularly useful when the user is active. In having a mounting portion made from fabric, this provides the further advantage that, when the spectacles are disposed of, they are less damaging to the environment in view of the fact that they comprise less plastics material overall, instead comprising a mounting portion made from fabric. To elaborate, in the case of known prior art spectacles, it is often the case that the majority of their composition is plastics material, whose disposal can often be potentially damaging to the environment.

Preferably, said fabric is substantially biodegradable.

Preferably, said side portions of said mounting portion are substantially tubular, defining first and second tubes, each said side portion comprising at least one stiffening portion disposed in said first and second tubes. Preferably, each said stiffening portion comprises plastics material.

This provides the advantage that the spectacles are provided with a degree of rigidity to maintain the spectacles substantially in position on the head of the user, whilst not comprising as much plastics material as known prior art spectacles. Furthermore, the structure created by the stiffening portions ensures that sufficient ventilation is provided around the eyes to ensure that the spectacles do not steam up due to the moisture associated with the eyes. The stiffening portions can be manipulated to vary these gaps depending on the shape of the user's head and the activity they are engaging in.

Preferably, said mounting portion further comprises a nose portion which, when in situ on the head of the user, is disposed in the region of the nose of the user, said nose portion being substantially tubular, defining a third tube, and comprising at least one further stiffening portion disposed in said third tube.

This provides the advantage that the spectacles are provided with a degree of rigidity to maintain the spectacles substantially in position on the head of the user, whilst not comprising as much plastics material as known prior art spectacles. Preferably, said stiffening portions comprise plastics material that is able to flex and substantially retain its shape after flexing.

Preferably, said mounting portion further comprises a nose portion which, when in situ on the head of the user, is disposed in the region of the nose of the user, and wherein a portion of said mounting portion is substantially tubular, defining a continuous tube, said mounting portion further comprising an elongate stiffening portion disposed in said continuous tube and extending around said side portions and said nose portion.

Preferably, said spectacles comprise two said lenses mountable to said mounting portion.

Preferably, said mounting portion comprises two pockets, wherein a first said lens is retained within a first said pocket, and a second said lens is retained within a second said pocket.

This provides the advantage that, once the user has selected the fabric of the mounting portion, they can simply slot the appropriate lenses into the pockets of the mounting portion as required. In this way, the user can change the fabric according to the intended use of the spectacles, and according to the type of fabric they wish to wear as part of their spectacles on that day.

This provides the further advantage that the user is able to have more than one pair of spectacles with only one set of lenses and several interchangeable mounting portions.

This provides the further advantage that the user is able to have one mounting portion with various different sets of lenses appropriate to different environments and prescriptions.

Preferably, said fabric of said mounting portion is elastic.

This provides the advantage that the lenses can be easily mounted to the mounting portion when required, simply by stretching the fabric. Preferably, said mounting portion comprises Ariaprene™ fabric.

Preferably at least one said lens is adapted to filter UV light from the sun to reduce the amount of UV light entering the eyes of the user.

Preferably, at least one said lens is adapted to improve the vision of the user.

Preferably, at least one said lens comprises polycarbonate material.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: - Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of spectacles in accordance with the present invention, showing hidden detail;

Figure 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a further embodiment of spectacles in accordance with the present invention, showing hidden detail;

Figure 3 is another schematic sectional view of the embodiment of figure 2 highlighting different features;

Figures 4 and 5 are examples of outlines of components used in the construction of embodiments of the present invention; and

Figure 6 is a photographic representation of a further embodiment of the present invention. With reference to Figure 1, a set of wearable spectacles is represented generally by reference numeral 1.

The spectacles, which in this embodiment are sunglasses 1, comprise a mounting portion 3 having a first side portion 3a and a second side portion 3b. The mounting portion 3 is made from fabric, which in this embodiment is Ariaprene™. The fabric of the mounting portion 3 is adapted to be breathable to improve the comfort of the user, for example by incorporating a plurality of perforations. Ariaprene is an example of a biodegradable fabric which is particularly suitable for use in the spectacles of the present invention.

The side portions 3a and 3b of the mounting portion 3 wrap around the side of the head of the user and each comprise free ends 4a and 4b, which can be connected together either by means of tying together towards the back of the head of the user or by means of a suitable connecting means, in order to mount the sunglasses 1 to the head of the user and substantially retain the sunglasses 1 in position on the head of the user. It is however to be appreciated that as an alternative to or in addition to, connecting the free ends 4a and 4b, the free ends 4a and 4b can be shaped to fit over the ear of the user, in order to mount the sunglasses 1 to the head of the user.

The sunglasses 1 further comprise a first lens 5 and a second lens 7, which in this embodiment are made from polycarbonate. The lenses 5 and 7 are mounted to the mounting portion 3 so that, when the sunglasses 1 are mounted to the head of the user, the lines of vision of the user pass through the first 5 and second 7 lenses respectively. In order to facilitate this, the mounting portion 3 comprises two pockets 9a and 9b, wherein the first pocket 9a retains the first lens 5 in position and the second pocket 9b retains the second lens 7 in position.

The mounting portion 3 including the side portions 3 a and 3b are formed together by stitching two pieces of Ariaprene together. Each piece of Ariaprene is substantially the same shape and is cut to approximately the shape of the sunglasses once formed (the images in figures 4 and 5 can be regarded as templates for these pieces). As a result, one-piece represents the front side of the sunglasses and the other piece represents the rear side. The outer edge of the two portions are stitched together thereby forming the pockets 9a and 9b and the stitching used is preferably an overlock stitch such as the Merrow stitch which provides a strong, secure and neat edge to the junction of the two fabrics. Access to the first 9a and second 9b pockets is achieved by means of slots (not shown) on an upper portion of the mounting portion 3. These slots are formed by not stitching the two pieces of fabric together along their upper edge. Alternatively, access to the first 9a and second 9b pockets is achieved by means of stretching the fabric of the mounting portion 3 to a limited extent to allow the user to insert the lenses 5 and 7 into the first 9a and second 9b pockets respectively. In order to facilitate this, the fabric of the mounting portion 3 is elastic to a limited degree. The shape of the lens (as illustrated in figure 3) is determined to slightly stretch the fabric of the mounting portion to ensure the lenses are securely retained therein.

In this way, the user can select different fabric mounting portions 3 according to their requirements or mood, simply by inserting the lenses 5 and 7 into the pockets 9a and 9b of differently coloured mounting portions 3, when required, for example. As a result, the sunglasses 1 are customisable by the user, which can encompass both children and adults.

It is also to be appreciated that the mounting portion 3 including side portions 3a and 3b can be reversible, whereby one side of the sunglasses 1 can comprise a fabric having a particular pattern and colour, and the reverse side of the sunglasses 1 can comprise a fabric having a different pattern and colour, such that the user can select which side is to be used, as required.

It is also to be appreciated that, in view of the fact that the majority of the composition of the sunglasses 1 comprises fabric, when they are eventually disposed of by the user, they do not pose as much of a threat to the environment as conventional sunglasses, the majority of which is made from plastics material.

The fabric side portions 3a and 3b of the mounting portion 3 are tubular, defining first 10 and second 12 tubes each encasing a plastics stiffening portion 13a and 13b. Similarly, a nose portion 15 of the mounting portion 3 is also tubular, defining a third tube 16 encasing a further stiffening portion 17. It is to be appreciated that the stiffening portions 13a, 13b and 17, although being made from plastics material, contribute to a relatively small proportion of the composition of the sunglasses 1. In this way, the sunglasses 1 are provided with some rigidity to maintain them in position on the head of the user, whilst not comprising as much plastics material as known prior art sunglasses 1.

With reference to Figure 2, a set of wearable spectacles is represented generally by reference numeral 101.

The spectacles, which in this embodiment are sunglasses 101, are similar to those of Figure 1 and comprise a mounting portion 103 having a first side portion 103 a and a second side portion 103b, the first 103a and second 103b side portions being connected by a nose portion 115. The mounting portion 103 is made from fabric, which in this embodiment is Ariaprene™. The fabric of the mounting portion 103 is adapted to be breathable, for example by means of incorporating a plurality of perforations. In this embodiment, the side portions 103 a and 103b of the mounting portion 103 wrap around the side of the head of the user and each comprise free ends 104a and 104b which are each shaped to fit over the ear of the user, in order to mount the sunglasses 101 to the head of the user. The sunglasses 101 further comprise a first lens 105 and a second lens 107, which in this embodiment are made from polycarbonate. The lenses 105 and 107 are mounted to the mounting portion 103 so that, when the sunglasses 101 are mounted to the head of the user, the lines of vision of the user pass through the first 105 and second 107 lenses respectively. In order to facilitate the mounting of the lenses 105 and 107 to the mounting portion 103, the fabric of the mounting portion 103 is elastic to facilitate the stretching of the fabric of the mounting portion 103 to a limited extent to allow the user to insert the lenses 105 and 107 into first 109a and second 109b pockets which form part of the mounting portion 103. As with the embodiment of Figure 1, the user can select different fabric mounting portions 103 according to their requirements or mood, simply by inserting the lenses 105 and 107 into the pockets 109a and 109b of differently coloured mounting portions 103, when required. The mounting portion 103 comprises a tubular portion, defining a continuous tube 106 extending around the upper portion of the mounting portion 103, in particular around the first 103a and second 103b side portions, and the nose portion 115. The mounting portion 103 further comprises an elongate stiffening portion 108 which is disposed inside the continuous tube 106, and extends around the length of the continuous tube 106. In the embodiment shown in figures 2 and 3, the stiffening portion 108 is divided into three portions 108a (in the centre adjacent the lenses), and 108b and 108c (extending along the arms) with the central portion 108a extending into the arms to overlap slightly portions 108b and 108c. Alternatively, a single portion could be provided. The stiffening portions can be made of any suitable material which will increase the rigidity of the mounting and side portions, these materials including, but not limited to, plastics, metals and plastic coated metals such as wires. Most preferably the stiffening portions are made from a shape retaining plastic which is particularly suitable because it is bendable but can repeatedly retain the shape it is bent into. An example of such a plastic is a multi-layered sheet plastic material, the layers of which allow the plastic to retain its shape when it is manipulated. This therefore allows the exact shape required to be created and retained. This is particularly useful for the ends 104a and 104b which can be bent to comfortably fit around the user's ears.

This stiffening portion 108 provides the advantage that the sunglasses 101 are provided with a degree of rigidity to maintain the sunglasses 101 in position on the head of a user, whilst not comprising as much plastics material as known prior art spectacles. The elongate stiffening portion 108 comprises plastics material that is able to flex and retain its shape after flexing.

In figure 3, the lenses 105 and 107 are highlighted so that their edges (indicated at 105a and 107a) are clearly indicated sitting inside the pocket 109a and 109b as defined by the inner edges (as indicated at 109a' and 109b') of the pockets 109a and 109b.

Referring to figures 4 and 5, these images are examples of outlines shapes for sunglasses. These outline shapes can be used as templates for cutting the front and rear pieces of fabric which are stitched together to form the mounting portion 3 including side portions 3a and 3b. The example shown in figure 4 includes curved ends to the side portions into which stiffening portions 108 are inserted so that the curved ends engage the ears of a user to retain the sunglasses on the user's head. A retaining string or elastic may also be included. In the embodiment of figure 5, the side portions are linear and an elastic or string retainer (as shown in figure 6) should be included.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

By means of example, as an alternative to sunglasses 1, the spectacles could alternatively be spectacles intended to improve the vision of the user. In this case, the lenses would not necessarily incorporate a UV filter but would instead be lenses adapted to improve the vision of the user to correct short sightedness or long sightedness for example. By means of further example, the fabric mounting portion could be stitched together along its edges using an overlocking stitch to seal the fabric and maintain the strength of the mounting portion.

It is also to be appreciated that the spectacles of the present invention can be, inter alia, children's sunglasses, sports sunglasses for either children or adults (for use during skiing or sailing for example), sunglasses for general use, or spectacles for improving the vision of the user.

Claims

1. Wearable spectacles comprising: -

(i) a mounting portion comprising side portions for wrapping around the head of the user to mount and retain the spectacles thereto; and

(ii) at least one lens mountable to said mounting portion, such that, when the spectacles are mounted to the head of the user, a line of vision of the user passes through said at least one lens, characterised in that said mounting portion is made from fabric.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fabric is substantially biodegradable.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said side portions of said mounting portion are substantially tubular, defining first and second tubes, each said side portion comprising at least one stiffening portion disposed in said first and second tubes.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said mounting portion further comprises a nose portion which, when in situ on the head of the user, is disposed in the region of the nose of the user, said nose portion being substantially tubular, defining a third tube, and comprising at least one further stiffening portion disposed in said third tube.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein each said stiffening portion comprises plastics material.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in claim 5, wherein each said stiffening portion comprises plastics material that is able to flex and substantially retain its shape after flexing.

Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said mounting portion further comprises a nose portion which, when in situ on the head of the user, is disposed in the region of the nose of the user, and wherein a portion of said mounting portion is substantially tubular, defining a continuous tube, said mounting portion further comprising an elongate stiffening portion disposed in said continuous tube and extending around said side portions and said nose portion.

8. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said spectacles comprise two said lenses mountable to said mounting portion.

9. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said mounting portion comprises two pockets, wherein a first said lens is retained within a first said pocket, and a second said lens is retained within a second said pocket.

10. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said fabric of said mounting portion is elastic.

11. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein said mounting portion comprises Ariaprene™ fabric.

12. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein at least one said lens is adapted to filter UV light from the sun to reduce the amount of UV light entering the eyes of the user.

13. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein at least one said lens is adapted to improve the vision of the user.

14. Wearable spectacles as claimed in any one of the previous claims, wherein at least one said lens comprises polycarbonate material.

15. Wearable spectacles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.