Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Spectacles and eyeglasses – Rimless mounting
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-06-26
Epps, Georgia (Department: 2873)
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Spectacles and eyeglasses
Rimless mounting
C351S041000, C351S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250755
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to rimless eye glasses and more specifically to means for fixedly attaching temples and bridges directly to the lens of the eye glasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,898 issued to Hafner teaches the use of clamps and screws to attached the bridge and temple hinges to the lens of rimless eye glasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,020 issued to Lindberg et al. teaches elongated slits for attaching the bridge and temple's hinges by a “U” shaped bent wire loop portions having a resilient expansion force (tension) on the outside surfaces of the “U” shaped loop for maintaining the loops and associated bridge or temple hinge connection to the lens. There is a disadvantage to this type of connections in that it can be easily disengaged from the lens as there is no locking mechanism to prevent up and down motion on the bridge and temples from loosening or disengaging the wire to lens connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,141 issued to Kobayashi teaches temple hinge and nose piece attachment to rimless glasses by means of bolts passing through the lens and nuts holding them in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,870 issued to Masunaga teaches bridge and temple hinge connections to the lens of rimless eye glasses by a round wire formed bridge and temple hinge connected at three points on the lens of rimless glasses. The connections for bridge and temple teaches a hinge are made with a “U” shaped wire biased against the lens edge by tension provided by the distal end of the wire inserted into an aperture in the lens. The distal ends of the inserted wires have a polycarbonate buffer sleeve for preventing slackness between the lens aperture and the bridge and temple hinge ends. Even with the improvement of the sleeve over the distal end of the inserted wire, there is a tendency for the wire to loosen and become dislodged from the lens and render the eye glasses useless for the purpose intended. The ends of the bridge and temple hinge are bent against the edge of the lens. The bridge and temple hinge are held in place by the bent wire forming pressure between the lens aperture and the lens edge. This connection applies a greater stress in the lens material. This reference teaches a cylindrical sleeve and a cylindrical lens aperture and does not specify an interference fit between the wire, sleeve and lens. The only force preventing the wire from becoming disloged from the lens is the relative minimal friction force deloped by the bending stress in the wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,706 issued to Izumitani teaches rimless eye glasses with apertures through the narrow vertically sides of the lens and with protrusions extending from the bridge and temple inserted into the apertures and adhered thereto by adhesive means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,280 issued to Herman teaches a plurality of apertures through the lens of rimless glasses. Separate pairs of apertures are used to attach the temple and two pairs of apertures are used to attach the bridges.
There is a continuing need to improve the bridge and temple hinge attachment to the lens of rimless eye glasses to provide a more secure joint between the components, minimize the weight of the eyeglasses, and to minimize the required structure fir styling reasons. The preferred embodiments of the instant invention proved an advancement in this art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to rimless eye glasses, and more specifically to the connection of bridges and temple hinges to rimless eye glasses. This invention teaches and claims the temple hinge and the bridge being directly attached within an aperture through the lens and in one embodiment the bridge and temple hinge are additionally supported by a notch in both sides of each lens to further discourage rotation of the temple hinge or bridge about the single attachment point.
The distal tip of the temple hinge and bridge and the apertures in the eye glass lens can take many different mating forms including fustro conic, rectangular and triangular.
In a preferred embodiment, a spacer or shim of deformable resilient material having an outer cylindrical shape substantially the same diameter as the cylindrical apertures through the lens and an inner frusto conic bore is positioned between the lens apertures and the distal ends of the bridge and temple hinge. The aperture through the shim or spacer is shaped to conform to the tapered shape of the distal tip of the bridge and the lens aperture, i.e., the aperture through the bushing is either frusto conic, rectangular or triangular to conform with a like configuration of the distal ends of the bridge and temple.
In another embodiment the bushing is split to accommodate the insertion of the distal tip of the bridge or temple hinge into the lens aperture. In this embodiment the bushing stays attached to the distal end of the bridge and temple hinge when removed therefrom.
The bridge and temple hinge can be attached to the lens through either surface of the lens, i.e., front or back surfaces, and can be a single aperture connection or can be formed to provide a biasing force between an aperture and the outer edge of the lens surface.
In another embodiment the side support includes a notch that resists rotation of the bridge or temple hinges when inserted within the lens aperture.
The invention as disclosed in this application provides an improvement to rimless eye glasses by providing a more positive and secure connection between the lens and bridge and temple hinge and reduces the over all weight of the eye glasses.
The principal object of this invention is to provide a light weight and more cosmetically appealing pair of rimless eye glasses.
Another object of this invention is to provide a single connection positive lock connection between the eye glass lens and attached bridge or nosepiece and temple hinge.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5585870 (1996-12-01), Masunaga
patent: 5835183 (1998-11-01), Murai et al.
patent: 6024445 (2000-02-01), Conner et al.
Conner Brian N.
Conner William A.
Kline Daniel S.
Epps Georgia
Gilliam Frank D.
Microvision Optical, Inc.
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