Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Spectacles and eyeglasses – Temples
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2002-02-05
Dang, Hung Xuan (Department: 2873)
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Spectacles and eyeglasses
Temples
C351S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343859
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to eyeglass clip accessories for attaching eyeglass frames to garments, such as shirt pockets or belts and methods of assembling same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
While some people wear glasses constantly, others wear them only intermittently or change from clear to tinted glasses depending on the ambient light conditions. It is desirable to have a clip attached to a temple bar of the glasses to engage the edge of a garment, such as a shirt pocket or belt, thereby preventing the folded glasses from falling out when bending over. Many attempts at the ideal design and method of this clip have been made over the years. Some involve modification of the temple bar or permanent attachment of the clip to the temple bar at the time of manufacture. Other attachable clips are cumbersome to mount, alter the appearance of the glasses substantially, involve expensive manufacture, provide non rigid attachment, or are conformable to a limited range of temple piece cross sections.
Among the prior art patents include U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,015 of Schmitt, which teaches temple clips that are either molded as one piece with the temple bar or attached by riveting or by a clamp form fit to the temple bar cross section. U.S. Pat. No. 1,898,059 of McDonald discloses a temple clip attached with a split barrel clamp and retained with a set screw. With respect to removable retrofit clips for eyeglass temple bars, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,375 of DiFranco describes an inexpensive plastic clip which simply attaches to a variety of temple pieces through the use of two rubber “o” rings. This retrofit system of DiFranco '375 is not a rigid attachment however. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,727 of McCloskey teaches several embodiments of an attachable pocket clip made of an elastically deformable material, such as a U-shaped spring steel clasp. Like DiFranco '375, McCloskey '727 does not teach a rigid attachment, and its U-shaped embodiment does not provide a secure fit. Different designs are used for different temple piece cross sections.
For example, McDonald '059 teaches attaching a retrofit clip to an eyeglass temple bar piece by an artificial, extra attachment member, such as a sleeve attached to the clip which slides over the temple bar piece. In addition, in Schmitt '015 the clip is attached either by rivets, or by an internal wire extending all the way through the temple bar piece and clip.
Whenever there is an external piece such as the sleeve of McDonald '059 or the rivet of Schmitt '015, there is usually a protruding element which could scratch the wearer's skin or eyes. In addition, the longitudinally extending wire piece of Schmitt is difficult to manufacture, as the wire has to be imbedded within the temple bar piece.
Two old foreign patents, namely Swiss patent no. 421,551 dated Sep. 30, 1966 of Albanesi and French patent no. 1,162,365 dated Nov. 2, 1958 of Boissot describe a clip molded with an eyeglass temple bar of an eyeglass frame.
However, these two patents do not mention using particular types of thermoplastic resins or bendable metal alloys to insure that the clips resist torsional (bending) stresses because of the constant on and off moving of the eyeglasses and clip to and from shirt pockets.
Among recent patents describing the use of thermoplastic resins for resisting torsional bending of non-analogous objects subject to constant stress include U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,674 Clover for wheelchair parts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,911 Kruesi in the industrial sector for a lightweight self insulating composite tool; in automotive use, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,954 of Bloemer for a pivoting extensible rear hitch attachment for equipment carrier; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,779 of Aoyama for a motor vehicle body structure.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,316,654 and 4,496,224, both of Allen, teach eyeglass frames with pocket clips where the frames themselves are manufactured with pocket clips attached to the rims of eyeglass lenses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,906 of Kren discloses an eyeglass storage clip attached to a temple piece with a dual barrel design. It consists of several parts and uses spring clips to attach to a garment or pocket.
The disadvantages of the prior art are either that the temple bar pocket clips are difficult to assemble or assemble when the eye glasses are manufactured, as in Schmitt '075, McDonald '059, Allen '654, Allen '224 or Kren '906, or that the retrofit configurations of DiFranco '375 or McCloskey '727 are flimsy and not designed for long term rigid attachments.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the objects of the present invention are as follows:
It is an object of the present invention to provide eyeglass frame clips that use particular types of thermoplastic resins or bendable metal alloys to insure that the clips resist torsional bending stresses produced by the constant insertion and removal of the eyeglasses and clip to and from pockets and other locations of attachment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integral pocket clip that is conformable to a wide variety of eyeglass temple pieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid adhesive attachment method for retrofit attachment of a pocket clip to a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an attachment pocket clip which blends in with the eyeglasses and adds minimal bulk.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a dry adhesive attachment method for retrofit attachment of a pocket clip for a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive pocket clip attachment set for retrofitting a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses with a pocket clip that is easy for the user to attach.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pocket clip specially designed for very narrow metal temple pieces.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to improve over the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with these objects and others which may become apparent, the present invention relates to pocket clips which are of the general shape of molded plastic pocket clips commonly used on inexpensive pens. The clip is intended to be molded of thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate or polyvinylchloride in a variety of colors to match eyeglass temple pieces. In addition, these clips can also be finished in a metallic tone.
The present invention solves the problem of the constant removal and replacement of glasses in and out of pockets producing repetitive stress on an eyeglass frame pocket clip. The stress is placed on the clip at the point of attachment to the pocket, and is especially great when the pocket is made of heavy cloth such as wool and flannel.
The stress is also great at the apex of the clip where it is joined with the temple bar. The tension or torsional force that is created by the opposition of the clip to the temple bar, is the force which holds the eyeglasses firmly in place in the pocket. The torsional force increases with the weight and size of the eyeglasses. The clip which is the source of the torsional pressure must be able to withstand the tension that it creates.
The pocket clip member resists torsional bending stresses caused by the constant on and off insertion or removal of the eyeglasses and clip to and from shirt pockets or other attachments. The cantilevered clip is twisted and stressed when the clip holds the eyeglass frame to the shirt pocket in a strong bond.
However, the clip is adapted to undergo controlled elastic deformation from an unstressed configuration in response to torsional bending and twisting stress when the clip is inserted or removed from the pocket. The clip is further adapted to resiliently return to the unstressed configuration upon removal of the torsional bending and twisting stress, when fully inserted or removed from the pocket.
Prior art
Dang Hung Xuan
Opti-Grip, Inc.
Walker Alfred M.
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