Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-03
2001-05-15
Nerbun, Peter (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
C219S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230328
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to eye protection systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to visors for protecting jeweler's vision while welding platinum items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An increasing number of men and women are choosing platinum as the material to construct their jewelry. This increase is especially true with respect to engagement rings and wedding bands when compared to only a few years ago. The increased sales of platinum jewelry items has created the need for jewelers to work more often with platinum as these items are manufactured, altered, and/or repaired to meet the specific needs of the purchasers.
Platinum, however, possesses characteristics which make these tasks more challenging to jewelers who generally perform similar tasks on items made from either gold or silver. One such characteristic is that platinum glows a blindingly bright color while being welded. This blinding effect is exacerbated when a jeweler uses image magnification to perform intricate detail work required by many jewelry items.
Jewelers have been forced by these vision problems to wear welding glasses or goggles in order to work on platinum. Presently available glasses and goggles, however, have significant drawbacks. First, these glasses and goggles must be put on before the jeweler is ready. This fact causes the initial work to be performed through the dark lens before these lens are needed. If the jeweler begins the welding process without the glasses or goggles in place, he or she must typically put the torch and/or poker used in the welding process down, and thus stop the process, in order to adjust the glasses. Additionally, these glasses and goggles are not generally well integrated with the image magnifying visors typically worn by jewelers in order to work on intricate items. This lack of integration aggravates the problems associated with donning the darkened glasses as the glasses need to be worn along with the magnifying visor. Of course, the magnification of the work area increases the visual effect of the glowing platinum which contributes to the need for the darker lens.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations in the prior art, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, a preferred embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes an eye protection apparatus for use in welding platinum which is designed to allow quick attachment and detachment to the exterior of a commonly worn jewelers style magnifying visor, which is worn like a headband above the eye area. A rotatable bracket secures the eye protection device to the magnifying visor with a snapping friction bracket. The device is primarily a welding filter lens enclosed within a frame, which is rotatably suspended between two opposing support arms, which allow the rotatable filter frame to be stowed in any of three positions—the stored position, the stowed position, the deployed position. Additionally, the rotatable filter frame can be moved from the stowed position (supported above the wearer's field of view by the opposing arms) into the deployed position (protecting the wearer's field of view) by using a slight forward and downward snap of the wearer's head, thus permitting the freedom of the user's hands to manipulate a torch in one hand and a welding poker in the other.
Other embodiments of a system in accordance with the principles of the invention may include alternative or optional additional aspects. These aspects and various other advantages and features which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described specific examples of an apparatus in accordance with the invention.
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Tools & Equipment 1997 catalog, pp. 88 and 169, Rio Grande Tools & Equipment®, 7500 Bluewater Road NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121-1962.
GV97: Tools, Supplies and Equipment for Technicians and Craftsmen, pp. 31, 157, and 158, Stebgo Metals, Inc., Precious Metals Specialists, P.O. Box 7, So. St. Paul, Minnesota 55075-0007 (® 1997 Grobet File Company of America, Inc.).
1998 Catalog: Tools, Supplies, and Equipment for Jewelry Manufacturing, p. 7, Kingsley North, Inc., 910 Brown Street, P.O. Box 216, Norway, Michigan 49870.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Nerbun Peter
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