Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Eyeglass hinge
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-10
2002-01-08
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Eyeglass hinge
C351S113000, C351S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06336250
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spring hinge for eyeglasses which enables a temple to fit onto a temporal and to open and close with a moderate resistance.
(2) Prior Art
In order to solve a problem of splipping down of eyeglasses due to perspiration on a face, a spring hinge with a structure for fitting onto a temporal was conventionally provided.
As shown in
FIGS. 35
to
37
, for example, the spring hinge had a structure in which an armor-side hinge member (c) comprising a joint member (b) projectingly mounted to a pedestal (a) and a temple-side hinge member (e) with a spring coil (d) inside and a screw (f) by which the armor-side hinge member (c) and the temple-side hinge member (e) were pivotally connected to each other so that they could be opened and closed.
To be more specific, as shown in
FIGS. 36 and 37
, the temple-side hinge member (e) was so structured that a sliding body (h) of a sliding member (j) comprising a joint member (i) projectingly mounted to the tip of the sliding body (h) was contained in a case (g) which was formed long and narrow in a direction of length of a temple and one end of the case is kept open. Further, at the end of the above mentioned case (g), an engaging pin (u) was mounted to walls (k,k) facing to each other, and the coil spring (d) was mounted between the engaging pin (u) and a spring support member (m) mounted at the rear end of the above mentioned sliding body (h), so that a certain length of the sliding body (i) could be drawn from the case (g) against elasticity compression of the coil spring (d).
Furthermore, in order to fix the temple-side hinge member (e) to a temple (n), the inner surface of the rip of the temple (n) was cut off at a part facing to an outside opening of the case (g) to form a concavity (o), a periphery (p) of the opening of the case (g) was put into contact with a periphery (q) of the concavity (o), and the joint thereof was brazed. The concavity (o) was formed with an intention to reduce the thickness of the case (g) as much as possible by jointly using a containable space (r) of the case (g) and the concavity (o).
As mentioned above, the conventional spring hinge was a sliding-type spring hinge in which the armor-side hinge member (c) and the temple-side hinge member (e) were connected to each other by a screw (f), and a sliding body (h) was constructed to be slidable by receiving momentum of the coil spring (d), however, there were the following problems.
As the other form of the above mentioned spring hinge, a spring hinge provided with a plate spring is presented as publisized in the laid-open patent No. 10-133153. The plate spring hinge has a structure in which an armor-side joint member (B) mounted to an armor (A) and a temple-side joint member (D) mounted to a temple (C), are combined with each other as shown in FIG.
38
. The armor-side joint member (B) has a joint portion (F) which projects at a position apart from an inner surface (E) of the armor, and an oblong pin hole (G) is provided at the joint portion (F). The above mentioned temple-side joint member (D) consists of a box-shaped support pedestal (H) projectingly mounted on the inner surface of the temple, and a plate spring (I) is projectingly mounted forward while the plate spring (I) is fixed at a rear end of the box-shaped support pedestal (H). When a front end (J) of the plate spring (I) is in contact with an outer surface (K) of the joint portion (F), the temple (C) presents an unfolded state, in which the joint members (B) and (D) are pivotally mounted to each other with a screw pin (L) which pierces the pinhole of the temple-side joint member (D) and the oblong pinhole (G).
An outward unfolding action of the temple (C) is done by the above mentioned joint portion (G) which flexibly transforms the above mentioned plate spring (I). In this occasion, the above mentioned screw pin (L) moves along the oblong pinhole (G) as shown in FIG.
39
. When the temple (C) is folded, a corner tip (M) of the above mentioned joint member (G) comes into contact at a joint with the front end (J) of the plate spring (I) which causes flexible transformation of the plate spring (I). When the temple (C) is folded to a certain extent as shown in
FIG. 40
, the temple (C) is flexibly and quickly turned by the momentum action of the plate spring (I) a shown in
FIG. 41
, then finally comes to a folded state with the tip (N) being in contact with the lense rim (O) as shown in
FIGS. 41 and 42
. Under this folded state, the above mentioned corner tip (M) of the joint member (F) is also in contact at a joint with the above mentioned front end (J) as shown in FIG.
42
.
As mentioned above, the former spring hinge using a coil spring (d) was a slide-type spring hinge in which the armor-side hinge member (c) and the temple-side hinge member (e) were connected to each other by a screw (f), and a sliding body (h) was constructed to be slidable by receiving momentum of the coil spring (d), however, there were the following problems.
{circle around (1)} The above mentioned spring hinge was so constructed that the sliding body (h) equipped with the coil spring (d) was placed in the case (g). Therefore, even if the concavity (o) was provided as shown in
FIG. 37
, the case (g) in a box shape structurally occupying a certain space considerably projected at the inside of the temple (n), which was conspicuous, wherefore there was a problem of bad appearance.
Further, in recent years, since great importance is attached to light weight eyeglasses, slenderly structured eyeglasses are highly regarded such as eyeglasses with slender temples, rimless eyeglasses so-called “two-point”, in which temples are directly connected to lenses, rimless eyeglasses in which lenses are supported with cord which is connected to curving frames. However, in such slender temples to form slim eyeglasses, it was difficult to install the above mentioned box-shaped spring hinge in respect of space for installation. Even if the installation was possible, the spring hinge did not match the slender temples in respect of size, and was against a requirement of updated fashion of eyeglasses in recent years in which great importance is attached also to visual impression of light weight. Further, in the spring hinge with the above mentioned structure since the momentum of the coil spring was strong, there were such fears that a lense was burdened when the temple opened flexibly and the rim might be deformed or the lense might be broken.
{circle around (2)} Furthermore, as mentioned above, the conventional spring hinge was so constructed that the armor-side member (c) and the temple-side hinge member (e) were connected to each other by the screw (f) so that the both members could be opened and closed. However, each time the temple was opened and closed, rotational action worked on the screw (f) while the eyeglasses are in use, by which the screw might loosen and the temple (n) might fall by its self-weight without intension of a wearer of the eyeglasses. As a result of repeatedly happening of this kind of event, there was a fear that plating of a lense rim (t) might fall off with the shock caused by an end (s) of the temple (n) colliding with the lense rim (t). In addition, there was a fear that the lense and the modern might be damaged.
As described above, in the conventional spring hinge, improvement in fitting performance of the temple by spring action, was taken into consideration, however, the spring action had nothing to do at all with dissolution of the above mentioned problem accompanied by the unintended fall of the temple.
The latter spring hinge provided with the plate spring (J) also had problems as mentioned below.
{circle around (1)} Since the plate spring (I) is flexibly transformed each time the temple is folded and unfolded as shown in
FIG. 40
, there was a problem that the spring action of the plate spring was easy to be deteriorated.
In addition, since the above mentioned flexible transformation of the plate spring (I) is done by the corner ti
Kori Yukiko
Takeda Kinji
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
Kabushiki Kaisha Takeda Kikaku
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