Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-18
2003-11-18
Welch, Gary L. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
C428S426000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06647557
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pair of waterproof goggles in which the convenience of assembly, reliability, support, and wearing comfort are improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 8 and 9
of the drawings illustrate a pair of conventional waterproof goggles comprised of two lenses
1
′, two padding members
2
′, a bridge
3
′, and a head strap
4
′. Each lens
1
′ is made of a transparent rigid material and a includes an engaging portion
11
′ for engaging with an associated padding member
2
′. Each lens
1
′ further includes an inner engaging section
12
′ for engaging with the bridge
3
′ and an outer engaging section
13
′ for engaging with an associated end of the head strap
4
′. Each padding member
2
′ is made of a stretchable soft material and includes a lens-receiving portion
22
′ having an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the engaging portion
11
′ of the associated lens
1
′ for receiving the engaging portion
11
′ of the associated lens
1
′ by means of stretching the lens-receiving portion
22
′. Further, each padding member
2
′ includes a flange
23
′ on a side
22
′ thereof for intimate contact with a user's eye socket. A better wearing comfort is obtained, as the flange
23
′ is made of soft material. However, the engagement between the padding members
2
′ and the lenses
1
′ was found unreliable such that leakage was apt to occur as a result of disengagement therebetween. Further, the lenses
1
′ and the bridge
3
′ as a whole fail to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance, as they are separate elements.
FIG. 10
illustrates another pair of conventional waterproof goggles comprised of two lenses
5
′, an integral frame
6
′, a bridge
7
′, and a head strap
8
′. Each lens
5
′ is made of a transparent rigid material and includes an edge that is coupled with the frame
6
′ through proper engagement, bonding, or other means. The frame
6
′ and the bridge
7
′ are made of a soft material. Further, the frame
6
′ includes two padding portions
61
′ each having an annular resilient sidewall
611
′ with a socket engaging portion
612
′ for intimate contact with a user's eye socket, thereby improving the wearing comfort. Since the sidewall
611
′ of each padding portion
61
′ is integrally formed of a material the same as that for the frame
6
′ and the bridge
7
′, this material must be very soft when softness of the padding portion
61
′ is the primary consideration. However, as illustrated in
FIG. 11
, the frame
6
′ and the bridge
7
′ would deform largely when the head strap
8
′ is pulled. On the other hand, if the material is chosen among rigid ones to prevent the undesired deformation, the frame
6
′ and the bridge
7
′ are too rigid to provide the required wearing comfort. Thus, it is improper to form the frame
6
′ and the padding portions
61
′ as an integral member.
FIGS. 12 and 13
illustrate a further pair of conventional waterproof goggles comprised of two lenses
91
′, two padding members
92
′, two frames
93
′, a bridge
94
′, and a head strap
95
′. Each lens
91
′ is made of a transparent rigid material and includes an engaging portion
911
′. Each padding member
92
′ is annular and made of a stretchable soft material. Each padding member
92
′ has a hollow engaging portion
921
′ with an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of an associated lens
91
′. Further, each padding member
92
′ includes a padding portion
922
′ configured according to the contour of a user's face. The padding member
92
′ can be stretched for allowing insertion of the engaging portion
911
′ of the lens
91
′ into the engaging portion
92
1
′. The frames
93
′ and the bridge
94
′ are integrally made of a material that is slightly flexible and that is less stretchable than the padding members
92
′. Each frame
93
′ has an inner diameter slightly smaller than a diameter of the associated lens
91
′. Further, each frame
93
′ includes a lens receiving portion
931
′ that is substantially U-shaped in section. Further, each frame
93
′ has an outer portion
932
′ for engaging with an associated end of the head strap
95
′. After engagement between the padding members
92
′ and the lenses
91
′, the lens-receiving portion
931
′ of each frame
93
′ can be stretched for receiving the engaging portion
911
′ of the associated lens
91
′ while clamping the engaging portion
921
′ of the associated padding member
92
′ in place. However, as illustrated in
FIG. 13
, in assembly, each frame
93
′ must be stretched for simultaneously receiving the associated padding member
92
′ and the associated lens
91
′. Thus, the assembly procedure is difficult to proceed with if the frame
93
′ is made of a material having a poor stretchability. Theoretically, the less stretchable the frame
93
′ is, the better pull-resistance the frame
93
′ has. However, since the frame
93
′ must be stretched to a certain extent in response to the thickness of the associated padding member
92
′ so as to simultaneously receive the associated padding member
92
′ and the associated lens
91
′, the material with small stretchability cannot be used for making the frame
93
′. As a result, the pull-resistance of the frame
93
′ is insufficient in some cases. Further, since the material for the frames
93
′ is far more rigid than that for the padding members
92
′ and since the lens-receiving portion
931
′ of each frame
93
′ is mounted around the padding portion
922
′ of the associated padding member
92
′, the width a (
FIG. 13
) of the resilient wall of the padding portion
922
′ is limited. When wearing, as illustrated in
FIG. 14
, each padding portion
92
′ is moved toward the user's eye socket for intimate contact, the padding portion
922
′ directly presses against the associated rigid frame
93
′ (see reference numeral b in FIG.
14
), the wearing comfort is lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a pair of waterproof goggles in which the convenience of assembly, reliability, support, and wearing comfort are improved.
A pair of waterproof goggles in accordance with the present invention comprises two lenses made of a transparent rigid material, two padding members made of a soft material, two frames, a bridge, and a head strap. Each lens includes a flange on a side thereof. Each lens further includes an annular groove in an outer periphery thereof. Each padding member includes an engaging portion on a side thereof for receiving the flange of an associated. lens. The engaging portion has an inner diameter smaller than a diameter of the flange of the associated lens. Each padding member further includes a padding portion configured to conform a contour of a user's face.
The frames and the bridge are integrally formed of a material that is slightly stretchable. Each frame includes an outer portion for engaging with an associated end of the head strap. Each frame further includes a receiving portion for clamping a bottom wall defining the annular groove of the associated lens. Each frame has an inner edge that is completely received in the annular groove of the associated lens, thereby allowing easy, reliable assembly and providing improved pull-resistance through use of the slightly stretchable frames. The padding portion of each padding member has a distance to the engaging portion of the padding membe
Baxley Charles E.
Welch Gary L.
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