Lens cleaning apparatus and method of use

Abstract

A lens cleaning apparatus comprises a dust-absorbent pad which attaches to the back of a glove worn by the operator of a vehicle, where the operator is wearing goggles, glasses, a face shield or other protective eye wear. The pad also detaches as desired. The pad comprises an internal support member of compressible material. The pad further comprises a cover having an outward facing side and an inward facing side, where the outward facing side comprising a soft plush cover and the inward facing side comprising removable fastening means. A method of using the apparatus is also disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/563,746 was filed for this invention on Apr. 19, 2004 for which the inventor claims domestic priority.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to goggles, face shields, and other protective eye wear worn during motorcycling, bicycling, and other athletic events where protective eye wear is worn and subjected to dust, dirt, and other debris. The present invention is more specifically a modified glove which comprises a dust and dirt absorbing pad which is used to wipe across the goggles, face shield and other protective eye wear to remove accumulated dirt and dust. The present invention also comprises a method of using the disclosed apparatus.

It is known that when riding a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, mountain bike, dune buggy, or other off-road vehicle that wearing a helmet and protective eye wear is a highly recommended practice. It is also known that because of the riding environment, a great deal of dirt, dust and other debris may accumulate on the rider's protective eye wear, adversely impacting the rider's vision. There are several known devices for remedying this problem. One apparatus comprises a plurality of overlying transparent shields which, as an individual shield becomes covered with dirt and dust, may be ripped off by the rider in order to reveal a fresh surface. A second device provides a roll of transparent material on one side of the eyewear and a take-up roll on the opposite side. The rider activates the take-up roll with a winding knob or other device, causing a fresh portion of the transparent material to be placed over the lens of the goggles, glasses, or face shield.

These two known methods, while effective, have some disadvantages. For example, the tear-away shields can be difficult to grasp when wearing gloves, and the process of tearing the shield away can be distracting, particularly if one is in a race situation and traveling at a high speed. In particular, because the rider is typically operating the throttle with his or her right hand, the left hand must be used to tear the shield away. If the rider is not immediately able to grasp the tear-away shield, the rider is impairing his or her vision with their own left hand as they try to remove the dirty shield. In addition, the rider might suddenly find that he or she has pulled away the last shield, and is therefore unable to obtain a clear viewing surface.

The roll of transparent material can also be difficult to manipulate in a high speed situation, as the rider tries to find the handle or knob to position a fresh shield surface. The shield roll may also come to an end without the rider having warning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method which provide a solution to the problems identified above. An embodiment of the present apparatus comprises a dust-absorbent pad which attaches to the back side of a rider's gloves. The pad may be attached to the glove with hoop and loop fasteners, thereby allowing the pad to be removed for cleaning or replacement when infrequently necessary. The pad comprises a soft plush cover such as velour or nap surface on the outward facing side. The inward facing side of the cover has means for attaching the pad to the back side of the glove. The pad further comprises an internal support member comprising a sponge or other compressible material which, after a compressive force is removed, returns to its original size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of an embodiment of a pad which may be used for the disclosed apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of an embodiment of the disclosed wiping glove with the pad removed.

FIG. 5 shows a front view of an embodiment of the disclosed wiping glove.

FIG. 6 shows how an embodiment of the disclosed wiping glove may be used to clean a face shield.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed apparatus 10. An embodiment of the apparatus comprises glove 12, which may be of the type used by motorcyclists and all terrain vehicle riders. Because the twist-grip throttle of a motorcycle is most commonly operated by the rider's right hand, the glove 12 is most commonly worn on the rider's left hand, such that the rider can use the device without removing his or her right hand from the throttle. Attached to the glove is pad 14, which is typically located adjacent to thumb T and index finger I portions of the glove. Pad 14 is attached to glove 12 with attachment means. The attachment means may comprise a two-sided first layer 16 having glue, two-sided tape or other adhesive on the side attached to the pad 14. The opposite side of the first layer 16 preferably comprises the hook portion 17 of a VELCRO hook and loop fastener.

A second two-sided layer 18 is attached to glove 10 with glue, two-sided tape or other adhesive on the side attached to the glove. The opposite side of the second layer 18 preferably comprises the loop portion 19 of a VELCRO hook and loop fastener. It is to be appreciated that the pad 14 will adhere equally well if the loop portion of the fastener is attached to the first layer 16 and the hook portion of the fastener is attached to the second layer 18. However, in the event the pad 14 becomes detached from glove 12, the loop portion 19, being of softer and less rigid material, will not have a tendency to scratch the lens of the rider's goggles or glasses if it is wiped across the lens. On the other hand, the hook portion 17, being more rigid, may possibly scratch the lens.

The pad 14 comprises a cover 20 having an outward facing side 22 comprising a soft plush material such as velour or a nap surface which is used for wiping across the lens of the goggles or glasses. The soft plush material of the outward facing side 22 will allow for maximum removal of dirt and dust, while not scratching the surface of the lens of the protective eye wear. The soft plush material of the outward facing side 22 may also be treated with a de-ionizing agent such that dirt and dust accumulated by the pad 14 easily shakes free from the plush material.

The inward facing side of the cover 24 has means for attaching the pad to the back side of the glove as described above. The pad 14 further comprises an internal support member 26 comprising a sponge or other compressible material which, after a compressive force is removed, returns to its original size. This characteristic of the pad 14 allows the user to press the pad against the goggles, glasses or face shield with sufficient pressure to remove a large amount of the accumulated dust, dirt and other debris from face shield 28, as shown in FIG. 6. It is to be appreciated that while FIG. 6 shows a face shield 28, the action depicted in the figure may as easily apply to goggles, glasses, or other protective eye wear.

A method of cleaning goggles, glasses and/or a face shield is also disclosed. The method comprises utilizing the device described above. While riding a motorcycle, bicycle or all terrain vehicle, the rider removes the rider's left hand from the handlebars and positions the pad 14 against the face shield 28 or other protective eye wear. Using a swiping motion with the left hand, the rider wipes the lens section of the protective eye wear clean by pulling the back of the glove 10 across the lens, usually moving the left arm in a right to left motion. Applying the disclosed method in this fashion, allows a rider a fast and reliable method of clearing dust, dirt and debris from protective eye wear which does not require the rider to manipulate a tear-away shield or a winding mechanism to obtain a clear view. In addition, because the disclosed apparatus may be used repeatedly, the rider does not need to anticipate the number of times it may be necessary to obtain a clear viewing surface. Once the rider has come to a stop, the pad 14 may be cleaned by simply shaking it out or lightly striking it against a hard surface to dislodge any dust or dirt which may have accumulated in the soft plush surface of the outward facing side 22.

While the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention, further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the size, shape, and/or material of the various components may be changed as desired. Thus the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed. Instead the true scope of the invention should be determined by the applicable claims.

Claims

1. A lens-cleaning apparatus comprising:

an absorbent pad comprising an internal support member of compressible material, the pad further comprising a cover having an outward facing side and an inward facing side, the outward facing side comprising a soft plush cover and the inward facing side comprising removable fastening means; and

a glove member wherein the glove member comprises a palm section and a back section, wherein the absorbent pad attaches to the back section with the removable fastening means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the glove comprises a thumb portion and an index finger portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the absorbent pad is attached adjacent to the thumb portion and the index finger portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable fastening means comprises hoop and loop fasteners.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the removable fastening means comprises two-sided tape.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the soft plush cover comprises a nap surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the soft plush cover comprises a de-ionizing agent.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the internal support member comprises a sponge.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the glove comprises a left-handed glove.

10. A lens-cleaning apparatus comprising:

an absorbent pad comprising an internal support member of compressible material, the pad further comprising a cover having an outward facing side and an inward facing side, the outward facing side comprising a soft plush cover and the inward facing side comprising removable fastening means; and

a left-handed glove member wherein the glove member comprises a palm section, a back section, a thumb portion and an index finger portion, wherein the absorbent pad attaches to the back section between the thumb portion and the index finger portion with the removable fastening means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the removable fastening means comprises hoop and loop fasteners.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the removable fastening means comprises two-sided tape.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the soft plush cover comprises a nap surface.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the soft plush cover comprises a de-ionizing agent.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the internal support member comprises a sponge.

16. A method for an operator to clean a protective eye lens while operating a vehicle having handlebars, the method comprising the steps of:

removing the left hand from the handlebars;

positioning a lens cleaning apparatus worn on the backside of the left hand against the lens;

making a swiping motion with the backside of the left hand across the outwardly facing surface of the protective lens.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the lens cleaning apparatus comprises:

an absorbent pad comprising an internal support member of compressible material, the pad further comprising a cover having an outward facing side and an inward facing side, the outward facing side comprising a soft plush cover and the inward facing side comprising removable fastening means; and

a glove member wherein the glove member comprises a palm section, a back section, a thumb portion and an index finger portion, wherein the absorbent pad attaches to the back section between the thumb portion and the index finger portion with the removable fastening means.