DEVICE THAT PREVENTS GLASSES FROM FALLING OUT OF SOMEONE'S POCKET

Abstract

A device(10) which protects an object such as a pair of eyeglasses (G) from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person's shirt pocket (S) or pants' pocket (P). The device comprises a first clip (12) which grips a portion of the eyeglass' frame such as the sidepiece (E) that fits over an ear. The device further includes a second clip (14) which clips onto the cloth of the pocket. Since the eyeglasses are now clipped to a pocket, they are not, and cannot be, readily dislodged and so will not fall out of the pocket when a person leans or bends over.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a protector for a pair of eyeglasses and the like; and more particularly, to a device which grips a shirt pocket or pants pocket as well as a part of the eyeglass' frame so to prevent the glasses from accidentally falling out of a person's pocket and being damaged.

Many people who wear eyeglasses often carry them in a shirt pocket or pants pocket when the glasses are not being worn. Eyeglasses are expensive. Accordingly, when a person leans or bends over, they do not want their glasses to accidentally fall out of their pocket, strike the floor or a piece of furniture and be damaged.

Eyeglass cases or holders can be used to store the eyeglasses when not being worn, and while these do protect the glasses if they fall out of a person's pocket, they are often of a size that does not conveniently fit in a pocket. Or, they can be misplaced or forgotten in which instance, the glasses are again at risk.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a device which protects a pair of eyeglasses from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person's shirt or pants' pocket. The device comprises a first clip which grips a portion of the eyeglass' frame such as the sidepiece that fits over an ear. The device further comprises a second clip which clips onto the cloth of the shirt pocket or pants' pocket. Since the eyeglasses are now clipped to a pocket, they are not, and cannot, be readily dislodged and so will not fall if a person leans or bends over.

The first and second clips can extend orthogonally of each other, or they can pivotally mounted relative to each other.

The device is made of a lightweight, sturdy plastic material that has some degree of flexibility. The device is relatively small in size so to be readily stored in a shirt pocket or pants' pocket when not in use. The device is readily attached both to the glasses' frame and the shirt pocket or pants' pocket of the wearer.

The device is low cost and is available in a variety of colors.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects of the invention are achieved as set forth in the illustrative embodiments shown in the drawings which form a part of the specification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the device;

FIG. 2 illustrates use of the device to secure a pair of eyeglasses in a shirt pocket;

FIG. 3 illustrates use of the device to secure a pair of eyeglasses in a pants pocket; and,

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a second embodiment of the device.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Referring to the drawings, a device 10 of the present invention is for protecting a pair of eyeglasses G from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person's shirt pocket S or pants' pocket P. Device 10 first comprises a clip 12 which grips the cloth of shirt pocket S or pants' pocket P. As shown in FIG. 1, clip 12 is of a single piece construction and has two segments 12a and 12b which extend parallel to each other substantially the length of the clip. The inner faces of each segment 12a and 12b are rippled, as shown in FIG. 1. This facilitates the clip gripping the fabric of the shirt pocket or pants' pocket.

Device 10 further comprises a second clip 14 which grips onto eyeglass' frame F. As shown in the drawings, clip 14, which extends orthogonally of clip 12, grips onto a side piece E of frame F, sidepiece E extending along the side of the wearer's face and fitting over their ear when the glasses are worn. Again as shown in FIG. 1, clip 14 is also of a single piece construction with two segments 14a and 14b which extend parallel to each other substantially the length of the clip. As with clip 12, the inner faces of each segment 14a and 14b are rippled, as shown in FIG. 1 to facilitate the clip gripping the side piece E of frame F.

Device 10 is a of a single piece molded plastic construction, the plastic being a lightweight, sturdy plastic material that has some degree of flexibility. Device 10 is also relatively small in size so, when removed, it is readily stored in the user's shirt pocket or pants' pocket.

Further, device 10 readily attaches both to the glasses' frame and the user's shirt pocket or pants' pocket. Importantly, once the eyeglasses are clipped in place, they are not, and cannot be, readily dislodged when the leans or bends over. Thus, the glasses cannot fall out of the pocket and be damaged.

Those skilled in the art will understand that besides eyeglasses, device 10 can also be used to secure other objects in a shirt pocket or pants' pocket. These could include such things as a comb, credit card case or wallet, or keys, for example.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the device is indicated generally 20. As with device 10, device 20 has first and second clips 22 and 24 each of which is the same in construction as clips 12 and 14. Now, however, rather than being of a single piece construction, clips 22 and 24 are separate pieces which are hingedly connected together by a hinge 26. This now allows one clip to be rotated with respect to the other which, in some applications, makes it easier to grip an object to be kept in the user's pocket.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects and advantages of the present disclosure have been achieved and other advantageous results have been obtained.

Claims

1. A device for protecting an object from being damaged by accidentally or inadvertently falling out a person's shirt or pants' pocket comprising:

a first clip which clips onto the cloth of a shirt pocket or pants' pocket; and,

a second clip which grips onto a portion of the object, whereby since the object is now clipped to a pocket, it cannot be readily dislodged from the pocket and will not fall if a person leans or bends over.

2. The device of claim 1 in which each clip has two segments extending parallel to each other substantially the length of the clip.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the inner faces of each clip segment are contoured to facilitate the clip gripping the fabric of a pocket or a portion of the object.

4. The device of claim 1 which is of a single piece molded plastic construction.

5. The device of claim 2 in which the clips extend orthogonally of each other.

6. The device of claim 3 in which the clips are separate pieces and the device further includes a hinge for hingedly connecting the two clips together whereby one clip be rotatable with respect to the other clip so to facilitate gripping an object.