EYEWEAR WITH WIRE FRAME THREADED THROUGH LENSES
A rimless eyeglass assembly is constructed using a first lens and a second lens with holes for receiving a wire. A wire having a first end and a second end is threaded through the holes of the first and second lens to form eyewear, in some cases including a bridge portion and temples.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/701,091, filed Feb. 5, 2010, which claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/150,452, filed Feb. 6, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The present application also incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/150,539, filed on Feb. 6, 2009 and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/701,123, filed Feb. 5, 2010, entitled EYEWEAR WITH WIRE FRAME INSERTED INTO SLOTS IN LENSES and having Attorney Docket No. ISL.036A.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to eyewear. More particularly, the present invention relates to eyewear in which a wire frame is threaded through holes provided in the lenses.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, eyewear that has no frame around the lenses, commonly referred to as rimless eyewear, has become popular with the eyeglass wearing public because it is cosmetically flattering in appearance on the wearer's face and often lightweight and comfortable as well. Such rimless eyewear is popular for both sunglasses and prescription eyewear.
Traditionally, rimless eyeglasses have been formed by drilling holes or notches into the eyeglass lenses and using threaded fasteners or screws to attach the ear stems (also called “temples”) and bridge to the left and right lenses. Alternatively, plastic plugs that fit into rigid pins by press-fit means or compression have been used to connect the temples and bridge members to the lenses. This method is commonly referred to in the industry as a “compression mounting system” or a “compression mount”. As a further alternative, some methods of construction have used chemical bonding, fusing, glue and other adhesive methods to attach the temples and bridge to the lenses.
Although rimless eyewear is popular, the threaded fasteners or screws used to attach the temples and bridge in rimless eyewear often disadvantageously loosen over time, requiring constant maintenance, tightening and adjustment. Compression mounting systems used in rimless eyewear also disadvantageously loosen over time, often requiring a skilled technician to tighten or replace the components. In addition, rimless mounting systems that use chemical bonding, glue and other adhesives, can be disadvantageously time consuming and costly to make, often requiring expensive and specialized equipment as part of the manufacturing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, a lightweight eyewear assembly is desired wherein the lenses are not solely connected to the frame components by threaded members or compression mounts.
In some embodiments that are arranged and configured in accordance with certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention, eyewear comprises a first lens, a second lens and a frame connecting the first lens to the second lens. The first and second lenses are generally rigid. The frame comprises a wire. In some embodiments, the wire has at least a portion that is less rigid than the first and second lenses. The first lens comprises a first hole and a second hole that are spaced apart in a first lens width direction. The second lens comprises a third hole and a fourth hole spaced that are apart in a second lens width direction. The wire extends through the first hole of the first lens and the fourth hole of the second lens.
In some embodiments that are arranged and configured in accordance with certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention, a method is provided for making eyewear comprising forming holes in a pair of lenses and threading a wire through the holes to secure the lenses together while also providing temples or an attachment location for temples.
In some embodiments that are arranged and configured in accordance with certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention, eyewear comprises a first lens and a second lens. The first lens comprises a first hole and a second hole and the second lens comprises a third hole and a fourth hole. A wire extends through the first hole, the second hole, the third hole and the fourth hole such that the wire secures the lenses together and such that a first end of the wire and a second end of the wire extend rearward from the lenses.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings of several preferred embodiments, which embodiments are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:
With reference initially to
The lenses 22, 24 can have any suitable configuration. Preferably, the lenses 22, 24 are substantially rigid. More preferably, the lenses 22, 24 are more rigid and/or less flexible than the frame 26 such that the frame 26 cannot cause the lenses 22, 24 to bend substantially or in a manner that would cause difficulties with prescription lenses. In some configurations, the lenses 22, 24 are constructed to be shatter-resistant. The lenses 22, 24 can be configured for various vision correcting purposes, for purposes such as glare reduction, magnification, protection from UV rays, lighter weights, as well as for aesthetic reasons such as thinness of the lenses, tints and coloring of the lenses.
The first lens 22 preferably comprises a first hole 30 and a second hole 32 that are spaced apart in a lens width direction. Preferably, the first and second holes 30, 32 of the first lens 22 are spaced apart by more than half of the total dimension of the full lens width. In the illustrated configuration, the first hole 30 is proximate a temple side of the first lens 22 while the second hole 32 is proximate a nasal side of the first lens 22. Similarly, the second lens 24 comprises a first hole 34 and a second hole 36, wherein the first hole 34 is proximate a temple side of the second lens 24 and the second hole 36 is proximate a nasal side of the second lens 24. The first and second holes 34, 36 of the second lens 24 preferably are similarly spaced as the first and second holes 30, 32 of the first lens 22. Symmetry is preferred by not necessary. Asymmetric hole placement can provide for different aesthetic appearances.
The first lens 22 comprises at least one outer peripheral surface 40 and the second lens 24 comprises at least one outer peripheral surface 42. The at least one outer peripheral surfaces 40, 42 preferably defines a closed outer boundary of the respective lens 22, 24. The first holes 30, 34 and the second holes 32, 36 preferably are spaced inward of the outer peripheral surfaces 40, 42. More preferably, the first and second holes 30, 32 do not intersect with the outer peripheral surface 40 and the first and second holes 34, 36 do not intersect with the outer peripheral surface 42. In one application, at least one of the first and second holes 30, 32 does not intersect with the outer peripheral surface 40 and at least one of the first and second holes 34, 36 does not intersect with the outer peripheral surface 42. Preferably, at least the first hole of the first lens and the second hole of the second lens are defined by closed shapes (e.g., circle, square, oval, and rectangle). More preferably, the holes 30, 32, 34, 36 all are defined by closed shapes.
With reference to
The wire 44 can have any suitable shape. For example, the wire 44 can have a regular or an irregular cross-section. In other words, the cross-sectional shape can be constant or can vary over its length. In some embodiments, the wire 344 has a substantially constant cross-section that is round, oval, rectangular, square or generally flat. For example, as shown in
With reference again to
With reference still to
With reference to
In the configurations of
More than two holes can be used on the lenses and the wire can be threaded accordingly. The arrangements illustrated in
The eyewear 220 shown in
With reference to
The central member 232 supports nose pads 234 in any suitable manner. The nose pads 234 can be formed of plastic, metal or any other suitable material. In some configurations, holes can be formed near the nasal area of each lens and a nose pad can be attached to the lenses through press-fitting, threaded fasteners, compression mounting or any other suitable technique.
The eyewear 220 shown in
With reference to
With reference now to
With reference now to
With reference to
While the configurations shown in
With reference now to
The enlarged central portion 528 can be used for mounting a nose pad mounting structure 530 comprises a central member 532 that is generally u-shaped in configuration. The central member 532 can be secured to the central portion 528 of the wire 526 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the central member 532 has a portion that is welded, brazed or soldered to the central portion 528 of the wire 526. In some embodiments, the mounting structure 530 can be secured directly to the lenses. The central member 532 supports nose pads 534 in any suitable manner. The nose pads 534 can be formed of plastic, metal or any other suitable material.
With reference now to
The frame 626 in the illustrated configuration also comprises separate temple members 642. The temple members 642 can have any suitable configuration and, in one embodiment, each of the temple members can have an end 646 that terminates in a loop 650. The loops 636, 650 can be joined together in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, a mechanical fastener 654 can be used to secure the loops 636, 650 together. In the illustrated embodiment, the mechanical fasteners 654 comprise rivets but any other suitable mechanical fastener can be used to complete the frame 626. In other embodiments, the frame 626 can comprise hinges or the like to allow the temple members 642 to fold relative to the first portion 628. Any other suitable technique for folding the portions of the frame not connecting the lenses also can be used.
Although the present invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments, examples and variations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of the invention have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of this invention, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. For example, certain features of the present invention can be used with a single lens, such as a shield-style lens. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the invention. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed invention. It also should be understood that various features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed in the applications incorporated by reference above can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying eyewear configurations. Moreover, some variations that have been described with respect to one embodiment and not another embodiment can be used with such other embodiments. Many other variations also have been described herein and cross-application is intended where physically possible. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.
Claims
1. Eyewear comprising a first lens, a second lens and a frame connecting the first lens to the second lens, the first and second lenses being generally rigid, the frame comprising a wire, the first lens comprising a first hole and a second hole spaced apart in a first lens width direction, the second lens comprising a third hole and a fourth hole spaced apart in a second lens width direction, and the wire extending through the first hole of the first lens and the fourth hole of the second lens.
2. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the first hole of the first lens is positioned proximate a temple side of the first lens and the fourth hole of the second lens is positioned proximate a temple side of the second lens.
3. The eyewear of claim 2, wherein the second hole of the first lens is positioned proximate a nasal side of the first lens and the third hole of the second lens is positioned proximate a nasal side of the second lens.
4. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the first hole and the second hole of the first lens are spaced apart by at least half of a full lens width of the first lens.
5. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein at least the first and fourth holes comprise a fully closed shape and positioned inside of an outer peripheral surface of the first and second lenses respectively.
6. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the wire also extends through the second hole of the first lens and the third hole of the second lens.
7. The eyewear of claim 6, wherein the first lens comprises a forward facing surface and at least a portion of the wire extends along the forward facing surface between the first and second holes.
8. The eyewear of claim 6, wherein the first lens comprises a rearward facing surface and at least a portion of the wire extends along the rearward facing surface between the first and second holes.
9. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wire has a cylindrical cross-section.
10. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wire has a non-cylindrical cross-section.
11. The eyewear of claim 10, wherein the portion of the wire with the non-cylindrical cross-section extends in a lens width direction along at least a portion of the first lens.
12. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the wire extends rearward from the first lens and a second portion of the wire extends rearward from the second lens, the first portion of the wire defining a first temple tip and the second portion of the wire defining a second temple tip.
13. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the wire extends rearward from the first lens and a second portion of the wire extends rearward from the second lens, the first portion of the wire being connected to a first temple tip and the second portion of the wire being connected to a second temple tip.
14. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the wire extends away from the first lens in a temple region of the first lens and a second portion of the wire extends away from the second lens in a temple region of the second lens, a first temple member being connected to the first portion of the wire and being moveable relative to the first portion of the wire, and a second temple member being connected to the second portion of the wire and being moveable relative to the second portion of the wire.
15. The eyewear of claim 14, wherein the first temple member and the first portion of the wire are connected by a first mechanical fastener and the second temple member and the second portion of the wire are connected by a second mechanical fastener.
16. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the wire is connected to the second hole of the first lens and the third hole of the second lens with a first mechanical member and a second mechanical member.
17. The eyewear of claim 16, wherein the first and second mechanical members comprise pins.
18. The eyewear of claim 16, wherein the second hole of the first lens and the third hole of the second lens are positioned generally between the first hole of the first lens and the fourth hole of the second lens.
19. The eyewear of claim 1 further comprising a nose pad mounting structure that is secured to one or more of the first lens, the second lens and the wire.
20. The eyewear of claim 19, wherein the nose pad mounting structure is secured to a portion of the wire that spans between the first lens and the second lens.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 15, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 26, 2012
Inventors: Gabriel Matheus Maria Barlag (Amsterdam), Marcellinus Gerardus Maria Barlag (Amsterdam), Ira S. Lerner (Brooklyn, NY)
Application Number: 13/161,159
International Classification: G02C 1/04 (20060101);