Contact Lens Travel Kit
A contact lens travel device is provide having a flexible body. The body of the device is configurable to a circular configuration wherein it is adapted to engage an eyeglass case or for a positioning as support for a mirror at multiple angles above a support surface for a user to employ for contact lens insertion or removal from their eyes. A fluid container is engageable within a pocket of the body with a cap end of the container extending from the perimeter to allow for dispensing of eye drops therefrom without removal of the container from the pocket.
1. Field of the Invention
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/191,351 filed on Jul. 11, 2015, and incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates generally to contact lenses and their transport and use. More particularly, it relates to a system for holding contact lenses and supplies employed therewith, in a kit adapted for engagement to an eyeglass case to allow for easy transition from contact lenses to eyeglasses. Further the device is configurable to form a stand for a supported mirror to aid in insertion and removal of the contact lenses from the eyes of the user.
2. Prior Art
With the advent of contact lenses for vision correction, use of such lenses which are removably engaged to the eyes of the user has expanded annually. Contact lenses when operatively positioned in the eyes of the user provide exceptional vision correction without the limiting factors involved in using eyeglasses which fail to help peripheral vision and which have frames which can block the vision of the user.
However, users of such contact lenses eventually are required to remove them from their eyes, whereafter they transition to eyeglasses for the duration of that removal. While some contact lenses are disposable and the user inserts new lenses daily, a large portion of the contact lens wearing population uses lenses which are reused. During the time of removal, such lenses conventionally must be soaked for re-hydration as well as for cleaning of the lenses to remove dirt and deposits forming upon them. This duration of containerized soaking in solutions adapted to the task, can take a number of hours. Consequently, most users of contact lenses will simply remove them at a convenient time in the evening, and wear eyeglasses until the following morning.
While contact lens cases exist which are adapted for soaking the contact lenses of a user in a pair of removably sealable containers, such are small in size and are easily misplaced or lost. This is especially true when traveling and instances where the user may wish to remove their contact lenses such as riding on airplanes or sleeping in hotels.
Many users are known to place a contact lens soaking case into the housing of a shaving kit, or inside a purse, or inside a travel bag or the like, anticipating use during the trip. However, as noted above such soaking cases are very small, and easily lost within the large confines of a purse, or shaving kit, or travel bag. Further, even when the soaking case is found, the user must also find their eyeglasses to wear once the lenses are dismounted and positioned within the lens soaking case. Having found their glasses, the lens soaking case is still subject to becoming easily lost in a hotel room, or when placed in a purse or suitcase for the evening.
Additionally, many users of contact lenses now also use disposable contact lenses. While such lenses generally do not require soaking overnight since they are disposed daily, they still require the user to view their eye during insertion. Further, as with conventional contact lenses disposable contact lenses also require a source of eye drops such as contact lens solution for initial insertion and usually for re-wetting over the day of wear. When traveling in airplanes and air conditioned hotel rooms, the need for a source of eye drops such as contact lens solution for both permanent and disposable contact lenses is increased due to dry air.
In the event a contact lens user must remove or insert or adjust their lenses when not in a convenient location having a useable mirror, another vexing problem arises. Absent being able to view their fingers and hands and eyes in a mirror during insertion, manipulation, or removal of a contact lens from an eye, it is virtually impossible for the user to accomplish with any certainty. When in a taxi, or a restroom, or other location not at the home or office of the wearer, they may not have mirrors available for use during this procedure. Neither are there mirrors available when sitting on a plane or train, or in other situations. Consequently, contact wearers when traveling or on business or out and about, are hampered should the occasion arise where they need to manipulate or insert or remove a contact lens from their eye, and there is not useable mirror nor available source of eye drops such as contact lens solution.
As such, their exists an unmet need, for the provision of a device for storage and transport of contact lenses which is adapted to engage a larger item, preferably an eyeglass case or pouch or the like, to both keep the contacts from becoming lost in luggage or a purse. Ideally such a device should be adapted to engage with an eyeglass case thereby rendering it proximate during transitions between contacts and eyeglasses to enable the user to locate both their eyeglasses and their contact lenses.
Still further, such a contact lens transport device should provide the user not only with the option to solidly engage with a larger object, it should also provide the user the ability to configure the device itself, to position a mirror for use to insert, remove, or manipulate their contact lenses when required, in any location. Still further such a device should be configured to hold a container for contact lens solution, in a manner which the eye drop container is employable for eye hydration, even while engaged securely to the device.
It should be noted, the forgoing examples of related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the lens storage system and method described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art are already known or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.
An object of the present invention is the provision of a contact lens holder and transport kit which is adapted to carry encased contact lenses and a container of eye drops such as contact lens solution in a case adapted to compressibly engage with or around larger carried object, preferably an eyeglass case.
It is another object of the invention to provide such an contact lens holder and carrying case which is configurable both for engagement to an eyeglass case, and configurable as a free standing support structure for operative use of an onboard mirror.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a contact lens holder which is configured to hold a supply of eye drops or lens solution in a manner allowing eye hydration with contact lens solution, without disengaging the container from the device.
Further objectives of this invention will be brought out in the following parts of the specification wherein the summary and detailed description of the invention are for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a contact lens transport and travel device which is adapted to engage upon an eyeglass case or the like, to maintain both eyeglasses and contacts proximate to each other during transition therebetween. The device is adapted for an encircling or compressible engagement with such an eyeglass case, which is frequently employed to safely carry eyewear such as prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, or the like. The device features a body portion configured with storage locations to carry both contact lenses, as well as hold a container of wetting solution in a position enabling use of the wetting solution without disengagement thereof from the body.
In one mode of the device, the body may be formed of leather, or canvas, or rugged synthetic textile material such as CORDURA, which forms a flexible body, adapted for encircled engagement with an eyeglass case or the like. By engagement of two ends of the body while encircling an eyeglass case, a frictional encircling engagement of an eyeglass case is easily achieved.
In another mode of the device, all or a portion of the flexible body of the device, may be configured of textile or other fabric which is elastic and thereby be stretchable during engagement to surround a mount such as an eyeglass case. In this mode using elastic fabric, as the elastic material contracts once engaged around the object such as an eyeglass case, the body achieves a biased compressive engagement thereround. By encircled engagement of the eyeglass case, the device and the contained contact lenses and lens solution are maintained proximate to the eyeglasses of the user during transition between eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Such eyeglass cases are formed to hold and protect eyeglasses within an interior cavity and average approximately five inches to seven inches in length and seven inches to eleven inches in circumference at a mid section. Consequently, the body of the contact lens holder herein, when formed of leather or non elastic textile or non woven material, would have an interior circumference which may be slightly larger or equal to the circumference of an eyeglass case intended, sufficient for a frictional engagement thereround.
In an alternative, where elastic fabric is included in the body of the device, the interior circumference of the body with ends engaged may be smaller than the exterior circumference of the eyeglass case. Such will allow the body to be stretched over the eyeglass case and retract to a biased compressed engagement about the circumference. The entire body need not be formed of elastic material, just a sufficient portion to contract the body to the biased engagement.
As noted, a currently preferred material for the body of the device is one or a combination of leather and CORDURA, or similar textile fabrics in a mode of the device which is non elastic but may elongate slightly when pulled to an engagement around an eyeglass case. Should elastic material be included as a portion of the body of the device, neoprene, or other material having elastic properties such as spandex or other textile fabrics formed one or a combination of woven, knitted, or laminated elastic fabrics, will work well to achieve the elongation for a biased compressive circumferential engagement.
While shown herein with a body having engageable opposing ends which form a circular configuration when connected around an eyeglass case, it could be formed as a single circular component either by forming it as such with an elastic section, or forming it as such by knitting or other methods, and subsequently simply be enlarged while being slid over an object such as an eyeglass case to achieve a biased engagement thereon.
As shown in the figures, the body of the device has opposing ends each adapted with mating connectors for removable engagement to each other to allow the user to encircle an object or eyeglass case. If an elastic portion of the body is included, the user may stretch the elastic portion of the body and secure the two ends to each other around the eyeglass case. The ability to secure both ends to each other also allows the device to be configured as a mirror support, when not in an engaged configuration with an object.
Positioned on a first side of the body is a pocket adapted to hold a contact lens case therein. Such allows the device to store and transport the case easily and safely. This first side surface is exposed with the body in a circumferentially engaged position with the eyeglass case and allows the user to remove the contact lens case without disengaging the body, if desired.
On a second surface of the body opposite the first surface, is positioned a mirror. The mirror may be permanently engaged to the body of the device. Optionally, the mirror may be removably engaged. Such is accomplished by positioning a perimeter edge of the mirror in a sandwiched engagement between the second surface and an elastic lip having an exterior perimeter engaged with the body. Such would allow the user to easily remove the mirror if desired for use elsewhere, or to replace it should it become damaged.
The two opposing ends of the body of the device have fasteners thereon which are complimentary, such that they will removably engage to hold a first end to the second end. Such complimentary fasteners may include one or a combination of complimentary fasteners from a group including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, hooks, or other mating fasteners which are complimentary configured to releasably engage.
Also preferred in all modes is a second pocket adapted to hold a fluid container such as those available for contact lens solution or re-wetting drops used with contact lenses. In a preferred mode of the device herein, this second pocket is positioned on the body of the device, such that an elastic opening for insertion and removal of the fluid bottle, runs along a side edge of the body. This is preferred as it allows the fluid bottle to be engaged and removed, from a side edge.
This positioning of the fluid container allows the user to dispense fluid drops from the fluid container without disengaging the bottle from its pocketed engagement with the body of the device, and is especially useful. This second pocket is preferably also formed of stretchable or elastic fabric to allow for easy insertion and removal of the bottle, and a secure compressive biased engagement of the sidewall of the second pocket with the bottle when inserted.
Additionally, while optional, it is desirable to include a third pocket having a transparent sidewall on one end of the body. Such is preferable as it provides a place to store the user's identification, should the device become lost, or instructions on use of the contact lenses which may be read through the transparent wall of the pocket and protected from moisture such as from the contact lens solution of the fluid container.
Finally, another optional component is the inclusion of one or a package of micro fiber cleaning cloths. When transitioning from contact lenses to eyeglasses, the availability of a cleaning cloth for the eyewear lenses is preferable since such may be smudged or dirty. Currently, an elastic band provides a secure removable engagement for either one or a plurality of micro fiber or other cleaning cloths to the device.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed contact lens transport and storage system device in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the steps in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will become obvious to those skilled in the art on reading this disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other contact lens carrying and storage systems and for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed system. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
In this description, any directional prepositions if employed, such as up, upwardly, down, downwardly, front, back, first, second, top, upper, bottom, lower, left, right and other such terms refer to the device or depictions as such may be oriented are describing such as it appears in the drawings and are used for convenience only. Such terms of direction and location are not intended to be limiting or to imply that the device herein has to be used or positioned in any particular orientation.
Now referring to drawings in
The body 12 in this mode with an elastic portion 11 is thus adapted in length such that when placed in the engaged position around an eyeglass carrying case, shown in
Shown in
Using either a body 12 having an elastic portion 11 or simply formed of flexible material 16, the length of the body from the first end 19 to the second end 21 is adapted such that when positioned in an engaged position as in
Shown in
Depicted in
Also as shown in
In a removable engagement, the mirror 26 can be engaged about the perimeter by an elastic lip 28 attached to the first side or surface 18 of the body 12, and extending across a width to an opposite edge defining an aperture 30 formed at an interior perimeter. In this configuration with the elastic lip 28, the mirror 26 is held against the side surface of the body 12 by the elastic lip 28, but can be removed for use away from the body 12 and reattached if desired.
As shown in
In this mode the cooperative fasteners 24 on each end or flap portion 24, are engaged and the flexible body positioned to place the mirror angling upright from the support surface 32 for the user to employ to insert or remove or adjust their contact lenses, or for applying makeup, or other functions. In this position a rotation of the body 12 on the support surface 32 allows the user there above, to adjust an angle of the mirror 26 relative to the user. Optionally, stiffeners (not shown) may be positioned in-between the first surface 18 and second surface or side 20 in the area of the flap portions 22, which will stiffen both flap portions 22 and increase stability of the body 12 when in the stand mode, for positioning the mirror 26 for use, of
Shown in
Shown in
It is preferred this second pocket 38 is positioned on the body 12 of the device 10, wherein the second pocket opening 41 to the interior cavity of the pocket 38, through which insertion and removal of the fluid container 39 passes, runs along a side edge or perimeter edge 42 of the body 12. This perimeter edge 42 positioning preferred as noted above, as it allows the fluid container 39 to be engaged and removed, through the second pocket opening 41 on the perimeter edge 42 while the body is engaged to an eyeglass case 14. More importantly, this positioning allows the user to remove the cap 47 on the fluid container 39, and dispense drops of a contact lens solution from the pocket-housed fluid container 39 without removing the fluid container 39 from the second pocket 38, and without disengaging the device 10 from the engaged position around an eyeglass case 14.
In an optional but desirable mode of the device 10, a third pocket 46 having a transparent sidewall 48 is positioned on one end of the body 12. Such is preferable, as it provides a place to store a readable card 50 which might be a user ID or instructions on use of the device 10 or its parts, all of which may be viewed or read through the transparent wall 48 of the third pocket 46 and thereby protected from moisture.
Finally, another optional component for engagement and inclusion with the device 10 is one or a package of cleaning cloths 52. As noted above, during transition from contact lenses to eyeglasses, the availability of a cleaning cloth 52 for the eyewear lenses is preferable since such may be smudged or dirty. Securement is provided by an elastic band 54 to yield a removable engagement for the cloth 52.
While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the contact lens transport and storage system herein have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that upon reading this disclosure and becoming aware of the disclosed novel and useful device disclosed, that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may occur to and be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations and substitutions, as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A contact lens travel apparatus comprising:
- a flexible body having a perimeter edge surrounding a first side which is opposite a second side, said body extending between a first end and a second end;
- cooperative fasteners positioned at or adjacent each of said first end and said second end of said body, said cooperative fasteners removably engageable to each other to hold said body in a circular configuration;
- said body in said circular configuration adapted for an engagement of said body around an eyeglass case with said first side of said body in contact therewith;
- a first pocket positioned within said body, said first pocket adapted to hold a contact lens case therein and having an opening on said first side of said body;
- a second pocket positioned within said body, said second pocket having two side surfaces extending to a second pocket opening positioned along said perimeter edge of said body;
- said second pocket adapted for holding a fluid container having a cap removably engaged thereon, with said cap projecting from said second pocket opening; and
- whereby said body can be engaged around said eyeglass case and fluid is dispensable from said fluid container with said fluid container concurrently held within said second pocket.
2. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising:
- said body having an elastic portion; and
- said engagement of said body around an eyeglass case being a biased compressive engagement of said first side of said body against said eyeglass case.
3. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising:
- a mirror positioned upon said second surface of said body;
- said body in said circular configuration forming a mount for said mirror in a position elevated above a support surface; and
- an angle of said mirror relative to a user adjustable by a repositioning of said second surface of said body upon said support surface.
4. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 2 additionally comprising:
- a mirror positioned upon said second surface of said body;
- said body in said circular configuration forming a mount for said mirror in a position elevated above a support surface; and
- an angle of said mirror relative to a user positioned there above being adjustable by a repositioning of said second surface of said body upon said support surface.
5. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising:
- at least one of said two side surfaces of said second pocket formed of elastic material; and
- said second pocket opening being stretchable to allow insertion and removal of said fluid container from said second pocket with said body in said circular configuration.
6. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 2 additionally comprising:
- at least one of said two side surfaces of said second pocket formed of elastic material; and
- said second pocket opening being stretchable to allow insertion and removal of said fluid container from said second pocket with said body in said circular configuration.
7. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 3 additionally comprising:
- at least one of said two side surfaces of said second pocket formed of elastic material; and
- said second pocket opening being stretchable to allow insertion and removal of said fluid container from said second pocket with said body in said circular configuration.
8. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 4 additionally comprising:
- at least one of said two side surfaces of said second pocket formed of elastic material; and
- said second pocket opening being stretchable to allow insertion and removal of said fluid container from said second pocket with said body in said circular configuration.
9. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
10. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
11. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 5 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
12. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 6 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
13. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 7 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
14. The contact lens travel apparatus of claim 8 wherein said cooperative fasteners are one or a combination of cooperative fasteners from a group of cooperative fasteners including hook and loop fabric, clips, buttons, snaps, and hooks.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 8, 2016
Publication Date: Jan 12, 2017
Inventor: Ryan Bennett (Houston, CA)
Application Number: 15/206,030