DE20101580U1 - Multifunctional glasses - Google Patents

Description

Pfingstberg 17

21029 Hamburg

^TeJ - ' -(040)721 19 14

Babak Nazerzadeh
Nosheen Razvi-Nazerzadeh

Traberweg 13 a
22159 Hamburg

25 January 2001

Multifunctional glasses

The present invention relates to a pair of spectacles according to the preamble of claim 1. In particular, the present invention relates to a pair of spectacles with two lenses, a bridge connecting these lenses and two side parts attached to the lenses, wherein the bridge and the side parts are removable from the lenses.

A conventional pair of glasses has two lenses, a bridge connecting the lenses and two side parts attached to the lenses. The bridge and the side parts, which are also known as temples, are usually firmly connected to the two lenses. This firm connection is achieved either by providing the lenses with a plastic or metal frame, in which case the bridge and the side parts are firmly connected to the frame. If the glasses are frameless, the bridge and the side parts are usually firmly connected to the lenses by screw connections.

Such known glasses have the disadvantage that neither the bridge nor the side parts can be removed without the aid of tools. It is therefore not possible to remove the bridge or the side parts from the lenses. Such disassembly can generally only be carried out by an optician with special tools.

DE 44 27 373 A1 discloses a pair of glasses in which at least the side parts can be removed from the lenses and reattached without the aid of tools. In these known glasses, integrated holders are formed at the ends of the side parts, which have the shape of a clamp, with the lenses being inserted between the two legs of such a clamp and held in place by friction. However, it has proven to be disadvantageous that the coupling of the side parts to the lenses is relatively insecure. In addition, the lenses must be surrounded by a tension member which is designed as a type of rubber cord with a circular cross-section and which, when the glasses are put together, engages in holes formed in the respective holders of the side parts. Alternatively, in DE 44 27 373 A1, the lenses must be surrounded by a frame, preferably made of plastic, which forms a bead-like thickening, which then engages with the clamp legs of the holders of the side parts in order to give the coupling between the lenses and the side parts a certain stability. Due to the design, the side parts must be made of plastic or another elastic material. In addition, with this known pair of glasses, only the side parts can be removed; the bridge between the two lenses is not removable.

DE 299 06 003 Ul discloses a pair of glasses with manually replaceable lenses. These glasses have a frame made up of two side parts, a frame and a bridge, which is made of a flexible material. To insert the lenses, the frame is bent slightly outwards so that the lenses are pushed into the frame and held in place by spring pressure. In addition, the lenses are locked into the frame using holes and pins. Because the frame is made of one piece, the bridge and the side parts of these glasses can only be replaced separately.

Finally, DE 296 04 756 Ul discloses a pair of reading glasses in which the side parts and the bridge are removable. The two side parts and the bridge are connected by means of not described in detail.

Bridge connections coupled with the lenses.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of creating a pair of glasses in which the two side parts and the bridge connecting the two lenses can be easily assembled and disassembled using mechanically detachable plug connections. A further object of the present invention is to provide plug connections between the lenses and the side parts or the bridge which are extremely stable when plugged together.

&iacgr;&ogr; This object is achieved by a pair of glasses with the features of claim 1. In the

The dependent claims specify advantageous and preferred developments of the glasses according to the invention.

The advantages of the glasses according to the invention are the purpose-specific interchangeability of all components by means of mechanically detachable plug connections, whereby the free mobility of the side parts and/or the bridge is preferably maintained by hinges. This construction allows the lenses, side parts and the bridge to be freely combined as required. A further advantage of the invention is that the glasses frame can be easily opened by a simple lever movement, for example with a screwdriver, which is a great relief for manual handling (for example fitting and replacing lenses).

The glasses according to the invention can be combined in a variety of ways. The glasses, which are adapted according to the rules of ophthalmology, can be converted into sunglasses by simply changing the lenses, with either ground or simply tinted lenses. A multifocal lens adapted for office or computer use can be converted into a fixed pair of sports glasses by simply changing the temples. Side parts with fashionable accessories can simply be exchanged for plain side parts. Instead of constantly making new frames for different needs, this one basic model is sufficient, which allows an individual character to be created at any time by changing the combination. This is where the advantage lies for the consumer.

A further advantage of the glasses according to the invention is that the frame is provided with a snap fastener, which makes the optician's work considerably easier when clamping the lenses. The mechanically detachable plug connections are preferably equipped with a locking mechanism, which prevents the coupled components from accidentally slipping out. The side parts and the bridge are preferably made of a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, which achieves very high stability with low weight.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective top view of a pair of spectacles according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the glasses of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a side part with a hinge device and a part of a frame of the spectacles of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a mechanism by means of which the side parts &ogr; and the bridge can be detachably connected to the frame of the spectacles from Figure 1;

Figure 4a is a perspective view of a locking mechanism;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of two spectacle lenses and a bridge connecting these five spectacle lenses;

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view similar to Figure 5 from the other side; and

Figures 7 and 8 each show an enlarged perspective view of the fastening device of the spectacle lens frame in an assembled arrangement and in an expanded arrangement.

Figure 1 shows a perspective top view of a pair of glasses 1 according to the present

invention. The spectacles have two side parts 2, 3, each having a temple 4, 5 which is bent at its outer end to reach behind the respective ear of the wearer when the spectacles are worn, and are provided with a hinge device 6, 7 at their other end.

The hinge devices 6, 7 are described in detail below. In addition, the glasses 1 have two lenses 8, 9, each of which is surrounded by a frame 10, 11. Alternatively, frameless glasses without the frame 10, 11 can also be provided. The lenses are connected to one another by a bridge 12, which rests on the bridge of the nose when the glasses are worn. The bridge 12 is coupled to the two frames 10, 11 with the aid of fastening devices 13, 14, which are described in detail later.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a disassembled pair of glasses 1. As can be seen, the side parts 2, 3 and the bridge 12 can be removed from the lenses 8, 9 or the associated frames 10, 11. In this way, it is possible to combine an existing set of side parts 2, 3 and the bridge 12 with different lenses. It is therefore possible for the wearer to combine different lenses with just one frame (side parts 2, 3 and bridge 12). The wearer can therefore convert his reading glasses into sunglasses, for example, in a few simple steps by simply exchanging his reading lenses for sunglasses. On the other hand, it is possible for the user to combine an existing pair of lenses with different side parts or different bridges. As explained above, the wearer can simply exchange the two side parts 2, 3 for other side parts 2, 3 (the same applies of course to the bridge 12) in order to turn "office" glasses into sports glasses. For this purpose, a bridge anchoring element 15, 16 is provided on the side of the frames 10, 11 corresponding to the bridge 12 and temple anchoring elements 17, 18 are provided on the side of the frames 10, 11 facing the side parts 2, 3. When using frameless glasses, the bridge anchoring elements 15, 16 and the temple anchoring elements 17, 18 are attached directly to the respective lenses 8, 9 by means of adhesive or screw connections.

As can be seen in Figure 2, at the ends of the web 12, web coupling elements 19, 20 are provided, and at the hinge devices 6, 7 of the two side parts

2, 3, temple coupling elements 21, 22 are provided. From Figure 2 it can be seen that the bridge coupling elements 19, 20 provided on the bridge 12 are designed to releasably engage with the bridge anchoring elements 19, 20 attached to the frames 10, 11 or the lenses 8, 9. The temple anchoring elements 17, 18 attached to the frames 10, 11 or the lenses 8, 9 are designed to releasably engage with the temple coupling elements 21, 22 provided on the hinge devices 6, 7. The exact design of the anchoring elements or the coupling elements will be described later.

Figure 3 shows a detailed perspective view of a section of the side part 2 and the associated frame 10. As can be seen in Figure 3, the bracket coupling element 21 is connected to the bracket 4 via a hinge element 23. The bracket coupling element 21 contains a bearing 25, a locking pin 27, 28 for the bearing 25, 26 and an angle head 29, 30. The associated bracket anchoring element 17, 18 is shown on the frame 10, 11, which is designed to releasably engage with the bearing 25, 26 or the angle head 29, 30. For this purpose, the bearing 25, 26 is provided with a groove that has a substantially dovetail-shaped cross section. This groove is designed to slidably engage a rib (not shown in Figure 3) formed on the bracket anchoring element 17, 18. This rib also has a dovetail-shaped cross-section which corresponds to the dovetail-shaped cross-section of the groove. Instead of the dovetail-shaped ϑ cross-section, other cross-sections can of course also be used.

The above-mentioned locking pins 27, 28 serve to effect a locking between the bracket coupling elements 21, 22 (or the grooves 25) and the bracket anchoring elements 17, 18. The locking pin 27 is biased outwards by a spring (not shown) and thereby presses a locking pin (not shown) into the interior of the bearing 25 designed as a groove via a displacement mechanism (not shown) to engage with a recess formed in the rib of the bracket anchoring element 17, 18, whereby the rib is firmly locked in the groove when the rib is pushed into the groove. If the locking pin 27, 28 is pressed inwards against the spring tension, the locking pin is released and the rib can be pulled out of the groove.

Figure 4 shows a combination of the bracket coupling element 21 of the side part

2 and the groove provided on the bracket anchoring element 17 of the frame 10. This so-called attachment 60, also referred to as a T-attachment, comprises two parts, a so-called male part 31 (referred to as a rib) and a female part 32 (referred to as a groove or bearing 25, 26). As can be clearly seen in Figure 4, the cross sections of the male part 31 and the female part 32 are designed to engage one another in a displaceable manner. An activation screw 33 is provided in the male part 31, with the aid of which the cross section of the male part 31 can be easily changed. For this purpose, a notch 34 is formed in the male part 31 in the longitudinal direction, so that the left and right parts of the male part 31 are pressed apart when the activation screw 34 is screwed into the internal thread formed between the two parts of the male part. This defines and adjusts the pulling force and friction between the male part 31 and the female part 32. It is obvious that both the female part and the male part are provided with corresponding devices to enable them to be attached to the respective side part or the frame. It is also obvious that attachments 60 other than the T-attachment shown can also be used.

The function of the locking pins 27, 28 described above becomes even clearer from the illustration in Figure 4. The locking pin (not shown) actuated by the locking pin extends through the outer wall of the die 32 into the interior of the die and, in its locking position, engages with a recess formed in the outer surface of the male mold 31. This secures the male mold 31 against being pushed out of the die 32. If the locking pin 27, 28 is now actuated against the spring tension, the locking pin is released and can slide out of the recess formed in the male mold. In this way, the locking between the female mold and the male mold is released and the male mold 31 can be pushed out of the female mold 32. On the other hand, the pre-tensioning causes the locking pin to first slide along the outer surface of the male part 31 when the male part 31 is pushed into the female part 32 and to engage in the recess formed in the outer surface of the male part 31 when the male part 31 is completely pushed into the female part and the locking pin is aligned with the recess.

A special design of a locking mechanism 50 is shown in Figure 4a. This locking mechanism has a male part 31 which slidably receives a female part 32. The female part 32 and the male part 31 can be locked by a locking pin 43 which is actuated by a spring

45 is pre-tensioned. The locking pin 43 has a tip opposite the spring 45 which, when the locking mechanism is in the rest position, is locked in a recess 44 formed in the male mold 31. In this way, the male mold 31 is secured against slipping out of the female mold 32. The locking pin 27 has a conical tip which engages with a conical hole in the side wall of the locking pin 43. When the locking pin 27 is pressed to the right in the direction of arrow R, the conical tip of the locking pin 27 engages with the conical side hole in the locking pin 43 and the locking pin 43 is pressed downwards against the force of the spring 45 so that the upper tip of the locking pin 43 disengages from the recess 44. In this way, the male mold can be easily pushed out of the female mold.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of the web anchoring elements 15, 16 and the web coupling elements 19, 20. The web anchoring elements 15, 16 and the web coupling elements 19, 20 can have a design as shown in Figure 4. As can be clearly seen, the web anchoring elements 15, 16 are each attached to the side of the frames 10, 11 facing the wearer's face. As can be clearly seen, the web anchoring elements 15, 16 each have a groove (or matrix) which has an open and a closed end. The closed end can be arranged either at the top or at the bottom and serves to ensure that the rib (or matrix) can only be inserted from the open end and abuts against the closed end. In a preferred embodiment, a hinge or joint 35 can be provided between the respective bridge coupling element 19, 20 and the bridge 12 in order to be able to adjust the position of the lenses 8, 9 relative to one another in this way. It is obvious that the locking mechanism 50 shown in Figure 4a can also be used with the bridge anchoring elements 15, 16 in order to prevent the temple coupling elements 19, 20 from slipping out.

Figure 6 shows an enlarged perspective view of the web anchoring elements 15, 16 and the web coupling elements 19, 20. The view shown in Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5, but from a different direction. The joints 35, 36 between the web 12 and the two web coupling elements 19, 20 can be clearly seen. The nestable matrices and patrixes can also be clearly seen, with the activation screws 34 described with reference to Figure 4 being inserted into the patrixes 31.

Figures 7 and 8 show the fastening devices of the frames 10, 11. Figure 7 shows the fastening device in the closed state, while Figure 8 shows the fastening device in its open state.

As can be seen in Figure 7, the frame 10 is interrupted at point 37. At both ends

of the frame (at the break) holding means 38, 39 are formed, which, when the frame 10 is closed, rest against each other. In the holding means 38, a lever slot 40 is formed, which serves to move the two holding means 38, 39 apart in order to thereby open the frame

&igr;&ogr; to expand in order to replace a lens.

In Figure 8, the fastening device is shown in a separate arrangement. As can be clearly seen, the fastening device is designed in the manner of a push button, wherein the push button anchor 41 formed on the holding means 38 is designed to engage in an opening 42 formed in the holding means 39. The push button anchor 41 is provided with one or more cuts on its front face in order to form conical anchor segments 43 which spring-loadedly engage when inserted into the opening. It is obvious that other fastening options can also be used instead of the push button fastening shown. The lever slot 40 serves to be able to engage with a screwdriver or a similar tool in order to be able to apply a force between the two holding means 38, 39 in order to move the push button anchor 41 out of the opening 42 against the spring force of the anchor segments 43.

Figures 9 to 12 show another connecting element which is derived from the principle of the push-button anchor.

A locking bolt 58, 59 is guided through a hole and locks either a ring anchor 53, 54 in a guide shaft or the ring anchor 53,54 between two ring foundations 70,71. In the first case, a rigid connection is created that can be opened again by removing the locking bolt, even without auxiliary tools. In the second case, the inserted part is movable on the axis inserted in the form of the locking bolt; this connection can also be easily opened without auxiliary tools. The

In any case, the locking bolt is firmly seated in the guide thanks to a locking bead 66, 67, which will be described later. The necessary friction is generated by spreading the locking bolt and by covers 62, 63 made of plastic or similar materials. The covers also have a compensating effect on the internal pressure from the locking bolt, which is caused by the cross slots 64, 65.

In Figure 9, the anchor mechanism for the lens frame can be seen from below and inside. The frame 10 is closed at the open end by anchor plates 51, 52, on which the ring anchors 53, 54 sit at right angles. A recess 55 in the angle element 47, 48 is reserved for the anchor plates 51, 52, which forces the ring anchor 53, 54 to be positioned exactly. The ring anchor 53, 54 fits into the guide shaft 65. In the end position, the plug-in bolt 58, 59 is pushed from the rear side of the glasses through the hole 57 until the locking beads 66, 67 engage. This fixes the ring anchor in this position. The plug-in bolt is described in detail later.

Figure 10 shows the state from the rear side. The protruding bead 61 of the locking bolt 58, 59 projects beyond the diameter of the bore 57 and can thus be used to pull out the locking bolt.

Figure 10 also shows the transfer of the same principle to the fastening of the temples 4. The ring anchor for the temples 68, 69 is pushed into the free space between the ring foundations 70, 71 and then fixed in this pivot point by a locking bolt 59, which also serves as an axis.

Figures 11 and 12 show the structure of the locking bolts and their mode of operation in two phases.

In Figure 11, the two components of the locking bolt can be seen, namely the

Inner element 58, 59 with the cross slots 64, 65 and the locking beads 66, 67 and on the other hand the covers 62, 63, which serve to improve the sliding ability of the locking bolt in the bore or the temple on the axis and at the same time create an elastic compensation for the internal pressure from the locking bolt, which is caused by the spreading at the

Cross slots. Fine adjustment of the spread is possible by introducing a conical dome into the intersection point of the slots if the upper end of the hole is covered by a plate provided with such a dome.

Figure 12 shows the state of the locking bolts after the covers have been slipped on. The locking beads 66, 67 are attached to the locking bolts 58, 59 at the exact points where the respective bore 57 ends or the lower end of the ring foundation 70, 71 is located. The locking bolt clicks into place here and can only be pulled back with force.

· t

Summary

The invention relates to a pair of glasses (1) with two lenses (8, 9), a bridge (12) connecting the lenses and two side parts (2, 3) attached to the lenses, the bridge and the side parts being removable from the lenses. The side parts (2, 3) are provided with temple coupling elements (22, 23) which can be coupled to temple anchoring elements (17, 18) attached to the lenses (8, 9). In addition, a manually operable locking mechanism is provided to prevent unintentional uncoupling.

(Figure 2)

Claims (15)

1. Spectacles ( 1 ) with two lenses ( 8 , 9 ), a bridge ( 12 ) connecting the lenses and two side parts ( 2 , 3 ) attached to the lenses, the bridge and the side parts being removable from the lenses, characterized in that the side parts ( 2 , 3 ) are coupled to the lenses ( 8 , 9 ) by a sliding mechanism ( 60 ), the sliding mechanism ( 60 ) having a matrix ( 32 ) and a male mold ( 31 ) which can be moved therein, and that the male mold is secured against slipping out of the matrix ( 32 ) by a manually operable locking mechanism ( 50 ). 2. Spectacles ( 2 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bridge ( 12 ) is coupled to the lenses ( 8 , 9 ) by means of two attachments ( 60 ). 3. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spectacles ( 1 ) are frameless spectacles and the male molds ( 31 ) or female molds ( 32 ) are attached directly to the spectacle lenses ( 8 , 9 ) by gluing or screwing. 4. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spectacles ( 1 ) have a frame ( 10 , 11 ) which runs around the respective spectacle lenses ( 8 , 9 ), the male molds ( 31 ) or female molds ( 32 ) being attached to the frame ( 10 , 11 ). 5. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking mechanism ( 50 ) has a locking pin ( 27 ), upon actuation of which the male mold ( 31 ) can be pushed out of the female mold ( 32 ). 6. Spectacles ( 2 ) according to claim 5, characterized in that the locking mechanism ( 60 ) also contains a locking pin ( 43 ) which is coupled to the matrix ( 32 ) and slidably mounted therein, is prestressed by a spring ( 45 ) and has an end which, in a rest position, engages with a recess ( 44 ) formed in the male mold ( 31 ) in order to prevent the male mold ( 31 ) from slipping out of the matrix ( 32 ), the locking pin ( 43 ) being displaced from its rest position against the force of the spring ( 45 ) when the locking pin ( 27 ) is actuated, so that the end comes out of engagement with the recess and the male mold can slide out of the matrix. 7. Spectacles ( 2 ) according to claim 5, characterized in that the locking mechanism ( 60 ) also contains a locking pin ( 43 ) which is coupled to the male mold ( 31 ) and slidably mounted therein, is prestressed by a spring ( 45 ) and has an end which, in a rest position, engages with a recess ( 44 ) formed in the female mold ( 32 ) in order to prevent the male mold ( 31 ) from slipping out of the female mold ( 32 ), the locking pin ( 43 ) being displaced from its rest position against the force of the spring ( 45 ) when the locking pin ( 27 ) is actuated, so that the end comes out of engagement with the recess and the male mold can slide out of the female mold. 8. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spectacles ( 1 ) have a frame ( 10 , 11 ) formed from two parts, each of the frame parts being interrupted at one point in order to widen the frame part for exchanging a spectacle lens, and the frame parts can be closed by means of a snap fastener. 9. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to claim 8, characterized in that the snap fastener has a snap anchor ( 41 ) on one side of the interruption and an opening ( 42 ) on the other side of the interruption, which is designed to lock the snap anchor in the opening. 10. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the snap fastener includes a lever slot ( 40 ) to disengage the snap fastener anchor ( 41 ) from the opening ( 42 ) to open the interruption. 11. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side parts ( 2 , 3 ) and the bridge ( 12 ) are made of a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy. 12. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the male mold ( 31 ) is provided with an activation screw ( 33 ) in order to change the cross-section of the male mold ( 31 ) in order to be able to adjust the friction between the male mold ( 31 ) and the female mold ( 32 ). 13. Spectacles ( 3 ) according to claim 8, characterized in that each of the frame parts ( 10 ) can be closed by means of locking bolts ( 58 ) and ring anchors ( 53 ). 14. Spectacles ( 3 ) according to claim 8, characterized in that each of the side parts ( 4 ) can be rotatably mounted between ring foundations ( 70 ) by means of locking bolts ( 59 ) which take on the function of the axis. 15. Spectacles ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of the frame parts ( 10 ) can be closed by means of locking bolts ( 58 ) and ring anchors ( 53 ) and at the same time each of the side parts ( 4 ) can be rotatably mounted between ring foundations ( 70 ) by means of locking bolts ( 58 ) which take on the function of the axis.