HK1061576B - Spectacles of the type without a surround - Google Patents

Description

Frameless glasses

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of rimless spectacles comprising a bridge interconnecting two lenses and two hinged side legs or "temples".

Background

Rimless spectacles are said to be mounted without a frame or "hole", in which holes are punched through the thickness of the lenses to mount them to the frame, and such lenses are becoming increasingly popular. For the background of this technology, reference may be made to the following documents: WO-A-01/53877, FR-A-275431, EP-A-0666490, EP-A-0718660, EP-A-0997763, WO-A-01/20388, EP-A-1120678, EP-A-1107042, WO-A-01/06935, EP-A-1186935, EP-A-1164410, FR-A-2810748, WO-A-02/46830, WO-A-02/33474, WO-A-02/29474 and EP-A-1180712.

There is now increasing interest in rimless spectacles in which the side legs are mounted to pivot about a horizontal and inclined axis.

Thus, document EP- ｃA-0426006 describes ｃA pair of spectacles whose lenses are fixed to ｃA frame comprising firstly ｃA lens-engaging portion and secondly legs formed by cylindrical rods connected to the engaging portion by an angled portion. In this way, each leg pivots about a conical trajectory about the axis of the screw connecting the leg to the angled portion, between an unfolded position of the leg, in which the arm is perpendicular to the engaging portion, and a folded position of the leg, in which the arm is parallel to the engaging portion. The hinge in such a case is completely integrated in the arm and the angled portion. However, such a construction relies on the relatively large cross-section of the legs and angled portions being much larger than the cross-section of the wire legs, and therefore such a construction cannot be applied to wire framed eyewear.

These considerations have led the applicant to design another type of spectacles in which the side legs are mounted so as to pivot about an inclined horizontal axis, and are of wire design. Document US-A-6428166 in the name of the applicant therefore describes A structure in which each leg has A hinge end portion shaped as an eyelet occupying A vertical plane intersecting the substantially longitudinal direction of the arm, and A hinge bearing is fixed on an inside surface of the respective lateral region to receive the eyelet pivotably about an axis substantially perpendicular to said inside surface. In such a case, each hinged side leg is mounted to pivot between an extended position in use and a folded position in which the side leg lies against the inner surface of the lens. This makes it possible in particular to obtain a very compact folded position, enabling the spectacles to be stored in a flat, slightly curved box.

The above-described arrangement, described in document US-A-6428166 in the name of the applicant, uses A hinge element bearing directly on the inner surface of the lens, so that the inclination of the tilt pivot axis of the leg is actually dependent on the radius of curvature of the lens at the junction of the hinge bearings. This is not important when such a construction is used to make sunglasses without the use of a regular lens, in which case the curvature used for the curved lens is not changed. This configuration is less advantageous when one wishes to vary the configuration and curvature to a wide range of prescription lenses, depending on the amount of prescription required by the user. Illustratively, the radius of curvature of the lens in conventional use is in the range of 65 mm to 140 mm. Furthermore, at present, the hinge bearing on the inner surface of the lens has as a result no slightest lateral offset from said lens, so that the use of a hinge side leg with a very large curvature is required.

Disclosure of Invention

Objects of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to devise rimless spectacles which avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks and limitations. The invention thus provides an eyeglass construction which can be assembled quickly and reliably, irrespective of the type of lens used, and which at the same time remains easy to handle when it is desired to pivot the articulated leg.

General definition of the invention

These and other objects are achieved by the present invention which is a rimless spectacles comprising a bridge interconnecting two lenses and two hinged side legs, each mounted to pivot about an inclined horizontal axis between an extended position in use and a folded position against the inner surface of the lens, the spectacles being particular in that each side leg is connected to the respective lens via a hinge connection of one-piece construction, the connection having an inner portion fixed to the inner surface of the lens and prevented from rotation relative thereto and an outer portion laterally offset from the lens, and the side legs being hinged to the back of the outer portion via a terminal eyelet of the side leg.

The use of such a single piece connector significantly simplifies storage and assembly as it enables the side legs to be simply assembled to the respective connectors which are then assembled to the respective lenses.

Preferably, the inner portion of each hinge connection is secured to the respective lens by a through screw and prevented from rotating by a through finger projecting from the inner portion. In particular, the inner part may be provided with a threaded portion connected to a through screw whose shank passes through a hole in the lens, and the finger of the inner part may be received in a lateral groove in the lens. Such an embodiment enables the use of a type of machining that is becoming more common for rimless spectacles, in which a through hole is formed near each side edge of the lens, and an open-sided recess is located near the hole.

Advantageously, the outer portion of each hinge connection is provided with a rear plane extending in an inclined vertical plane and on which the end eyelets of the respective side legs are retained. In particular, the outer portion is provided with a cylindrical finger projecting from the rear plane, said terminal eyelet being held by means of a screw whose shank penetrates a tapped hole formed on the axis of said cylindrical finger when the terminal eyelet of the lateral leg is mounted thereon. In one variant, the outer portion receives a grub screw having two threaded ends and a smooth middle portion, the grub screw projecting from the rear plane and having mounted thereon the terminal eyelet of the lateral leg, said terminal eyelet being held in place by a nut screwed to the free end of said grub screw. The rear plane provided on each hinge connection ensures accurate positioning of the end eyelets of the side legs in three dimensions.

According to another advantageous feature, the rear plane is also provided with one or two adjacently shaped projections to engage the side legs and to define the range over which said side legs can pivot between their unfolded position and their folded position. This avoids the need for additional parts such as washers with lugs serving as abutment portions, so that the connector remains in the form of a one-piece, unitary construction by integrating the system of angled abutment portions.

Preferably, the outer portion of each hinge connection is provided with a smooth convex front surface. Because the smooth convex front plane of the hinge connection is laterally offset with respect to the outer edge of the lens, this portion is clearly visible from the front when looking at the person wearing the spectacles. The front plane is thus a part of the appearance and this is important in the field of spectacles.

It is also advantageous that the inner and outer portions of each hinge connection together form an obtuse bend and are connected together by an intermediate portion which is ductile so that the angular positioning of the outer portion relative to the inner portion is adjustable. This allows the final adjustment to be made quite precisely as a function of the particular curvature of the associated prescription lens.

It is also preferred that each hinge connection is made as a cast part of stainless steel and includes an intermediate portion that is annealed.

Finally, each lateral leg is advantageously made of titanium wire, preferably with a cross section that is flat for the terminal eyelet and its portion adjacent to said eyelet. This enables the end eyelets to have an excellent guiding action and ease of manoeuvring the side legs for pivoting purposes.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and drawings relating to a particular embodiment.

Brief Description of Drawings

See the drawings in which:

figure 1 shows a pair of spectacles according to the invention, seen in a three-quarter perspective view, with the side legs in the extended position of use;

figure 2 is a plan view of the spectacles;

figures 3 and 4 show the above-mentioned spectacles in the folded position with the side legs resting against the inner surface of the lens, figure 3 being a rear view and figure 4 being a plan view;

fig. 5 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of the area comprising a hinge connection;

-figure 6 is a section at a horizontal mid-plane of figure 5;

figures 7a and 7b show two extreme positions of a hinged side leg, with two angled abutment portions associated with the hinge connection;

figures 8 to 12 are other views showing a hinge connection of the above-mentioned type at different angles; and

figures 13a and 13b show the two extreme positions of a hinged side leg in a variant in which a single angled abutment is associated with the hinge connection and the pivot is modified; and, fig. 14a and 14b are respective plan views.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1-4 illustrate rimless eyewear made in accordance with the present invention. In a conventional manner, the spectacles comprise a bridge 2 connecting the two lenses V together and two articulated lateral legs 3. The bridge 2 has a central arch in the midplane P of the spectacles, which ends on the front of the lens V in two collars, and the two collars surround the shank of the fixing bolt 6. In fig. 3, the relevant nuts 6.1 can be seen, which are screwed onto the inner surface of the lens V. The wires making up the bridge 2 extend rearwardly beyond each of their collars by a portion which passes through a side recess of a lens to prevent rotation, and then end up in a final collar for receiving a nose pad 5 via a downwardly bent portion 4. The bridge member 2 may be made of a wire structure based on round or flat wires, in particular based on titanium wires.

Each side leg 3 is mounted so as to be pivotable about an inclined, horizontal axis designated X, between a deployed position for use (corresponding to figures 1 and 2) and a position in which the side leg is folded against the inner surface of the lens V (corresponding to figures 3 and 4). In particular, each leg 3 has an end ear-piece portion 7, but in a variant, only one end flange portion may be provided. Furthermore, reference numeral 8 identifies the outer or front surface of the lens V, and reference numeral 9 identifies the inner or rear surface of said lens.

According to an important aspect of the invention, each lateral leg 3 is connected to the respective lens V by a hinge connection 10 of single-piece construction, said connection having an inner portion 11 fixed against rotation with respect to the inner lateral surface 9 of the lens V; the connector also has an outer portion 21 laterally offset from the lens and the side leg is hingedly connected to the rear surface of the outer portion 21 via a terminal eyelet 3.1 of the side leg.

As can be seen more clearly in fig. 5 and 6, the inner portion 11 of each hinge connection 10 is fixed to the respective lens V by a through screw 17 and is prevented from rotating by a through finger 14 projecting from said inner portion. In particular, the inner portion 11 has a threaded portion 13 corresponding to the through screw 17. In this way, the shank 19 of the through screw 17 passes through a through hole in the lens V and is screwed into said threaded portion 13 on said inner portion 11 until the edge 18 of the screw 17 bears on the outer lateral surface 8 of the lens V. The inner side surface 9 of the lens V rests on a planar front surface 12 of the inner part 11 of the hinge connection 10. Y denotes the axis of the screw 17 and the associated hole 16 and threaded portion 13. The fingers 14 are of cylindrical configuration and are received in a groove in one side of the lens V to provide the desired anti-rotation function. The assembly of a through screw 17 and through finger 14 holds the hinge connection 10 in position with respect to the lens V in an extremely stable manner, without any interfering play of the connection against the inner surface of the lens.

Such a fixing system comprising a through hole 16 formed in the lens V and a laterally open groove 15 is now widely used in rimless spectacles. Such a system may therefore be used in the context of the present invention.

The outer part 21 of each hinge connection 10 is provided with a rear plane 22 extending in an inclined vertical plane, the end eyelet 3.1 of the respective side leg 3 being retained on this rear plane 22. Thus, regardless of the angular position of the hinged side leg 3, its end eyelet 3.1 slides against the inclined vertical plane 22 of the hinge connection 10, thus ensuring that the hinge axis, designated X, remains constantly in the same direction.

The specific structure of the outer portion 21 of the hinge connection 10 may be better understood with reference to fig. 8-12.

It can thus be seen that a tapped blind hole 24 extends along an axis X perpendicular to the plane of the inclined plane 22 and is intended to receive the threaded shank 39 of the relative fixing screw 37. The outer portion 21 is provided with a cylindrical finger 25 projecting rearwards from the rear plane 22 and on which the terminal eyelet 3.1 of the side leg 3 is mounted, so that the finger 25 forms a hinge pivot for the relative side leg. As can be seen more clearly in the sectional view of fig. 6, the screw 37, more precisely the head 38 of said screw, holds in position the terminal eye 3.1 of the lateral leg 3, the threaded shank 39 of said screw being received in the axial threaded portion of the cylindrical finger 25, the threaded blind hole 24 formed in the outer portion 21, on the same axis as the axis of the cylindrical finger 25 (i.e. along the pivoting axis X of the lateral leg 3), extending the axial threaded portion of this finger 25. The screws are preferably locked in place by adhesive for greater security.

As shown in fig. 13a to 13b, in a variant it is possible to omit the cylindrical finger 25 and replace the screw 37 with a grub screw 39 'threaded at both ends, and the grub screw 39' has a smooth intermediate portion 39 "which constitutes a bearing for the end eyelet 3.1 of the respective side leg 3; one of the two threaded ends of the grub screw is screwed into the tapped hole 24, the other threaded end of which receives a positioning nut 38 ', the positioning thread 38' serving the same function as the head 38 of the screw 37. For safety, it is preferable to use an adhesive to lock the two threaded ends of the grub screw 39 ".

It is advantageous to be able to limit the angular pivoting range of each side leg 3 to prevent excessive pivoting beyond the angle defined between the deployed position in use and the folded position in storage.

This function of limiting the angular pivoting range can be achieved by one or both of the washers stacked on the axis X being provided with lateral projections constituting an abutment portion. However, in order to avoid the presence of one or two additional components, it is provided according to the invention that the rear plane 22 provides the side legs 3 with two adjacently formed projections 26, 27 for defining the pivoting range of the shown side legs 3 between their unfolded position and their folded position.

This can be better understood with reference to fig. 7a and 7b, which are rear views, seen along the hinge axis X, of fig. 7a and 7b, showing the side leg 3 in the unfolded position and in the folded position, respectively. In fig. 7a the operative abutment portion is abutment portion 26 corresponding to the unfolded position, and in fig. 7b the operative abutment portion is abutment portion 27 corresponding to the folded position. The height of the abutment portions 26 and 27 (parallel to the axis X) is preferably slightly lower than the width of the wires constituting the terminal eyelets of the side legs, so as not to hinder the head 38 of the set screw 37 (or the nut 38 'screwed onto the rear end of the grub screw 39' in the variant described above) from holding the terminal eyelets in position.

In a variant, as shown in fig. 13a to 14b, the above-described system with two projecting abutment portions can be replaced by a single abutment portion 27 ', which in the deployed position of the side legs cooperates with a peak 32' projecting from the terminal eyelet 3.1. For this purpose, the single abutment portion 27' is semi-cylindrical in cross-section.

On its front surface, the outer portion 21 presents a smooth convex surface, indicated with 23. In this example, the face is slightly domed and must give the appearance of the assembled spectacles a good look since it is offset laterally beyond the edge of the lens so that it can be seen from the front. Thus, the front surface 23 may be provided with various types of distinct patterns, it may be smooth, it may have scores, stripes, etc. … ….

Thus, as can be seen more clearly in figures 6 and 9, the inner and outer portions 11 and 21 of each hinge connection 10 form an acute bend and are connected together by an intermediate portion 31.

For these angles, reference can be made to fig. 2, which shows the angle formed by the respective leg pivot axis X relative to the vertical mid-plane P at the other points of intersection Ω, said angle α being about 45 °. In this way each side leg 3 sweeps out a semi-conical lamella as it moves through its possible angular pivoting range about its axis X. The axis Y, which corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the inner lateral surface of each lens V, forms an angle β with respect to the axis X, which lies on the same side of the midplane P, and the value of the angle β is variable, but is substantially close to 25 ° for a radius of curvature of 87 mm in the corresponding area of the inner lateral surface 9 of the lens V.

It may be advantageous to provide an intermediate portion interconnecting the inner portion 11 and the outer portion 21 of each hinge connection 10 to provide a certain ductility suitable for enabling the final angle of the outer portion to be adjusted relative to the inner hinge. This allows the eyeglass manufacturer to make final adjustments during final assembly to precisely conform the shape of the hinged connector 10 to the curvature of the associated prescription lens (i.e. to the size of the obtuse angle of curvature formed between the two parts 11 and 21 of the connector) so that the side legs 3 extend generally in a direction perpendicular to the front plane when in the deployed position of use.

It can be provided that each hinge connection 10 is a stainless steel casting, in which case its intermediate portion 31 is annealed to impart the desired ductility, thereby making the final adjustment possible as described above.

As shown in the figures, each leg 3 is preferably made of titanium wire and is preferably flat in section for the terminal eyelet 3.1 and the portion of the leg adjacent to said eyelet. In this way, the remainder of the portion along which each leg extends from partway back into the ear piece portion 7 can be of circular cross-section, as this makes it easier to fit the ear piece portion in place or to incorporate an equivalent terminal flange portion.

The present invention thus provides a construction of spectacles which enables any type of corrective lens to be mounted with a wire frame while preserving the principle of operation of the lateral legs pivoting about respective inclined horizontal axes.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but covers any variant using equivalent means to reproduce the main features described above.

Claims (12)

1. A rimless eyewear comprising: -a bridge (2) interconnecting the two lenses (V) and-two articulated side legs (3), each side leg (3) being mounted to pivot about an inclined horizontal axis (X) between a deployed position in use and a folded position resting against the inner side surface of a lens (V), said spectacles being characterized in that each side leg (3) is connected to the respective lens (V) via a hinge connection (10) of one-piece construction, said connection having an inner portion (11) fixed to the inner side surface (9) of the lens and prevented from rotating relative to the lens and an outer portion (21) laterally offset from said lens (V), and in that said side legs (3) are articulated to the back of said outer portion via a terminal eyelet (3.1) of the side leg.

2. Spectacles according to claim 1, wherein the inner portion (11) of each hinge connection (10) is fixed to the respective lens (V) by a through screw (17) and prevented from rotating by a through finger (14) projecting from said inner portion.

3. Spectacles according to claim 2, characterised in that the inner part (11) is provided with a threaded portion (13) connected to a through screw (17) whose shank (19) passes through a hole (16) in the lens (V) and the finger (14) of the inner part is received in a lateral recess (15) in the lens.

4. Spectacles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the outer portion (21) of each hinge connection (10) is provided with a rear plane (22) extending in an inclined vertical plane and on which the terminal eyelet (3.1) of the respective side leg (3) is retained.

5. Spectacles according to claim 4, characterised in that the outer portion (21) is provided with a cylindrical finger (25) projecting from the rear plane (22), said terminal eye (3.1) of the side leg (3) being retained by means of a screw (37) whose shank (39) penetrates a tapped hole (24) formed on the axis of said cylindrical finger when it is mounted thereon.

6. Spectacles according to claim 4, characterised in that the rear plane (22) is also provided with two adjacently shaped projections (26, 27) to engage the side legs (3) and to define the range in which said side legs can pivot between their unfolded position and their folded position.

7. Spectacles according to claim 4, wherein the outer portion (21) receives a grub screw (39 ') having two threaded ends and provided with a smooth intermediate portion (39 "), which projects from the rear plane (22) and on which the terminal eyelet (3.1) of the lateral leg (3) is mounted, said terminal eyelet being held in place by a nut (38') screwed to the free end of said grub screw.

8. Spectacles according to claim 4, wherein the rear plane (22) is further provided with a single, adjacently shaped projection (27') to engage the side legs (3) and serve to define the range over which said side legs can pivot between their unfolded position and their folded position.

9. Spectacles according to claim 4, wherein the outer portion (21) is provided with a smooth convex front flat (23).

10. Spectacles according to claim 1, characterised in that the inner (11) and outer (21) parts of each hinge connection (10) together form an obtuse bend and are connected together by an intermediate part (31) which is ductile so that the angular positioning of the outer part relative to the inner part is adjustable.

11. Spectacles according to claim 10, wherein each hinge connection (10) is made as a stainless steel casting and comprises an intermediate portion (31) which is annealed.

12. Spectacles according to claim 1, characterised in that each lateral leg (3) is made of titanium wire whose cross-section is flattened for the terminal eyelet (3.1) and its part adjacent to said eyelet.