The present invention is directed to an article support device for applying to the skin of a wearer, and in particular to an article, device, or element that aids in retaining eyeglasses in a desired position.
Many people who wear eyeglasses find it distracting and irritating when the glasses begin to slip down the length of the nose while being worn. This commonly occurs during mild physical activity, but can also occur during normal non-rigorous events, such as working, reading and other stationary activities. Eyeglass slippage typically occurs due to the weight of the glasses being distributed along three points of the face—the bridge of the nose and both ears —with the majority of weight being distributed at the bridge/nose. This slippage occurs more readily when the surface of the mechanism meant to keep the eyeglasses in place, such as nose pads or the bridge of the eyeglass frame, becomes coated with the individual's body oil, moisturizer, flaky skin or other foreign substances. The frictional resistance between the eyeglasses and wearer decreases and the weight of the eyeglasses, or forces applied thereto as a result of physical activity, supersedes the tactical surface resistance such that the glasses begin to slip at the point of least resistance, which is at the nose.
Articles requiring some form of permanent or temporary physical engagement to eyeglasses, such as through physical compression, encasement or attachment, are known for use in counteracting eyeglass slippage on a wearer. There is an inherent flaw in this methodology. The typical solutions involve a stickier surface or attachment at the nose pads or bridge of the plastic frame glasses, which then rest against the skin of the user, or some holding mechanism near the temple arms or tips, which compress against the head or back of the ear.
The added material at the nose pad or bridge that is typically involved in providing support for the eyeglasses, eventually fails, because the individual wearing the glasses, begins to perspire or secrete body oils. This can happen rather quickly. This then causes the original coefficient of friction that would exist between the material and the skin to lessen and eventually the weight of the glasses will supersede the lessened and/or weakened coefficient of friction/engagement.
The inherent flaw of the mechanisms which use the temple arms and point as a cantilever support, require the mechanism to create additional stress points behind and around the ear, causing pressure and discomfort. Eventually, this means of supporting the glasses fails as well, along with the discomfort it causes, because it does not address the primary problem, the weight of the glasses at the nose and bridge area of the glasses. The issue of perspiration and skin oil still exist and the weight of the glasses will eventually overcome the cantilever support of the mechanisms.
Another means which use the temple arms and tips are bands, which hold the entire eyeglasses and band in compression again the head/skull, which is both inconvenient and causes long term and short term discomfort.
The present invention provides an article for temporarily affixing to the skin of a wearer, such as about the wearer's nose to support eyeglasses worn by the wearer.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an article for temporarily affixing to the skin of a wearer to support eyeglasses worn by the wearer comprises a flexible body sized to be disposed on a wearer's nose. The body includes a back surface, a front surface and an edge or a pair of edges, with the edges defining the width of the body and the back surface including an adhesive for temporarily retaining the article on the skin of a wearer. A protrusion is disposed on the front surface and extends above a plane defined by the front surface, with the protrusion being configured to engage eyeglasses worn by a wearer when the article is affixed to the wearer's nose to thereby inhibit the eyeglasses from slipping down the wearer's nose.
In particular embodiments the article includes a pair of protrusions. The protrusions may be elongate and/or curved. Still further, the body may include a pair of distally oriented side portions separated by a central portion with the side portions being oriented with respect to the central portion to form a gap whereby in use with the central portion disposed about the bridge of a wearer's nose the side portions extend generally downwardly along the side of the wearer's nose. In such an embodiment the body may be curved, or the side portions may be oriented non-linearly relative to the central portion. The protrusion may include a support surface configured for engaging with eyeglasses to inhibit the eyeglasses from slipping down the wearer's nose. Still further, one or more removable tabs may be disposed on the back surface of the article to cover the adhesive prior to application to the skin of a wearer.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of inhibiting eyeglasses worn by a wearer from slipping down the wearer's nose comprises providing the noted article and temporarily affixing it to the skin of a wearer about the wearer's nose, whereby the protrusion is configured for engaging eyeglasses worn by the wearer to thereby inhibit the eyeglasses from slipping. The article may alternatively be employed for aiding in retaining other objects on or to a wearer.
The article and method of the present invention provides an effective and cost efficient device for inhibiting slippage of eyeglasses down a wearer's nose. The article may be temporarily affixed about a wearer's nose as desired to prevent eyeglass slippage, such as when undergoing physical movement or activity. It should be noted that the article is not dependent upon any attachment to the glasses themselves. Instead, it attaches to the skin of the user, and is designed to support the glasses at its heaviest point (typically the area around the nose or cheeks). Because the article adheres to the user and not to the glasses themselves, it solves the previous problem of sticky material, which is used on the glasses, to provide support against the skin of the user at the nose or bridge. As previously mentioned, when this type of solution is used and glasses move or shift, the sticky material that is used, has a tendency to disengage from the skin. Once disengaged, the material loses its stickiness, because foreign substances (oils, skin, etc), adhere to the material, which then dramatically reduces its effectiveness after each such action. Similar to tape that is repeatedly removed from the surface it was meant to attach too. Because the article does not behave in this manner, once applied, it retains its attachment to the skin and therefore, keeps the glasses in position, regardless of how many times the glasses shift or how often the user perspires sweat or oil.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of this invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein the numbered elements in the following written description correspond to like-numbered elements in the figures.
With reference now to
Still further, in the embodiment of
Article 120 may be constructed of a woven, plastic or latex material, or the like, with back surface 140 including an adhesive 148 for securing article 120 to the skin of a wearer 22. Moreover, some or all of article 120 may be constructed to be either transparent or translucent to minimize the appearance or visibility of the device when worn on an individual.
One or more tabs or covering strips 150 (
Front surface 138 is textured by way of a pair of protuberances 134a, 134b extending outwardly from or relative to front surface 138 to form ledges or ridges on front surface 138. Protuberances 134a, 134b each include a support surface 152 against which eyeglasses worn by an individual are restrained, such as via contact with the nose pads 26 of eyeglasses 24 or the bridge portion 32 of eyeglasses 30. Moreover, in use a portion of eyeglasses 24 or 30 contacts the front surface 138 of article 120, as understood from
In the embodiment of
It should be understood that alternatively configured article supports may be employed within the scope of the present invention. For example, a support article may have a non-planar to surface and/or have a single protuberance or more than two protuberances, and/or the protuberance(s) may be non-linear. Still further, some or all of the front surface, including the protuberance(s), may either be non-sticky or sticky, with a sticky surface being provided to further aid in the retention of eyeglasses. A mastic material, for example, may be applied to the front surface to provide stickiness. It should be further appreciated that the protuberances or projections of the support article may be constructed to have alternative cross sectional shapes and to project outwardly relative to the front surface to varying distances, including projecting outwardly within the range of approximately 1 mm to 6 mm, for example, such as relative to a plane defined by the top surface.
An alternative embodiment of an article support device is shown in
Article 220 includes a base portion or body 236 comprising a generally U-shaped curved strip of flexible material with a top or front surface 238 and a planar bottom or back surface 240. Body 236 has a pair of legs or side portions 242a, 242b joined at a central portion 244, with side portions 242a, 242b curving downwardly from central portion 244 relative to each other with respect to the orientation in which article 220 is worn by a user to define the generally curved orientation of body 236. As with article 120, side portions 242a, 242b extend downwardly along the sides of the nose 29 of a wearer 22 relative to central portion 244 spanning the bridge 28 of the nose 29 of the wearer 22. Accordingly, a gap or arc 246 is formed between side portions 242a, 242b, which in the embodiment of
Article 220 may be constructed of a woven, plastic or latex material, or the like, and some or all of article 220 may be constructed to be either transparent or translucent. Back surface 240 includes an adhesive 248 for securing article 220 to the skin of a wearer 22, with one or more tabs or covering strips (not shown) initially being positioned over back surface 240 to prevent exposure of adhesive 248 until the strips are peeled off prior to adhering article 220 to the skin of a user.
Front surface 238 further includes a single protuberance 234 extending outwardly from or relative to front surface 238 to form a ledge or ridge thereon. Protuberance 234 includes or forms a support surface 252 against which eyeglasses worn by an individual are restrained, such as via contact with the nose pads 26 of eyeglasses 24 or the bridge portion 32 of eyeglasses 30. In the embodiment of
Still another alternative embodiment of an article support device is shown in
Article 320 includes a base portion or body 336 comprising a strip of flexible material with a top or front surface 338 and a planar bottom or back surface 340. Body 336 has a pair of legs or side portions 342a, 342b joined with a central portion 344, with side portions 342a, 342b extending angularly downward from central portion 344 relative to each other with respect to the orientation in which article 320 is worn by a user to define a generally curved orientation of body 336. As with articles 120 and 220, side portions 342a, 342b extend downwardly along the sides of the nose 29 of a wearer 22 relative to central portion 344 spanning the bridge 28 of the nose 29 of the wearer 22. Accordingly, a gap or arc 346 is formed between side portions 342a, 342b. In the embodiment of
Article 320 may be constructed of a woven, plastic or latex material, or the like, and some or all of article 320 may be constructed to be either transparent or translucent. Back surface 340 includes an adhesive 348 for securing article 320 to the skin of a wearer 22, with one or more tabs or covering strips (not shown) initially being positioned over back surface 340 to prevent exposure of adhesive 348 until the strips are peeled off prior to adhering article 320 to the skin of a user.
Front surface 338 further includes a pair of protuberances 334a, 334b extending outwardly from or relative to front surface 338 to form ledges or ridges thereon, and against which eyeglasses worn by an individual are restrained, such as via contact with the nose pads 26 of eyeglasses 24 or the bridge portion 32 of eyeglasses 30.
In the embodiment of
Protuberances 334a, 334b are disclosed as being generally L-shaped in the embodiment of
Article support devices may be constructed in accordance with the present invention having variously configured textured ridges, ledges or protuberances. Referring now to
In the embodiment of article 420a in
Still a further alternative embodiment of an article support device is shown in
Article 520 includes a base portion or body 536 comprising a strip of flexible material with a top or front surface 538. Body 536 has a central portion 544 that is disposed over the bridge 28 of the nose 29 of wearer 22, but unlike the other embodiments does not include a pair of legs or side portions joined to central portion 544 for adhering to the sides of the nose. In the embodiment of
Article 520 may be constructed of a woven, plastic or latex material, or the like, and some or all of article 520 may be constructed to be either transparent or translucent. The back surface (not shown) includes an adhesive for securing article 520 to the skin of a wearer 22, with one or more tabs or covering strips (not shown) initially being positioned over the back surface to prevent exposure of the adhesive until the strips are peeled off prior to adhering article 520 to the skin of a user.
Front surface 538 further includes a single, arched protuberance 534 extending outwardly from or relative to front surface 538 to form a ledge or ridge thereon. Protuberance 534 includes or forms a support surface 552 against which eyeglasses worn by an individual are restrained, such as via contact with the bridge portion 32 of eyeglasses 30. In the embodiment of
The support articles of the present invention provide an efficient and easy means of aiding in the retention of objects worn by individuals, such as for preventing slippage of eyeglasses on a wearer's nose. The articles conveniently support the objects without requiring physical interconnection between the article and object being supported. Although described herein as being used to support eyeglasses worn by an individual, it should be appreciated that the devices may alternatively be used to support other objects worn by an individual. Still further, the physical design itself is also self adjusting in nature. When the article is secured to a wearer's nose, the orientation of the protrusion allows for the eyeglasses to self seat and provides maximum contact against the article, thereby limiting alignment problems and complexity associated to seating the glasses. As the nose pads or bridge is seated on the support article, the profile of the ledge when applied to the nose, creates a triangular shape in relation to the contact surface of the bridge or nose pad. The angled upper sides allow for the self seating and alignment, once the pads or bridge settles down onto the protrusion(s).
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3046989 | Hill | Jul 1962 | A |
3597053 | Mastman | Aug 1971 | A |
3701592 | Fernandez | Oct 1972 | A |
3758202 | Chunga, Sr. | Sep 1973 | A |
3977407 | Coleman et al. | Aug 1976 | A |
4120304 | Moor | Oct 1978 | A |
4131341 | Bradley, Jr. | Dec 1978 | A |
4190334 | O'Neil | Feb 1980 | A |
4204750 | Hilbert | May 1980 | A |
4251302 | Leonard et al. | Feb 1981 | A |
4454090 | Saumell | Jun 1984 | A |
4470674 | Piampiano | Sep 1984 | A |
4490141 | Lacko et al. | Dec 1984 | A |
4730915 | Jannard | Mar 1988 | A |
4742824 | Payton et al. | May 1988 | A |
4747681 | Brower | May 1988 | A |
4781451 | McAllen | Nov 1988 | A |
4787729 | Ruffen | Nov 1988 | A |
4804374 | Laskody | Feb 1989 | A |
4813776 | Borsos | Mar 1989 | A |
4823789 | Beisang, III | Apr 1989 | A |
5172688 | Dillon | Dec 1992 | A |
5196871 | Tom | Mar 1993 | A |
5416923 | Peugh | May 1995 | A |
5513635 | Bedi | May 1996 | A |
5526070 | Simioni | Jun 1996 | A |
5581312 | Chen | Dec 1996 | A |
5646707 | Arnette | Jul 1997 | A |
5755225 | Hutson | May 1998 | A |
5771087 | Martin et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
6058931 | Muchin | May 2000 | A |
6098616 | Lundy, Jr. et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6283594 | Hamano | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6318362 | Johnson | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6328038 | Kessler et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6340228 | Cummings et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6419687 | Berke | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6582074 | Chen | Jun 2003 | B1 |
7631967 | Huang | Dec 2009 | B1 |
20050148984 | Lindsay et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
20080259271 | De La Renaudiere | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20090020222 | Hamano | Jan 2009 | A1 |
20120036608 | Beliveau | Feb 2012 | A1 |
20120050666 | Havens-Olmstead | Mar 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140354941 A1 | Dec 2014 | US |