STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for securing eyeglasses when the eyeglasses are not in use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many people wear eyeglasses and remove them from time to time during the day. On average, a person removes his or her glasses at least three times a day. For example, a person might wear sunglasses outdoors and take them off when entering a more dimly lit retail store or office building. Sometimes the person will leave the sunglasses in his or her hand, set them down, and then mistakenly leave the sunglasses behind. Otherwise, if the person has an eyewear case, the person may take the time to remove the eyewear case from a pocket, place the sunglasses in the eyewear case, and then return the case to the pocket. Or the person may just place the sunglasses directly into the pocket, which might subject the lenses to scratching. Worse, the user may hang the sunglasses loosely over a shirt collar such that the sunglasses are subject to unintended falling and resulting damage. The present invention provides a safer and more convenient way to secure the eyeglasses without the risk of loss of or damage to eyewear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Eyewear with a clip connected to an inner surface of an eyewear temple that can be used to clip the eyewear to an article of clothing or similar item.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top, left side, front perspective view of an eyewear clip;
FIG. 2 shows a pair of eyewear;
FIG. 3 shows a user holding a pair of eyeglasses with the temples folded inwardly.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the eyewear clip;
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the eyewear clip with adhesive on the bottom surface;
FIG. 6 shows a user holding the eyewear clip;
FIG. 7 shows the user removing a paper layer protecting the adhesive;
FIG. 8 shows the paper layer removed;
FIG. 9 shows the user applying the clip to the inner surface of the temple of a pair of eyeglasses;
FIG. 10 shows the clip adhered to the inner surface of the temple;
FIG. 11 shows the clip adhered to the inner surface from another angle; and
FIG. 12 shows the clip being utilized to secure the eyeglasses to the user's shirt.
FIG. 13 shows a unique identification marking on the top surface of the clip.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of an eyewear clip 1.
FIG. 2 shows an exemplary pair of eyeglasses 2, to which the eyewear clip can be applied. The exemplary pair of eyeglasses comprises a right lens 3, a left lens 4, a right rim 5, a left rim 6, a bridge 7, a right temple 8 and a left temple 9. The right temple 8 has an anterior end 8A and a posterior end 8B and the left temple 9 has an anterior end 9A and a posterior end 9B. The right lens 3 and left lens 4 are transparent such that the user can see through the lenses when the eyeglasses are placed on his or her face. The lenses can be refractive and/or tinted. The lenses are generally made of a hard material such as glass, plastic, polycarbonate, trivex, hard resin or other similar material well known to those of skill in the art.
The left rim 6 holds the left lens 4 in place and the right rim 5 holds the right lens 3 in place. The bridge 7 connects that left rim 6 and the right rim 5 and is placed over the user's nose when the present invention is in use as eyeglasses. The right temple 8 is hingedly connected via a right hinge 10 at the anterior end 8A to the right rim 5 and the left temple 9 is hingedly connected via a left hinge 11 at the anterior end 9A to the left rim 6. Typically, the hinges comprise metal. Standard hinges (also known as barrel hinges) are the most common type of eyeglass hinges. The barrel hinge design features a series of metal rings (barrels) that fit into each other like a zipper, with a small screw that slides inside to keep the barrels in place. Spring or flex hinges can also be used within the scope of the present invention. Known for its flexibility, the spring or flex eyeglass hinge offers the active wearer a snug fit that doesn't pinch. Unlike standard or barrel hinges, spring/flex eyeglass hinges come with an attached spring that allows them to bend past ninety degrees. The spring itself takes the majority of the force when the glasses bend and twist, allowing this type of hinge to retain its initial balance and fit without the need for subsequent adjusting. It should be noted, however, that the temples can also be connected to rims without hinges, although typically hinges are used.
The ends of the temples are generally curved downward and inward in order to better fit over the ears of the user. The right and left temples are hinged so that they can be folded inwardly when not in use. FIG. 3 shows the hand 20 of an individual holding a pair of eyeglasses 24 of which the temples have been folded inwardly (top view).
In FIG. 2, the left rim, right rim and bridge are formed as a single piece of plastic, although these parts can be made as individual pieces that are connected together in some manner generally known to those of skill in the art. The rims and/or bridge can also be made from other material such as metals or composites. Typically, the temples comprise a hard plastic, mineral composite, metal or other material. The temples can also comprise hard, dense-grained wood such as cherry, olive, maple, mesquite, oak, and bog-wood. A wood composite might also be used, as well as a wood laminate.
As seen in FIG. 4, the eyewear clip 1 depicted in FIG. 1 is shown from the side, As can be seen in FIG. 4, the clip has a bottom prong 30 and a top prong 31. The clip 1 also has a closed end 32 and an open end 33. In the preferred embodiment, the clip is comprised of a single piece of metal, although the clip can also comprise a single piece of plastic, or be formed of some other, flexible material. In the preferred embodiment, there is a bend 34 at the rear of the clip (closed end 32) and the two prongs form a gap 35 at the front of the clip (open end 33). Notably, an upward bend 36 formed within the top prong 31 widens the gap 35. It is preferred that the clip is sufficiently flexible along the bend 34 so that the prongs can be separated further when clipping over fabric or other clothing material.
The bottom surface of the bottom prong is shown in FIG. 5. Here, a layer of adhesive 40 has been applied to the bottom surface of the bottom prong. Although the adhesive is shown here to cover only a small portion of the surface, it is also possible for the adhesive to cover a greater portion of the bottom surface, including the entirety of the bottom surface. As described more fully below, the clip can be adhered directly via the adhesive to the inner surface of a temple of a pair of eyeglasses so that the clip can be utilized to secure the eyeglasses to an item of clothing when the eyeglasses are not in use.
FIGS. 6 to 12 show how the clip is applied to the inner surface of a temple in the preferred embodiment. In FIG. 6, a user has grasped the clip 1 in his left hand 50. As seen in FIG. 7, the adhesive on the bottom surface of the bottom prong has been protected by a removable, paper layer 51. FIG. 7 shows the user removing the protective paper layer to expose the adhesive.
In FIG. 8, the user has completed the removal of the protective paper layer 51 and the adhesive is completely exposed. As shown in FIG. 9, the user 50 then moves the clip 1 towards his eyeglasses 2 to adhere the clip to the inner surface of the left temple. In FIG. 10, the clip has been adhered directly and exclusively to the inner surface of the left temple proximately to the anterior end of the temple. It should be noted that a space 53 has been formed between the left temple hinge 11 and the rear bend of the clip. The reason for the gap is so that the temples of the eyeglasses can be folded inwardly completely without the clip hitting the lens. It should also be noted that the bend 34 between the prongs is proximate to the hinge and the ends of the prongs forming the gap are directed away from the lens and toward the rear end of the temple where the temple is placed over the user's ear. It is preferred that the clip is relatively small so that it does not interfere with the use of the eyeglasses when the clip is not engaged and so that the clip does not hit the lens when the temples are folded. In the preferred embodiment, the top prong of the clip is about 1 and ¼ inches long and the bottom prong is about 1 and ⅜ inches long. Additionally, the clip is about 3/16 inches wide. FIG. 11 provides a view of the clip adhered to the inner wall of the left temple. It should be noted that the user could have also adhered the clip to the inner wall of the right temple.
FIG. 12 shows the clip in use. Here, the clip has been clipped over a t-shirt 60 worn by the user. The top surface of the top prong can be seen over the front of the t-shirt and most of the left temple and the bottom prong are hidden from view and are on the other side of the fabric.
FIG. 13 shows a label 70 adhered to the top surface of the clip. In the preferred embodiment, the label bears a unique identifier for the clip. Generally, the label should convey two items of information, a unique ID for the owner and a means for contacting the owner. If the eyewear (along with the clip) is lost, a person who finds the eyewear can use the unique identifier to notify the owner of the eyewear that the eyewear has been found. Systems and methods that utilize a unique identifier to facilitate the return of a lost item are well known in the art, and such systems and methods that can be utilized in the context of the present invention are described in US Patent Nos. 7,978,068 (label with unique identifier and website address in FIG. 2A), 8,537,002 (label with unique identifier and website address in FIG. 2A), and 9,569,950 (label with unique identifier, telephone number and website address shown in FIG. 3). The specifications of these three US patents are incorporated herein by this reference as though set forth in full. As can be seen in FIG. 13, the unique identifier borne by label 70 is an email address, namely “abc123@lostmyglasses.com”, This email address provides two pieces of information, a unique ID and a means to communicate with the owner of the eyewear. Means other than a label can be used to provide the unique ID on the clip, such as etching the surface of the clip.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the techniques, structures and methods of the present invention above are exemplary. The present invention can be implemented in various embodiments without deviating from the scope of the invention. For example, the clip and the temple can be integral such as no adhesive is required. In such a case, the temple and the clip might be molded from a single piece of hard plastic so that the operation shown in FIGS. 6 to 12 is not required of the user. Other types of clips might also be used within the scope of the invention, such as an alligator clip adhered to the temple. Additionally, the bend 13 may be sufficiently flexible so that the eyewear can be clipped to items thicker than fabric, such as thick, leather belts. Furthermore, different sizes, shapes and dimensions of the various components might be used.
Patent Application
20230380580
