The present invention relates generally to corrective lenses employed in eyewear such as eyeglasses, protective eyewear, and goggles. More particularly, the disclosed system and method relates to a lens having a first portion forming a shield or surrounding portion formed of optically correct material and having one or a plurality of projections permanently positioned thereon for formation of corrective lenses. So configured, the device forms a unitary structure where the perimeter of the first portion of the lens is adapted for engagement in an eyewear frame or goggle or other lens frames.
Individuals with eyesight problems have turned to corrective eyewear for hundreds of years. As a general rule, such eyesight problems are a result of the physical characteristics of the eye of the person requiring corrective lenses. Over the duration such corrective lenses have been provided to users requiring them. The basic nature of grinding lenses to refocus the image captured by the eye of the user onto the receptive rear surface of their eye in a manner rendering clearer vision has progressed to provide corrections for issues other than near or far sightedness. However, the basic premise of positioning a lens in front of the eye of the user to refocus incoming light is still present today.
In some instances the nature of construction of corrective lenses, especially in combination with safety or protective eyewear, has been less than adequate. For example, users of corrective lenses who suffer from severe farsightedness require very thick lenses to correct their vision, which are not well adapted for use in combination with a shield type eyewear such as goggles. Further, such thick lenses have perimeters which limit the engagement to eyeglass frames.
Further, those with nearsightedness or farsightedness or who suffer from other vision acuity problems also have problems trying to wear protective goggles such as military members who wear goggles, or others who wear sport goggles for activities such as skiing or motorcycling. The problem of corrective lenses is also an issue when combined with workers who must wear safety goggles.
Conventionally, such users have been forced to try and fit their eyeglasses within the cavity of the goggle or safety goggle covering their eyes. In such a combination, the user must view their surroundings through both the goggle lens, and their own lenses positioned in-between the goggle lens and their face. Such has led to poor vison from fogging, glare from the interaction of spaced refraction surfaces, shadow images caused by the spaced lenses, and other issues caused by the interaction between the eyeglass lenses spaced from the goggle lens or lenses.
In prior art, a partial solution to the problem has been advanced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,814,349 (Quintana), while a leap forward in the concept of providing a unitary structure of two corrective lenses and a shielding lens, it does not provide panoramic vision correction to the user which would eliminate the need to turn their head to see clearly. Quintana, while teaching the novel concept of using two planar projecting portions rising from one side of a first curving or panoramic lens for formation of ophthalmic lenses, it makes no accommodation for the risk of cracking along the perimeter of the projecting portions at their intersection with the front curving lens. Additionally, refraction of light through the sidewall of the projecting portions and adjacent their intersection with the front panoramic lens, as taught by the Quintana reference, may generate refractive qualities, such as colorized light, which has been found to be distracting to users. Additionally, when employed for goggles which form a sealed cavity in front of the face of the user, the dissimilar thicknesses of the panoramic lens or shield areas thereof with projecting portions can have thermal issues during formation due to the retention of heat in the thicker areas. Additionally, no prior art teaches a manner in which smaller projections on a curved panoramic shield can be ground to required characteristics to provide vision correction to a wearer.
As such, there exists an unmet need for a corrective lens which curves around the eye of the wearer which is formable upon a surface of a thinner panoramic lens. Such a lens should provide an intersection of the perimeter of the curved projecting material from which the ophthalmic lens is formed and the planar panoramic front lens is configured to prevent cracking and stress fractures over time and temperature differentials. Such a device should provide a form which is employable in single lenses of eyewear as well as in dual lens configurations of protective eyewear shields and sport and protective goggle devices and in shapes which allow for formation of progressive lenses in both the horizontal and vertical direction. Still further, such a device and method should provide projections on the frontal panoramic lens which are machinable to corrective lenses using conventional lens grinding machinery, in spite of the large and highly curved panoramic lens surrounding the projecting portions.
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 invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related prior art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.
It is an object of this invention to provide a unitary structure of a first curved or panoramic lens having one or a plurality of curved projecting portions formed thereon which may be cut to form curved ophthalmic lenses.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a unitary structure where the first lens on which the projecting portion is formed, surrounds the projecting portion in a thinner cross section of optical material which may be fit to frames heretofore precluded for users with thick lens prescriptions.
It is a further object of this invention to eliminate or at least minimize the potential for cracking of the thinner front or panoramic lens at the intersection of the perimeter sidewalls of the projecting portions and the panoramic lens they are formed upon.
It is a further object of this invention to provide the projecting portions formed upon a surface of a larger curved lens to be machinable using conventional lens grinding machinery despite the large and curved first lens portions surrounding them.
It is also an object of this invention to provide the projecting portions formed in unitary structure with the surrounding panoramic first lens in shapes which may be cut to allow for progressive vision correcting lenses in both the horizontal and vertical directions.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a combination panoramic first lens having one or a plurality of curving projection portions which, when formed to a prescription correction required for a user, allows the user to see clearly to the sides of their head without the need to turn their head.
Another object of this invention is the provision of such a panoramic front lens with one or a plurality of curving projecting portions on a side facing the face of the user which may be formed to the sight prescription needs of the user and positioned into an AR or VR headset or in combination with AR or VR eyeglasses.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present lens invention and system herein, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements described in this specification and hereinafter described in the following detailed description which fully discloses the invention, but should not be considered as placing limitations thereon.
The present invention is a lens formed into a unitary structure featuring a first lens portion formed in a generally concave panoramic shape and having one or a plurality of projecting portions on a rear surface, defined in shape by a perimeter edge thereof, rising from a permanent connection with a first surface of the first lens portion. This curved or panoramic first lens portion is in a unitary structure with one or a plurality of projecting portions extending from a rear surface thereof which are formable to provide curving vision correction to both of the eyes of a wearer or user. The formed first lens portion with the projection or projections, formed to correct the vision of both eyes of a user, is operatively engageable within an AR or VR headset. Alternatively, the formed first lens and projection combination may be formed in an engagement with the display screen of such headsets to provide users requiring glasses, which will not fit within the headset, vision correction forward and to the sides by simply moving their eyes rather than their head.
The cross sectional thickness of the first lens portion, which curves around and surrounds the projecting portions, is thinner than the cross sectional thickness of the area within the bounds of the perimeter of the projecting portions rising from an inner or first side of the first lens portion.
In a preferred mode of the device, the radii of the first lens portion or shield can vary slightly to better accommodate the portion in a central area of the shield where the projections are located and reduce distortion further. For example, the first lens portion or shield can have a general radii of a front surface of the shield or first lens portion, which is 75 mm. However, the central area where the projections extend can be 65 mm (flatter). This slight flattening of the arc in the central portion has been found to increase the range of possible corrective prescriptions to be produced. However, the difference in radii would not be noticeable to the naked eye, and the first portion or shield will maintain, in general, its original shape for cosmetics and fitment to conventional frames and goggle housings.
This curved or panoramic first lens portion is optically correct across its entire surface such that the thinner surrounding area, on both sides of the central portion, is optically correct and significantly thinner in cross section to allow engagement within an eyeglass frame or goggle or AR or VR headset, but still adapted for an engagement to temple portions to form a shield.
In all modes of the lens device herein disclosed, it is preferred that the one or plurality of projections extending from the side of the panoramic curved first lens portion curve around from a first side adjacent a central area positioned in front of the nose of the user to a second side adjacent one side of the first lens portion to allow for formation of each projection to yield a corrective lens for the user.
In all modes of the lens device herein disclosed, it is preferred that the one or plurality of projections extending from the user-face side of the curved first lens portion provide panoramic vision correction wherein the wearer has correct vision when turning their eyes and thereby eliminating the need to turn their entire head to see clearly.
In some or all modes of the device herein, the intersection of the perimeter edge of the sidewall, defining the shape of the projecting portion employed for lens formation, with the first surface for the first lens portion is preferably neither a perpendicular intersection of two planar surfaces nor an intersection of a straight line extending up the sidewall surface of the projecting portion.
In some or all modes of the device herein, that intersection of the sidewall of the perimeter of the projecting portions which defines a shape of the projecting portions is preferably formed such that the line running up the sidewall surface from the intersection with the first surface of the first lens portion is non linear in that a portion of the sidewall changes direction relative to the rest of the sidewall extending to the edge of the machinable surface of the projecting portion.
In all modes of the device herein, one or, more preferably, a plurality of such projecting portions are engaged with the surrounding optically correct panoramic lens in a manner to yield a permanent connection between the two, which forms a unitary structure with minimal, if any, optical distortion therethrough. This connection between the projecting portion or portions is preferably achieved by molded formation of a unitary structure of the projecting portions and the first lens portion or shield defining a panoramic lens.
In forming a unitary structure, the projections and first lens portion or shield can be molding as a single unit, or the projections may be co-molded into the first lens portion to form a unitary structure. In co-molding, the projections are pre-formed and subsequently communicated into the mold for the first lens portion, wherein a first surface of the projections melts and joins to the projecting portions to form a unitary structure.
As noted, it is preferable that the intersection of the perimeter sidewall of the projections, and the central portion of the first lens portion, is not perpendicular. Thus, in molding or forming the unitary structure of the first lens portion and projections, this intersection is preferably formed curved or angled. It is also preferred that a width of the intersection of the angled or curved surface forming the connection be small and not rise more than a millimeter above the surface of the first lens portion, because experimentation has shown this to minimize any distortion or light refraction issues.
In all modes of the lens device herein, the projections formed in the unitary structure with the first lens portion preferably curve around the eyes of the user from a central area of the first lens portion to a position adjacent the side edge of the panoramic first lens portion. This curved configuration allows the projection or projections to be formed to ophthalmic lens portions to correct the vision of the wearer or user. Once formed to correct the vision of the user, the curved projection or projections yield concurrent horizontal vision correction curving to the sides of the panoramic first lens portion as well as vertical progressive vision correction.
As noted, this curved projection or projections, once formed to correct the vision or the user, provides corrected vision to both sides of the head of the user which is achieved when simply turning their eyes to the side. It eliminates the need for users to turn their head to see clearly as is required with conventional eyeglasses. This corrective function is especially preferred during sports, such as bicycling, where head turning is not desirable and where users are wearing AR or VR headsets and head turning to yield corrected vision would be useless.
The depicted shape or shapes of the projecting portions which is defined by the sidewall intersecting the first surface of the first lens portion, can be formed, as shown herein, or in other shapes, which will allow for cutting or forming of panoramic vision correcting lenses in combination with vertically corrective progressive lenses. For example, one such shape, as shown in the figures, has a wider diameter adjacent the two side edges or ends of the panoramically curved first lens portion which narrows toward the middle area of the first curved lens.
This preferred shape allows for portions of the projecting portion or portions to extend closer to the bridge of the nose, while concurrently extending to the temple and well below the nose. This extended rectangular shape with a curve extending from a nose-side to the lower edge allows for formation of progressive lenses which are highly customized to a user where the provided vision correction is both from top to bottom and sideways from nose to temple. Such provides corrective vision to the user who may keep their head facing forward and simply turn their eyes to see clearly to both sides which is important where the user is wearing AR or VR headwear and needs vision correction therefor.
Additionally, if formed of a curved first lens portion or shield with one or a plurality of projecting portions thereon for engagement to goggles or an eyeglass frame, a polarizing layer may be placed in-between the material forming the first lens portion and the projecting portion which is machinable to form the corrective lens. This will provide polarized light transmission to the wearer. Such may be accomplished by layering the first lens portion.
Still further, the shape of the projecting portion defined by the sidewall intersecting the first surface of the first lens portion can be formed in shapes, as shown herein, or other shapes, which will allow for cutting of progressive lenses therein for the user providing vertical and horizontal vision correction without the need for the user to turn their head to see clearly. For example, one such shape, as shown in the figures, has a wider diameter adjacent the two ends of the curved first lens portion and narrows and extends toward the middle.
This preferred shape allows for portions of the projecting portion to extend closer to the bridge of the nose, while concurrently extending toward the temple of the user and well below the nose. This extended rectangular shape with a curve extending from a nose-side to the lower edge allows for formation of vertical and horizontal progressive vision correcting lenses which are highly customized to a user where the progressive lens can be both horizontal from top to bottom and sideways from nose to temple. Since the surrounding section of the first lens portion is significantly thinner than the unitary portion of the projecting portion and first lens portion, the formed lens or shield can be configured for users.
Additionally shown is a preferred removable tooling engagement member which may be formed as part of the unitary lens. By formation of this tooling engagement member, in a break away or removable engagement extending perpendicular from the axis of the unitary lens and in a centered position, it allows for machining of the raised surfaces of the projecting portions to form corrective lenses by an engagement of the unitary structure to a lens machining apparatus using the removable projecting member. As noted, this tooling engagement, and the unitary structure of the first lens and projecting portion, overcomes the problems associated with the prior art, where the large curved panoramic first lens portion blocks engagement in a conventional fashion to lens grinding machines. Once the projecting portion surface or surfaces have been properly machined to the corrective lens, the projecting member can be removed by breaking a frangible portion or cutting it from the side edge.
Still further, the unitary lens herein is especially well adapted to the formation of protective eyewear, as well as for sport goggles and the like. This is because the one or plurality of raised portions are permanently engaged and extend from the first surface of the first lens portion surrounding the raised portions, and the first lens portion is large and panoramic and has thin edges, the unitary structure provides a goggle which is protected from fogging and the like.
Further, as noted above, a wafer or layer of polarizing film may be positioned between the lenses, or within the pre formed projecting portions which are later co-molded to the first lens portion, thereby providing polarized eyewear to the user for high glare conditions.
In all modes, both the first lens portion surrounding the engaged projecting portion, and the projecting portion or portions, may be formed of polycarbonate plastic or other optically suitable polymeric or plastic materials, such as a monomer plastic, or a “High Index” plastic.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the panoramic vision correcting lens for use in combination with eyeglass or sunglass frames or an AR or VR type headwear 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 unitary lens 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 and carrying out the present disclosed system and eyewear apparatus. 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.
Other aspects of the present invention shall be more readily understood when considered in conjunction with the above noted accompanying drawings, and the following detailed description, neither of which should be considered limiting.
Now referring to drawings of
A particularly preferred shape of the projecting portions 16 is shown in
This preferred shape allows for portions of the projecting portions 16 to extend closer to the bridge of the nose in this central area 32 while concurrently extending to the temple and well below the nose. This extended rectangular shape, with a curve extending from a nose-side of the projections 16 to a lower edge adjacent both ends of the first lens portion 12, allows for formation of progressive lenses, using the projecting portions 16, and prescriptive eyewear, which are highly customized, as the formed progressive lens can be both horizontal from top to bottom and sideways from nose end to temple end.
Shown in
In the depiction of
Instead, at or adjacent to, the intersection 20 of the surface of the sidewall 18 deviates from a planar or straight surface, with an angled portion or curved portion of the surface communicating between the sidewall 18, and the first surface 14. Currently, the angled intersection of
Thus, the non linear intersection, as defined herein, can be any of a group of non linear intersections including an intersection formed by a curved surface extending between said first end of said sidewall and said first surface of said first lens portion, as in
As shown in
In
A perspective view of this configuration is shown in
In
Shown in
Another goggle or protective eyewear mode is shown in
Where filtered optics are desired or required in the device 10 herein in any mode, such is depicted in
There is seen in
The lens device 110 is configured for engagement and use in the same manner as that of
The curved lens device 110, in a similar fashion to those of
As such, when wearing the AR or VR headset 113, with the lens device 110 operatively mounted to an as-used position therewith, the user may turn their eyes to focus on different areas of the display 115 and have their vision corrected by the curving ophthalmic lenses formed from one or two projections 116 located on the first surface 112 of the curved or panoramic first lens portion 112. It should be noted that the lens device 110 may also be mounted to a goggle or frame or the like in a similar fashion to that of
As can be seen in other drawings herein, such as in
It is the unitary structure of the optically correct panoramic first lens portion 112 and the curved projection 116 or projections 116 extending from the rear surface thereof facing the eyes of the user, when worn, which is especially preferred to help eliminate refractive errors, double images, rainbows, and other vision issues which are caused by wearing eyeglasses behind a front lens as well as to eliminate uncorrected peripheral vision.
Once the projection or projections 116 are formed to an ophthalmic lens to correct the vision of the wearer or user, they will have vertically corrected vision up and down such as progressive, and they will have panoramic horizontal corrected vision side to side. Thus, the user, wearing the lens device 110 herein, an the as-used position operatively engaged with or to a AR or VR type headset 113, will be afforded corrected vision of the display 115 forward and toward both side edges 120, by simply turning their eyes in that direction.
As noted, conventionally, a user wearing conventional eyeglasses will have an effective corrected vision field of view to substantially between 90 and 115 degrees. This leaves blurry and uncorrected vision at their periphery viewing and they must turn their head to see clearly to the sides. Such will not work when wearing an AR or VR headset. Such is neither desirable or recommended when participating in sports, such as bicycle racing or skiing, where the user would need to turn their head to see to the sides, which takes their attention off the area directly in front of them where they are headed at high speed.
As can be seen in
As also shown in the modes of the lens device 110 of
Such a removably engageable configuration will allow eye professionals, having a mount 126 such as in
In this fashion, once the projections 116 are formed by conventional grinding, abrasive surfacing, or 3D printing or other means to form ophthalmic corrective lenses for the impaired vision of each user, they may be tested locally for correctness as to vision correction vertically and panoramically. A mount 128 on the headset 113 will be positioned to operatively engage with a connector 130 on the lens device 110, such that it removably engages with the headset 113 and places the lens device 110 in an as-used position. The connector 130 my be a removable connection between the first lens portion 112 and the headset 113 or a goggle or frame also which will hold the device 110 in the as used position and allow for adjustment of the first lens portion 112 toward and away from the face and eyes of the user. Such will allow for translation of the first lens portion 112 and the processed projections 116 to locate them in the best distance from the eyes of the user to focus through the ophthalmic lenses formed by the processing of the projection or projections 116.
By as-used position herein is meant that the lens device 110 is aligned with and adjacent the display 115 area when employed in combination with an AR or VR device, and, for all modes of the device 10 or 110, it is optically aligned to thereby position one respective formed raised portion 116 in front of the aligned eyes 122 of the user, such as in
For fine tuning of the lens device 110 to the eyes of the user and the headset 113 to which it is engaged, or to the eyeglass frame or goggle, an adjustable mount 131 may be provided. The adjustable mount 131 may have an adjuster which can be actuated to move the lens device 110 closer to or further from the display 115 and concurrently closer or further from the aligned eyes of the user.
Shown in
As shown, in one mode, a connector 130 is engageable with either a fixed mount 128, such as in
The adjustable mount 131 would include a frictional or mechanical engagement of the mount 130 to the first lens portion 112 and gearing or the like which will move the mount 130 engaged to the first lens portion 112 toward and away from the eyes of the user. The same mount 130 can also be connected to gearing or sliding engagement to move the first lens portion 112 up and down should such be required to help center the pupils of the user to the proper central positioning relative to the respective projecting portions 116 which would be formed to ophthalmic lenses to correct the vision of each eye of the user.
In
Also shown are the display 115 contacting against or being positioned immediately adjacent the front exterior surface of the first lens portion 112. With the single projection 116 providing a first area 117 and second area 119 to surface or machine and form first and second corrective lens areas, the user is again afforded horizontal vision correction for each eye which extends from the opposing sides of the projection 116 which are adjacent a respective edge 120 of the first lens portion 112 to a central area 132.
Shown in
Shown in
In
The frame mount 126, when positioned on a user, is employable to hold the projection 116 or projections 116 in front of the eyes of the user, at substantially the same distance from their eyes as it will be when operatively engaged with an AR or VR headset or positioned in a goggle frame or engaged with a mount having temples. In this fashion, the spacing of the pupillary distance (PD) of the user can be determined by viewing the pupils therethrough and the distance of the lens in front of their eyes can be determined.
Once the needed forming of the projections 116 to yield the ophthalmic lens for the vision correction required by the user to clearly see through them, such as viewing the display 115, is accomplished with the correct PD, the frame mount 126 can be employed to hold the finished lens device 110 operatively in the as-used position upon the face of the user to test it prior to being engaged to a headset 113 or to an eyeglass frame or goggle frame. This testing may be accomplished by positioning a display 115 adjacent the lens while engaged to the frame mount 126 in a fashion substantially similar to the positioning of the lens device 110 in the display 115 of choice of the user.
As noted, any of the different configurations and components shown and described herein can be employed with any other configuration or component shown and described as part of the corrective lens device worn on a head of a user such as a goggle, eyewear, or for use with an AR or VR headset. Additionally, while the disclosed lens invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof and components thereof operatively engaged for operation, a latitude of equivalent modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features, or configurations, or operations of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art subsequent to reviewing this specification, are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.
Further, the purpose of any abstract of this specification is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Any such abstract included herein is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting, as to the scope of the invention in any way.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/465,945 filed on May 12, 2023, and is a Continuation in Part application to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/853,259 filed on Apr. 20, 2020, which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/754,506 filed on Feb. 22, 2018, which was a national filing of PCT/US16/49110 filed on Aug. 26, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/210,024 filed on Aug. 26, 2015, all of which are incorporated in their respective entirety by this reference thereto.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63465945 | May 2023 | US | |
62210024 | Aug 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15754506 | Feb 2018 | US |
Child | 16853259 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16853259 | Apr 2020 | US |
Child | 18228611 | US |