Patent Grant
6880177
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pair of ergonomic swimming goggles and, more particularly, to a pair of ergonomic swimming goggles having peripheries of eye socket-sticking sides designed according to eye socket depth.
2. Description of Related Art
Swimming is a healthy and widely practiced sport, for which swimming goggles are one of the most commonly used equipment. Their primary function is to protect human eyes. They can separate eyes from water to avoid discomfort due to lengthy immersion in unclean water or harm caused by contaminants in the water. Nowadays, safety and sanitation are greatly valued and self-protection at open water-friendly places like public swimming pools is especially necessary to avoid transmission of various kinds of disease media through water.
A pair of conventional swimming goggles comprises a pair of lens bodies, two linings, a bridge component and a goggles band. The two lens bodies are left and right symmetric. Each lens body further comprises a lens portion. The periphery of the lens portion extends to the eye socket-sticking side of the swimming goggles to form a side frame portion. Lock ears and goggles band holes are provided at the adjacent ends and the distant ends of the left and right lens bodies, respectively. Slanting protuberances are provided at two sides of the bridge component. Two ends of the bridge component pass through the lock ears of the left and right lens bodies to fasten the protuberances to the lock ears and adjust the distance between the two lens bodies. Two ends of the goggles band pass through and are connected to the goggles band holes of the two lens bodies. Each of the linings has a firm joint portion, which is annularly disposed at the periphery of the side frame portion of the lens body. An elastic portion is also extended from the firm joint portion. The elastic portion is located at the eye socket-sticking side of the lens body. Both the thickness of the firm joint portion and the width of the elastic portion are designed to be uniform.
In the above conventional swimming goggles, the thickness of the firm joint portions of the linings is uniform, and the width of the elastic portions is also uniform. The eye socket of the human body, however, has a curved shape with different depths. As a result, the linings cause uncomfortable compression in shallow areas of eye sockets and fail to create an airtight seal in deep areas of eye sockets, allowing permeation and possible contamination of the wearer's eyes.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic swimming goggles, which can tightly cover the peripheries of eye sockets to prevent water leakage while simultaneously avoiding improper compression of eye sockets for greater comfort during wear.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pair of ergonomic swimming goggles. The pair of ergonomic swimming goggles comprises two lens bodies, two linings, a bridge component and a goggles band. Each of the two linings has a firm joint portion annularly disposed at the periphery of the lens body. The region of the firm joint portions corresponding to the deeper regions of eye sockets is thicker, while the region of the firm joint portions corresponding to the shallower regions of eye sockets is thinner. Elastic portions extend from the firm joint portions. The elastic portions are located at the eye socket-sticking sides of the lens bodies. Two ends of the bridge component are connected to adjacent ends of the two lens bodies. Two ends of the goggles band are connected to distant ends of the two lens bodies.
In the present invention, the thickness of the firm joint portions of the linings is designed to match the depth of eye sockets so that the pair of ergonomic swimming goggles can fully seal and comfortably cover the periphery of the eye sockets. Moreover, the extension width of the elastic portions of the linings corresponding to the thicker region of the firm joint portions is narrower, while the extension width of the elastic portions of the linings corresponding to the thinner region of the firm joint portions is wider, hence allowing more comfortable contact between the ergonomic swimming goggles and a wearer's face.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:
As shown in
The lens bodies 10 are made of transparent or translucent plastic material, and are left and right symmetric. Lock ears 11 are provided at the adjacent ends of the left and right lens bodies 10. Each of the lens bodies 10 has a lens portion 12. Side frame portions 13 extend from the peripheries of the lens portions 12 to the eye socket-sticking sides of the swimming goggles. Goggles band holes 14 are provided at the side frame portions 13 at the distant ends of the left and right lens bodies 10. Flanges 15 are provided at the peripheries of the side frame portions 13 of the lens bodies 10. Grooves 16 are formed between the flanges 15 and the side frame portions 13.
Each of the linings 20 has a firm joint portion 21. Grooves 22 are provided at the inner edges of the firm joint portions 21. The grooves 22 are fastened to the flanges 15 of the lens bodies 10 to let the firm joint portions 21 be annularly disposed at the peripheries of the side frame portions 13 of the lens bodies 10. The thickness T1 of the region of the firm joint portions 21 corresponding to the eye sockets of larger depth is larger, while the thickness T2 of the region of the firm joint portions 21 corresponding to the eye sockets of smaller depth is smaller. An elastic portion 23 extends from each of the firm joint portions 21. The elastic portions 23 are located at the eye socket-sticking sides of the lens bodies 10. The elastic portions 21 extend in a curved shape from the firm joint portions 21 to the outer side direction of the peripheries of the lens bodies 10. The extension width W1 of the elastic portions 23 corresponding to the thicker region of the firm joint portions 21 is narrower, while the extension width W2 of the elastic portions corresponding to the thinner region of the firm joint portions 21 is wider.
Two ends of the bridge component 30 are connected to the adjacent ends of the two lens bodies 10. Slanting protuberances 31 are provided at two sides of the bridge component 30. The two ends of the bridge component 30 pass through the lock ears 11 of the left and right lens bodies 10 to fasten the protuberances 31 to the lock ears 11 and adjust the distance between the two lens bodies 10.
Two ends of the goggles band 40 pass through and are connected to the goggles band holes 14 at the distant ends of the two lens bodies 10.
In the ergonomic swimming goggles of the present invention, the linings 20 are disposed at the peripheries of the side frame portions 13 of the lens bodies 10. The linings 20 are slipped onto the peripheries of the lens bodies 10 with the firm joint portions 21 thereof. The elastic portions 23 then extend from the firm joint portions 21. The firm joint portions 21 and the elastic portions 23 are made of the same material. Deformation of the firm joint portions 21 is limited because the same are slipped onto the lens bodies 21. The thickness of the firm joint portions 21 is designed according to the depth of the eye sockets. The region of the firm joint portions 21 where the eye sockets are deeper is thicker, while the region the firm joint portions 21 where the eye sockets are shallower is thinner, hence allowing the peripheries of the lens bodies 10 keep a uniform and appropriate distance from the eye sockets. On the other hand, the deformation of the elastic portions 23 is less limited. The whole elastic portions 23 can uniformly and properly deform. The thickness of the firm joint portions 21 of the linings 20 is designed according to the depth of the eye sockets so that the ergonomic swimming goggles can fully seal and comfortably cover the peripheries of the eye sockets. Moreover, the elastic portions can completely press the eye sockets without the problem of excessive compression in shallower regions of the eye sockets or a poor seal in deeper regions of the eye sockets. Therefore, the ergonomic swimming goggles of the present invention prevent a wearer's eyes from threat of water leakage and also avoid a feeling of compression so as to along comfortable and extended wear while engaging in aquatic activities.
In conclusion, the ergonomic swimming goggles of the present invention have the following characteristics:
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Present invention
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6052834 | Chou | Apr 2000 | A |
| D451118 | Husband | Nov 2001 | S |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040158916 A1 | Aug 2004 | US |
