Patent Application
20140185002
This present disclosure relates to eyewear, and particularly to eyewear and eyewear frames including temples, which may be contoured for a cooperating fit, for example, with a circumaural headset.
Eyewear may be used by individuals utilizing circumaural headsets, such as hearing protection devices, noise cancellation or other types of audio headsets. For example, eyewear may be worn in a combat zone along while wearing or using a circumaural communication device. In other instances, an individual may wish to wear an over-the-head hearing protection device when participating in certain sports, such as hunting, or when entering a noisy environment. The temples of conventional eyewear may tend to interfere with proper fit of the headset. Certain eyewear designed particularly for use with a headset may be ineffective for use without the headset (e.g., without being secured in place by the headset). Eyewear according to the present examples may address some or all of these or other shortcomings of conventional eyewear.
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several examples in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative examples described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other examples may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are implicitly contemplated herein.
As briefly described above, eyewear may frequently be worn in conjunction with a circumaural headset, whether used for protection (e.g., hearing protection), for audio communication (e.g., circumaural audio communication devices), or for other reasons. Typical eyewear may include a lens and a frame, the frame generally consisting of a front portion or rim which engages the lens, and side portions, typically known as temples. A shortcoming of conventional eyewear is their tendency to cause an improper and/or uncomfortable fit when worn with a circumaural headset. Typically, the temples of conventional eyeglasses extend generally straight back and/or outward from the hinge causing the temples to be spaced apart from the head of the wearer. As such, conventional eyeglasses fail to provide a sufficiently conformal fit against the wearer's head as may be necessary to obtain a good seal of the circumaural headset against the head of the wearer. Rather, the temples may tend to break the seal of the earmuffs reducing their effectiveness and/or resulting in an uncomfortable and improper fit. As a solution to the fit problem, conventional eyewear intended for use with a headset may have temples made from a substantially flexible material which can be forced to conform to the head of the wearer when a headset is placed over the wearer's head. In effect, the clamping force of the headset is generally relied upon to retain the eyewear in place. The temples of such eyewear, however, is typically too flexible to maintain the eyewear in place when the headset is removed, and as such, the eyewear is generally unsuitable to wear without simultaneously wearing the headset. Accordingly, currently known solutions may be deficient and alternate solutions to this problem may be needed, examples of which are described herein.
Each of the temples 16, 18 may include first and second arm portions 22, 24 extending from the first and second hinge portions 26, 28, respectively. As will be described in further detail below, the arm portions 22, 24 of each of the first and second temples 16, 18 may be shaped to substantially conform to a head of a wearer along the length of each arm portion.
Each arm portion 22, 24 may have a proximal segment 42 (see
As shown in
In some examples, the arm portions 22, 24 may be shaped such that a distance between the apexes 34 of the respective arm portions is less than a distance between respective ends of the hinge portions 26, 28. In some examples, the distance between the apexes 34 of the respective arm portions is less than the distance between any two opposing locations along the respective proximal segments 42. In some examples, the distance between the apexes 34 of the respective arm portions may be less than the distance between any two opposing locations along the respective distal segments 44. In some examples, the distal segments 44 of each arm portion may have a substantially convex curvature which may correspond to the curvature of the head of the wearer. In this manner, temples according to the present disclosure may be provide a low profile fit which may allow a headset to be comfortably worn over the eyewear while maintaining a proper seal between the cups of the circumaural headset and the wearer's head.
In the present example, the temple 18 may have a rectangular cross-section defined by a height 46 and a thickness 48. In other examples, other transverse cross-sectional shapes different than the rectangular cross-section depicted in
As depicted in the figures, temples according to the present examples may have a generally flattened cross-sectional profile. The term “flattened” implies a relatively large height to thickness ratio. For example the height to thickness ratio at least at one position along the length of the temple may be at least 10:1, or in some examples, at least 15:1. The height to thickness ratio of temples according to other examples may be 20:1 or greater. The height of the temple may be taken at any position along its length, and the height is not limited to being the same along the length of the temple and may vary along the length.
In a non-limiting example, a thickness 48 of the temple 18 may be up to about 1 mm thick. The thickness 48 of the temples may be constant or it may vary along the length of the temple (e.g., along the direction Y. In some examples, the thickness 48 may be about 0.7 mm or less, or about 0.5 mm or less. In other examples, the temples may be about 0.63 mm thick. As described, a height 46 of the temples may be at least 10 times the thickness 48, or in other examples the height 46 may be at least 15 times the thickness 48.
In some examples, the height 46 of the temple may taper from a first height 46′ to a second height 46″. The first height 46′ may be about 10 mm or greater and the second height 46″ may be about 5 mm or greater. In other examples, the height 46 of the temple may remain substantially constant along the longitudinal direction. In some examples, the height 46 of each of the temple may be about 7 mm or more.
As depicted in the side views in
As depicted in the figures, each temple (e.g., temple 16, 18) may be implemented as a flattened elongated member 39. The elongated member 39 (e.g., temple 16, 18) may be made from a metal, such as stainless steel. Other materials may also be used, for example titanium, aluminum alloys, or others alloys. Plastics or composites (e.g., fiber reinforced or laminated materials) with suitable moduli of elasticity may be used instead of or in combination with metallic materials for the temples according to the present disclosure. In other examples, a combination of metal and plastic may be used, as shown in
In examples in which the temples are implemented from metal, the temples may be formed by stamping or cutting the elongated members from sheet metal and bending the elongated metal members as may be desired to obtain the curvature of each temple. Each elongated metal member may be bent in a first direction to define the inward jog (e.g., the proximal segment 42) of the arm portion 24, and then bent in a second direction opposite the first direction to form the apex 34. The distal segment 44 of the temple may be shaped to a curvature adapted to fit conformally and comfortably against the head of a wearer. As will be appreciated, the temples according to the present disclosure may simultaneously offer a low profile (e.g., fit conformally and closely to the head of the wearer) while being sufficiently structurally stable to retain their shape when worn without a circumaural headset.
A layer of non-metallic material (e.g., pad 27) may be included over the distal end of the elongated member 39 for additional comfort and/or advantages for the wearer. For example, the pad 27 may be an overmold of a tacky rubber material, such as thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The pads may cushion the ends of the temples against the wearer's head and provide friction for retaining the eyewear in place (e.g., in contact with the wearer's head). The pad 27 may be positioned over the distal end of the arm portion 24 such that it protrudes from the arm portion 24. In other examples, additional shaping, such as detents 43, may be used to recess the pad relative to the arm portion 24 and achieve a more streamlined profile. The pad 27 may be slid into place and may be removable, or the pad 27 may be molded over the arm portion 24 using conventional injection molding techniques. Locator features, for examples through holes, indents, or protrusions, on one or more surfaces of the arm portion 24, may be used to locate and retain the arm portion in place during manufacture. For example, a through-hole 49 may be used to locate and hold the arm portion 24 stationary during injection molding of the pad 27.
As previously discussed, while only temple 18 has been depicted and previously described in detail with reference to
In some examples, and as shown in
The temple 116 in the
The hinge portion 126 of the temple 116 may be made of virtually any rigid plastic material, for example nylon or a PC/ABS blend plastic. Other plastic materials, such as impact resistant nylon, composites, such as fiber reinforced or core stiffened materials, may be used instead of or in combinations as may be desired. The hinge portion 126 may include a hinge barrel 129 configured for pivotally coupling to receiving hinge barrel portions at a front portion of an eyewear frame (not shown). For example, the hinge portion 126 may be coupled to the front portion 15 (of frame 12 previously described).
In a manner similar to the proximal segments of the metal temples 16, 18 described above, the hinge portion 126 of the present example may be configured to jog inward from the hinge end 137 towards a region defined 130 defined between two opposing temples. By shaping the hinge portion 126 in this manner, the metal arm portions which are coupled to the hinge portion may be brought in near contact with the head of the wearer to achieve the low profile, conformally fitting eyewear described herein. The hinge portion 126 may substantially follow the contour of the metal arm portion enclosed therein. The hinge portion 126 may be wider near the hinge end 137, for example for providing structural stability of the eyewear frame at the hinge.
The hinge portion 126 may be coupled to the metal portion 116 using any of a variety of techniques. An end of the metal arm portion may be enclosed by the hinge portion (e.g., molded over the proximal end of the metal arm portion) as shown in the examples in
Referring now to
One or more pads 127 may be provided at a distal end of the arm portion. In a similar manner to the pads 27, the one or more pads 127 may receive the thin metal member or the pads 127 may be molded over in a non-removable manner using techniques as described with reference to the non-metal hinge portion, or other conventional techniques known in the art.
Techniques for forming temples, for example temples including an overmolded plastic hinge portion, will be described in further detail with reference to
The elongated metallic member may have a height and a thickness, the height being at least ten times greater than the thickness. In some examples an option step, as shown in dashed box 1210, may be cutting an elongated strip of material from sheet metal having a gage corresponding to the desired thickness. The cutting may be achieving using conventional stamping or die cutting processor or other machining techniques. The elongated strip of material may be coated and/or treated (e.g. polished or brushed), as may be desired. The elongated strip of material may then be bent to define the curvature of the metal arm portion.
In the case of a fully metal temple, a hinge member (e.g. hinge barrel portion) may be attached to one end of the metal arm portion, for example by welding or other conventional techniques. In the case of a partially metal partially non-metal temple, a hinge portion, which may be made of plastic may be coupled to one end of the metal arm portion. The hinge portion may include a hinge barrel portion for pivotally coupling the temple to a frame. As shown in box 1230, the hinge portion may be molded over the end of the metal arm portion using injection molding techniques. During the injection molding process, a clamping force may be applied to the part being molded over (e.g. the metal arm portion) to hold he part stationary within the mold while plastic is injected into the mold. A unique aspect of the molding process according to this disclosure is the use of the mold tool to form an image pattern (see e.g., logo formed in the plastic hinge member in
Examples of eyewear, eyewear frames, and methods for forming same are described herein. An eyewear frame according to one example may include a pair of metal temples hingedly coupled to a front portion of the frame. Each of the metal temples may include a hinge portion and an arm portion which bends inward from the hinge portion towards a region defined between the temples. In some examples, the metal temples may be formed from stainless steel or any other suitable metallic material.
Each of the arm portions may be configured to have a generally flattened profile.
For example, a height of the arm portion at a particular location of the arm portion (e.g., first height) may be at least ten times a thickness of the arm portion at that location. The height of the arm portion may taper from the first height to a second height. In some examples, the first height of the arm portion may be about 10 mm or greater and the second height may be about 5 mm or greater. The thickness of the arm portion may be substantially constant along a longitudinal direction of the arm portion. The thickness of the arm portion may be about 0.7 mm or less, or it may range from about 0.4 mm to about 0.7 mm. In some examples, the thickness of the arm portion may be about 0.5 mm or less.
According to another example, an eyewear frame may include a front portion, a first temple and a second temple. The first and second temples may be hingedly coupled to the front portion of the frame, and each of the first and second temples may include a plastic hinge portion and a metal arm portion. In some examples, the plastic hinge portion may be molded over a first end of the metal arm portion, or in other examples, the metal arm may be attached to a surface of the plastic hinge portion. The metal arm portion may be made of stainless steel, and the plastic hinge portion may be made of nylon, PC/ABS blend plastic or from other plastics or composite materials. The plastic hinge portion may include a hinge barrel portion configured for hingedly coupling the first and second temples to the frame. In some examples, each of the first and second temples may further comprise a pad attached to an end of the metal arm portion opposite the plastic hinge portion.
An eyewear according to the examples herein may include a lens and a frame. The frame may include a first temple and a second temple, each of said first and second temples including a hinge portion and an arm portion. The arm portion of each of the first and second temples may have a height and a thickness, the ratio of the height to the thickness being 10:1 or greater. In some examples, the height to thickness ratio may be 15:1 or greater. The arm portion of each of the first and second temples may be configured to conform to a head of a user. In this regard, the eyewear may provide a low profile configuration suitable for use with circumaural headsets. In some examples, the hinge portion of each of the first and the second temples may be made of plastic, or in other examples, the first and second temples may be entirely made of metal. Stainless steel may be used allowing the eyewear frame to retain its shape and remain in conforming fit with the wearer's head when no headphones are worn.
As will be appreciated, some of the advantages of eyewear and eyewear frames according to the examples herein may include their ability to be worn comfortably and effectively with circumaural headsets. Many other advantages of the examples described will be appreciate in light of the present disclosure and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and examples disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
