Nose pad assembly for eyeglasses

Abstract

A novel nose pad assembly for eyeglasses is provided wherein the support and nose pad are formed as a fully articulating ball and socket joint. The ball and socket joint provides excellent adjustability of the nose pads in a simple mechanical construction. In a unique method of forming the nose pad assembly the support structure (ball) is formed in a first molding step and an adjustable pad member is molded directly over the ball of the support structure in a second molding step. The present invention utilized in-mold-assembly techniques to reduce the assembly steps required to form such a nose pad assembly while further resulting in a nose pad that has increased adjustability and utility. Alternately, the pad portion may be formed first and the support structure formed second. Also, the materials selected may include either hard or soft plastics to form either component.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is related to and claims priority from earlier filed provisional patent application No. 60 / 576,367, filed Jun. 2, 2004.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to eyewear assemblies and methods of manufacturing eyewear assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to safety eyewear assemblies that are manufactured utilizing multi-shot molding techniques to achieve unique manufacturing and assembly advantages. [0003] In the prior art, there are a large variety of different types of protective eyeglasses that are available for protecting a user's eyes when engaging in hazardous activities. Generally, however, most of these protective eyeglasses are not adapted to be both comfortably worn and adjustable to fit different wearers. Accordingly, wearers have been forced to wear uncomfortable, poorly fitting protective eyewear, resulting in wearers that disregard proper safety pr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] In this regard, the present invention provides a novel construction for protective eyeglasses that includes numerous points of articulation thereby allowing the eyeglasses to be highly adjustable to suit the needs of virtually all users of the eyeglasses. Further, the present invention utilizes complex, multi-step injection molding techniques to form in-mold-assembly (IMA) components that are then incorporated into the finished eyeglasses thereby reducing complexity and overall assembly steps.

[0010] Briefly, the protective eyewear comprises a brow bar adapted to receive and support a lens, a noise piece adapted to be snap received into the nose bridge of the lens, and two temple bar assemblies that are snap received into the terminal ends of the brow bar. Among the unique features of the eyewear of the present invention is a centrally anchored lens which allows the terminal ends of the brow bar to free float relative to the lens and to flex outwardly. This ability to flex allows the brow to deflect as the temple bar assemblies are moved outwardly further allowing the eyewear to adjust to larger heads.

[0011] Additionally, the present invention utilizes novel multi-shot molding techniques to provide various hinge connections and telescoping parts that are all sequentially formed inside the mold cavity during molding to create IMA subassemblies that do not require any additional assembly steps once removed from the mold cavity. In the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, the molding techniques are particularly important in the formation of adjustable elastomeric nose pads on the nose-piece of the inventive eyewear, as well as in the formation of the temple bar assemblies that include a ratchet adjustment, hinge, and telescoping cables. Additionally, the multi-shot molding techniques are effective for providing soft cushion materials on the inner side of the brow bar, and lens bumpers on the outer side of the brow bar.

[0012] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide safety eyewear products that are at least partially assembled in-the-mold using novel multi-shot molding techniques. It is a further object of the present invention to provide safety eyewear having a flexible brow bar to accommodate different size heads. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide protective eyewear that includes multiple articulated joints that increase the overall adjustability of the eyewear to enhance comfort and wearability of the eyeglasses.

Problems solved by technology

Generally, however, most of these protective eyeglasses are not adapted to be both comfortably worn and adjustable to fit different wearers.

Accordingly, wearers have been forced to wear uncomfortable, poorly fitting protective eyewear, resulting in wearers that disregard proper safety procedures and fail to wear protective eyewear.

However, the lens in this construction does not provide for free floating ends, instead, it is pinned at notches 10 (see FIG. 7).

Further, several separate pieces must be molded and subsequently assembled thereby increasing the complexity of the assembly process.

The difficulty with these prior art protective eyeglasses is that each one is only an incremental improvement and none of them provide a comprehensive solution for manufacturing protective eyeglass that are universally adjustable for individual users while also being comfortable to wear and have a reduced number of individual parts to facilitate assembly.

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