Abstract:
The assembly for attaching a side shield to an eyewear temple includes a temple having a first side and a second side. A lock member is connected to the first side of the temple with a lock aperture therethrough. A side shield, having a laterally running channel, is provided with side walls and a pair of channel apertures on opposing sides of the channel and aligned with one another transversely across the channel. An eyewear temple resides in the channel of the side shield with the lock aperture residing between and aligned with the pair of channel apertures. A lock pin, having an upper end and a lower end, is routed through the pair of channel apertures and the lock aperture thereby securing the side shield to the temple.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application U.S. Serial No. 60/329,729, filed Oct. 16, 2001.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to eyewear and, more particularly, to eyewear that is worn by a user for safety purposes.  
           [0003]    Various environments are very dangerous due to the exposure of flying debris and other materials. For example, a tooling shop is constantly exposed to flying metallic debris which presents a particularly dangerous condition for the eyes of the people present in the environment. Such flying metallic debris, caused from drilling and cutting of metal tooling, can easily fly into the eyes of a person in the environment causing serious injury.  
           [0004]    To avoid contact with such debris, safety eyewear is typically employed. Such safety eyewear is available in many different forms. The safety eyewear used usually varies according to the level of protection needed. For example, face shields are often employed to completely protect the face of the user when there is a large volume of debris. Also, goggles may be used to protect the eyes only of the user when the volume and nature of the debris is significant.  
           [0005]    In many instances, conventional eyeglass frames and impact-resistance lenses are more than adequate to protect the users eyes from light debris found in most work environments. However, such conventional eyeglass frames and lenses do not typically provide adequate protection on the sides of the frames in the regions of the temples. Thus, these safety glasses, using an eyeglass frame and lenses, are vulnerable to debris from the side.  
           [0006]    To address the vulnerability of the aforesaid eyeglass frames and lenses to impact of debris from the side, shields are typically affixed to sides of the frames, such as to the temples of the eyewear, to provide additional protection from debris entering from the side of the eyewear. Such shields are typically referred to as “side shields” and can be affixed to the temples of the eyewear by various methods. Unlike goggles and full face shields, the eyeglass frame configuration of safety glasses can be made to appear similar to normal eyeglasses thus improving the aesthetic appearance of them which would make the user more likely to wear them thus improving overall safety. Most importantly, the side shields must be retained in place at all times to ensure that side protection is available at all times.  
           [0007]    In view of the foregoing, the side shields must be easy to attach and secure in place. In the prior art, side shields have been riveted to the temples of the eyewear. As a result, the installation is permanent thus requiring use of the side shields at all times. Also, various clips and the like have been employed in prior art side shield configurations to retain them in place. For example, various prior art assemblies employ a wedge member to push against the temple into frictional communication with the channel of a side shield into which the temple resides. As a result, the side shield is less likely to detach from the temple during use. However, these side shield assemblies still easily become loose during normal use and then slide easily along the temple making them much less effective as a protective device for the user.  
           [0008]    In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a side shield assembly that can be easily and quickly installed securely without the need for complicated clips and other structures. There is also a demand for a side shield assembly that does not detach or become loose from normal use. There is a further demand for a side shield assembly that cannot slide along the length of a temple of an eyewear frame. There is particularly a demand for a side shield eyewear assembly that is aesthetically pleasing in appearance. Still further, there is a demand for a side shield eyewear assembly that is low profile in configuration and has few parts than prior art assemblies.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention preserves the advantages of prior art eyewear side shield assemblies and methods of installing the same. In addition, the improved eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention and method of installation provides new advantages not found in currently known assemblies and methods and overcomes many disadvantages of such currently available assemblies and methods.  
           [0010]    The invention is generally directed to the novel and unique eyewear side shield assembly and method of attaching such a side shield assembly to an eyewear temple. The side shield assembly of the present invention includes a temple having a first side and a second side. A lock member is connected to the first side of the temple with a lock aperture therethrough. A side shield, having a laterally running channel, is provided with side walls and a pair of channel apertures on opposing sides of the channel and aligned with one another transversely across the channel. An eyewear temple resides in the channel of the side shield with the lock aperture residing between and aligned with the pair of channel apertures. A lock pin, having an upper end and a lower end, is routed through the pair of channel apertures and the lock aperture thereby securing the side shield to the temple. With the lock pin of the present invention in place, the side shield cannot detach from or slide along the temple of the eyewear.  
           [0011]    To install the eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention, the temple of an eyewear frame is placed into the channel of the side shield so that the apertures on opposite sides of the channel are positioned on opposite sides of the aperture through the lock member, such as a wire loop, residing on the inner side of the temple of the eyewear frame. The lock pin is routed through a first aperture through the side shield, then through the aperture through the lock member and then through the aperture in the side shield located on the opposite side of the channel. Excess length of the lock pin extending below the side shield is preferably trimmed to make the assembly more attractive in appearance.  
           [0012]    Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an improved side shield assembly for eyewear.  
           [0013]    Another object of the instant invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that can be quickly and easily installed without the need for special tools.  
           [0014]    Still further, an object of the instant invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that does not become loose over time.  
           [0015]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a turn button that obviates the need for a separate fastener, such as a rivet or screw.  
           [0016]    A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that does not slide along the length of an eyewear temple on which it is attached.  
           [0017]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that can be easily detached from the temple of an eyewear temple.  
           [0018]    A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that is aesthetically pleasing in appearance.  
           [0019]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved eyewear side shield assembly that has few parts to reduce the complexity and cost of the assembly.  
           [0020]    Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method of installing an improved eyewear side shield assembly to an eyewear temple.  
           [0021]    A further object of the present invention is to allow the safety eyewear product to be supplied with temples that have the same thickness as non-safety eyewear.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    The novel features which are characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention&#39;s preferred embodiments, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the eyewear side shield assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a top view of the eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention with the side shield shown in broken lines;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention with the lock pin in the process of being installed;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the line  5 - 5  of FIG. 2; and  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the eyewear side shield assembly of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0029]    Referring first to FIG. 1, an exploded perspective view of the eyewear side shield assembly  10  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. For example, the assembly  10  of the present invention is preferably incorporated into a standard eyewear configuration, as shown in the figures. This assembly includes an eyewear frame, generally referred to as  12 , that includes a temple  14  that is hingedly connected thereto by a hinge  16 . An optional spring  18 , within housing  19 , is connected across the hinge  16  in the usual fashion to maintain the positioning of the temple  14  relative to the rest of the frame  12 . Alternatively, a conventional hinge  16  without a spring  18  may be utilized. A lens  20  is held in place by a lens encircling portion  22  of the frame  12 . Other eyewear components, such as a nose pad  24  and bridge member  26  are also included in the eyewear assembly.  
         [0030]    For ease of illustration purposes only, only one temple  14  and one lens  20  is shown but it should be understood that another side of the eyewear assembly  10  is employed but not shown which is a mirror image thereof. In a given eyewear configuration that employs the assembly  10  of the present invention, a pair of side shields  28 , corresponding to each of the two temples  14  in an eyewear frame configuration is employed. For simplicity, attachment of one side shield  28  to one temple  14  will be discussed and shown in detail.  
         [0031]    Further, the shown eyewear configuration is a standard frame  12  and lens configuration with a temple  14  hingedly connected thereto by hinge  16 . Other eyewear configurations may employ the assembly of the present invention, such as a unitary molded frame design that does not include a hinged temple  14  or separate lens  22 .  
         [0032]    Still referring to FIG. 1, the eyewear assembly  12  is capable of receiving a side shield  28  in communication therewith. The side shield  28 , in accordance with the present invention and as described below, is attached to the temple  14  of the frame  12  by an unique attachment construction. More specifically, a lock member  30  is preferably connected to an inner surface  14   a  of the temple, namely the surface that faces inwardly toward the side of the head of the wearer of the eyewear assembly  10 . The lock member  30  is preferably in the form of a wire loop that is attached directly to the inner surface  14   a  of the temple  14 . For example, if the eyewear frame  12 , including the temple  14 , is made of metal, the wire loop lock member  30  is soldered to the inner surface  14   a  of the temple  14 . Alternatively, if the eyewear frame  12 , including the temple  14 , is made of plastic, the wire loop lock member  30  is integrally molded or formed with the rest of the eyewear frame  12 . The lock member  30  provides an anchor onto which the side shield  28  is attached, as described in detail below.  
         [0033]    The lock member  30  is shown in FIGS.  1 - 5  as a wire loop, by way of example. The lock member  30  may be in any form that can receive the lock pin  48 , as described above. For example, a hole drilled in the temple  14  itself or spring hinge housing  104 , as shown in FIG. 6, may be alternatively used.  
         [0034]    The side shield  28  includes an upper portion  32  and lower portion  34  with a transversely running channel  36  midway therebetween for slidably receiving an eyewear temple  14  therein. As shown in FIG. 2, the temple  14  is insertable into the channel  36  so that an outer surface  14   b  of the temple  14  faces toward the floor  38  of the channel  36 . The outer surface  14   b  of the temple  14  need not touch the floor  38  of the channel  36  of the side shield  28 . A front flange  40  is further provided on the side shield  28  for communicating with the front edge  42  of the eyewear frame  12 , namely in the region of the eyeglass lens  20 . This additional flange  40  provides additional stability to the side shield  28  when connected to the eyewear frame  12 . As can be seen in FIGS. 2, 4 and  5 , a pair of tabs  44  may be optionally employed to provide additional stability of the temple  14  within the channel  36  of the side shield  28 . On opposing sides of the channel  36  are a pair of channel apertures  46   a ,  46   b  for receiving a lock pin  48  therethrough. An access hole  50  is also provided through the side shield  28  to permit easy access to the screw  52  located at the hinge  16  that connects the temple  14  to the eyewear frame  12 .  
         [0035]    To install the assembly  10  of the present invention, the temple  14  is first inserted into the channel  36  of the side shield  28  with the front flange  40  of the side shield  28  in communication with the front of the eyewear frame  12 . The side shield  28  is positioned as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As can be seen in FIGS. 2, 4 and  5 , tabs  44  may be optionally employed to provide additional stability of the temple  14  within the channel  36 . To insert the temple  14  into the channel  36  of the side shield  28  when tabs  44  are employed, the temple  14  is laterally aligned with the channel  36  and tilted at an angle relative thereto so that a leading edge of the temple  14  may first enter between the tabs  44 . When the entire temple  14  has gone past the tabs  44 , it is rotated to reside fully within the channel  36 .  
         [0036]    With the temple  14  residing in the channel  36  of the side shield  28 , the side shield  28  is positioned so that the access hole  50  is over the screw  52  of the hinge  16  and the channel apertures  46   a ,  46   b  are aligned with the lock member  30 , namely, the aperture  52  defined by the wire loop  30 . FIG. 3 shows a top view of the installation of the side shield  28  illustrating this alignment.  
         [0037]    Now that the side shield  28  is aligned on the temple  14 , the lock pin  48  is preferably first inserted through the top channel aperture  46   a , through the wire loop  30  and then through the bottom channel aperture  46   b . FIG. 4 shows the lock pin  48  in the process of being inserted through the side shield  28  and wire loop  30 . The lock pin  48  preferably includes a head  54  and tapered free end  56  to facilitate the routing through the side shield  28  and wire loop  30 . Moreover, the lock pin  48  is also preferably made of a resilient material, such as nylon, so that it grippingly engages apertures  46   a  and  46   b  of side shield  28 . Further, the lock pin  48  preferably includes circumferential ribs  58  to improve gripping to the side shield  28  to prevent the lock pin  48  from backing out therefrom.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view through the line  5 - 5  of FIG. 2 which illustrates the routing of the lock pin  48  through the channel apertures  46   a ,  46   b  and wire loop  30 . The excess lower portion of the lock pin  48  at free end  56  may be trimmed at the broken line to make the installation more aesthetically pleasing. However, such trimming is not required.  
         [0039]    It can be understood that the lock pin  48  may be alternatively inserted upwardly into the bottom channel aperture  46   b  first from below as opposed to being inserted first downwardly into the upper channel aperture  46   a . With certain eyewear frame configurations, this routing direction may be preferred. Further, the lock member wire loop  30  is shown on the inner surface  14   a  of the temple  14  that faces the head of the wearer. Alternatively, the wire loop  30  can be attached to the outer surface  14   b  of the temple  14  that faces away from the wearer&#39;s head to engage with and align with various channel apertures  46   a ,  46   b  in the side shield  28 . In this alternative configuration (not shown), the side shield  28  is be modified to accommodate the positioning of the lock member wire loop  30  on the outer surface  14   b  of the temple  14 . In fact, the wire loop  30  member may be located on the top edge  14   c  bottom edge  14   d  of the temple  14  and the side shield  28  can be configured accordingly with, for example, a transversely extending lock pin  48 .  
         [0040]    Turning now to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment  100  of the assembly of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the lock member is not a wire loop  30  as in the preferred embodiment  10  of FIGS.  1 - 5  but an aperture  102  through the housing  104  positioned about the temple hinge spring  118  on temple  114  attached to frame  112 . In this embodiment, the aperture  102  aligns with the channel apertures  146   a ,  146   b  of the side shield  128  for receipt of the lock pin  148  therethrough. The functionality of the alternative embodiment  100  is, essentially, identical to that of the preferred embodiment  10  but may be considered more aesthetically pleasing in that the lock member  102  is integrated into the body of the housing  104  for the temple hinge spring  118 .  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 2 illustrates the assembly  10  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention fully installed onto an eyewear frame  12  employing the lock member wire loop  30  configuration. With this installation, the side shield  28  is secured to the eyewear frame  12  without the need for special tools or complex parts. Since the lock member  30  is a closed structure, namely a wire loop  30 , the lock pin  48  and its engagement with the side shield  28  prevents the side shield  28  from not only becoming detached from the temple  14  but also prevents the side shield  28  from sliding along the length of the temple  14 .  
         [0042]    Therefore, no friction wedges, screws or rivets are required to secure the side shield  28 ,  128  to the temple  14 ,  114  and no additional tabs or other structures are required to prevent the side shield  28 ,  128  from sliding along the length of the temple  14 ,  114  of the eyewear frame  12 ,  112 . The lock pin  48 ,  148  need only communicate with the side shield  28 ,  128 . In fact, the lock members  30 ,  102  simply serve as pass through holes for the lock pin  48 ,  148  which need not touch the lock members  30 ,  102  in any way. This is because there is specifically no force fit of the temple  14 ,  114  into the channel of the side shield  28 ,  128 . Thus, the side shield  28 ,  128  may be loosely secured to the temple  14 ,  114  in accordance with the assembly of the present invention yet still avoid detachment and sliding along the length of the temple  14 ,  114 .  
         [0043]    It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the appended claims.