Abstract:
A pair of eyeglasses includes a lens support structure having an elongated cavity formed therein that defines an air plenum extending transversely across the lens support structure. Air blowers are situated at opposite axial ends of the lens support structure and generate pressurized air into the elongated cavity. A HEPA filter is situated within the elongated cavity. A plurality of orifices formed in a bottom surface of the lens support structure directs pressurized air from the elongated cavity into the space between the eyeglass lens and the eyes of a user to displace allergens. Electronic circuitry, including a battery and switch, is situated within the lens support structure and operates the blowers. A status indicator is situated on the lens support structure to provide a visual indication of the operational state of the blowers and condition of the battery.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/232,533, filed on Sep. 25, 2015, and entitled “Eyeglasses And Eyeglass Attachment For Directing Filtered Air Over The Eyes Of A Wearer”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and on which priority is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to eyeglasses and attachments for eyeglasses. 
         [0004]    Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    It is well documented that eyes are one of the most sensitive and vulnerable organs due to their unprotected exposure to the environment. Ocular allergies, or allergies in the eye, are no different than allergies that affect your sinuses, nose or lungs. Additionally, allergy eyes can generate other problems, such as conjunctivitis (AKA pink eye) and asthma. A condition known as rhino conjunctivitis occurs when both nasal and eye allergies occur simultaneously. 
         [0006]    About 30%-50% of all U.S. residents have some type of allergy symptom, and about 75% of those symptoms affect the eyes. Eye allergies happen when airborne allergens and other particles (i.e., dust) land directly on the surface of your eye, causing irritation and redness. Then, the body overreacts to the substance and floods the eyes with tears and mucus. Most people will experience itchy eyes. It is the most common symptom of allergy eyes. It can affect both of your eyes or sometimes, one eye may be more intensely affected than the other. 
         [0007]    When an allergen comes into contact with your eyes, your body releases histamines—a chemical produced in reaction to a substance that the immune system cannot tolerate. Special cells called mast cells make histamines. These cells are present throughout the body, but are highly concentrated in the eyes. This leads to itching, redness, and watery eyes. 
         [0008]    The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology estimates that 50 million people in the United States have seasonal allergies, and its prevalence is increasing—affecting up to 30 percent of adults and up to 40 percent of children. In addition to having symptoms of sneezing, congestion and a runny nose, most of these allergy sufferers also experience itchy eyes, watery eyes, red eyes and swollen eyelids. 
         [0009]    Normally harmless substances that cause problems for individuals who are predisposed to allergic reactions are called allergens. The most common airborne allergens that cause eye allergies are pollen, mold, dust and pet dander. 
         [0010]    Among widely known preventative measures to reduce itchy, burning, watery eyes are: 1) to stay indoors &amp; keep the windows closed or 2) wear sunglasses to help shield your eyes. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    It is an object of the present invention to provide modified eyeglasses which are designed to minimize the amount of pollen, dust and other allergens from coming in contact with the eyes of a wearer of the eyeglasses. 
         [0012]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment to conventional eyeglasses which also is designed to minimize the amount of pollen; dust and other allergens from coming in contact with the wearer&#39;s eyes when the attachment is mounted on the eyeglasses. 
         [0013]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide eyeglasses and attachment for existing eyeglasses which provide filtered air to the eyes of the wearer of the eyeglasses. 
         [0014]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide eyeglasses and attachments for existing eyeglasses which are lightweight and comfortable for a user to wear. 
         [0015]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an attachment for conventional eyeglasses that provides filtered air to the eyes of a user of the eyeglasses on which the attachment is mounted and which attachment is adjustable in width and angle so as to conform to the shape of the eyeglasses on which it is mounted. 
         [0016]    In accordance with one foil of the present invention, eyeglasses are provided which are designed to minimize the amount of pollen, dust and other allergens from coming in contact with the eyes by blowing filtered air toward the nose and mouth to thereby displace the non-filtered air. The eyeglasses include a lens support structure and two ear pieces pivotally attached to opposite lateral sides of the lens support structure. The lens support structure includes an internal cavity which defines an air plenum. A blower or fan draws air through an HEPA filter and into the air plenum. The lens support structure of the eyeglasses includes a bottom wall having a plurality of spaced apart orifices formed therein and which are in communication with the air plenum. The bottom wall is preferably sloped to direct air exiting the orifices formed therein towards the eyes of the wearer of the eyeglasses. Accordingly, air blown by the fan, or fans, through the HEPA filter and into the air plenum of the lens support structure and out of the orifices flood the air space between the eyeglass lenses and the eye surface (i.e., cornea) with filtered air to minimize any contact between allergens and the wearer&#39;s eyes. 
         [0017]    In yet another form of the present invention, an attachment which blows filtered air in front of the eyes of a user is mountable on an existing, conventional pair of eyeglasses. 
         [0018]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of eyeglasses for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a first form of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the eyeglasses of the present invention shown encircled in  FIG. 1  by the broken line labeled with the reference number  2 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the eyeglasses of the present invention shown encircled in  FIG. 1  by the broken line labeled with the reference number  3 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the eyeglasses of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 , taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 , and illustrating the eyeglasses of the present invention being worn by a user thereof. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of a portion of eyeglasses for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a second form of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the eyeglasses of the present invention shown in  FIG. 5 , taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a partially exploded, rear perspective view of a portion of eyeglasses for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a third form of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of an eyeglass attachment for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a fourth form of the present invention, and illustrating the eyeglass attachment of the present invention mounted on conventional eyeglasses. 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the eyeglass attachment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 8  and encircled by the broken line labeled with the reference number  9 , the portion being shown in an open state. 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a partially exploded, perspective view of the eyeglass attachment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 8 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of electronic circuitry used in the eyeglasses and eyeglass attachment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view of eyeglasses for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a fifth form of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0031]    The present invention relates to modified eyeglasses  2  and an attachment  4  for existing eyeglasses  6  designed to minimize the amount of pollen, dust and other allergens from coming in contact with the wearer&#39;s eyes by blowing filtered air toward the wearer&#39;s nose and mouth, thereby displacing the non-filtered air. This invention addresses the problem by limiting the contact between the surface (i.e., cornea) of the eye and the previously described allergens by flooding the air space between spectacles and the eye with filtered air. It is not the intention to completely remove all such allergens, but instead to reduce their presence in the air contacting the eyes. 
         [0032]    Reference should be initially had to  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings, which show eyeglasses  2  for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer constructed in accordance with a first form of the present invention. The eyeglasses  2  include the lenses  8 , a lens support structure  10  on which the lenses  8  are mounted and which form the frame for holding the lenses  8  in place, and two ear pieces  12  that extend from the lens support structure  10  back over the ears. The two ear pieces  12  are pivotally or hingedly mounted to opposite lateral sides of the lens support structure  10 . The lens support structure  10  defines an internal elongated cavity extending transversely thereacross that serves as an air plenum  14 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings, the lens support structure  10  includes an upper cross member  16  in which the internal elongated cavity, serving as the air plenum  14 , is formed, although it is envisioned to be within the scope of the present invention to have the lens support structure  10  formed to completely surround the lenses  8  of the eyeglasses  2  and the air plenum  14  being formed therewithin also to encircle the eyeglass lenses  8 . 
         [0033]    The lens support structure  10  includes circular holes or slots, generally referred to herein as orifices  18 , preferably measuring about one millimeter in diameter and equally spaced along the length of the bottom wall of the upper cross member  16  of the lens support structure  10 , adjacent orifices  18  being spaced about ten millimeters from each other. The orifices  18  are in fluid communication with the air plenum  14  within the lens support structure  10  to allow air from the air plenum  14  to exit through the orifices  18 . 
         [0034]    More specifically, the air plenum  14  is designed as a hollow conduit that is pressurized by a pair of micro blowers  20 , the blowers  20  being in fluid communication with the air plenum  14  to blow air therethrough. The micro blowers  20  will be described in greater detail. Thus, the holes or orifices  18  formed in the bottom wall of the upper cross member  16  of the lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  are arranged to blow air on a single plane parallel to the lenses  8  of the eyeglasses  2 . The lens support structure  10  may also be designed to allow air to flow slightly off plane, that is, it is pitched or angled, toward the eye, creating a concave plane bending towards each eye in the center thereof This may be accomplished with the bottom wall of the upper cross member  16  of the lens support structure  10  being angled or sloped inwardly of the eyes. 
         [0035]    As mentioned previously, the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention and shown in  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings include two micro blowers  20 . Both micro blowers  20  are incorporated in the air plenum  14 , or are at least in fluid communication with the air plenum  14 , and provide an air tight seal between the air output or exhaust of the blowers  20  and the air plenum  14 , directing the air flow through the circular holes, slots or more generally, orifices  18 , described above. Each micro blower  20  is positioned at an opposite lateral edge of the upper cross member  16  of the lens support structure  10 , in proximity to where the ear pieces  12  are hingedly mounted to the lens support structure  10 . A circular air intake  22  formed as an opening through the thickness of the front wall of the upper cross member  16  of the lens support structure  10  and covered with a mesh or screen is situated in alignment with the air intake of each micro blower  20  so that, when the micro blowers  20  are energized, the blowers  20  will draw air through the screened opening  22  formed in the lens support structure  10  and into the air intake of the blower  20 , and force air into the plenum  14  formed in the lens support structure  10  from the blower air exhaust or outlet thereof. 
         [0036]    In one form of the present invention, each micro blower  20  is approximately 9 millimeters in height by 9 millimeters in width by 3 millimeters in depth. The micro blowers  20  are preferably DC (direct current) blowers, and may be Part Number UB393-700 manufactured by Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd. of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Of course, other types of blowers may be suitable for use with the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention, as long as the weight and size thereof are kept at a minimum. 
         [0037]    Fitted onto the air intake of each micro blower  20  and in alignment with the screened air inlet  22  is a HEPA filter  24 . Alternatively, the HEPA filter  24  may be mounted adjacent the air exhaust of each micro blower  20 , or may be positioned within the air plenum  14  and disposed across the transverse cross-sectional area thereof prior to the start of the air orifices  18  so that only filtered air will be blown into the air plenum  14  and out through the orifices  18  toward the eyes, nose and mouth of the user of the eyeglasses  2 , as depicted by the arrows in  FIGS. 1, 3 and 4  of the drawings. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings, the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention further include an on/off push button switch  26 , a battery  28 , a light emitting diode (LED) indicator  30  (or some other form of indicator) and a female connector  32 . The switch  26 , battery  28 , LED indicator  30  and connector  32  are preferably mounted on one or both of the ear pieces  12  of the eyeglasses  2  and, in one form, are situated near where the ear pieces  12  are hingedly attached to the lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2 . 
         [0039]    The switch  26  on each ear piece  12  is provided to energize and de-energize a corresponding micro blower  20 , which is attached thereto by wires or other flexible conductors through the hinge attaching the ear piece  12  to the lens support structure  10 . The LED indicator  30 , mounted on the ear piece  12  to be exposed and viewable to the wearer of the eyeglasses  2 , is provided to indicate to the wearer that the blower or blowers  20  are energized. The female connector  32 , also mounted on one or both of the ear pieces  12 , is provided to accept a male jack  33  of an electrical cable leading to an external charging unit provided for charging the internal battery  28  mounted on a printed circuit board  34  situated within each ear piece  12 . The LED indicator  30  will indicate, either by flashing or changing colors, or by being extinguished, whether or not the battery  28  used to power an associated micro blower  20  is charged or discharged (and requires charging). 
         [0040]    The battery  28  may be, for example, a non-serviceable, small single cell lithium polymer battery (LiPo, 3.7 volt, approximately 150 milli-ampere-hours). The female connector  32  may be, for example, a mini USB port that is connectable to a compatible USB connector of a five volt charging circuit. The printed circuit board  34  may include other circuitry, such as a DC-to-DC converter circuit for charging the 3.7 volt battery  28 . 
         [0041]    Thus, the micro blowers  20  are energized by the electronics and, together, pressurize the air plenum  14 . The air plenum  14 , which as mentioned previously is a conduit within the lens support structure  10  that runs across and above the eyes of the wearer of the eyeglasses  2  (although the plenum  14  may extend through a frame which encircles the lenses  8 ), provides filtered air through the orifices  18  toward the eyes of the wearer of the eyeglasses  2 . In this way, any allergens, pollen or dust in the air space between the user&#39;s eyes and the lenses  8  of the eyeglasses  2  will be displaced by filtered air such that contact between the wearer&#39;s eyes and allergens, dust and pollen will be minimized. 
         [0042]    Although a tactile, on/off push, button switch  26  is described above and positioned on each ear piece  12  of the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention to energize the micro blowers  20 , it is envisioned to be within the scope of the present invention to use a flexible hinge switch that is built into each hinge connecting the ear pieces  12  to the lens support structure  10  so that, when the frame is opened with the ear pieces  12  extending substantially from the lens support structure  10 , such as more than 45 degrees, the flexible hinge switches automatically energize the blowers  20 , but when the user folds the ear pieces  12  against the lens support structure  10  (such that the ear pieces  12  are angled at less than 45 degrees from the lens support structure  10 ) for storage in an eyeglass case, for example, the flexible hinge switches will automatically de-energize the blowers  20 . 
         [0043]      FIGS. 5-7  show a modification of the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . In order to maintain a lower profile on the lens support structure  10 , the micro blowers  20 , with the filters  24  attached thereto, may be relocated from the lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2  to the ear pieces  12 . In such an embodiment, each ear piece  12  may include structure  36  defining internally an air channel which is in communication with the outlet of the micro blower  20  and may be in fluid communication with the air plenum  14  of the lens support structure  10  through a flexible conduit  38  that may bend up to 90 degrees, which bridges the hinge between the ear piece  12  and the lens support structure  10 . An inlet structure  40 , defining an inlet opening  42  that is in communication with the air plenum  14 , may be formed on each lateral side of the lens support structure  10  such that the flexible conduit  38  is interposed between the structure  36  on the ear piece  12  which defines the air channel and the air inlet-defining structure  40  on the lens support structure  10 . 
         [0044]      FIGS. 8-10  illustrate another embodiment of the present invention which is in the form of an attachment  4  that may be mounted on existing conventional eyeglasses  6  and used for directing filtered air over the eyes of a wearer. 
         [0045]    The attachment  4  may include an elongated member  44 , either formed as a single piece or in mating sections, having a hollow body defining an internal cavity that serves as an air plenum  14  therewithin that extends across the top or brim of conventional eyeglasses  6  and which is attachable to the ear pieces  47  thereof. The elongated member  44  preferably includes an air inlet  22  covered by a mesh or screen and an on/off push button switch  26  situated on a wall thereof that is exposed and accessible to the user to energize and de-energize the micro blowers  20 . The micro blower, or micro blowers  20 , are situated within the hollow body defining the air plenum  14  of the attachment  4  and in alignment with the screened air inlet  22  of the attachment  4 . A plurality of orifices  18 , spaced apart from each other, are formed in the bottom wall of the attachment  4  so as to direct air blown into the air plenum  14  from the air inlets  22  by the micro blowers  20  towards the eyes of the wearer of the glasses  6  on which the attachment  4  is mounted. A HEPA filter  24 , such as mentioned previously, is affixed either to the air inlet of the blower  20  or the air outlet to provide filtered air through the air plenum  14  of the attachment  4  and out of the orifices  18  formed in the bottom wall thereof. Situated at each opposite lateral end of the attachment  4  is a resilient clip  46  fanned of two parallelly extending leaf springs  48  between which a portion of the ear piece  47  of the conventional eyeglasses  6  may be received so as to mount the attachment  4  onto the eyeglasses  6  and in position to direct filtered air between the lenses of the eyeglasses  6  and the wearer&#39;s eyes. 
         [0046]    In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the elongated member  44  of the attachment  4  is formed of two sections  44   a,    44   b,  each defining therewithin an air plenum  14  and having a plurality of orifices  18  formed in the bottom wall thereof. The proximate ends of the two sections  44   a,    44   b  are attachable to each other with a keyhole slot  50  formed in one section  44   b  and a pin  52  having an enlarged head formed on the other section  44   a,  with the pin  52  passing through the keyhole slot  50  and being held captive therein. The advantage of this embodiment is that the attachment  4  may be adjustable in overall length and curvature so as to match the width and curvature of a pair of eyeglasses  6  on which the attachment  4  is mounted. 
         [0047]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , each section  44   a ,  44   b  of the attachment  4  may include an end cap  54  and drawer  56  mounted thereon which is slideable within the internal cavity defined by each section  44   a ,  44   b  of the attachment  4  so as to have access to the electronic components, including the switch  26 , blower  20  and filter  24 , of the attachment  4 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 11  illustrates the electronic circuitry of the eyeglasses  2  and eyeglass attachment  4  of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10 . The circuitry may be provided in duplicate and situated either in each ear piece  12  or at the lateral end portions of the lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2  or eyeglass attachment  4  within the internal cavity thereof. As mentioned previously, each circuit includes a micro blower  20  having a HEPA filter  24  attached thereto, a switch  26 , a battery  28 , mounted on a printed circuit board  34 , an LED indicator  30  and a USB or other type of connector  32  for charging the battery  28 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 12  shows yet another form of the eyeglasses  2  of the present invention. Here, to reduce the weight of the eyeglasses  2  even further, the electronic circuitry may be situated in a lanyard  58  attached to both ends of the ear pieces  12 . Electrical wires or flexible conductors  60  may pass internally through the outer covering of the lanyard  58  to the micro blowers  20  situated either in the ear pieces  12  near where the ear pieces  12  are hingedly connected to the lens support structure  10 , or within the internal cavity defining the air plenum  14  of the lens support structure  10 . Thus, the switch  26 , LED indicator  30 , battery  28  and charging connector  32  may be situated in the lanyard  58 , rather than in the ear pieces  12  or the lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2  in order to reduce the overall weight of the eyeglasses  2  and provide greater comfort to the wearer of the eyeglasses  2 . Furthermore, and as can be seen from  FIG. 12  of the drawings, only one switch  26 , one LED indicator  30 , one battery  28  and one charging connector  32  are used and provided to control the energization and de-energization of the micro blowers  20  situated within the ear pieces  12  or lens support structure  10  of the eyeglasses  2 . 
         [0050]    Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.