Spectacles retaining strap with connected earplugs

Embodiments of a vision-hearing protection device are shown and described, each embodiment including an eyeglass retainer, for holding eyeglasses on the user's head or around the neck, and earplugs connected to the retainer for protecting the user's hearing. Preferably, the vision-hearing protection device includes a retraction feature wherein the earplugs may be quickly pulled in toward the retainer for more secure and compact "storage" and then quickly drawn out toward the ears for convenient reinsertion. In the preferred embodiment, the retainer is a hollow tube having three holes. A cord slidably extends through the hollow tube, with the cord ends extending out from the two holes that are nearer the retainer ends to attach to the earplugs, and with the cord middle portion extending out from the third hole in the rear or middle portion of the hollow tube. The middle portion of the cord may be pulled out away from the retainer to pull the earplugs closer to the retainer for storage, or, the earplugs may be pulled away from the retainer for reinsertion in the user's ears.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates generally to eyeglass retainers, and, more 
specifically, to retainers that include a means for protection of the 
user's ears and/or hearing. 
2. Related Art 
Several combination ear and eye protection systems have been developed. 
Patents issued to Rustin (U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,746), Bagley (U.S. Pat. No. 
5,092,667), and Edwards (U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,856) disclose apparatus for 
attachment to eyeglasses for shielding and protecting the user's ears, 
particularly from sun, wind, or cold. 
Rustin discloses a cloth panel attached to the eyeglass temple that extends 
along the side of the user's head to shield the ear. The Rustin apparatus 
may include a receiving pocket into which the back and top of the ear may 
be tucked for additional shielding. 
Bagley discloses a two-piece headband attached to the temples of eyeglasses 
and extending around to the back of the user's head. The headband has two 
tubular sleeve members that extend from the inside surface of the headband 
to receive and hold the temples. 
Edwards discloses an ear protector that extends around the back of the 
user's head and has sleeves in each of its two opposing ends for slipping 
over the temples of the glasses. The sleeves grip the temples near the 
front of the glasses and have an elastomeric material forming a part of 
the sleeve that clings to the eyeglass temples. 
What is still needed is an system that combines efficient protection of the 
hearing as well as the vision of the user. Many sporting, industrial, 
workshop, and agricultural environments pose dangers to hearing because of 
the noise of guns, rotating equipment, saws, farm machinery, etc. These 
same environments often pose danger to vision because of particulate, 
chips, chemicals, dirt, or dirty water, etc. that can enter an unprotected 
eye. Government regulations require that both eye and ear protection be 
available to workers in many industrial settings. 
A common problem for workers and sportsmen is that using both eye and ear 
protection is inconvenient. The typical earplug wearer takes the earplugs 
out each time he/she enters a less-noisy area or needs to talk to someone, 
and then one or more of the earplugs gets lost or dirty from being set 
down or tucked into a pocket or toolbox. Earplugs are inexpensive and 
replaceable, but the wearer tires of keeping several sets in his/her 
pocket or tool-box and tires of dealing with them. In the food industry, 
corded earplugs, which are earplugs that are connected by a cord or 
string, are often supplied to the workers so that they may tie or loop the 
cord through part of a hardhat or cap, thus preventing loose earplugs from 
falling into food vats. Keeping safety glasses and goggles at hand is also 
a nuisance for many industrial workers. Unless accustomed to wearing 
eyeglasses for sight correction, user's too often take off and set down 
their protective glasses or goggles, sometimes losing or damaging them. 
There is a need, therefore, for a device that keeps both eyeglasses and 
earplugs clean and conveniently reachable during work or sport. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a system combining vision 
and hearing protection, for the many industrial, farming, and sporting 
environments that can pose dangers to both eyes and ears. Another object 
is to provide a system for keeping hearing protection handy and clean, to 
encourage use of it in work and sporting environments. Another object is 
to provide this combined hearing and vision protection inexpensively so 
that it can be made available in large numbers in industrial settings. 
The invented vision-hearing protection device comprises an eyeglass 
retainer and earplugs connected to the retainer. The earplugs are 
connected to the retainer in such a way that they alternatively may be 
inserted into the user's ears, or left to hang near the user's head for 
easy access. The retainer easily and releasably attaches to protective 
eyewear for hanging the eyewear around the users neck when not in use, so 
that the eyewear is not lost, or set down or dropped into dirty and 
damaging areas. 
The preferred embodiment of the invention includes an eyeglass retainer 
that comprises a hollow tube with two ends that slip onto and resiliently 
grip the ear-pieces of the temples of a pair of glasses or goggles. A cord 
extends through part of the hollow tube, exiting the hollow tube through 
two holes that are located in the side portions of the tube. Each end of 
the cord connects to an earplug, so that the earplugs hang from the 
retainer. 
Preferably, the vision-hearing protection device includes a retraction 
means wherein the earplugs may be quickly pulled in toward the retainer 
for more secure and compact "storage" and then quickly drawn out toward 
the ears for convenient reinsertion. This retraction means allows the user 
to adjust the location of the earplugs to prevent them from dangling or 
swinging more than is comfortable and also to place the earplugs in a 
predictable position for easy and quick grabbing for reinsertion. 
The preferred embodiment of the retraction means comprises the cord 
slidably extending through the hollow tube and extending at its middle 
portion out from a hole in the rear portion of the hollow tube. The middle 
portion of the cord may be pulled out away from the retainer to retract 
the cord ends into the hollow tube, thus pulling or retracting the 
earplugs closer to the tube. For reinsertion, the user simply reaches for 
the earplugs and pulls them toward his/her ears, thus drawing the cord 
ends out from the tube and pulling the middle portion into the tube.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there are shown some, but not the only, embodiments 
of the invented vision-hearing protection device. The protection device 10 
comprises a retainer 12 connected to a pair of eyeglasses 14, and a pair 
of earplugs 15, 15' connected to the retainer 12. Preferably, the eyewear 
lenses are safety lenses, which are shatterproof in nature for protecting 
against explosions and impacts. Optionally, any eyewear may be used, for 
example, sun glasses or normal prescription glasses for less dangerous 
environments. 
The retainer 12 comprises a flexible plastic, hollow tube 16 with a first 
end 18, second end 18', side portions 20, 20' and a retainer middle 
portion or rear portion 22 (described as "rear" herein because it is 
positioned behind the user's head when in use). The hollow tube 16 has an 
inner diameter smaller than the ear-pieces 24 of the eyeglass temples 26. 
The first and second ends 18, 18' resiliently stretch over and 
frictionally engage the ear-pieces 24 for secure but removable connection 
of the retainer 12 to the eyeglasses 14. The ends 18, 18' are preferably 
placed over the ear-pieces 24 less than about 1 inch to be secure during 
normal use, but so that the ends 18, 18' may be removed conveniently by 
the user and, also, so that the retainer 12 separates from the glasses 14 
in an emergency when part of the protection device 10 becomes caught in or 
on equipment, for example. 
The hollow tube 16 has two holes 28, 28' in the tube wall 30 at the side 
portions 20, 20' and a third hole 32 in the tube wall 30 at the rear 
portion 22, in between the side holes 28, 28'. Through the side holes 28, 
28' a cord 34 or other flexible string is threaded so that the cord ends 
36, 36' exit the side holes 28, 28' and connect to the earplugs 15, 15'. 
Each earplug has a small hole cut into its outer end 42 and the cord end 
36, 36' is inserted and glued or fused into the earplug hole. The middle 
portion 38 of the cord 34 loops out through the rear hole 32 and includes 
a knot 40, bead, or other retention means so that the middle portion 38 
cannot slip completely back into the tube 16 through the rear hole 32. 
The preferred protection device 10 includes an earplug retraction means, 
which adjusts the location of the unused earplugs 15, 15', particularly 
the distance of the earplugs from the retainer, for the convenience and 
comfort of the user. By placing the earplugs close to the retainer, 
preferably within about 1 inch or less from the retainer, the retraction 
means prevents the earplugs from dangling more than is comfortable to the 
individual user and prevents the user from groping around to find dangling 
earplugs. When the user needs hearing protection, the earplugs 15, 15' are 
readily graspable without looking in the mirror and may be quickly drawn 
forward for insertion into the ears. 
The retraction means comprises the cord 34 sliding back and forth in the 
hollow tube 16 to move the earplugs 15, 15' relative to the retainer 12. 
When the middle portion 38 is pulled out away from the retainer 12, the 
cord 34 slides through the hollow tube 16 toward the rear hole 32, thus 
pulling the cord ends 36, 36' into the tube 16 and retracting the earplugs 
15, 15' to be close to the retainer 12, as shown in FIG. 3. When the 
earplugs 15, 15' are fully retracted, they abut against the tube wall 30 
and are held relatively motionless, as illustrated by ear plug 15' in FIG. 
2. When the earplugs 15, 15' or the cord ends 36, 36' are pulled away from 
the retainer 12, the cord 34 slides through the hollow tube 16 to allow 
the cord ends 36, 36' to extend out a convenient distance from the 
retainer 12 to reach to the user's ears, as shown in FIG. 1. Pulling the 
earplugs out from the retainer retracts the middle portion 38 into the 
hollow tube 16, lessening the length of loop of cord that extends out from 
the rear hole 32. 
The preferred material for the hollow tube 16 is latex tubing, such as 
KRATON.TM. latex tubing, for example, with a 3/16 inch inner diameter and 
a 3/64 inch tube wall thickness. For the cord 34 and earplugs 15, 15', 
conventional off-the-shelf corded foam earplugs may be used, such as those 
available to workers in the food industry. Plastic foam, putty polymer, or 
silicon earplugs may be used, for example, with various noise reduction 
ratings. The cord 34 may be nylon or other plastic monofilament cord. 
Bright colors are preferred for the retainer 12, cord 34, and earplugs. 
15, 15' to make the device 10 fashionable, the retainer easily found in a 
backpack or toolbox, and employee's use of the device 10 readily apparent 
to industrial safety and management staff. 
Alternatively, various retainer styles may be used for the invented 
protection device. The retainer may be other than a hollow tube, for 
example, a solid but flexible cord with ends that releasably clip onto 
eyeglass temples. The retainer may be a style that exerts little or no 
force on the glasses when the glasses are in place on the user's face, but 
that acts as a "leash" or "necklace" for hanging the glasses around the 
user's neck when the glasses are removed, as in the preferred embodiment. 
Also, elastic-strap retainers may be used, such as those commonly used in 
sports to strap or secure the glasses to the user's face. 
Alternatively, various connection means may be used for connecting the 
earplugs to the retainer. The connection means may be a string, cord, 
cloth, spring, or stretchable material that can extend or be drawn out, 
preferably, but not necessarily, about 4-6 inches from the retainer for 
easy placement of the plugs in the ears. Optionally, for designs with very 
flexible retainers of sufficient length, the connection means may be 
short, taking advantage of the flexibility of the retainer to allow the 
earplugs to be brought close to the ears. For example, for a very flexible 
and light-weight retainer, a connection means could be the retainer 
passing through a hole bored through the end of an earplug. 
Alternatively, various earplug styles may be used. Although disposable, 
compressible foam plugs are preferred, the earplugs may be any material or 
shape that may be safely inserted into the ears for reducing the noise 
level reaching the ear-drum. 
Alternatively, various retraction means may be used for retracting the 
earplugs close to the retainer to prevent dangling earplugs from tickling 
or annoying the user. For example, a retraction means may include separate 
cords attached to each earplug, with each cord threaded in and out of the 
retainer tube through two holes in its respective side portion 20, 20 and 
a knot tied in the end of each cord as it extends from the second of the 
two holes. In this design, the knotted end of each cord could be pulled 
back by the user to pull earplugs toward the first of the two holes and 
the retainer. In this design, each earplug may be retracted independently 
from the other. 
The retainer 12 and connected earplugs 15, 15' may be constructed from a 
set of conventional corded earplugs and a length of latex tubing. The cord 
of the corded earplugs is cut in half, and each half of the cord 34 is 
threaded through its respective hole 28, 28' that is cut through one side 
of the tube wall 30 in the side portion 20, 20' of the tube 16. To 
facilitate this threading, a needle may be used to pull the cord through 
the hollow tube 16 and the needle and cord may be lubricated with silicone 
or other lubricant. This lubrication, or lubrication that may be placed on 
the cord at other times, keeps the cord 34 sliding smoothly through the 
tube 16. The ends of the two cords are then pulled out of the third hole 
32 and are tied together to form the knot 40. 
The combination hearing and vision protection device 10 may be used in a 
wide variety of environments, both industrial and recreational. The device 
10 may be used to make protection convenient in refineries, chemical 
plants, saw mills, power plants, mines, etc.. The device 10 may be used 
for comfort at speedtracks, shooting ranges, and other athletic events, 
for example, with eyeglasses or sunglasses. 
Although this invention has been described above with reference to 
particular means, materials, dimensions, and embodiments, it is to be 
understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed 
particulars, but extends instead to all equivalents within the scope of 
the following claims.