Method of manufacturing front pieces for eyeglass frames

An article of manufacture and the method of manufacturing front pieces for eyeglass frames having formed integrally therein a nose for connecting temple pieces to the front piece of the frame which comprises cutting from a strip a semi-finished product comprising a front piece with lens rims which are provided on the outermost part of each of them, with an appendage which is integral with the corresponding rim and extends outward therefrom; the appendages are then drilled and bent so as to form corresponding box-shaped bodies, each constituting a nose for the temple piece of the eyeglasses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing eyeglass frames 
having a front piece comprising a pair of lens-bearing rims, and, on the 
outermost side of each of them, a nose for the hingeing of a temple piece, 
which noses are integral with the corresponding lens rim. 
The most critical point in eyeglass frames, and in particular in flexible 
eyeglass frames, consists of the connection between the front piece of the 
frame and the temple pieces. This connection is effected at a place 
commonly known in the industry as a "nose". 
In most cases, the noses are connected to the outermost parts of the 
respective lens-bearing rims of the eyeglass frame by welding, brazing or 
similar procedures involving the action of heat on the lens rim. 
This results in a local weakening of the lens rim and therefore in the 
possibility of permanent deformations or breaks thereof in one of its most 
stressed zones, namely at the place of attachment of the nose. 
Some known solutions directed at obviating these drawbacks consist of noses 
which can be fitted by mortising or clamping to the lens-bearing rims. 
For this purpose, the known method proposed for the manufacture of an 
eyeglass frame contemplates separate production of the lens rims and the 
parts integral with them and a subsequent phase of attachment of the noses 
produced with separate machines and on separate lines. 
This solution, although obviating the drawback of weakening of the rim in 
the region of attachment of the nose, has numerous drawbacks, including 
primarily the fact that, in view of the small size of the nose and the 
necessity of accurate connections, the production of the nose and of the 
corresponding rim is subject to very close tolerances; furthermore, as 
there is concerned a part which is separate from the lens rim and 
subsequently fastened to it, problems of loss of rigidity in the nose-rim 
connection can arise in time, with a consequent loss of the effectiveness 
of the eyeglass frame. 
The necessity of producing the noses separately from the remaining parts of 
the front piece substantially impairs the economy of the production of the 
frames, both because of the aformentioned different lines of production 
and machines and because of the need of an additional step of assembling 
the noses to the lens rims. 
The technical problem forming the basis of the present invention is to 
create a method of manufacturing front pieces for eyeglass frames which 
overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In general, the idea for the solution of this problem consists in producing 
the nose integral with the corresponding lens rim. More particularly, the 
method of the invention is characterized by the fact that it comprises the 
following steps: 
cutting from a strip a semi-finished article comprising a front piece with 
lens rims which are provided on the outermost part of each of them with an 
appendage which is integral with the corresponding rim and extends outward 
from it, said rims and corresponding appendages being symmetrical to a 
central transverse axis of the front piece and the appendage being aligned 
and opposite each other along a longitudinal axis of the said front piece; 
bending each appendage along lines parallel to the longitudinal axis of the 
front piece and forming a pair of spaced cheeks substantially parallel to 
each other and extending in the same direction at a right angle to the 
plane of the front piece; 
bending each appendage along a line substantially parallel to the 
transverse axis of the front piece so as to form a box-shaped body 
constituting a nose of the eyeglasses. 
Each of said appendages is advantageously provided with a substantially 
central slit which includes the corresponding rim and is substantially 
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the front piece.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The method according to the invention comprises a first operation of 
cutting from a strip, which is carried out in accordance with known 
methods such as, for instance, cutting with shears or by use of a laser 
beam, a semi-finished substantially flat front piece of the type shown in 
FIG. 1, indicated generally by the reference number 1. 
The front piece 1 is cut out from a strip of suitable material such as, for 
instance, stainless spring steel, and has a pair of lens-bearing rims, 
both indicated by 2, connected by bridges 4a and 4b and provided, on the 
outermost part of each rim, with a corresponding appendage 3 which is 
integral with the corresponding rim. 
The rims 2 and corresponding appendages 3 are symmetrical with respect to a 
central transverse axis A of the front piece 1, and the said appendages 
are aligned and opposite each other on a longitudinal axis B of the front 
piece which is perpendicular to the axis A. 
Each appendage 3 comprises a widened portion 4 spaced from and attached to 
the corresponding rim 2 by a bridge portion 5. 
The widened portion 4 has a substantially quadrilateral shape with rounded 
lugs 6 at its corner which extend opposite each other on lines parallel to 
the axis B. 
Each lug 6 is traversed by a hole 7, the function of which will become 
clear from the following description. 
The production of the eyeglass front piece of the invention contemplates a 
further phase of cutting the appendages 3 with a cut parallel to the 
longitudinal axis B, substantially centrally in the said appendages and 
including the corresponding rim, as shown in FIG. 3. 
The rim 2 is thereby subdivided into a pair of branches 2a, 2b, with each 
of which there is integral a corresponding portion 3a, 3b of the appendage 
3. 
The portions 3a, 3b are symmetrically opposite each other with respect to 
the axis B. 
A subsequent stage of manufacture contemplates bending each of the portions 
3a, 3b at a right angle along a line substantially parallel to the 
longitudinal axis B of the front piece 1 in order to form corresponding 
cheeks 8a, 8b and corresponding backs 9a, 9b. 
At the end of this stage of manufacture, a half-back 9a (and 9b 
respectively) extending in the plane of the front piece, and a cheek 8a, 
8b extending in the same direction at right angles to the plane of the 
front piece, are therefore integral with the end of each branch 2a, (2b) 
of the rim 2. 
Referring to FIG. 5, the half-backs 9a, 9b are then bent in the same 
direction along a line substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal 
axis B in the plane of the front piece so as to form two half-noses 10a, 
10b. 
Corresponding holes 7 of the respective cheeks 8a, 8b are arranged in 
coaxial alignment and are then traversed by a pair of screws 11a, 11b. 
The screw 11a on the part closest to the rim 2 clamps the two half-noses 
10a, 10b together as well as the corresponding branches of the rim 2; the 
screw 11b acts as hinge pin for an eye lug 12 fastened to one end of a 
temple piece 13 of the eyeglass frame. 
There is thus obtained a nose 10 of box shape which is integral with the 
rim 2 of the front piece 1. 
The nose 10, at the end of the half-backs facing away from the rim 2 forms 
a shoulder 14 which acts as stop upon the opening of the temple piece 13. 
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made 
apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, 
since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without 
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that 
all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the 
accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a 
limiting sense. 
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover 
all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein 
described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a 
matter language, might be said to fall therebetween.