SPECTACLE FRAME

Abstract: A spectacle frame comprising a spectacle front with associated side-bars, one or more recesses or channels containing a replaceable material of a colour differing from that of the spectacle frame being provided in the spectacle front and/or the side-bars. By using materials of different colours, the visual sensation of the spectacle frame may be varied.

Description: Spectacle frame This invention relates to a spectacle frame comprising a spectacle front and side-bars attached thereto. -# Concurrently with the increasing use of spectacles it is i 5 often desired, especially by women, to use a spectacle frame of a colour matching ithe colour of the clothes . When such a wish has to be realized, it has up to now been necessary to obtain several pairs of glasses having frames of different colours . This solution has been very expensive because the 10 costs of manufacture of correcting lenses ordinarily constitute a significant fraction of the costs of a pair of glasses . The object of the invention is to provide a spectacle frame having a colour which can be freely chosen . According to the invention this object is achieved with a 15 spectacle frame characterized in that it comprises one or more reces¬ ses or channels containing a replaceable material of a colour which differs from that of the spectacle frame. The invention is based on the discovery that a spectacle frame which ordinarily consists of a wholly or partially transparent 20 material changes colour when a coloured material is introduced into a recess or channel in said spectacle frame. A particularly distinctive colour effect is obtained when the recess or channel containing the coloured material extends con¬ tinuously from one side of the frame front to the other. 25 The recess is advantageously provided in the front surface of the spectacle front but by using transparent spectacle frames a particularly intense colour effect is obtained by providing the recess in the rear surface of the spectacle front provided the spectacle front is of such a cross-sectional shape that it acts as a magnifier 30 when the zone comprising the coloured material is viewed from in front. The term "recess" means herein a groove in the surface of s the spectacle frame which groove is open over its full length , where¬ as the term "channel" means a passage which is open only at its 35 ends . The recess or recesses may be of a rectangular cross-sectional shape or may be undercut in order to improve the retention of a thread or strip-shaped coloured material in said recess or recesses . As stated above the recess or recesses are preferably provided in the spectacle front but it should be understood that they may be _ OMPΓ provided in one or both side-bars. The spectacle frame of the invention may also comprise two or more adjacent recesses or channels or two or more recesses or channels located in series. It is preferred to provide recesses instead of channels in the spectacle frame because such recesses may be provided concurrently with or subsequent to the manufacture of the frame itself. The majority of commercially available spectacle frames are manufactured by copying milling by using sheets of e.g . cellu¬ lose acetate, and the milling of one or more recesses in the spectacle frame does not cause any significant increase of the costs of manu¬ facture of the spectacle frames . The provision of channels in the spectacle frames can be effected by a method in which the frame material is heated by high frequency heating so as to provide an internal soft zone having such a softness, such that a rod -shaped object, e.g. made from metal , can be inserted therein to displace the molten material therefrom. After setting and extraction of the rod-shaped article, a channel is formed. Such a channel may also be provided by boring . The replaceable coloured material provided in the recess or channel is preferably in the form of a thread or a strip . However, it should be noted that by using one or more channels it may be desirable to use a coloured liquid to fill said channel or channels. Such a coloured liquid presents the advantage that it can easily be introduced into and removed from the channel or channels. The term "thread" means herein an elongated element of substantially circular cross-sectional shape. The strips may be arranged in such a manner that the flat sides thereof are located parallel with the surface of the spectacle frame in the zone in which the recess or channel is provided or in such a manner that they form an angle of up to 90° with said sur¬ face. In the latter case the flat surface of the strips will ordinarily be parallel with another visible part of the surface of the spectacle frame. The thread or tape is preferably made from a dyed synthe¬ tic resin . Particularly preferred threads are e. g . dyed nylon threads. Such threads are colour resistant and possess a suitable combination of properties to allow them to be freely introduced into and removed from even curved recesses without being damaged . Furthermore, they are sufficiently inexpensive to allow the user of the spectacle frame to obtain at a low cost a series of threads of different colours and thus to vary the colour effect over the whole a* spectrum . ". 5 For use in connection with recesses having a depth of about 0.7 mm and a width of about 0.7 mm it is preferable to use threads of a diameter of about 0.8 mm . The removal and introduction of threads in a recess of this type are easily effected with a pointed element, e.g . a sewing needle. 10 The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the drawings in which Fig . 1 shows a front view of a spectacle frame of the invention . Fig . 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the 15 spectacle frame illustrated in Fig . 1 , taken along the line l l - l l , and Fig . 3 and Fig . 4 show cross-sectional views corresponding to that of Fig . 2 of other embodiments of the spectacle frame of the invention . 20 The spectacle frame illustrated in Fig . 1 and Fig . 2 com¬ prises a frame front 1 and two side-bars (not shown) . A recess 2 having rectangular cross-sectional shape is provided in the upper part of the front side of the frame front. A replaceable thread 3 is embedded in the recess 2. 25 As illustrated in Fig . 3 the recess 2 may be slightly un¬ dercut in order to improve the retention of the thread 3 in said recess . Fig . 4 shows cross sections of a frame front comprising a channel 4 containing a thread 3. 30

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A spectacle frame comprising a spectacle front and side-bars attached thereto, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame comprises one or more recesses or channels containing a re- placeable material of a colour which differs from that of the spectacle frame. 2. A spectacle frame according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the recess or channel extends continuously from one side of the spectacle front to the other. 3. A spectacle front according to claim 1 and consisting of a transparent material, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the recess is provided at the rear side of the spectacle front and that the spec¬ tacle front has such a cross-sectional shape that it acts as a magni¬ fier when the coloured material is viewed from in front. 4. A spectacle frame according to claim 1 or claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the recess Is slightly undercut. 5. A spectacle frame according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the coloured replaceable material is in the form of a coloured thread or strip. 6. A spectacle frame according to claim 5,. c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the coloured thread is a dyed resin thread. 7. A spectacle frame according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the coloured replaceable material Is a coloured liquid. QMPI W1PO

Inventors: PETERSEN POUL, PETERSEN, POUL
Applicants: PETERSEN POUL, PETERSEN, POUL
Application year: 1984
Main classification: G02C11
IPC codes: G02C11