HINGE DEVICE, PARTICULARLY FOR SPECTACLE FRAMES

Abstract: The hinge device comprises a recess (8) formed in the rod (2) or stem of a pair of spectacles and accommodating a leaf-spring (11). The spring (11) has a conformation such that it pivots on the inner surface of the recess (8) and co­ operates with an element (6), rigidly associated with the front of the spectacles and pivotally connected to the rod (2). An adjustment screw (16) is provided which extends into the recess (8) and which interferes with the spring (11) to vary the biasing action exerted on the element (6), when rotating the rod (2) relatively thereto.

Description: The present invention relates to a hinge device, particularly for spectacle frames. A number of elastic hinges of known kinds are provided so as to allow an additional opening of the stem or rod wherewith they are associated to beyond the condition of normal opening which is the one which can be obtained by defining an angle of approximately 90° between said rod and the front part of the spectacle frames. This condition tends to allow the user the possibility of wearing the spectacles so as not to lose them, due to sudden movements, since the rods or stems are pressed against the wearers temples. However, this condition has been found to give rise to displeasing collateral effects, such as skin irritation and/or headaches. The document EP-A-115 826 discloses a hinge as discussed above for allowing an additional opening of the temple beyond the condition of normal opening, which comprises a leaf spring accommodated in a pocket of a hollow metal piece attached to an end of the temple, such leaf spring having one end rigidly attached to the metal piece and another end engaging with a head member which is pivoted to the metal piece and which is rigidly connected to the front spectacle frame. While this hinge may function adequately for certain users, once the hinge is assembled in the spectacle frame, the biasing action provided by the leaf spring is always constant and therefore other users which present different requirements may experience the displeasing effects as discussed above. Accordingly, the main aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above described disadvantages by providing a hinge device which allows an optimum use of the spectacles with which they are associated, according to the individual requirements of the user. Within the above-cited aim, an important object of the invention is to provide a hinge device which associates with the above characteristics, those of allowing additional elastic opening of the hinge device in use, providing a snap-closure of the rods or stems of the spectacles, and which, at the same time, is structurally simple and easy to manufacture. Another important object of the invention is to provide a hinge device which associates with the above characteristics, those of having small dimensions and excellent aesthetic characteristics. The cited aim and objects, as well as other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a hinge device as defined in the appended claim 1. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a particular embodiment, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the hinge device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a view taken along the cross section plane II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view taken along the cross section plane III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view taken along the cross section plane IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view of the means of adjustment employed; Fig. 6 is a view, similar to the one of Fig.2, of the operation of the hinge; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a hinge device according to another aspect of the invention; Fig. 8 is a view along the cross section plane VIII-VIII of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a hinge device according to a further aspect of the invention. With reference to the above described figures, the hinge device 1 comprises a rod or stem 2 which is provided, at one end, with a head 3, advantageously composed of two parallel plane faces 4, between which is pivoted by means of the use of a screw 5 an element 6, advantageously of the type which is usually welded on a bracket, in turn rigidly coupled to a spectacle frame. Proximate to the head 3, the rod 2 has a region 7 of slightly greater thickness so as to allow the provision of a housing means such as a cylindrical longitudinal recess 8, provided with one blind end 9, and another end expediently provided with an opening 10, at the terminal end of the head 3. Inside the recess 8, an elastic biasing means such as an elastically deformable element or rod-like spring member 11 is arranged, which spring advantageously has a substantially circular cross section and defines a substantially frustoconical shape at each of its ends 12 and 13, said spring having a longitudinal extension approximately corresponding to the longitudinal extension of the recess 8. Said spring expediently has a conformation including tapered zones such that it pivots on the inner surface 14 of the recess 8 and thus defines a pivoting point or hinge zone, said pivoting point being advantageously located closer to the end 12 of the spring 11 placed proximate to the end 9 of the recess 8, than the end 13 of the spring 11 facing the opening 10. On the surface 15 of the region 7, a seat, advantageously a partially threaded through seat is provided for at least partially accommodating an adjustment means composed, for example, of a screw 16, the latter being provided with an intermediate region 17 of the stem with a reduced diameter; on the lateral surface 18 of the region 17, a plane region 19 may be provided longitudinally by milling. The axis of said screw 16 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surface 15, and is offset with respect to the diametral axis of the recess 8, extending substantially parallel thereto. Said screw is advantageously positioned proximate to the blind end 9 of the recess 8, so as to define an interspace between the inner surface 14 of the recess 8 and the lateral surface 18 of the intermediate region 17 of the screw 16, so as to allow the selective positioning of the end 12 of the spring 11, the latter being partly shaped to match the intermediate region 17 of the screw 16, so that any longitudinal motion thereof is prevented. The opposite end 13 of the spring 11 cooperates instead with the surfaces 20 and 21 of the element 6, extending essentially perpendicular to each other and having exerted thereon, the elastic thrust generated by the spring 11. The operation of the hinge device is thus as follows: first the head 3 of the rod 2 may be already associated with the element 6 and the rod 2 may have been subjected to any eventual galvanic or the like surface treatments, then it will be possible to insert the leaf spring 11 into the seat 8 through the opening 10, this operation being simply and rapidly effected. The subsequent phase entails the insertion of the adjustment means which in this illustrated example comprise a screw 16, which will cooperate with the neck-like portion defined proximate to the frusto-conical end 12 of the spring 11, thereby selectively blocking any undesired longitudinal motion of the spring with respect to the recess 8, and preventing the spring from moving out of the recess 8 through the opening 10. The use of the adjustment means 16 advantageously allows selective pre-loading of the spring 11: indeed, if the lateral surface 18 of the screw 16 is placed in contact with the spring 11, maximum pre-loading of the spring will be obtained by preventing any movement of the spring 11 with respect to the recess 8; if instead the plane region 19 is placed in contact with the spring 11 by rotating the screw 16, the degree of spring pre-loading will be smaller since said spring 11 will be able to perform a small longitudinal motion with respect to the recess 8 and thus slightly vary the pivoting point of the spring 11 on the inner surface of the recess 8. The arrangement of the surfaces 20 and 21 defined at the end of the rod 2 which cooperate with the end 13 of the spring 11, allows the determination of two stable positions of the rod 2 with respect to the front of a pair of spectacles, one of which positions defines additional opening i.e., positioning of the rod 2 at an angle of more than 90° with respect to the front of a pair of spectacles, with elastic return to a normal position whereat said rod is located substantially perpendicularly with respect to said front. A first condition of stability is illustrated in Fig. 2 and corresponds to an opening position which is normal with respect to the frame. In Fig. 6, the broken lines illustrate the additional opening condition with elastic return, while the solid lines illustrate the phase which is intermediate to the second position of stability, corresponding to the closing of the rod on the frame, which can be obtained by placing the surface 21 of the element 6 in contact with the end 13 of the spring 11. It has thus been observed that the invention has achieved the proposed aim and the objects, since the user can first and foremost obtain the optimum degree of pre-loading according to his requirements and personal comfort by simply acting with a screwdriver on the screw 16. Furthermore, the hinge is structurally very simple, its assembly does not require any skilled labour, and it can be assembled very rapidly. Fig. 7 illustrates another aspect of the invention, wherein an internally threaded hole is provided on the plane surface 122 of the region 107 facing the wearers temple, which hole communicates with the inner longitudinal recess 108, and defines a seat for at least partially accommodating a matchingly threaded screw which constitutes the adjustment means 116, said screw being provided with a terminal end in the shape of a hollow wedge with the pointed portion of the wedge facing the head of the screw. This hollow wedge-like end cooperates with the end 112 of the leaf spring 111, said end 112 being essentially spherical in shape and having such dimensions as to be engaged by the adjustment means 116. Also in this case, the elastically deformable element or spring 111 is shaped so that it pivots on the inner surface of the recess 108, the end 113 cooperating instead with the surfaces 120 and 121 of the element 106. Also in this case, there is a selective adjustment of the pre-loading of the spring 111, it being possible for said adjustment to be gradual by screwing or unscrewing the adjustment means 116. Fig. 9 illustrates a further aspect of the invention, wherein the leaf spring 211 is provided, approximately at the pivoting point, with one or more threads 223 which cooperate with matchingly shaped seats provided on the internal surface 214 of the longitudinal recess 208. The latter is furthermore provided with a longitudinal extension which is slightly greater than the longitudinal extension of the spring 211, so as to allow the terminal end 212 of the spring to perform a longitudinal motion within the recess, once the operator has caused said spring to rotate. This rotation can be provided by taking hold of the end 213 or by acting with a specific tool on a suitable seat 224 provided thereon. Also in this case, an adjustment is provided which allows one to selectively vary the efforts required to achieve the additional opening or the snap-closure motion of the rod or stem 2 with respect to the front of a pair of spectacles. Naturally, the materials and the dimensions of the various components of the hinge may be any according to the requirements. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by references signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims: A hinge device for spectacle frames, comprising a rod (2) having a head (3) at one end, said head being pivotally connected to an element (6;106) which is adapted to be rigidly associated with the front part of the frame of a pair of spectacles, said rod (2) being provided with elongated housing means (8;108;208) at said one end said housing means accommodating an elongated rodlike spring member (11;111;211) which has at least one end which cooperates with said element (6;106) and which is adapted to bias the rod to two stable positions and for providing the possibility of additional opening beyond the normal wearing position with elastic return to the normal opening position, said elongated rodlike spring member (11;111;211) being shaped so as to be able to pivot about a pivot point, that is a contact point between an intermediate region of said elongated rodlike spring member and the inner surface (14;214) of said housing means, the hinge device being characterized in that it further comprises adjustment means (16;116;223) for adjusting the position of at least one of the ends of the elongated rodlike spring member and thereby for adjusting the position of said pivot point in order to provide adjustment of the biasing force provided by said elongated rodlike spring member on said element (6;106). A hinge device according to claim 1, characterized in that said elongated rodlike spring member (11) has a substantially circular cross section and truncated-cone shaped ends (12,13), and in that said housing means comprise a cylindrical longitudinal recess (8) having at least one blind end (9) and at least one opening (10), said at least one opening (10) being formed at the head (3) of the rod, said elongated rodlike spring member cooperating at one end (13) with said element (6) and at the other end (12) with said adjustment means (16) for adjusting the position of said spring member within said recess (8). A hinge device according to claim 2, characterized in that said adjustment means is composed of a screw (16) fitted into a threaded hole provided in the rod (2) proximate to the blind end (9) of the recess (8), said screw (16) having an axis which is parallel to the axis of pivoting between said head (3) of said rod (2) and said element (6), said screw (16) having a central portion (17) which traverses said recess and which is arranged on an axis which is parallel to a diametral axis of said recess, between the inner surface (14) of said recess (8) and a lateral surface (18) of said central portion being defined an interspace for accommodating said other end (12) of the elongated rodlike spring member which cooperates with said central portion (17) of said screw. A hinge device according to claim 3, characterized in that said screw (16) has a head of larger diameter than said central portion (17) thereof, said central portion (17) having a cylindrical shape provided with a flat (19), said other end (12) of the elongated rodlike spring member (11) which is positioned at the blind end (9) of the recess (8) being partly matchingly shaped with respect to said central portion (17), said screw (16) preventing the axial motion of the elongated rodlike spring member and being adapted to pre-load the latter. A hinge device according to the claims 2-4, characterized in that said one end (13) of said elongated rodlike spring member is located proximate to the opening (10) of the recess (8) and cooperates with two contiguous and mutually perpendicular surfaces (20,21) of said element (6) in order to define said two stable positions of the rod, one closed and one opened with respect to the frame, and to provide said additional opening with elastic return. A hinge device according to claim 1, characterized in that said housing means comprises a cylindrical longitudinal recess (108) having a blind end and an opening, said elongated rodlike spring member (111) having an end (112) adjacent to the blind end of the recess which has an substantially spherical shape, said end (112) interacting with a matchingly shaped terminal end of a screw (116) which constitutes said adjustment means and which is fitted into a threaded hole provided in the rod proximate to the blind end of the recess, said screw (116) having an axis which is perpendicular to the pivoting axis between the rod and the element (106). A hinge device according to claim 1, characterized in that said housing means comprises a cylindrical longitudinal recess (208) having a blind end and an opening, said intermediate region of said elongated rodlike spring member (211) being provided with one or more threads (223) which cooperate with matchingly shaped seats provided on the inner surface of the recess (208), said recess having a longitudinal extension such as to allow the axial motion of a terminal end (212) of the spring member facing the blind end of the recess, said spring member being provided at the other end (213) thereof with seats (224) for means for rotating the elongated rodlike spring member (211).

Inventors: PIVETTA, INNOCENTE
Applicants: CELES OPTICAL S.P.A.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G02C5
IPC codes: G02C5