SPECTACLE FRAMES

Abstract: Wire spectacle frames are described which comprise a pair of arms (17) hinged to a lens (L) mounting means (1), said mounting means having a top wire (3) and, for each lens, a bottom wire (5), the ends of each bottom wire being attached to the top wire; both ends of each of the two bottom wires are attached to respective intermediate connection elements (7A, 7B) which are connected to the top wire.

Description: SPECTACLE FRAMES Description Technical Field The present invention relates to a wire spectacle frame comprising a pair of arms hinged to a lens mounting means, said mounting means having a first continuous wire and, for each lens, a second wire, the ends of each of said second wires being attached to the first continuous wire. Prior Art A frame of the type referred to above is described, for example, in USA patent No. 5,073,020. In this frame of known type, the bottom wires are made of metal, as is the top wire, and are hooked directly on to the latter. For this purpose the ends of the bottom wires are bent into hooks. Fixing the bottom wires to the top wire is especially tricky since the structure is relatively rigid and, therefore, allows little leeway. The lenses thus have to be made very accurately so that they can be mounted securely. Frames are also known in which the top part is made as a rigid welded structure, to which the arms are hinged and to which the lenses are fixed by means of two wires made of synthetic material (for example Nylon ® ), the ends of these wires being inserted in adjacent holes made in the top structure. The latter has a channel into which the top edge of the lens is inserted, the bottom of the lens having a groove into which the synthetic wire is inserted. However, mounting lenses in frames of this type is not particularly straightforward. Furthermore, the top part of the frames is especially bulky and does not, therefore, satisfy the current need to produce lightweight frames that are aesthetically unobtrusive. Summary of the invention The object of the invention is to produce a frame that does not have the disadvantages of traditional frames. More specifically, one object of the invention is to produce a lightweight frame in which the lenses can be mounted easily and without having to keep to stringent manufacturing tolerances. A further object of the present invention is to produce a frame which enables synthetic wires to be used to attach the lenses, and which has a light, cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing structure. These and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art on reading the following text, are achieved by means of a frame of the type referred to at the outset, comprising a continuous wire which extends along the entire frame and two additional wires, one for each lens, in which both ends of each of said additional two wires are attached to respective intermediate connection elements which are connected to the continuous wire. It is thus possible to produce a frame in which synthetic wires are, for example, used for the bottom part, these wires being fastened, by means of the intermediate connection elements, to the more rigid continuous wire which is, for example, a metal wire made of steel, titanium or equivalent metal. The structure obtained is especially simple and cost- effective and does not demand particularly stringent manufacturing tolerances. In the following text, for practical reasons, the continuous wire will often be referred to as the top wire while the two additional wires which hook on to it will be referred to as bottom wires, inasfar as frames of this type are usually made with a continuous top part and two synthetic bottom wires. This does not, however, mean that the configuration cannot be reversed. In order to fasten the ends of the two additional wires to their respective connection elements, these elements can each have a pair of holes whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the wire and which are set very close together so that the wire that is inserted into the two holes remains securely attached without the need for any additional fixings. However, it is quite possible to fix the wires in a different way, for example by gluing, welding and/or by forming a knot or the like, especially in cases where the wires are made of plastic. The connection element can be joined to the continuous wire using a hook means or by forming another hole in the intermediate connection element, into which hole the continuous wire is then inserted. With this system there is no need for any welding. However, the use of different connection systems is not excluded. A particularly simple and lightweight structure, which is also easy to assemble, is obtained when one of the intermediate connection elements of each of said two additional wires extends to form a means for attaching a tab or pad via which the frame rests on the wearer's nose. This solution also offers the advantage that the frame can be more easily adapted to various face shapes, since several interchangeable intermediate connection elements can be provided, for example with the extension to which the nose pads are attached coming in different lengths. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the two intermediate connection elements which are located on the inside of the respective lenses, i.e. near the intermediate bridge connecting the two lenses together, are rigidly fastened to each othef by means of a bridge which also forms the pad-holders, thereby enabling pads to be fixed to the frame. The bridge joining the intermediate connection elements together makes the frame structure stronger and more stable. Brief description of the drawings A better understanding of the invention will be gained by following the description and the appended drawing which shows non-limiting examples of said invention. More specifically, in the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a front view of a pair of spectacles made with a frame according to the present invention; Figs 2 and 3 show a view and a cross-section on ll-ll and Ill-Ill in Fig. 1 , respectively; Figs 2A and 2B show, on an enlarged scale, the intermediate elements that connect each bottom wire to the top wire; Fig. 4 shows a variant embodiment in cross-section corresponding to the cross-section in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows a front view of a pair of spectacles with a frame according to a further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 shows a view on VI-VI in Fig. 5; Figs 7 and 8 show, on an enlarged scale, the intermediate elements which connect each bottom wire to the top wire, Fig. 8 being a cross-section on VIII-VIII in Fig. 5; and Fig. 9 shows an enlargement of the central zone of the frame, viewed from the rear. Detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention A first embodiment of the frame according to the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The frame has a mounting means, denoted overall by the reference 1 , in which the lenses L are mounted. The mounting means has a first top wire 3 that surrounds the top of the two lenses L and is housed in a channel formed along the lenses themselves, which can be seen in Figs 2 and 4. In the intermediate zone the wire 3 forms a bridge 3P joining the two lenses L together. The wire 3 is preferably a metal wire. In addition to the first wire 3, the mounting means 1 includes a pair of bottom wires 5 made of synthetic material, for example Nylon ® or the like. Each wire 5 has two ends which are attached to two corresponding intermediate elements 7A, 7B for connection to the top wire 3. Each intermediate connection element 7A, 7B has a pair of small holes 9A, 9B into which the relevant ends of the wire 5 are inserted. The holes 9A, 9B are so close together that when the end of the wire 5 is passed through the two holes forming a loop (cf. Fig. 1 ), the wire 5 remains securely attached and does not slip out when it is pulled taut once the lens L has been fitted. The possibility of having more than two adjacent holes via which to attach the wire is not excluded. Each intermediate connection element 7A, 7B also has a third hole, denoted by the reference 11A for the element 7A and by the reference 11 B for the element 7B. The wire 3 is inserted into this third hole in order to fasten the elements 7 A, 7B, and therefore the bottom synthetic wires 5, to the top wire 3. The lenses L are force-fitted between the wire 3 and each wire 5. Each fixing element 7B has an extension 7C which forms a means in which to engage a pad or tab 13 via which the spectacles rest on the wearer's nose. The pads 13 can be seen in the front view shown in Fig. 1 but have been omitted from the other figures for the sake of clarity. In this way the pads can be easily mounted without the need for additional fixings or any specific manufacturing processes. Nevertheless, different attachment systems are not excluded, even though the advantages of this solution would be lost. For example, the pads could be mounted on tabs which are welded directly on to the wire 3, in which case the intermediate connection elements 7B would have the same shape as the intermediate connection elements 7A. Lastly, the frame has a pair of hinges 15 for a pair of arms 17. The hinges and the arms can be made in various ways and the configuration shown is merely illustrative. Fig. 4 shows a variant embodiment of the central intermediate connection elements 7B. In this configuration the elements 7B have only two holes for the ends of the wires 5 and a top, hook-shaped, extension piece 7D which hooks on to the top wire 3. A further embodiment of the frame according to the invention is shown in Figs. 5 to 9, where the same or corresponding elements are indicated with the same reference numbers. According to this embodiment, each intermediate element 7B is fastened to a bridge 7E which is formed by a length of metal wire in the shape of an upturned U (cf. Fig. 9) and ends in two eyelets 7F into which the pads or tabs 13 - via which the spectacles rest on the wearer's nose - are inserted. It should be understood that the drawing shows only examples of the invention, given solely by way of practicardemonstration, and that the forms and arrangements of the latter may be varied without thereby departing from the scope of the underlying concept of said invention. The presence of reference numerals in the appended claims has the function of facilitating the reading of the claims with reference to the description and the drawing and does not restrict the scope of protection offered by the claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A wire spectacle frame including a lens (L) mounting means (1 ), said mounting means having a first continuous wire (3) and, for each lens, a second wire (5) having a first end and a second end, said first and second end of each said second wire (5) being attached to said first continuous wire so that said first wire and each said second wire together form a rim around the lens (L), characterized in that said first end of each of said second wires (5) is attached to a first intermediate connection element (7A), and the second end of each of said second wires (5) is attached to a second intermediate connection element (7B), said first and said second intermediate connection elements (7A, 7B) being connected to said first wire (3). 2. Frame according to Claim 1 , characterized in that said first continuous wire (3) is a metal wire and said second wires (5) are made of synthetic material, or vice versa. 3. Frame according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first and said second intermediate connection elements each have at least two holes (9A, 9B) into which the relevant end of the corresponding second wire (5) is inserted. 4. Frame according to Claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterized in that at least one of said first and said second intermediate connection elements comprises an additional hole (11 A, 11 B) into which said first wire (3) is inserted. 5. Frame according to Claim 1 , 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that at least one of said first and said second intermediate connection elements comprises a hook-shaped end which engages with said first wire (3). 6. Frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each said second intermediate elements (7B) forms a means for attaching a pad (13) via which the frame rests on the wearer's nose. 7. Frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first continuous wire (3) forms the top part of the frame and said second wires (5) form the bottom part of the frame. 8. Frame according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second intermediate connection elements (7B) are rigidly fastened to each other by means of a bridge (7E) which also forms a pair of pad-holders of the frame. 9. Frame according to Claim 8, characterized in that said bridge (7E) is in the shape of an upturned U. 10. Frame according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that said bridge (7E) connecting said second intermediate connection elements (7B) extends along an intermediate portion (3P) of said first wire (3), said intermediate portion (3P) connecting the two lenses (L) together.

Inventors: FORTINI PAOLO, FORTINI, PAOLO
Applicants: BOTTEGA ARTE FIRENZE SRL, FORTINI PAOLO, BOTTEGA D'ARTE IN FIRENZE S.R.L., FORTINI, PAOLO
Application year: 1997
Main classification: G02C1
IPC codes: G02C1