Abstract:
Protective eyeglasses provide hearing protection from elevated noise levels. The protective eyeglasses have safety lenses for protection of each of the eyes. Support members extend from the lenses of the eyeglasses to the ears, and have earplugs or protectors thereon which are inserted into the ears. The side support members are spring biased towards each other so that the side members provide pressure to hold the plugs in the ears of the wearer. Ear plugs are mounted so as to swivel relative to the side support members. The side support members are telescoping and are adjustable in length.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to safety devices generally, and is more specifically directed to a device for protecting eyes and ears of a user of the invention. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It is frequently desirable to wear eye protection and ear protection. In many industrial and construction settings safety regulations make wearing safety glasses mandatory, and frequently, it is also mandatory to wear earplugs. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, workers may be required to possess safety glasses, a left earplug and a right earplug. A worker may lose one or both earplugs, and not bother to wear earplugs. This omission may not be noticed by a supervisor. The failure to wear safety glasses and/or ear protection devices may result in a worker&#39;s loss of sight and/or hearing. 
         [0004]    Employers may be subjected to substantial workers&#39; compensation claims from the loss of sight or hearing. Since hearing loss may not be revealed for several years after periods of noise exposure, an employer may be subject to workers&#39; compensation claims for events that occurred many years earlier. 
         [0005]    There is a need for a device that will protect the eyes of a wearer from debris, projectiles, and similar hazards from foreign materials. Further, there is a need for eye protection that incorporates ear protection. The ear protection should not simply be present in the ears, but the ear protection must be sufficiently pressed into the ears to seal the ear from noise. At the same time, the safety device must be adaptable to a wide range of wearers, each of whom may have different distances from the bridge of the nose to the ears, with these distances varying three-dimensionally. A single device that protects the ears and eyes should be suitable for wear by a large percentage of the adult population. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is protective eyeglasses which also provide hearing protection from elevated noise levels. The protective eyeglasses have safety lenses for protection of each of the eyes. Support members extend from the lenses of the eyeglasses to the ears, and have earplugs or protectors thereon which are inserted into the ears. The side support members are spring biased towards each other so that the side members provide pressure to hold the plugs in the ears of the wearer. Ear plugs are mounted to swivel relative to the side support members. The side support members are telescoping and are adjustable in length. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a view of a wearer wearing the safety device of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the safety device of the present invention, demonstrating spring biasing of the side members. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a top plain view of the safety device of the present invention demonstrating the ability of the earplugs to swivel relative to the support members, and further demonstrating that the pads which form the earplugs are removable, and that a pad which fits over the bridge of the nose to support the safety device is also removable. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a left side elevation of the safety device demonstrating the telescoping feature of the left side support member. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a sectioned view taken essentially as shown in  FIG. 4 , and demonstrating an embodiment of the telescoping member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a typical wearer wearing the safety device of the present invention. In the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 1 , the device comprises eyeglasses having a left eye lens  2  and a right eye lens  4  connected by a bridge  6 . A support member  8  fits over the bridge of the nose. A first side support member  10  extends from the left eye lens as shown in  FIG. 1 . A second side support member  12  extends from the right lens and along the side of the wearer&#39;s head. The side support members in one embodiment extend in a generally horizontal manner along each side of the wearer&#39;s head, and then extend downwardly and generally vertically, and then again extend generally horizontally into the ear of the wearer. 
         [0013]    Each of the left eye lens and right eye lens are made of appropriate impact resistant materials that will resist the impact of debris or projectiles and are made to standards that are required and/or are common for safety glasses. The lenses may be formed of safety glass, or may be formed of impact resistant plastic or other impact resistant materials that are commonly used for safety glasses. The lenses may be transparent, or may be tinted as desired, or required, by the particular application. 
         [0014]    As demonstrated by  FIG. 3 , the safety device of the present invention has a pad or earplug  14  that is mounted at or near the end of each of the side support members. The pad or plug is formed of a resilient material that is both comfortable to the wearer when the pads or plugs are inserted into the ear, and further, the resilient nature of the plug helps to seal the ear canal and helps to absorb sound which would enter the ear canal. The plugs are formed of generally tapered, or otherwise have a reduced dimension, on the end that is inserted into the ear, with a relatively larger dimension where the plugs attach to the side support members. 
         [0015]    As demonstrated in  FIG. 3 , the plugs are mounted to the lower generally horizontal portion  16  of the side support members by a structure that allows the plugs to swivel, pivot and/or rotate. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , a ball and socket  18  relationship between the mounting point for the earplug and the side support member allows the earplugs to rotate relative to the side support members. This structure is one (1) feature which allows the device to be worn by a large number of users, irrespective of the dimensional relationships of the wearer&#39;s respective heads, eyes, ears and ear canals. 
         [0016]    As demonstrated in  FIG. 4 , the side support members each telescope relative to the lens. This telescoping feature allows the relative length of the side support members to be extended or retracted, so that the distance of the earplugs to the bridge between the lenses can be lengthened or shortened. This is another feature which allows the glasses to be worn by a relatively large percentage of the adult population. 
         [0017]    In one embodiment, the telescoping feature comprises a slidable member  20  that engages the side support  10  locks by a series of detents  22  and a pin  24  that engages the detents. The pin may be spring biased and mounted to the slidable member  20 . The pin may be pressed inwardly to remove it from the relatively large opening provided by the detents, and moved to another detent having a relatively large opening. As shown, there are three (3) detents in each side support member. Other known methods and devices for telescoping may be used. 
         [0018]    In another embodiment, the member  26  that adjoins the side support member and extends generally vertically downward from the side support members may be rotated relative to the side support member. This further allows adjustment of the device for more universal use by the population. It is important that, if this generally vertical member  26  rotates relative to the slidable portion  20  of horizontal side support member, that it be capable of locking or fixing in place, so that an inward pressure of the side support members pushing the earplugs into the ears of the user can be maintained. 
         [0019]    It is important that the earplugs are retained within the ears. The fit of the earplugs within the ear should be such that that the earplugs contact the outer portion of the ear canal, and compress slightly. However, the earplugs should not be uncomfortable to the wearer, or present a risk of injury to the wearer. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the side support members  10 , 12  provide inward pressure on the earplugs. It is preferred that the side members are in a spring biased relationship with each other, such that each of the side members provides inward pressure, as demonstrated in  FIG. 2 . The dark lines of  FIG. 2  demonstrate the position of the side support members in their normal state, with the phantom lines demonstrating the side support members being pushed outwardly as they are placed on the user&#39;s head and the earplugs are placed within the out ear canal of the wear. Spring biasing will urge the side support members toward the head of the user and push and hold the ear pads into the ear canals of the user. 
         [0021]    Spring biasing pressure may be provided by the frame of the eyeglasses, such as at the bridge  6  of the eyeglasses, due to the materials used. Many plastic materials will provide sufficient inward pressure as required by the invention, so that the side support members may move relative to each other as demonstrated by  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, spring biasing may be provided in the optional hinge  28  where the side support members join the lenses, or spring biasing may be provided in the frame that supports the lenses of the eyeglasses. 
         [0022]    The bridge of the eyeglasses should also be comfortable for the wearer, and accommodate wearers in a substantially universal manner, so that a large percentage of workers can wear the device. The removable nose pad  30  may also assist in meeting this goal of the invention. The bridge  6  of the eyeglass frame is provided with a pad support, having a relatively wide opening. Removable pads of various sizes may be used to size the eyeglasses for comfort for the wearer, and also to better retain the glasses on the wearer. By using a pad that compresses, a large number of wearers can use the glasses, while at the same time, a compressible material such closed cell foam will help retain the glasses in place on the wearer&#39;s head.