Abstract:
A stem for eyewear includes an elongated base configured for support on a user&#39;s ear and comprising a relatively hard material and a soft pad portion overmolded onto the elongated base. The base comprises at least one through hole and the soft pad portion comprises an anchor portion that is continuous through the through hole. The base also includes an anchor loop on an end that is covered and penetrated by the soft pad portion.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/812,432 filed Jun. 9, 2006. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to eyewear having temples or stems to support the eyewear on a wearer&#39;s head. The invention is particularly directed to protective eyewear, such as used by military and law-enforcement personnel. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Specially adapted, protective eyewear is used today by soldiers and law enforcement officers. The use of such eyewear is particularly advantageous in harsh environments where sunlight, wind, dust and debris can be hazardous to eyesight. Additionally, such eyewear can be designed to protect the eyes against some level of impact of fragments and projectiles during battle. Such eyewear includes the Sawfly™ shield, available from Revision Military of Montreal, Canada, or Revision Eyewear, Ltd. of Williston, Vt., USA. 
   The present inventors have recognized that such eyewear could be improved by having more durable, and more cost effectively manufactured ear stem or temple pads. The present inventors have also recognized that the ear stem pads could assist in preventing scratching of the inside surface of the lens when the eyewear is folded up for storage. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention provides an improved ear stem or temple for a spectacle or eyeshield that includes a stem base structure of a relatively hard material and a soft pad portion composed of a relatively softer and/or more resilient material that is overmolded onto the base structure. 
   The base can include at least one through hole and the soft pad portion comprises an anchor portion that is continuous through the through hole. The base also includes an anchor loop on an end that is covered and penetrated by the soft pad portion. 
   Preferably the base structure is composed of NYLON or similar material and the soft pad portion is composed of a thermoplastic elastomer. 
   The soft pad portion includes a plurality of anchor portions that are molded through apertures provided through the base structure. 
   The soft pad portion provides soft protector portions covering the tip ends of the ear stems. The soft protector portions are effective, not only to prevent irritation when putting the eyewear on the wearer&#39;s head, but prevents scratching of the inside of the lens by the stem tip ends when the stems are folded to the lens in a conventional manner to store the eyewear in a pocket or case. 
   The present invention provides a secure and rugged manner of attaching a soft portion of eyewear stems that resists removal under harsh conditions. The soft portion is not only overmolded onto the harder stem base structure, but is also anchored by the interacting geometry of the two molded components to form both a chemical and a mechanical fixation. 
   Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded, front perspective view of a visor system attached to a helmet in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a frame and two ear stems taken from  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a fragmentary, transparent, top view of one ear stem taken from  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the ear stems taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of one ear stem taken along  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 7  is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a military-type protective shield  14  such as the Sawfly™ shield available from Revision Military of Montreal, Canada, or Revision Eyewear, Ltd. of Williston, Vt., USA. The shield  14  includes a frame  20  which releasably holds a lens  22 . The lens  22  can be a projectile impact resistant lens. In this regard the lens  22  can be composed of optical grade polycarbonate having a thickness of about 2.4 mm in a central location and a decreasing thickness to about 1.8 mm at its edges. The frame  20  includes a frame bar or bridge  26  and a pair of side temples or ear stems  28 ,  29 . The temples  28 ,  29  are pivotally attached to the bridge  26  by hinges  32 . Provisions  33  can be made along each of the temples for adjusting the length of the temples. Holes  28   a ,  29   a  can be provided for retaining a strap. 
   A nosepiece  36  is fit onto the lens  22  along a notched area  38 . Provisions in the form of tabs, hooks or claws are provided in the notched area  38  to underlie bottom portions of the nosepiece to hold the nosepiece to the lens  22 . The nosepiece  36  is snapped up into the lens  22  until the hooks underlie the bottom portions. 
   The stems  28 ,  29  include head-engaging distal end portions  44 ,  46 . The distal end portions  44 ,  46  are mirror image identical so that only one of the portions  44 ,  46  need be described. 
   The portion  46  includes a relatively hard base structure  50  and a soft pad portion  52 . Although these parts are shown separate in  FIG. 1  for explanation purposes, in the manufacturing process the part  52  is molded onto the part  50  and would not exist as a separate part. The base structure  50  is composed of a relatively hard plastic material such as polyamide or NYLON. The soft pad portion  52  is composed of a relatively soft, resilient material such as a thermoplastic elastomer. One exemplary thermoplastic elastomer is SANTOPRENE, a thermoplastic elastomer available from Advanced Elastomer Systems, LP, an ExxonMobil Chemical Affiliate in Akron, Ohio, USA. 
   The soft pad portion  52  is “overmolded” onto the base structure  50 . According to this method, after the base structure  50  is molded, it is placed into a second mold, or the first mold can be made adjustable to increase in size and change in shape, and the soft pad portion  52  is then molded onto base structure  50 . Example of overmolding methods for other articles are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,601,272 B2; 5,182,032I and 5,934,762 all herein incorporated by reference. 
   The soft pad part includes an elongated pad  62  having vertical grooves  62   a . The elongated pad  62  extends inwardly toward the wearer&#39;s head, outwardly from the most inward facing surface  50   a  of the base structure  50 . The base structure  50  provides a recess for partially receiving the pad  62 . The soft pad portion  52  also includes anchors  66 ,  68  that are formed integrally with the pad  62 , extend through holes  72 ,  74  through the base structure  50 , and form cap-like heads or rivet head shapes  76 ,  78  on an outward facing surface of the base structure  50 . The head shapes  76 ,  78  help lock the soft pad portion  52  to the base structure  50 . 
   At a tip end of the base structure  50  an anchor loop  84  is formed. This anchor loop  84  is covered by a tip end protector portion  86  of the soft pad portion  52 . The anchor loop  84  includes an aperture  84   a  that helps to prevent separation of the protector portion  86  from the stem  46 . The protector portion  86  is made continuous during molding with the pad  62  by a curved neck portion  87  ( FIG. 4 ). 
   The soft protector portions  86  are effective, not only to prevent irritation when putting the eyewear on the wearer&#39;s head, but prevents scratching of the inside of the lens  22  by the stem tip ends when the stems are folded to the lens in a conventional manner to store the eyewear in a pocket or case. 
   The present invention provides a secure and rugged manner of attaching a soft portion of eyewear stems that resists removal under harsh conditions. The soft portion is not only overmolded onto the harder stem base structure, but is also anchored by the geometry of the two overmolded components to form both a chemical and a mechanical fixation. 
   From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.