Abstract:
An eyewear holder for holding magnetically attachable eyewear, said eyewear holder comprising: a substantially rigid holder body; and two magnetic elements mounted to the holder body in a spaced apart relationship relative to each other. The eyewear is removably magnetically attachable to the two magnetic elements.

Description:
This application claims priority from GB Patent Application Number 0819222.1 on Oct. 21, 2008. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to holders for eyewear. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Holders for eyewear are known in the art and are useful for temporary safekeeping of eyewear such as eyeglasses and sunglasses, as well as of auxiliary eyewear such as clip-on lenses that can be hooked to, or magnetically attached to a compatible pair of eyeglasses. More particularly, noticeable examples of the prior art that concern holders compatible with magnetically attachable clip-on lenses, are the following: U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 2007/0064196 A1, to Avery (published in March 2007), U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 2007/0058129 A1, to Raymond (published in March 2007), U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,423 B1, to Brazell (issued in May 2005), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,303, to Macy et Al. (issued in June 2000). 
     While these prior art devices generally offer a holder means for temporary safekeeping of clip-on lens, they also only offer a holder having an attachment means for suspending the latter about the neck of the user or to a portion of the user&#39;s clothing, but not both. It is sometimes desirable for practical, as well as aesthetical reasons to have both options. Also, the clip-on lens is typically 
     Against this background, there exists a need for a new and improved eyewear holder. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved eyewear holder. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a broad aspect, the invention provides an eyewear holder for holding magnetically attachable eyewear, said eyewear holder comprising: a substantially rigid holder body; and two magnetic elements mounted to the holder body in a spaced apart relationship relative to each other. The eyewear is removably magnetically attachable to the two magnetic elements. 
     For example, the eyewear is a pair of eyeglasses or auxiliary sunglasses of the clip-on type, among other possibilities. 
     The magnetic element is an element that magnetically interacts with the magnetically attachable eyewear to attach the eyewear to the eyewear holder. For example, the magnetic element is a magnet and the magnetically attachable element includes magnets or metallic elements that are substantially in register with the magnetic element when the eyewear is attached to the eyewear holder. In other examples, the magnetic elements are ferromagnetic metal elements and the eyewear includes suitably located magnets. 
     In some embodiments of the invention, the eyewear holder is generally represented by a single piece, elongated element having a length that is substantially equivalent to the width of a standard sized eyewear, and may be made of, for examples, plastic resin or a rust-proof metal. 
     Advantageously, in some embodiments of the invention, the eyewear holder is a versatile eyewear holder which can be conveniently suspended around the neck of a user, just as well as be securely hooked to any suitable edge of fabric of the clothing of an intender user, for handy retrieval and safekeeping of eyewear. In some embodiments, the eyewear holder is attachable to a flexible elongated element, such as a cord, so as to be easily worn around the neck of the intended user. The eyewear holder of the present invention is also simple and economical to produce. 
     In some embodiments of the invention, the two magnetic elements are mounted to the holder body so as to be movable relatively thereto each along a respective predetermined path. In these embodiments, the eyewear holder is usable to hold eyewear having various dimensions and configurations. 
     In another broad aspect, the invention provides an eyewear holder for holding magnetically attachable eyewear, the eyewear holder being usable with a substantially elongated substantially flexible element defining two substantially opposed flexible element end sections, the eyewear holder comprising: a substantially elongated substantially rigid holder body, the holder body defining a substantially longitudinally extending hook for suspending the eyewear holder and a pair of substantially longitudinally opposed body grooves each for receiving a respective one of the flexible element end sections; and two magnetic elements mounted to the holder body in a substantially longitudinally spaced apart relationship relative to each other. The eyewear is removably magnetically attachable to said two magnetic elements. 
     Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 , in a perspective view, illustrates an eyewear holder according to an embodiment of the present invention and a magnetically attachable eyewear attachable to the magnetic holder, the magnetically attachable eyewear being shown in phantom lines; 
         FIG. 2 , in an environmental view, illustrates the eyewear holder shown in  FIG. 1  suspended about the neck of an intended user; 
         FIG. 3 , in an environmental view, illustrates the eyewear holder shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  shown suspended sidewardly to the edge of a shirt collar; 
         FIG. 4 , in an environmental view, illustrates the eyewear holder shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3  shown suspended sidewardly to the edge of a shirt pocket; 
         FIG. 5 , in a perspective view, illustrates an eyewear holder according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6 , in a partial plan view, illustrates the eyewear holder shown in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 7 , in a side cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII of  FIG. 6 , illustrates the eyewear holder shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows various aspects of a first embodiment of an eyewear holder  10  according to the present invention. In some embodiments of the invention, the eyewear holder  10  is generally represented by a single piece element that may be made of a sufficiently rigid material such as, for examples, plastic resin, using a conventional injection molding process, or a light and rust-proof metal, such as aluminum, using a punch-press process. 
     The eyewear holder  10  includes a substantially rigid holder body  11  generally defined as having a proximal portion  12  and a distal portion  14 . The eyewear holder  10  is substantially elongated and defines substantially opposed side ends  16 ,  18 . The proximal portion  12  is typically a substantially elongated member of sufficient length that is substantially equivalent to the overall average width of a standard sized eyewear  20 , such as a clip-on lens illustrated in the drawings, the eyewear  20  defining end portions  22  generally equipped with magnetic elements  24 . Typically, the holder body  11  is relatively flat and relatively thin and defines two substantially planar and substantially opposed body surfaces  17  and  19 . 
     The proximal portion  12  is further characterized by a lightly curved proximal surface  26  that is in register with the average inner curved configuration  28  of the eyewear  20 . 
     Two magnetic elements  30  are mounted to the holder body  11  in a spaced apart relationship relative to each other. For example, the two magnetic elements  30  are connected to, or embedded in the proximal portion  12  substantially adjacent the side ends  16  and  18  thereof. Typically, the holder body  11  is substantially elongated and the magnetic elements  30  are fixedly mounted to the holder body  11  in a predetermined spaced apart relationship relative to each other, for example in a substantially longitudinally spaced apart relationship relative to each other. 
     The magnetic elements  30  are of sufficient size and suitably positioned such that they can be placed in close proximity with the corresponding magnetic elements  24  provided near each end portions  22  of the eyewear  20 . Therefore, the eyewear  20  is removably magnetically attachable to the two magnetic elements  30 . 
     In some embodiments of the invention, a third magnetic element  32  is substantially centrally positioned along the length of the proximal portion  12  for magnetically retaining a corresponding magnetic element (not shown), or simply a magnetizable metal element, that can be found connected to, or embedded in the bridge element  34  on certain models of auxiliary eyewear of the clip-on type. The magnetic elements  30  and  32  are mounted to the holder body  11  in a substantially spaced apart relationship relative to each other. 
     All three magnetic elements  30  and  32  typically extend through the holder body  11  between the body surfaces  17  and  19  such that the eyewear holder  10  may be magnetically attracted to the corresponding magnetic elements  24  of the eyewear  20  from either side surface of the eyewear holder  10 . Furthermore, all three magnetic elements  30  and  32  are typically elongated magnets that may be substantially rectangular (as shown), or having any other suitably elongated shape, that are substantially longitudinally aligned in a substantially parallel fashion proximally along the proximal surface  26  of the proximal portion  12 . 
     The side ends  16  and  18  are each provided with a relatively narrow slotted groove  36  for slidably receiving and retaining therein substantially opposed flexible element end sections  39  and  41  of an optional substantially elongated substantially flexible element  38  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), such as a cord of suitable length that is equipped with retaining end knots, hooks, or the like. The flexible retaining element  38  may be used to conveniently suspend the eyewear holder  10  about the neck of an intended user  13 . 
     Substantially adjacent the side end  16 , there is a substantially elongated hooking stem that is divergently extending laterally inwardly and distally therefrom to form a hook  40  for suspending the eyewear holder  10 . The hook  40  defines a hook proximal end  46  and a substantially opposed hook distal end  48 , the hook distal end  48  being a free end. The hook  40  extends from the proximal portion  12  of the holder body  11  substantially adjacent the hook proximal end  46  and defines a slit  42  extending into the holder body  11  substantially adjacent the hook proximal end  46 . The slit  42 , in cooperation with the hook  40 , may be used as a hooking means to securely suspend the eyewear holder  10  sidewardly, for example, to any suitable edge of fabric of the clothing of the intended user  13 . For examples, the eyewear holder  10  may thus be conveniently suspended along the edge of the collar of a shirt  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , or along the edge of a shirt pocket  52 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , an oppositely oriented and relatively shorter hooking stem  44  is extending from the proximal portion  12  substantially adjacent the other side end  18  toward the hook  40  and may be used as a hook to conveniently suspend the eyewear holder  10  to, for example, the support stem of the rearview mirror of a car (not shown in the drawings). 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an eyewear holder  10 ′ in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention. The eyewear holder  10 ′ is substantially similar to the eyewear holder  10  and only differences between front end the two eyewear holders  10  and  10 ′ are described herein. 
     In the eyewear holder  10 ′, the two magnetic elements  30 ′ are mounted to the holder body  11  so as to be movable relatively thereto each along a respective predetermined path  54 . Typically, but non-exclusively, the predetermined paths  54  are each substantially rectilinear. 
     For example, as seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the holder body  11  defines a pair of bores  60  extending therethrough between the body surfaces  17  and  19  and along the predetermined paths  54 . Typically, the bores  60  are substantially oval-shaped, but other configurations are within the scope of the invention. The bores  60  each define a substantially circumferential groove  56  extending substantially radially outwardly therefrom into the holder body  11  at a location intermediate the body surfaces  17  and  19 . 
     The two magnetic elements  30 ′ are each mounted to a respective carriage  58 . Each carriage  58  is mounted in a respective one of the bores  60  so as to be movable therealong. More specifically, each carriage  58  is mounted in a respective one of the circumferential grooves  56 . In some embodiments of the invention, the carriages  58  are substantially disc-shaped and the magnetic elements  30 ′ are mounted to the carriages  58  so that they protrude in the bores  60 . Typically, the magnetic elements  30  are substantially flush with the body surfaces  17  and  19 . 
     Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of preferred embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.