Abstract:
An eyeglass patch which is comprised of an optical occluding cup for correcting dominant eye vision problems is disclosed. One embodiment of the inventive eyeglass patch has an interchangeable exterior portion, wherein the wearer can interchange the exterior appearance of the eyeglass patch, at will. This embodiment is comprised of two cutouts, which thread and interlock together, wherein one of the cutouts has a decorative exterior.

Description:
1. TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to eye patches which are used to treat eye problems relating to a dominant eye, and more specifically, this invention relates to an eyeglass patch which attaches to eyeglasses in order to block lines of sight to the dominant eye. 
     2. BACKGROUND 
     Every sighted person has one eye that is dominant to a greater or lesser degree. However, when a first eye is overwhelmingly dominant over the second, lesser eye, problems can result such as a loss of sight in the weaker eye, crossed-eyes, diverging eyes or eye muscle imbalances. In young children, if one eye shows an overwhelming dominance, an eyeglass patch is placed over the dominant eye. This treatment forces the child to rely on the weaker eye, which results in the strengthening of the weaker eye over time. In cases where the dominant eye is overwhelming, all lines of sight to the dominant eye must be blocked, including peripheral vision, in order for the weaker eye to begin to be used and to gain strength. 
     Additionally, for a small child, wearing an eyeglass patch can be a traumatic experience. The child may face ridicule from peers or be treated as “different” by the public at large. These negative experiences may cause the child to remove the eyeglass patch or else refuse to put one on. Therefore, any feature which makes the wearing of a corrective eyeglass patch more desirable to a child can make the difference between the treatment of a dominant eye condition, or not. 
     The emergence of corrective eyeglass patches having decorative features have enhanced the desirability of wearing such a patch. Examples of these type of patches center around a theme wherein the patch is designed to block all lines of sight to the dominant eye and where the patch has decorative fabric permanently sewn to the front eyeglass lens-covering portion of the device. The device is held to the glasses by sliding the temple of the glasses between the decorative fabric and an underlying colored fabric portion. The patch of JP 2005345868 shows an eye patch comprised of an eye cup with a sewn-on decorative face. A similar sewn together decorative option is represented by Patch Pals of Hiawatha, Iowa. The corrective eyeglass patch disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,279 issued to Oviatt, incorporates fabric having a permanent decorative design. 
     The sewn versions of decorative eye patches are labor-intensive to make, thus reducing the profit potential for businesses that make them. Also, as noted previously, any feature which makes the wearing of a corrective eyeglass patch more desirable will cause the wearers, who are primarily children, to keep their patches in place. The decorative eyeglass patches just described, aid in this goal of achieving more desirability to the wearer. However, wearing the same sewn-on decorative design can become tiresome for the wearer, perhaps causing the wearer to fall back into the bad habit of removing the patch when not being supervised by adults. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a decorative corrective eyeglass patch which allows the wearer to interchange different designs upon an eyeglass patch, thus avoiding the problem of the wearer having to don the same tiresome design day after day. Also, a need exists for an alternative method to sewing the patch together which is less labor intensive. 
     The foregoing reflects the state of the art of which the inventor is aware, and is tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor&#39;s acknowledged duty of candor, which may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing discussion does not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor&#39;s claimed invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventive corrective eyeglass patch allows a decorative exterior layer to be interchanged by the wearer. In this fashion, the wearer could conceivably wear an unlimited number of decorative exterior layer designs, thereby making the wearing of an eyeglass patch an exciting and creative experience. The present invention in essence converts the wearing of a corrective eyeglass patch into a fashion statement. This invention also allows a child to participate in the creation of his own eyeglass patch. 
     The invention is comprised of first and second cutouts made of a flexible material having strong non-fraying characteristics. The two cutouts thread together in an interlocking arrangement to form the assembly that comprises the inventive corrective eyeglass patch. In the preferred embodiment, the first cutout is a utilitarian eyeglass patch having a front portion and a side portion. The front portion blocks frontal vision and the side portion blocks the wearer&#39;s peripheral vision. The first cutout further comprises a plurality of through slits, or holes, which receive the second cutout in a threading and interlocking fashion. The second cutout has a decorative exterior surface and is comprised of an overlying member that is flanked by two threadable members. The threadable members thread through the slits present in the first cutout, and interlock with the first cutout. When fully threaded and interlocked, the overlying member of the second cutout is positioned over the front portion of the first cutout, wherein a through-channel is formed between the overlying member and front portion. The temple of a pair of eyeglasses is introduced to the through-channel with forward force, until the invention reaches the lens, wherein it is fitted over the lens of the eyeglasses. When in position, the lens is positioned in the through-channel between the overlying member and the front portion. The side portion, which bears the interlocked, decorative, threadable members, is positioned along the temple of the glasses, thereby effectively blocking the wearer&#39;s peripheral vision. 
     When the wearer desires to change the decorative appearance of the invention, he merely disengages the threadable members of the second cutout, from the first cutout, and threads them through the slits until they are fully disengaged from the first cutout. He then selects a second cutout having a different decorative exterior surface and re-threads and interlocks it to the first cutout. 
     Accordingly, the following objects and advantages of the invention apply: 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a corrective eyeglass patch having an interchangeable decorative component. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a decorative corrective eyeglass patch which makes a fashion statement, thereby encouraging the wearer to voluntarily wear the inventive eyeglass patch. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a decorative eyeglass patch for dominant eye conditions as well as any other reason that a medical professional would recommend an eyeglass patch. 
     A still further object of this invention is to allow a child to participate in the creation of his own decorative eyeglass patch. 
     It is another object of this invention to produce an eyeglass patch with an effective optical occluding cup from easily manufactured die cut shaped pieces which can be easily assembled by the consumer, thereby eliminating time intensive sewing as a method of assembling the invention. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention, without placing limitations thereon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes only: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of the inventive corrective eyeglass patch, shown mounted upon the eyeglasses of a wearer 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the inventive corrective eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the first cutout of the inventive eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of second cutout of the inventive eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan perspective view of the inventive eyeglass patch attached to a pair of eyeglasses 
         FIG. 6  is an elevated perspective view of the inventive eyeglass patch attached to a pair of eyeglasses, shown from the inside of a pair of eyeglasses. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a first step in threading and interlocking the second cutout into the first cutout in order to assemble the inventive eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a second step in threading and interlocking the second cutout into the first cutout in order to assemble the inventive eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a third step in threading and interlocking the second cutout into the first cutout in order to complete the assembly of the inventive eyeglass patch. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an embodiment of the invention which is designed for a more relaxed fit for large wearers. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an embodiment of the invention which is a one-piece die cut variant. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment of the inventive corrective eyeglass patch  10  mounted upon the eyeglasses  12  of a wearer  13  is shown.  FIG. 2  illustrates the inventive eyeglass patch  10  by itself, which when assembled, comprises an optical occluding cup around the wearer&#39;s dominant eye, which more effectively occludes the dominant eye. 
     The components of this invention are die cut and not sewn together, which saves considerable assembly labor. The inventive eyeglass patch is comprised of a first cutout  14  and a second cutout  16 . The second cutout  16  has a decorative exterior-facing side  18 , thereby lending a fashion element to an otherwise utilitarian eyeglass patch. The second cutout  16  cooperates with the first cutout  14  by threading through slits  28 ,  30  (see  FIG. 3 ) imparted through the first cutout  14 , and the second cutout  16  further interlocks with the first cutout  14  to form the optical occluding cup that is the inventive corrective eyeglass patch  10 . Depending on the tastes of the wearer, the second cutout  16  can be changed out, at will, and replaced with a new second cutout  16  having an entirely different exterior design. In this way, the wearer could regularly make a new fashion statement by continually replacing the second cutout  16 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate the first and second cutouts  14 ,  16  respectively, prior to threading and interlocking the cutouts together, to create the present invention  10 . First cutout  14  is a utilitarian eyeglass patch having a front shield  22  for blocking frontal vision and a side shield  24  for blocking peripheral vision. The front shield  22  is of a size necessary to cover the lens on standard eyeglass sizes, but larger or smaller eyeglass frames and lenses could be accommodated by sizing and forming the first and second cutouts as needed. The side shield  24  needs to be sized to block the wearer&#39;s peripheral vision from his dominant eye. The dotted line  26  shown in the Figures represents a line of demarcation separating the front and side shields; it is also where the front and side shields achieve an angled orientation in relation to each other, due to the second cutout  16  imparting a mechanical force to the first cutout  14 , upon fully threading and interlocking the second cutout with the first cutout, as will be further described herein. First cutout  14  includes a plurality of through-slits  28 ,  30 ,  32  ( 28 - 32 ) for threading and interlocking with second cutout  16 . Through-slits  28 - 32  are placed strategically to allow the mechanical force of the second cutout  16  to orient front and side shields  22 ,  24  into the angled orientation just mentioned. An additional through-slit  34  functions to attach the first cutout  14  over the bridge pad  36  of a pair of eyeglasses  12  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     The first and second cutouts are preferably constructed from non-fraying materials or non-fraying laminates of materials. The materials, in addition to being non-fraying, should have a lens-friendly, scratch-free quality, at least on the sides of the cutouts which directly contact the eyeglass lenses. An example of a material which meets the requirements of the invention is a laminate of thin foam material sandwiched between two layers of Velvet Loop® material which is manufactured by Velcro Inc. The Velvet Loop® material in addition to being non-fraying and lens friendly is also durable enough to withstand frequent interchanges of the second cutout  16 . Polyester double-knit or nylon materials also suffice as materials from which to construct first and second cutouts  14 ,  16 . First and second cutouts  14 ,  16  are preferably die-cut for fast production, and due to their threading and interlocking design, eliminate time consuming sewing from the manufacturing process. 
     Still referring to the drawings, the second cutout  16  is comprised of an overlying member  38 , which when completely in place, overlies the front shield  22  of the first cutout  14 . Second cutout  16  is further comprised of threadable members  40 , which flank the overlying member  38  and function to thread with the through-slits  28 - 32  of the first cutout  14 . Dotted lines  42  represent boundaries separating the overlying member  38  from the threadable members  40 . Threadable members  40  are endowed with locking points  44 ,  46 ,  48  ( 44 - 48 ), and locking tab  50  which lock sections  52 ,  54  of threadable members  40  in the through-slits  28 - 32  of first cutout  14 . As each section  52 ,  54  of the threadable members  40  is locked in place within through-slits  28 - 32 , the second  16  cutout imparts an increasingly mechanically shaping force upon the first cutout  14 , ultimately orienting front and side shields  22 ,  24  of the first cutout  14  into an angled relation. The angled relation can approximate 90-degrees, which is approximate to the angle separating the temple  58  from the eyeglass frames  56 . The approximate 90-degree relation as shown in  FIG. 5  is closer to that needed by a smaller child who might not spread his eyeglass frames  56 . However, in larger children, or even adults who have larger faces, the temple  58  and lens frames  56  might spread apart more, and the relation of the front  22  and side shield  24  should deviate further from 90-degrees to accommodate this spread; in such a case the mechanical force applied by the second cutout  16  would be less pronounced upon the first cutout  14 , to achieve the more relaxed angled relation. This relaxed fit can be accomplished by adding more material at the location  57  shown in  FIG. 10 . Also, as further shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  the sections  52  of threadable elements  40  form upper and lower overlapping flaps, which overlap both the first cutout and the eyeglass frames. This overlapping by the second cutout  16  forms a “cup” around the wearer&#39;s dominant eye, which more effectively occludes the dominant eye. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7-9  the process of threading and interlocking second cutout  16  with first cutout  14  to form the inventive eyeglass patch  10  is shown. First, as shown in  FIG. 7 , threadable members  40  of second cutout are threaded through slits  28  located in the top and bottom of front shield  22  of first cutout  14 , until locking points  44 ,  48  are forced through slits  28 , thereby locking overlying member  38  over front shield  22 . Next, as shown in  FIG. 8 , threadable members  40  are further threaded through top and bottom slits  30  of side shield  24 , until locking points  46  engage with slits  30 . The placement of locking points  44 - 48  at the locations shown on threadable members  40  forces the front and side shields  22 ,  24  of first cutout into the angled orientation previously noted. Next, as shown in  FIG. 9  the end locking tabs  50  of threadable members  40  are threaded through the remaining slits  32  in side shield  24  to fully attach the second cutout  16  to the first cutout  14 . The temple  58  of eyeglasses  12  can be threaded through the channel  55  formed between section  54  and side shield  24 , for added stability, as shown. To remove the decorative second cutout  16 , the wearer merely has to reverse the assembly process just described and shown in  FIGS. 7-9 , beginning with unlocking the locking tabs  50  of threadable members  40 . 
     Also, while the previously described embodiment relies on two die cut pieces  14  and  16 , it is possible for the invention to be reduced to a one-piece die cut embodiment  62  of the type shown in  FIG. 11 . This embodiment would form the occluding cup in the manner previously described for the two-piece version, however the decorative interchangeability as described herein would be lost. 
     The inventive corrective eyeglass patch allows a wearer to continually interchange second cutouts having a myriad of aesthetically pleasing designs. The present invention transforms the corrective eyeglass patch from an item of ridicule and derision to a fashion statement, wherein the wearer may express his individuality. It is hoped that the desirable decorative aspect of the present invention will especially encourage children to wear their corrective patches, thereby aiding in the strengthening and healing of their non-dominant eyes, as well as wear their eyeglass patches for any other medically necessary reason. 
     Finally, although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. This invention may be altered and rearranged in numerous ways by one skilled in the art without departing from the coverage of any patent claims which are supported by this specification.