Abstract:
The disposable safety eyewear has a lens portion having a bridge portion and a nose support thereon. Left and right temple bars are connected to the lens portion by living hinges. The living hinges are operable between an open position and a folded position. Mating formations secure the living hinges in its respective folded position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to earlier filed U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/575,178, filed Mar. 28, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The instant invention relates to safety eyewear and more particularly to inexpensive safety eyewear that can be thrown away after use. 
     2. Background of the Related Art 
     Inexpensive disposable safety eyewear has particular appeal to companies that must routinely give out safety eyewear to guests visiting or touring manufacturing facilities. 
     Growing awareness of eye safety and the implementation of regulations requiring the use of safety eyewear by all persons within manufacturing facilities have prompted development of a variety of inexpensive safety eyewear products. In particular, disposable safety eyewear has recently become a significant sales market for companies that must routinely give out safety eyewear to guests visiting their facilities or touring the manufacturing floor. 
     Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive and disposable safety eyewear product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The instant invention provides a simple and inexpensive one-piece, injection-molded, disposable safety eyewear product that does not require any assembly prior to shipment to the customer. 
     Briefly, the entire eyewear is molded in a substantially flat configuration as a single piece having the lens portion, side shield portion and temple bars integrally connected by reduced thickness parting lines that define living hinges. The adjacent edges of the lens portion and side shield portion are integrally molded with one-way, snap-in-place mating formations such that when the side shields are pivoted toward the lens along the living hinges, the mating formations snap together to lock the side shields in place relative to the lens. Likewise, the adjacent edges of the temple bars and the side shield also include snap-in-place mating formations such that when the temple bars are pivoted towards the side shield, the mating formations snap together to lock the temple bars in place relative to side shields. The mating formations snap together in a single direction, and are not intended to be snapped apart after use. Once snapped together, the eyewear is intended to be thrown away after use. 
     The one-piece design permits the safety eyewear to be molded in a single shot, packaged in a flat low-profile box, and shipped without any assembly or subsequent processing steps by the manufacturer. At the point of distribution of the eyewear, the user removes the eyewear from the box, rotates the side shields and temple bars into place, snapping the mating formations together to form a conventional pair of safety eyewear. 
     A second embodiment of the one-piece design includes a lens portion and temple bars each integrally connected to the lens portion by a plurality of closely-spaced, parallel reduced-thickness parting lines formed at the junction areas between the lens portion and the temple bars. The plurality of parting lines form living hinges that allow the temple bars to be bent in an arc to a perpendicular to the lens portion. The junction areas at each temple are also provided with snap-in place mating formations that snap together when the temple bars are bent relative to the lens portion. 
     Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are:
         the provision of a one-piece disposable safety eyewear that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture; and   the provision of a one-piece safety eyewear including snap-in-place mating formations that lock the eyewear components in place when folded along integrally formed living hinges.       

     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the one-piece disposable safety eyewear constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and viewed in an as-molded condition prior to folding for use; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view thereof; 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged cutaway of the bottom view showing the snap-in-place mating formations; 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view thereof showing the side shields and temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view thereof showing the side shields and temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view thereof showing the side shields and temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view thereof showing the side shields and temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom view thereof showing the side shields and temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of a second embodiment of the one-piece disposable safety eyewear constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and viewed in an as-molded condition prior to folding for use; 
         FIG. 11  is a front perspective view thereof showing the temple bars folded and snapped-in-place for use; 
         FIG. 11A  is an enlarged detail view of the junction area showing the temple bar and mating snap-in-place formations prior to folding for use; and 
         FIG. 11B  is an enlarged detail view of the junction area showing the temple bar folded for use and the mating snap-in-place formations snapped in place. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, a first embodiment of the one-piece injection molded safety eyewear of the instant invention is illustrated and generally indicated at  10  in  FIGS. 1–9 . As will hereinafter be more fully described, the instant invention provides a simple and inexpensive one-piece, injection-molded, disposable safety eyewear product that does not require any assembly prior to shipment to the customer. 
     The entire eyewear  10  is molded in a substantially flat configuration as a single piece having the lens portion  12 , side shield portions  14  and temple bars  16  integrally connected by reduced thickness parting lines  18  that define living hinges. The one-piece configuration is preferably molded from an optically transparent or translucent polycarbonate material, although other materials are possible. The lens portion  12  of the eyewear is configured and arranged as a single lens shield for protecting the user&#39;s eyes, and may include two separate lens areas  19  (See  FIG. 5 ). The nose support  20  is integrally molded into the bridge of the lens portion  12 . 
     The adjacent edges of the lens portion  12  and side shield portions  14  are integrally molded with one-way, snap-in-place mating formations generally indicated at  22 . In the preferred embodiments illustrated herein, the snap-in-place formations comprise a raised shoulder  24  extending along one side of the hinge and a j-shaped channel hook  26  extending along the opposing side of the hinge (see  FIG. 4A ). 
     When the side shields  14  are pivoted toward the lens portion  12  along the living hinges  18 , the mating formations snap together to lock the side shields  14  in place relative to the lens portion  12 . More specifically, the lower leg portion of the J-shaped channel  24  slides over the top edge of the shoulder  22  and locks into an slight undercut provided along the length of the shoulder  22 . 
     Likewise, the adjacent edges of the temple bars  16  and the side shields  14  also include the same snap-in-place mating formations  22  such that when the temple bars  16  are pivoted towards the side shields  14 , the mating formations  22  snap together to lock the temple bars  16  in place relative to side shields  14 . 
     The mating formations  22  snap together in a single direction, and are not intended to be snapped apart after use. Once snapped together, the eyewear  10  is intended to stay folded for use. However, it may be possible to construct the living hinges  18  and mating formations  22  such that repeated locking and unlocking would not excessively degrade the stability of the structure. 
     The one-piece design permits the safety eyewear  10  to be molded in a single shot, packaged in a flat low-profile box, and shipped without any assembly or subsequent processing steps by the manufacturer. At the point of distribution of the eyewear, the user removes the eyewear from the box, bends the side shields  14  and temple bars  16  into place, snapping the mating formations  22  together to form a conventional pair of safety eyewear. 
     By removing all of the secondary assembly processes (except packaging), labor and assembly machinery costs are significantly reduced and the manufacturer can provide a low cost, yet fully functional alternative to eyewear having multiple parts that must be assembled prior to shipment. Because of the low cost, the distributing site does not need to be concerned with collecting and cleaning safety eyewear that is provided for guests and visitors. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10–11 , a second embodiment of the one-piece design is generally indicated at  10 A. The second embodiment  10 A is in many respects similar to the first embodiment  10  described hereinabove. The second embodiment  10 A also includes a lens portion  12 A and opposing temple bars  16 A. The temple bars  16 A are each integrally connected to the lens portion  12 A by temple junction generally indicated at  28  and including a plurality of closely-spaced, parallel reduced-thickness parting lines spaced between the lens portion  12 A and the temple bars  16 A. The plurality of parting lines form a series of living hinges  30  that allow the temple bars  16  to be bent in an arc (See direction arrows in  FIGS. 11 and 11B ) to a position substantially perpendicular to the lens portion  12 A. The temple junctions  28  are each provided with snap-in-place mating formations generally indicated at  32  that snap together when the temple bars  16 A are bent relative to the lens portion. 
     More specifically, the snap-in-place formations  32  comprise an oval opening  34  extending perpendicular to the living hinges  30  and a smaller dimensioned mating oval disc  36  that is integrally suspended in the middle of the opening  34  by connecting arms  38  at the top and bottom of the opening  34 . The front and rear edges of the opening  34  include interference shoulders  40  that extend upwardly and partially inwardly over the top of the disc  36 . When the temple bars  16 A are bent along the series of living hinges  30 , the disc  36  is forced upwardly past the interference shoulders  40  (See  FIGS. 11A–11B ). Once the disc  36  has moved past the interference shoulders  40 , the shoulders  40  snap back into a locking position behind the disc ( FIG. 11B ) thereby preventing the disc  36  from passing back through the opening  34  and holding the temple bars  16 A in the folded for use position. 
     It can therefore be seen that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive one-piece, injection-molded, disposable safety eyewear product  10  that does not require any assembly prior to shipment to the customer. For these reasons, the instant invention is believed to represent a significant advancement in the art that has substantial commercial merit. 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claim.