Patent Publication Number: US-2003229935-A1

Title: Land sport goggles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a land sport goggles. In particular, the present invention relates to a pair of goggles having at least one padding member for providing improved intimate contact with the user&#39;s face for land sports.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] It is common to use a pair of goggles in land sports such as skiing, cycling, ball games, etc., to prevent injury to the eyes from strong wind or impingement. FIG. 7 of the drawings illustrates a pair of conventional goggles using a padding member  1 ′ made of sponge for intimate contact with the wearer&#39;s face. The padding member  1 ′ provides a shock-absorbing effect when subject to strong wind.  
       [0005] However, the padding member  1 ′ made of sponge has a limited resiliency such that the face of the wearer is still apt to be injured by the rigid lens and rigid frame of the goggles. Further, the overall appearance of the goggles is not aesthetic, as the padding member  1 ′ is made of sponge and the frame is generally made of plastics.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a pair of goggles having at least one padding member that is securely attached to an inner side of a frame of the goggles by any suitable means. The padding member is made of soft, impermeable material and includes an engaging portion in an inner periphery thereof for receiving a lens. The padding member includes a chamber for receiving air or fluid. When the padding member is compressed by an external force, a larger reactive force is obtained at the padding member due to provision of the air pressure or fluid pressure such that the wearer&#39;s face is kept away from the rigid frame and the rigid lens when the padding member is in intimate contact with the wearer&#39;s face.  
       [0007] The engaging portion of the padding member may be an engaging groove. At least one recessed portion is defined in an inner side of the padding member to provide a cushioning effect as well as a shock-absorbing effect. The padding member may be in the form of a ring. In an alternative embodiment, the padding member includes two half pieces separated by a gap for providing ventilation. The padding member may include a nose pad to allow easy assembly, to increase the wearing comfort, and to provide an overall good-looking appearance.  
       [0008] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0011]FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view illustrating use of the pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0012]FIG. 4 is a schematic top view illustrating use of the pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0013]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the pair of goggles in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0015]FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view illustrating use of a pair of conventional goggles. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0016] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a pair of land sport goggles in accordance with the present invention generally comprises a frame  1  and at least one padding member  2  attached to an inner side of the frame  1  by any suitable means, such as male and female engagement, bonding, etc.  
     [0017] In this embodiment, there are two ring-like padding members  2  attached to the inner side of the frame  1 . Each padding member  2  is made of soft, impermeable material and includes an engaging portion  21  in an inner periphery thereof. An engaging groove  211  is defined in the engaging portion  21  for receiving a lens  13  through stretchability of the padding member  2 . Further, each padding member  2  includes a chamber  22  along a length thereof. Air or fluid may be filled into the chamber  22 . Further, at least one recessed portion  23  may be formed on an inner side of each padding member  2  for ventilation as well as providing improved resiliency for absorbing shock. At least one vent  11  may be provided in each lens  13  or the frame  1  to assist in ventilation.  
     [0018] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when in use, each padding member  2  is in intimate contact with the wearer&#39;s face. The channel  22  of each padding member  2  provides a shock-absorbing function to prevent injury to the wearer from the rigid frame  1  and the rigid lenses  13 . When the padding member  2  is compressed by an external force, a larger reactive force is obtained at the padding member  2  due to provision of the air pressure or fluid pressure such that the wearer&#39;s face is kept away from the rigid frame  1  and the rigid lenses  13  when the padding member is in intimate contact with the wearer&#39;s face. The recessed portions  23  also provide a cushioning effect as well as a shock-absorbing effect.  
     [0019]FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the padding member. In this embodiment, the padding member (now designated by  3 ) includes two half pieces separated by a gap  31  for providing ventilation.  
     [0020]FIG. 6 illustrates a third embodiment of the padding member. In this embodiment, the padding member (now designated by  4 ) includes a nose pad  41  for contact with the wearer&#39;s nose. Of course, the nose pad  41  may include a chamber similar to the chamber  22  in the first embodiment for receiving air or fluid, thereby improving the shock-absorbing effect. Further, the assembly of the goggles is improved, and the overall appearance is good looking.  
     [0021] According to the above description, it is appreciated that the goggles in accordance with the present invention has many advantages when compared with conventional goggles. Firstly, the air or fluid in the chamber  22  of the padding member  2  improves the shock-absorbing effect and prevents injury to the wearer&#39; face from the rigid portions of the goggles. Second, the recessed portions  23  on the padding member  2  provide ventilation even if the lens  13  or the frame  1  is not provided with vents  11 . Thus, the padding member  2  can be used with any type of frame  1  while providing improved ventilation. Third, the engagement between the engaging groove  211  of the padding member  2  and the lens  1  allows easy assembly, as no boding agent is required. Fourth, the padding member  4  may include a nose pad  41  to improve the shock-absorbing effect in the nose area of the wearer, and the nose portion of the frame  1  may be omitted. The cost of manufacture is reduced, and an aesthetic appearance of the goggles is provided. Fifth, the padding member  4  can be made of plastic material similar to that for the frame  1 , further improving the overall appearance.  
     [0022] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.