Abstract:
Narrow edged widely spaced gripping ridges molded in thin flexible plastic sheets are easily and permanently applied by pressure adhesive to smooth spectacle frame gripping faces which normally directly engage nose bridge and temporal head areas thereby retaining spectacles in place during violent exercise.

Description:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The prior art is replete with efforts to secure persons against loss of spectacles when exercising vigorously in work or sports. These have included knurling pressure pads or providing them with foam rubber as well as numerous other expedients most of which have either been ineffective for the intended purpose or have constituted a source of irritation barring continuous use. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a spectacle retaining device which will not only be dependable during normal hard working and playing conditions but which will allow for ventilation of the head areas contacted by the spectacles, thereby avoiding excessive perspiration and irritation developing in said areas. 
     Another object of the invention is to develop the traction required to retain the spectacles in place by applying pressure to the head areas engaged by the spectacles in thin straight lines fairly widely spaced. 
     A yet further object is to enhance the stability of spectacles worn during a high degree of physical activity by arranging the spaced frictional lines of contact with the bridge of the nose at a substantial angle relative to similar spaced lines of contact with the temporal head region. 
     Still another object is to arrange said frictional lines of contact with the nose bridge horizontally to resist said spectacles sliding downwardly when applied to the nose bridge in the desired transverse plane while arranging the frictional lines of contact with the temporal head region in a manner to prevent dislodgement of the spectacle bows from locking engagement with the ears of the wearer, thereby restraining said spectacles from shifting forwardly from said transverse plane, and thus slipping off of the nose bridge. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide a do-it-yourself kit enabling the purchaser thereof to convert his own spectacles so as to embody the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a widely used style of spectacles which has been modified by application thereto of the kit of my invention so as to cause it to constitute a preferred embodiment of the spectacles of said invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of a flexible plastic disc molded to provide a series of pressure contact ridges, said disc having a pressure adhesive back coating normally covered by a neutral non-adhesive layer (similarly to a decal) a suitable number of said discs being included in the kit of my invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention preferably embodies a pair of spectacles 10 and a kit 11 to enable the purchaser to convert his own spectacles into the substantial equivalent of the spectacles 10. 
     The invention may be incorporated with any of a wide variety of spectacles and by different methods of manufacture. Only one widely used type of all-plastic-frame spectacles is shown in the drawings to illustrate one preferred method of manufacture: to wit: the method involving use of the kit 11. 
     This type of spectacles (before its conversion into spectacles 10 of the invention) is identified by the reference character S and may be described as follows: 
     A frame F includes two lens rims R in which two lenses L are framed. Frame F also includes a bridge B connecting the rims R. Slightly curved converging nose engaging surfaces N are provided on lens rims R. 
     A pair of molded plastic temples (or bows) T are hingedly connected to upper outer corners of lens frame F and are spring biased inwardly against the head where they turn downwardly, thereby hooking over the ears, so as to pressurally apply flat pressure surfaces H against temporal areas of the head. 
     The problem encountered by persons wearing the spectacles S is that vigorous activity engaged in by the wearer results in the temples T slipping upwardly out of hooking relation with the ears thereby releasing the frame F to slide forwardly from its perch on the nose bridge and causing the spectacles S to become lost, at a moment when the owner is not free to recover the same. 
     The invention comprehends solving this problem by providing each of the smooth, curved, converging nose gripping surfaces N, and each of the flat head-gripping surfaces H with a series of parallel narrow-edged plastic gripping ridges 15 and 16 respectively, these being spaced apart uniformly by a distance in the order of 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch and having an altitude in the order of 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. Furthermore, said ridges 15, which are provided on surfaces N, are preferably arranged horizontally and the ridges 16, provided on temple gripping surfaces H, are preferably arranged to incline down and forwardly as shown in FIG. 2. 
     The ridges 15 and 16 may be die formed concurrently with the manufacture of the spectacles S. The kit 11 however is provided to facilitate conversion of spectacles S into spectacles 10 of the invention in the following manner: 
     Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the kit 11 includes four circular thin flexible plastic patches 20 having parallel ridges 21 molded in one face thereof within the dimension limitations above noted for ridges 15 and 16. 
     A thin pressure-adhesive coating 22 covers the reverse face of each of the patches 20 and this in turn is temporarily covered by a neutral sheet of paper 23. 
     Each of the patches 20 is applied to one of the gripping surfaces of the spectacles S by first peeling the neutral paper 23 from the back of that patch, centralizing the patch over that gripping surface, rotating the patch to position the ridges 21 thereon parallel with the chart indicated direction for the ridges 15 or 16 to be provided on said surface, pressing said patch onto said surface to permanently mount said patch on said surface, and clipping from said patch the excess peripheral portion thereof not overlying said surface. 
     It is thus to be noted that as gripping surfaces N and H are approximately equal in length, and that the diameter of each patch 20 exceeds that length, the ridges 21 can be positioned before applying and trimming each patch to a gripping surface so that the ridges 15 or 16 produced upon said surface by said ridges 21 will be properly oriented with the longitudinal axis of said surface as indicated by broken lines and reference character 20 in FIG. 2 of the drawings.