Abstract:
A tool system for inserting temple screws in eyeglass frames includes first and second scissor arms, with each scissor arm having proximal and distal ends, the arms pivotally connected so that the ends can be moved towards and away from one another when the arms are pivotally moved using finger-receiving devices at the distal ends of the scissor arms. A clamp locking mechanism is an extended ratchet device for providing stepwise engagement of the first and second scissor arms in a position where the finger receiving devices are moved closer together and prevented from moving further apart. Clamping and gripping surfaces at the proximal ends of the arms grip the spring hinge eyeglass frames, with an elongated projection extending away from the clamping surface on one arm to engage the eyeglass temples to temporarily secure the spring hinge in a state of extension.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to tools and methods used in the repair of eyeglasses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clamping tool and system for attaching a spring-hinged temple to eyeglass frame fronts. The tool of the present invention assists in inserting or removing temple screws in eyeglass frames with spring hinge temples. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional eyeglasses or spectacles use a frame to support and position a pair of optical lenses in front of the eyes for vision correction. The eyeglass frame will typically include a frame front that rests on the bridge of the nose to support the eyeglass lenses, and left and right elongate members called temples that extend rearwardly from endpieces on the frame front to provide support for the frame on the ears of the wearer. In many such eyeglass frames, the temples are pivotally attached to the endpieces on the frame front using spring hinges. As discussed in greater detail below, the frame front is attached to the temples using temple screws inserted through a common cylindrical aperture that is created when a temple aperture and frame front aperture are axially aligned. The spring in the spring hinge temple is connected to a movable member that, when the temple is joined with the frame front, shares the common aperture with the endpiece of the frame front. 
     Because the temple spring is in a tension state, when a temple is detached from the frame front during a repair process, the tension of the spring causes the movable member of the temple to become misaligned with the center line of the aperture. This makes it more difficult to manually position and insert the temple screws for reassembly. Accordingly, the movable member of the spring hinge temple must be temporarily clamped in an extended position in order to achieve accurate axial alignment between the temple aperture and the frame front aperture. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,678, issued to Serge Ferland, on Jul. 7, 1998, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an eyeglass repair tool used to clamp the spring hinge moveable member in its extended position by utilizing a wire as the clamping device. This device is inherently less stable and rigid and is a more complex clamping tool. Also, this is not as useful for clamping spring hinge members having recessed openings, as is present in many spring hinge structures. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,286 issued to John P. Shaw on Feb. 19, 1991, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an eyeglass repair tool used to hold frame fronts and spring hinge temples in place. However, this tool does not retain spring hinge structures in an extended position and thus does not facilitate accurate alignment of the frame front aperture with the temple aperture for achieving easy insertion and extraction of the temple screw. 
     What is needed, then, is a simplified eyeglass repair tool, system and method that facilitate the attachment of spring hinge temples to eyeglass frame fronts by applying the proper force to overcome the tension of the spring hinge and allowing for easy, accurate alignment of the temple and frame front apertures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a tool, system, and method used for attaching a spring-hinged temple to an eyeglass frame front. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a simple multi-faceted hand tool to facilitate the attachment of spring hinge temples to eyeglasses frame fronts. The tool of the present invention allows a user to apply the proper pressure to overcome the tension of the spring hinge in the extended position, thus allowing for accurate axial alignment of the apertures defined by the temple and the frame front along a center line, for easy insertion of the temple screw. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of attaching a spring-hinged temple to eyeglass frame fronts using a simple, hand-operated tool. 
     Furthermore, the present invention relates to a clamping tool having first and second arms. The first and second arms are pivotally connected at a pivot point located between proximal and distal ends of the arms. Finger receptacles are integrally attached to the distal ends of the arms for communicating manual force through the first and second arms. The proximal end of the first arm has a clamping surface with an upwardly extending projection shaped to engage a spring hinge eyeglass temple. A gripping surface is integrally formed at the proximal end of the second arm opposing the clamping surface. The first and second arms are provided with a clamp locking mechanism. In one embodiment, the clamp locking mechanism provides stepwise engagement of the first and second arms from an unclamped position in which the distal ends are spaced apart to a clamped position in which the distal ends are brought closer together. The clamp locking mechanism also prevents movement in an opposite direction. That is, the arms close in scissor-like fashion. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, a tool for inserting temple screws in eyeglass frames having spring hinge temples includes first and second scissor arms, with each scissor arm having proximal and distal ends, the arms pivotally connected so that the ends can be moved towards and away from one another when the arms are pivotally moved. The tool of this embodiment further includes finger-receiving devices at the distal ends of the scissor arms for communicating manual force to pivotally move the scissor arm ends in scissors-like fashion. The clamp locking mechanism is an extended ratchet device for providing stepwise engagement of the first and second scissor arms in a position where the finger receiving devices are moved closer together and prevented from moving further apart. Clamping and griping surfaces at the proximal ends of the arms provide a means to grip spring hinge eyeglass frames, with an elongated projection extending away from the clamping surface on one arm to engage the eyeglass temples to temporarily secure the spring hinge in a state of extension. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of attaching a spring-hinged temple to an eyeglass frame front, the temple having an internal spring attached to a movable member defining a temple aperture, the frame front having a frame front aperture, the temple and frame front apertures defining a common aperture for receiving a temple screw when the temple and frame front apertures are placed in a position of accurate axial alignment. The method includes manipulating the temple and frame front to obtain partial axial alignment of the temple and frame front apertures and then inserting a positioning needle through the temple aperture and frame front aperture to temporarily maintain the partial axial alignment. The spring is then placed under tension by rotating the temple about the positioning needle into an extended position. A clamping tool is attached to the movable member to temporarily maintain the temple in the extended position. The positioning needle is then removed and the temple and frame front apertures are moved into accurate axial alignment to define the common aperture. The temple screw is inserted into the common aperture and the clamping tool is disengaged. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the portion of the temple to be clamped is moved into a proper clamping relationship with the clamping surface, which has at least one of a cone or blade projection that will accommodate the vast majority of spring hinge temples. The projection is securely held in position against the temple by the opposing arm or jaw. The locking tension against the temple is achieved through the multi-ratcheting adjustment of the clamp locking mechanism. Simplicity and function attribute to the easy application of the tool allowing only one hand to hold the frame and the attached tool while the other hand is free to insert or extract the temple screw. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of the clamping tool of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a back view of the clamping tool of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the proximal end of one of the scissor arms of the clamping tool, showing the gripping surface. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged oblique view of the proximal end of one of the scissor arms of the clamping tool, showing the clamping surface comprising a first projection shaped as an inverted cone and a second, elongated triangular blade projection. 
     FIG. 5 is a side a view of a positioning needle of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section view of a proximal end of a conventional spring hinge eyeglass temple illustrating misaligned apertures with the endpiece of an eyeglass frame front. 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded oblique view of a spring-hinged temple and endpiece portion of an eyeglass frame front. 
     FIG. 8 is an oblique view of a spring-hinged temple and an eyeglass frame front with respective apertures maintained in partial axial alignment by a positioning needle in accordance with the method of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 shows a spring-hinged temple being flexed into an extended position after insertion of a positioning needle in accordance with the method of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 shows a clamping tool using a blade projection to clamp a first type of spring-hinged eyeglass temple in the extended position in accordance with the method of the present invention, prior to accurate alignment of the temple and frame front apertures. 
     FIG. 11 shows the placement of the temple screw into the common aperture after accurate alignment of the temple and frame front apertures in accordance with the method of the present invention. 
     FIG. 12 shows a clamping tool using an inverted cone projection to clamp a second type of spring-hinged eyeglass temple in the extended position in accordance with the method of the present invention, prior to accurate alignment of the temple and frame front apertures. 
     FIG.  13 ( a ) is an enlarged side view of the clamping surface and projections at the proximal end of a scissor arm. 
     FIG.  13 ( b ) is an enlarged end view of an inverted conical projection as shown in FIG.  13 ( a ). 
     FIG.  13 ( c ) is an enlarged end view of a blade projection as shown in FIG.  13 ( a ). 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference character,  10  refers to an embodiment of the clamping tool in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamping tool  10  is constructed from a first arm  12  and a second arm  14 . The first and second arms  12  and  14  each have proximal and distal ends  7  and  9  and are pivotally connected at an intermediate pivot point  32 . The clamping tool  10  further includes finger receptacles  16 ,  18  integrally formed or attached at the distal ends  9  of the arms  12 ,  14  for communicating manual force to the first and second arms  12  and  14 . Preferably, the finger receptacles  16 ,  18  are finger loops. However, the finger receptacle is not known to be critical and may be a curved or straight handle. 
     At the proximal end  7  of the first arm  12  is a jaw-like clamping surface  22 . The proximal end  7  of the second arm  14  is formed into a jaw-like gripping surface  24 . The clamping surface  22  includes first and second upwardly extending projections  28  and  29  that are, positioned and shaped to receive and engage corresponding first and second types of spring-hinged eyeglass temples. In a preferred embodiment, the first projection  28  may have a shape of an inverted cone and the second projection  29  may have a shape of a blade or elongated triangle. However, the shape of the projections may vary depending on the geometry and configuration of the temples on which work is to be performed. Thus, the projection or projections may have any shape that conforms to the object of the invention and securely holds the temple hinge spring in an extended position as discussed below and as shown in the drawings. 
     The preferred embodiment as shown includes two projections  28  and  29  so that a single clamping tool  10  can be used to work with temples  50  of two different types as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. However, a tool  10  can be provided with only one projection and a tool system in accordance with this invention can include two tools  10 , each having a single projection but corresponding to two different types of temples. Also, it may be desirable to fabricate the projections  28  and  29  so that they can be removably attached to the clamping surface  22  by mounting the projections on a hollow base portion (not shown) and then sliding the base portion over the proximal end of the first arm  12 . Thus, a tool kit in accordance with this invention can include the clamping tool  10  (such as a 5.0 or 5.5 inch hemostat) and removable projections  28  and  29  that can be attached as needed. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the tip of the cone (first projection  28  on FIG. 4) contacts the gripping surface  24  when the arms are closed. The angle of the top edge of the blade (second projection  29  on FIG. 4) is designed such that the blade edge will be parallel to the gripping surface  24  when the arms  12 ,  14  are opened to accommodate a medium spring hinge lateral thickness, for example, when the blade edge is positioned approximately 5 mm from the gripping surface  24 . Also, the longitudinal spacing between the first and second projections  28  and  29  must be selected to prevent marring of the temple  50  by the projection (cone or the blade) that is not applying a clamping action on the temple. 
     Opposite the clamping surface  22  on the first arm  12  is the gripping surface  24  on second arm  14 . The gripping surface  24  receives the pressure applied to the temple by the clamping surface  22 , thereby applying a jaw-like clamping force to the temple  50 . The exact configuration of the gripping surface  24  is not known to be critical, and it is preferably made of, or coated with, a material that will resist marring the temple while clamping it. In one embodiment, the gripping surface  24  has a serrated surface  27  to provide better adhesion properties for a polymeric coating. 
     Preferably, the pivot point  32  is fabricated in a conventional “box lock” or scissor design utilizing a pin, screw, or the like ( 33  on FIG. 1) to pivotally connect the first arm  12  and second arm  14 . However, the exact design of the pivot point  32  is not critical as long as it adequately provides support for the pivoting of the first and second arms  12  and  14 . 
     The clamping tool  10  of the present invention includes a clamp locking mechanism that can lock the first and second arms  12 ,  14  in a clamping position, and provides a variable or stepwise engagement of the first and second arms  12 ,  14  from an unclamped position in which the distal ends  9  of the arms  12 ,  14  are spaced apart to a clamped position in which the distal ends  9  are brought closer together, while preventing movement in an opposite direction. Preferably, the clamping movement is scissors-like. Most preferably, the clamp locking mechanism is a ratchet arc  40 . In one embodiment, the ratchet arc  40  may comprise a ratchet arm  41  with teeth  41   a . A ratchet cog  42  is oriented to cooperate with the surface of the corresponding teeth  41   a , and engage the teeth  41   a  so as to prevent the first and second arms  12  and  14  from separating until such time as an operator applies a twisting movement in order to lift the ratchet teeth  41   a  away from the ratchet cog  42 . Thus, the ratchet arc  40  assists in stabilizing the clamping tool  10  of the present invention while engaged with a temple. Different clamp locking mechanisms can be used, with the only requirement being that the clamp locking mechanism does not allow the first and second arms  12 ,  14  to slip while the clamping tool  10  is engaged with a temple  50 . 
     The clamping tool  10  as shown in FIG. 1 has closed the separation between the first and second arms  12 ,  14  while FIG. 2 shows the arms in a more open position. The ratchet cog  42  in FIG. 2 is not yet engaged to ratchet arm  40 . 
     FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a gripping surface  24  of a second arm  14 . In this embodiment, the gripping surface  24  includes a polymeric coating  25  on a serrated surface  27 . 
     FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of clamping surface  22  of a first arm  12 . The first projection  28  is an inverted cone and the second projection  29  is an elongated triangular blade. The positions of the cone or blade can be modified as needed, or may be interchanged, as long as suitable spacing is maintained to prevent interference and marring by one projection when the other projection is used to engage a temple. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, a tool system or kit for repair of eyeglass frames will include a positioning needle  80  as shown in FIG.  5 . Preferably, the needle  80  will include a handle portion  81  used for manipulation of the needle, and an insertion portion  83  extending at right angles from handle portion  81 . 
     The invention also includes a method for attaching a spring-hinged temple to eyeglass frame fronts using a clamping tool. A typical spring-hinged temple  50  is partially shown in FIG.  6 . The temple  50  includes an internal spring  52 . The spring  52  is attached to a moveable member  54  in a spring housing  53  that further defines a temple aperture  56 . FIG. 6 shows the temple  50  engaged with an eyeglass frame front endpiece  60 . The endpiece  60  includes a frame front aperture  65 . It can be seen in FIG. 6 that the temple and frame front apertures  56 ,  65  are partially but not accurately axially aligned. This partially aligned position would be typical of the temple aperture  56  and frame front aperture  65  with the temple and spring hinge  50  in the unextended position. 
     FIG. 7 shows a temple  50  separated from the eyeglass frame endpiece  60 . In accordance with the method of the present invention, the apertures  56  and  65  of the separated temple  50  and frame front endpiece  60  are manually positioned in partial alignment so that the positioning needle  80  can be inserted into the temple and frame front apertures  56 ,  65 . As shown in FIG. 8, the insertion portion  83  of the positioning needle  80  has a diameter and length that, when inserted, the apertures  56 ,  65  are maintained in partial alignment so that the temple  50  can be moved and clamped into to the extended position as shown in FIG.  9 . 
     Upon rotating the temple  50  with respect to the eyeglass frame front, the spring is flexed and the moveable member  54  (FIG. 6) moves away from the spring housing  53 . While the temple  50  is in this extended position (see FIG.  9 ), the appropriate projection ( 28  or  29 ) on the clamping surface  22  engages the moveable member  54  such that the moveable member  54  cannot retract back toward the spring housing  53  (see FIG.  10 ). The tool  10  is then locked in this clamped position to hold the temple  50  in the extended position. The positioning pin  80  may be now removed, with the temple  50  remaining clamped in an extended position. The apertures  56  and  65  can now be manipulated into accurate alignment and a fastening device  85  may be inserted into the common aperture along the centerline (see FIGS.  10 - 11 ). 
     Two popular styles of spring hinge temples are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In FIG. 11, a blade like projection is used to engage a first type of temple  50  having a flat, V-shaped, or angled surface. In FIG. 12, the tip of an inverted cone projection engages another type of temple  50  having recesses  23  in the hinge portion. When the clamping tool  10  is provided with both first and second projections  28  and  29 , such as a cone and blade, the cone height should be selected so that it will contact the gripping surface  24  when the arms  12 ,  14  of the tool  10  are closed. The top edge of the blade (second projection  29  on FIG. 4) is preferably angled such that the blade edge will be parallel to the gripping surface  24  when the arms  12 ,  14  are opened to engage spring hinge having a medium lateral thickness. This reduces the likelihood of mutual interference between operation of the projections. 
     FIGS.  13 ( a ), ( b ), and ( c ) provide a more detailed view, and a preferred embodiment, of the clamping surface  22  and projections  28 ,  29  shown in FIG.  4 . As can be seen, the blade shape of the second projection  29  has a top edge that tapers downwardly from the proximal end of the arm  14 . This taper should be configured to allow the blade edge to fully engage with the temple  50  when the clamping tool is clamped and in use as shown in FIG.  11 . 
     In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS.  13 ( a ) and ( c ), the blade projection  29  is approximately 6.4 mm in length and tapers from 3.45 mm in height to 3.0 mm in height. It is approximately 1.5 mm thick at its base and 0.5 mm in thickness at the blade edge. In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS.  13 ( a ) and ( b ), the base of the cone projection  28  is approximately 1.5 mm in thickness with the tip approximately 0.8 mm thick. The tip of the cone is approximately 4.4 mm from the proximal edge of the blade. 
     The arms of the clamping tool of the present invention are preferably made of stainless steel or the like, although such construction is not critical. The material is preferably corrosion resistant and has a soft elastic range to permit the desired flexibility without permanently deforming. The desired amount of flexibility provides a firm, consistent clamping action along the length of the arms, and allows a user to easily provide a twisting motion, if necessary, to disengage the clamping device. 
     The invention thus being described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.