Abstract:
A screen for eye protection goggles is disclosed having a first and a second lens ( 5, 6 ) connected together; the screen ( 3 ) being characterized by including a seal ( 7 ) that extends along a closed ring-shaped path and is positioned along the rims ( 13, 15 ) of the first and the second lenses ( 5, 6 ) in such a way as to join the first and the second lens ( 5, 6 ) and form an airtight cavity ( 8 ) between the first and the second lens ( 5, 6 ).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to pending Italian Patent Application No. M12004A002082 filed on Oct. 29, 2004, the entire contents of which is incorporated by, reference herein.  
       STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     The present invention relates to a screen for eye protection goggles.  
         [0004]     In particular, the invention relates to a screen for ski goggles, to which the invention will make specific reference without thereby excluding more general reference.  
         [0005]     Ski goggles consist of a frame able to fit closely onto a user&#39;s face, an elastic strap connected to the frame and a transparent screen fitted onto the frame.  
         [0006]     The function of ski goggles is to protect the user&#39;s eyes from snowflakes, dust and the flow of air generated by wind and/or the forward movement of the skier himself and at the same time to guarantee good visibility even in bad weather conditions.  
         [0007]     Ski goggles differ from glasses by the fact that they insulate part of the face around the user&#39;s eyes in order to avoid wind, dust and snowflakes coming into contact with the eyes and irritating them or forcing the user to close his eyes while skiing. In other words, goggles, when during use they fit closely to the user&#39;s face, form a chamber that is substantially closed and insulated from the external environment.  
         [0008]     When practicing sport, the skier perspires due to the exertion he makes his body undergo and, consequently, vapour generated by perspiration is trapped inside the closed chamber and condenses on the inside face of the screen. So the screen mists up and visibility is considerably reduced, sometimes even to zero.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0009]     To get round this problem, ski goggles are generally provided with lateral aeration slits. These slits are covered with a spongy material in order to allow the evacuation of vapour from the said chamber and, at the same time, to prevent the passage of air, dust and snowflakes from the outside. Although these openings prevent the build-up of excess pressure in the closed chamber they have proved inadequate for getting round the problem of the screen misting up.  
         [0010]     To get round the problem of the screen misting up, a new type of goggles has been produced provided with a screen consisting of an internal lens and an external lens, which are fitted onto the frame so as to form a cavity. In this way, the internal lens is thermally insulated from the external lens and the vapour present in the mask only comes into contact with the warm internal lens, and contact with the cold external lens, which would bring about immediate condensation of the vapour, is prevented.  
         [0011]     The two-lens screen combined with aeration slits has not completely resolved the problem. In fact, in certain exercise conditions condensation forms in the cavity and is deposited on the faces of the internal and external lenses. This fact is particularly troublesome because it is not possible to remove the condensation.  
         [0012]     The scope of this invention is to produce a screen for eye protection goggles that is free from the problems of prior art and that, in particular, gets round in a simple and economical way the problem of condensation forming on the screen.  
         [0013]     According to the present invention, a screen for eye protection goggles is produced that consists of a first and a second lens connected together; the screen being characterized by the fact that it includes a seal that extends along a ring-shaped path and is positioned along the rims of the first and second lens in such a way as to join the first and the second lens and form an airtight cavity between the first and second lens.  
         [0014]     According to the invention, infiltration into the cavity of moist air and vapour produced by perspiration is prevented.  
         [0015]     According to a special embodiment of this invention, the said cavity contains a dehumidified gas.  
         [0016]     In this way condensation of any water vapour present in the air at the time the screen is being assembled is avoided.  
         [0017]     The present invention also concerns a method for producing a screen for eye protection goggles.  
         [0018]     According to this invention, a method is provided for producing a screen for eye protection goggles, the method arranging for connecting together a first and a second lens; the method being characterized by the fact that it joins together the first and the second lens with a seal that extends along a ring-shaped path and is positioned along the rims of the first and the second lens in which a way as to join the first and the second lens and form an airtight cavity between the first and the second lens. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The present invention will not be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example of how to proceed, as follows:  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view, with parts taken away for the sake of clarity, of eye protection goggles fitted with a screen made according to the invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of the goggles screen in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the screen in  FIG. 2 , according to the cross-section lines III-III; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a partially exploded view of the screen in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]     With reference to  FIG. 1, 1  shows in their entirety some ski goggles suitable for being placed, when in use, on a user&#39;s face.  
         [0025]     The goggles  1  consist of a ring shaped frame  2 , a screen  3  supported by the frame  2 , and an elastic strap  4  attached to the frame  2  with fastenings at opposite sides of the frame  2  itself.  
         [0026]     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the screen  3  comprises two lenses  5  and  6  joined together and held at the right distance from each other by a seal  7 .  
         [0027]     The lens  5  and  6  are spherical (alternatively they can be toroidal or cylindrical) and define an airtight cavity  8  completely insulated from the external environment. Lens  5  is defined as external insofar as it presents a face  9  that contributes towards defining the front surface of the goggles  1  and a face  10  that, to a large extent, is turned towards the cavity  8 . Lens  6  is defined as internal insofar as it presents a face  11  facing, when in use, the user&#39;s face, and a face turned towards the cavity  8 . Lens  5  presents a rim  13  protruding beyond the seal  7  with, at certain points, an indented profile, which is incorporated into the frame  2  and bonded to the frame  2  itself by means of slots to the frame  2  (alternatively the rim  13  is bonded to the frame  2  by means of a procedure of pressure fusion of the frame  2  itself). In the upper part of the rim  13  aeration openings  14  are present against which spongy material not illustrated in the attached figures will be positioned. Lens  6  presents a protruding rim  15  along which cuts  16  are made aligned with the openings  14 .  
         [0028]     According to an alternative embodiment not illustrated the rims  13  and  15  do not protrude from the seal  7 . According to a further variant not illustrated, the openings  14  and the cuts  15  are omitted.  
         [0029]     The seal  7  extends along a closed ring-shaped path in such a way as to completely close off any access to the cavity  8 . The eternal lens  5  is made from polycarbonate, while the internal lens  6  is made with a material chosen from among polycarbonate, propionate cellulose and cellulose acetate. The seal  7  is made from rubber, preferably from a polyurethane-based or a silicon-based rubber. In both cases, the rubber is added with solvents and reticulating agents. The rubber once it has hardened has the characteristic of being self-sealing. In other words, once the rubber has hardened, if it is perforated by means of a needle or point having a small diameter it has the ability to close up again and restore the hermetic seal.  
         [0030]     With reference to  FIG. 4 , once the lenses  5  and  6  have been made according to the well-known die-cutting or die-casting technologies, the method for making the screen  3  arranges for carrying out an activating treatment on the face  10  of the lens  5  along the closed ring-shaped path along which the rubber making the seal  7  will be deposited. The activating treatment has the function of modifying the molecular links and facilitating adhesion between the rubber and the polycarbonate. In the case where the internal lens  6  is also made form polycarbonate, the activating treatment is also carried out on the face  12  of the internal lens  6  only on the area intended to come into contact with the seal  7 .  
         [0031]     Next, the rubber of the seal  7  is deposited in a pasty state along the said closed ring-shaped path on the face  10  of lens  5 . Lens  6  is joined to the seal  7  while this is still in a pasty state and joined, in this way, to lens  5 .  
         [0032]     Depositing the rubber in a pasty state can alternatively take place on the face  12  of lens  6 , to which lens  5  will be connected.  
         [0033]     The above-mentioned connection is carried out in a controlled environment, in other words, a dehumidified one. Once the connection has been made between lenses  5  and  6  and the seal  7  has solidified, part of the gas contained in the cavity  8  is extracted. With reference to  FIG. 2 , the extraction is carried out by using a needle  17  that is inserted through the seal  7 , which has the ability, once the needle  17  has been extracted, to close up again hermetically the hole made by the needle  17 . The gas is extracted by means of a suction device  18  in a quantity such as will bring about in the cavity  8  an absolute pressure between 700 and 900 millibars. In short, a depression is created in the cavity  8  so as to allow easy use of the goggles  1  even at high altitude. Referring to the average altitude of ski slopes, the preferred pressure in the cavity  8  is between 750 and 800 millibars, which is substantially equal to atmospheric pressure at an altitude of around 2000 meters. Without this expedient the screen  3  would be considerably distorted at high altitudes because of the predominance of pressure in the cavity compared to atmospheric pressure adversely affecting visibility to a considerable extent.