IMPROVEMENTS IN SPECTACLE FRAMES
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE LINDSAY JOHNSON of N° 14 Stratford Place in the County of
Middlesex M.A. M.B. B.S. F.R.C.S. do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPECTACLE FRAMES to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to render it possible for a person to see to use the
same pair of spectacles continuously to see objects at different attitudes and in any
position and to read a book held at different attitudes and in any position without
either bending his neck or causing inconvenience to his eyes or putting his
spectacles out of order by the adjustment by altering the plane of axis of the
glasses or lenses without moving the side arms. With the ordinary spectacle
frame it is necessary for this purpose to either bend the neck or to look obliquely
through the spectacles. In the case of bending the neck a tendency to congestion
of the eyes is created and in the case of looking obliquely through spectacles the
power of the glasses is impaired, objects become distorted, and the eyes become
strained and tired. Previous attempts to obviate these difficulties have been made
by using a ball and socket joint for the side arms of the spectacle frame and by
making an ordinary joint in the side arms, but in practice these joints have been
found to soon become loose and unserviceable. My invention consists in placing
between the outside edge of the Spectacle frame which surrounds the glasses and
that portion of the side arms which passes over the ear a joint which is similar to
that formed by an axle tree with the hub of a wheel. The rim or frame which
surrounds the glasses or lenses is joined together at the side furthest from the
bridge of the spectacles and where it is so joined together the upper part is shorter
than the lower but to make the whole of the join even the portion of the lower.
part which projects beyond the upper part is thicker than that portion of the lower
part of the frame which is parallel with the upper part of the frame so that when
the two are screwed together there is a continuous bar of even thickness on which
to fix the side arms In order to fix the side arms to the frame of the glasses or
lenses I cut away a portion of this bar so as to form a spindle or shaft. I then
drill the spindle or shaft in a line parallel with the outsides through into the bar
until the socket thus formed meets the screw which binds the frame of the glasses
or lenses together. Through the base of the side. arms I drill a hole and through
this hole the spindle or shaft is passed so that the end of the spindle or shaft does
not protrude beyond the side arm. I then insert into the socket in the spindle or

page_text: shaft a screw which has preferably a flat head and I then bind the side arm on to
the frame of the glasses or lenses the head of the screw pressing the side arm
against the thicker part of the bar In the bead of this screw is a slot or groove
enabling the wearer to tighten or loosen the screw at his pleasure. By using a
joint of this description the wearer can turn the glasses or lenses to any angle with
the side arms so that he can always look through them in a right line while at the
same time the pressure of the screw head nipping the side arm against the bar
causes sufficient friction to prevent the glasses or lenses revolving spontaneously or
slipping accidentally. This joint is in addition to the ordinary joint used for
folding down the side arms so that they may fit into a case. I do not intend by
the foregoing description to bind myself as to the position of "my joint but only to
claim the use of a joint of this description in connection with spectacle frames so
as to enable the lenses to be turned to any angle desired.
I GEORGE LINDSAY JOHNSON of No 14 Stratford. Place in the County. of
Middlesex, M.D.; M.B; B.S.; 'F.R.C.S., do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SPECTACLE FRAMES and in what manner the same 2
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
In making the rims or frames for the lenses of the Spectacles I make the join on
the side furthest from the bridge. In making this join after surrounding the lenses
with the frame I continue the ends of the metal or other material forming the 2
frame after they have met but so that the upper of such ends is longer than the
lower but to make the whole of the join even the upper of such ends where it
projects beyond the lower is of the same size and thickness as the two ends
combined so that when the two ends are screwed together there is a continuous
bar of even thickness on which to fix the side arms. In order to fix the side arms 3
to the frame of the lenses I cut away a portion of the upper part where it is of the
thickness of both the upper and lower parts of the frame so as to form a circular
shaft I then drill the shafts in a line parallel with the outsides thus forming a
rachet for the binding screw for the side arins. This shaft or spindle I pass
through an ordinary swivel collar in the side arms I then bind the collar on with 3
a screw having preferably a flat head by this means I am enabled to adjust the
glasses at an angle so that the wearer can look downwards without looking
obliquely through the glasses. In order however to prevent the side arms from
.

page_text: revolving round the portion of the frame to which they are attached I place a
catch or stop just above the swivel collar which acts on the part of the frame
marked B¹ on the side next the eye by reason of such frame being made flat on
such side. In the annexed drawings I shew the frame in section and also the
front view. In my section drawing the upper part of the frame is marked B¹ and
the lower B. The screw binding the frame together is marked E The swivel
collar of the side arms is marked C and the binding screw for the swivel collar D.
The side arms are marked F.
I also make my frame by reversing the position of B and B' so that the lower
part of the rim or frame of the lenses is the longer of the two.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The application of the joint above described to Spectacle frames so as to
enable them to be adjusted to the line of sight.
2. The stop which is used to prevent the side arms from revolving round the
shaft on which they are fixed.