Improvements in Eyeglasses, Spectacles, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Eyeglasses, Spectacles, and the like.
I, GEORGE WHITFIELD MEIGS, 125 Miller Street, in the City of Newark
and State of New Jersey, United States of America, Manufacturer, do bereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to bo particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates more particularly, although not exclusively, to that class
of eyeglasses and spectacles in which the eye wires are cut or open and the
receptacles for the glasses or lenses thus rendered expansible to admit of said
lenses being quickly inserted or removed, the ends of the eye wires at the cuts or
openings being held by elastic bows, the ends of which are secured to the eye
wires on opposite sides of the cut or opening, the bows crossing the cuts or opening
at a distance therefrom and the limbs of said bows serving to give the elasticity by
which the eye wires are held to the edges of the lenses.
In this class of devices of earlier construction, having the elastic and expansible
lens receptacles as described, the eye wires provided have been defective in that,
when the lens was inserted in its receptacle and the latter expanded, the edge of
the lens could be seen through the opening in the wire due to expansion, thus.
giving to the said eye wire an unfinished appearance and, because of the opening,.
as arranged, the receptacle was insecure and weak and, consequently, a heavy and
stiff frame was necessarily employed.
The objects of this invention are to provide expansible lens receptacles of greater
trength and durability; to render the spectacles or eyeglasses more sightly, to
cheapen construction by economizing material and using a less number of pieces,.
and to secure other advantages and results, some of which will be referred to
hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.
The invention consists in the improved eyeglasses or spectacles, and in the
arrangements and combinations of parts, all substantially as will be hereinafter set.
forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of referenco
indicate corresponding parte, in each of the several figures,
Figure 1 is a front view of a pair of spectacles having my features of improve-
ments in the preferred form, the ear wires or temples being omitted;
Figure 2 is a detail blank, in plan, of a certain bow for arching the cut or
opening of the eyo wire and holding the opposite ends in proper relative position
when said bow is employed with the ear wire or temple;
Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the bow, shaped to be attached to tlie
eye wire and receive said temple or ear wire;
Figure 4 is a detail perspective view showing the bow attached to said eye wire
and the temple or ear wire pivoted within the bow; Figure 5 shows the parts last
referred to in elevation,
Figures 6 and 7 are details illustrating modifications of construction, the
feet of the bows being turned inward rather than outward as in the preceding
figures;
Figure 8 is a front elevation showing the invention in connection with the nose'
pieces and spring of an eyeglass;
Figure 9 is detail enlarged olevation showing the invention applied in

page_text: connection with the nose piece and spring and the preferred form of bow;
Figure 10 is a section of the same taken on. line Fig. 9;
Figure 1-1 is a perspective view of a blank from which the bow is formed when
serving as a supporting post for the nose piece and spring of an eyeglass, or as the
temple support of a spectacle;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of said bow when formed from said blank;
Figure 13 is a plan of a blank for a clamping plate for the nose piece and spring
of an eye glass; Figure 14 is an edge view of the same;
Figure 15 is an elevation of an eyeglass showing auother form of bow for
spanning the opening in the eye wire and also showing a new steady post aud its
relation to the nose piece;
Figure 16 is a detail perspective view showing a preferred construction, in the
method of attaching the temples to the bows;
Figures 17 and 18 show the eye wire open at the catch and handle respectively,
the said catch and handle being spring bows connecting the ends of the eye wires,
and
Figure 19 is a detail of the steady post nud nose piece held thereby.
Ju said drawings, a, a, indicate the eye wires forming receptacles for the
lenses, b, b, and having attached thereto the nose piece c, and temples or car
wires d, d, of any suitable construction.
The said receptacles are preferably of the usual oval or oblong shape and at
their ends, the eye wires are cut or open, as at e, to enable said receptacles to be
enlarged or expanded so that the lenses may be sprung into place and pressed out
of the said receptacles without the trouble, skill and carefulness in adjusting,
involved in cases where the ends of the eye wires are screwed together.
To the eye wire a, cut or open as described, is fixed preferably by solder, the
feet, of the bow or spring attachment f, said feet preferably, being bent
oppositely and outwardly, as indicated in Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 16, and thus
covering a considerable exteusion of surface of the eye wire and serving to
reinforce and strengthen the same where strain is greatly brought to bear thereon.
The parts are so disposed and related as that one of the feet, of each bow or
attachment extends over and conceals the cut or opening e, so that the edge of the
lens iuclosed by the eye wire having said cut, can not be seen therethrough and an
appearance of continuity is given to the eye wire which conduces to a workmanlike
and finished effect and stiffness of frame.
To conceal the joint in the manner desired, one of the feet f', is secured to the
eye wire end, e, a little back from the extremity thereof, the said eye wire ond
extending beyond said foot across the aperture between the limbs, ", of the bow
to a point beneath the other foot, 1, where its extremity is concealed and where it
lies loose beneath said other foot and free to work longitudinally when the eye
wire receptacle is expanded by the insertion of the leus. Beneath the foot, ',
last above referred to, is secured preferably by solder, the other end 4", Figure 4
of the eye wire.
The feet are grooved or concaved longitudinally on the inner sides or made
to receive and couform to the eye wire, lying in said grooves, the loose ende,
is prevented from working laterally independent of the opposite end as will be
apparent.
The limbs ", are more or less elastic and admit of the ends el, ell, attached
thereto spreading apart.
At their outer cuds said limbs are preferably integrally connected, the integral
end connection, serving as a keeper for holding said limbs in pivotal connection
with the hinged end of the temple when employed therewith and from spreading
apart under other conditions hereinafter referred to.
may
The limbs however, under certain conditions be separate pieces, as indicated
in Figure 7 and serve a useful purpose, but as indicated I prefer a construction in
which the outwardly extending end of the limbs are integral one with the other by
direct connection.

page_text: At their outward ends, said limbs are perforated as shown in Figure 3 and thus,
form bearings for hinge pins, g, Figures 4 and 16, on which the temples turn
pivotally.
Where I prefer to employ the bow in connection with the nose wire, c, or
spring c, I use the construction shown in Figures 9 and 10. Here the bow, at its
outwardly extending connected extremity, f, provides a seat for the nose piece.
or spring on which said spring is held by a clamp, the arms A', of which are bent.
over the edges of the spring and around said seat, as shown in Figure 10 and thus
fasten said parts together, or, in the case of the nose piece, by solder. Another:
feature of novelty of the invention to which I desire to lay claim is shown in
Figures 15 and 19.
Among other varieties of construction, it has been common to provide the eye
wires with curved steady posts p, for the nose pieces, which are fastened to the eye.
wires by solder, or other suitable means. To these on the convex outer sides.
have been fastened, by means of screws, the lower ends of the nose piece n.
the present improved construction, preferred, the steady posts are provided with
lateral clamping fingers pl, shown clearly in Figure 19, which aro bent around the
ends of said nose pieces outlined in Figure 19, the said nose piece ends lying on
the concave inner sides and being preferably recessed at the sides to receive said
fingers and prevent slipping. By this arrangement, the exposed convex parts of
the nose pieces, provided with cork or other material to provide a suitable bearing
substance for the nose, are made to closely coincide in outline with the convex face
of the steady post, so that unsightly shoulders are avoided and a more neat con-
struction is gained, and, by dispensing with screws, I obtain greater security and
cheapness and avoid certain objections incident to the use of screws, such as the
rough, projecting screw heads on the convex side, tending to scratch the skin as
the eye glass is being placed on the nose.
I may provide the bows serving to connect the eye wire ends, each with a double
foot as in Figure 5, one foot serving to cap or cover the opening e.
The bow by which the elastic eye wires or lens receptacles are secured, may also.
be applied at the catches of the eye glasses, where the two lenses are held together
side by side when not in service. Such constructions are indicated in Figures 17
and 18 where s, t, iudicate the catches employed with the bows.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination with the cut or open eye wire of eye glasses or spectacles,
of a bow, the feet of which are fastened on opposite sides of the out or opening in
eaid eyo wire, one of said feet being concavous and being fixed to one of the onds
of the eye wire and loosely covering and concealing the end to which the other
foot is fixed, substantially as set forth.
2. In eye glusses or spectacles, the combination with the cut or open eye wire
and nose piece, of connected limbs one of which has a foot fastened upon said eye
wire, covering the opening therein, the limb connection serving as a seat for the
nose piece c, and said nose piece seated on said connection, substantially as set
forth.
3. In eye glasses or spectacles, the combination with the cut or open eye wire
and nose piece, of connected limbs having concaved or grooved feet, one of which
covers the opening in the eye wire and is attached to the eye wire and opposite
that to which the other foot is attached, the connection of said limbs providing
bearings for attachments of said eye wire, such as the nose pieces or temples,.
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with the open eye-wire, of integrally connected limbs having
longitudinally concaved or grooved oppositely extending feet fastened on opposite
sides of the opening in said eye wire, one of which feet covers the opening and
prevents lateral movement of the eye-wire und lying loose therein, said limbs being

page_text: perforated at their outer extensions, and temples hinged in said perforations,
substantially as-set forth.
5. In eye glasses or spectacles, the combinations with the eye wire and curved
steady post p, having lateral fingers formed at opposite sides and bent toward one
another in a plane, substantially parallel with the concaved face of said post, and
a nose piece arranged at one end at the concave side of the steady post and grasped
and held in engagement by said fingers, the convex outline of the steady post and
the concave part of the nose piece being substantially coinoident in curved
alignment, substantially as set forth.
GEORGE WHITFIELD MEIGS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.