Improvements in Eye-glass Frames.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1894-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Eye-glass Frames.
I, RUFUS BENNETT FOWLER, of Worcester, in the County of Worcester and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Attorney, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN EYE-GLASS FRAMES, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to certain improvements in an eye-glass frame in which the
nose-guard spring is attached to the outer side and central section of a rigid bridge
uniting the eye-wires, and it consists in certain features of construction as hereinafter
described and set forth in the annexed claims.
In the following description reference is made to the figures in the accompanying
drawings, which show such portions of a twisting machine as embody my invention
and are necessary to fully illustrate the nature of the same.
a
Figure 1 represents a rear view of an eye-glass frame embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a top view of the same.
Figure 3 represents the bridge of the frame in an extended form as cut from
sheet metal and before it has been bent and
Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4, 4, Figure 1.
Figure 5 shows a sectional view of the bridge as represented in Fig. 4, but on
larger scale.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by
like letters of reference, A, A denotes the eye-wires and B the bridge having its
ends soldered to or otherwise attached to the eye-wires and forming a rigid bridge
uniting the eye-wires.
The bridge B is bent into the form shown in Fig. 1, the central section
being bent into the form of an arch C and having the straight arms D, D
extending from the central arch with their ends attached to the eye-wires. Upon
the outer side of the bridge I attach a nose-guard spring E formed in a single
piece and attached at its central section by a screw F to the central section of
the bridge. The bridge B is offset the width of the spring E at G, G, Fig. 2
to allow the nose-guard spring to extend over the outer surface of the arched
portion of the bridge with their free ends H, H curved toward each other. To the
free ends of the nose-guard spring I attach the nose-guards I, I; the nose-guards
being wholly carried upon the ends of the nose-guard spring and free from any
attachment to the other portions of the frame. The nose-guards I, I are preferably
supported by means of a metallic band J' bent at J, J' and having its ends united
to the free ends of the nose-guard spring by means of screws K, K; but I do
not confine myself to any particular form of nose-guard. The bridge B is cut
from a strip of sheet metal in the form represented at Fig. 3, the central portion
between the lines 1, 1 being bent to form the arch of the bridge.
Just within the lines 1, 1 the bridge is offset at G, G and at the center of
the bridge its width is increased by means of a projecting wing L in order to
give greater strength to the central part of the bridge which receives the screw
hole F¹.
The wing L is turned up at right angles with the body of the bridge forming a
lip L' against which the edge of the spring E bears in order to hold the spring
from rotation on the screw F. Above the spring E, I place a rigid bar N so as
to limit the bending of the spring E and cause the strain upon the spring to be
received by the ends N', N' and thereby relieve the central portion of the spring

page_text: where it is weakened by the screw hole from strain; the piece N also allows the
tension of the spring to be varied by increasing or decreasing its length.
By turning the wing L to form a lip L' I greatly stiffen the bridge at its central
section in a vertical plane and prevent its being bent so as to vary the distance of
the eye-wires from each other.
I am aware that it is not new to attach the nose-guard spring to the central
section and outer side of the bridge, but the above described features of construction
of the bridge I deem to be new and I also deem it to be new to support the nose-
guards entirely upon the free ends of a nose-guard spring which is so attached to
the bridge. The bridge is cut from sheet metal of suitable width and thickness to
secure the necessary rigidity and strength, and the width of the bridge is reduced
at 3, 3 by contracting the front side of the bridge leaving the line 4, 4 straight
for the edge of the spring to bear against and making the line 3, 5 parallel with
the line 4, 4 in order to make the arms D, D of uniform width for a short distance
from their ends and of the proper width to be attached to the eye-wires.
I am aware that a rigid bridge having offsets so as to bring the free ends of the
nose-guard spring out of the plane of the eye-wires is old, and I do not claim
such, but I deem it to be new to cut the bridge from sheet metal with the
offset G, G formed in the bridge without bending and with the offsets parallel
with the surface of the sheet metal. I do not confine myself to the use of eye-
wires, as the ends of the bridge can be attached to the lenses in what are known as
frameless eye-glasses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it
understood that I am aware that it is not new to attach the eye-wires by a rigid
bridge provided with offsets and having a nose-guard spring attached to said
bridge and I do not desire to claim the same, but I declare that what I
claim is :
First. In an eye-glass frame, the combination of a bridge made from a sheet
metal blank having offsets G, G and a wing L, said wing being bent at right
angles to the body of said bridge forming a lip L', a spring E attached at its
central section to said bridge and having its opposite ends free and nose-guards I, I
carried by the free ends of said spring, as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. In an eye-glass frame, the combination of a bridge provided with
offsets G, G, a lip L', a spring E attached at its central section to the outside of
said bridge, nose-guards carried by the free ends of said spring, a bar N lying on
the top of said spring and an attaching screw F by which said bridge, spring and
bar are united, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1894.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.