Improvements in and relating to Eye-glasses and Folding Spectacles
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Eye-glasses and Folding
Spectacles.
We, WILLIAM Barr, Junior, Grocer and Wine Merchant, of St. Mary's
Street, and DAVID MCKAY, Goldsmith, of Millburn Street, both in the Town and
County of Kirkcudbright, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
of folding duplex eye-glasses or lenses, also applicable to spectacles, whereby the
metal frames can be made all in one piece for the lenses to fit in, thus dispensing
with joints and jointing screws, and enable softer and rustless metals or metal wire
to be used, and the lenses to be easily replaced, should they get broken, with even
slightly larger or smaller forms of lenses, and the obtaining of any desired pressure
or spring action; and which improvements will enable the eye-glasses to be made
in a cheaper and more simple and efficient manner than those heretofore in use.
The
The improvements essentially consist in constructing the frame of the folding
eye-glasses all in one piece of fine steel or other metal spring wire.
This is
effected by curving or forming the wire at its two ends into a circular or
oval shape to suit and secure the outer edge of the form of lenses to be used,
the ends of the wire on the glasses being secured to the parts branching off
from them preferably by solder and gripping flanges or clamps. The extensions
of the wire are curved segmentally up round the inner or adjacent sides or edges
of the glass holding parts and carried through a ring or guide on the top of
each ring or wire bezel holding the glass where they are given one or more
spiral turns, and have a connecting slightly curved bridge piece between the two,
and thus give a spring yielding action over the centre or nose part.
segmental parts of the wire curving round the inner sides of the glass frame, are
covered with vulcanite or it might be cork or shell tubing so as to catch the nose
of the wearer softly, cleanly, and effectually. The wire forming the frames of the
glasses are by a further improvement formed of a grooved shape to receive and
secure the edges of the lenses, but these may be plain wire and the lenses formed
with grooved edges, to suit the tastes of the wearer. The two glass frames may
be folded up parallel in the ordinary manner against the action of the spiral springs
to go into the wearer's pocket, and be secured by catches at the parts where the
ends are clamped, and have a hand holding loop attached to one of the clamps
for adjusting the glasses on the wearer's nose.
Dated the 20th July 1891.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Eye-glasses and Folding
Spectacles.
We, WILLIAM BARR, Junior, Grocer and Wine Merchant, of St. Mary's
Street, and DAVID MCKAY, Goldsmith, of Millburn Street, both in the Town and
County of Kirkcudbright, do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, that is to say:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction

page_text: of folding duplex eye-glasses or lenses, also applicable to spectacles, whereby the
metal frames can be made all in one piece for the lenses to fit in, thus dispensing
with joints and jointing screws, and enable softer and rustless metals or metal wire
to be used, and the lenses to be easily replaced, should they get broken, with even
slightly larger or smaller forms of lenses, and the obtaining of any desired
pressure or spring action; and which improvements will enable the eye-glasses to
be made in a cheaper and more simple and efficient manner than those heretofore
in use.
The improvements essentially consist in constructing the frame of the folding
eye-glasses all in one piece of fine steel or other metal spring wire. This is effected
by curving or forming the wire at its two ends into a circular or oval shape to suit
and secure the outer edge of the form of lenses to be used, the ends of the wire on
the glasses being secured to the parts branching off from them, preferably by solder
and gripping flanges or clamps. The extensions of the wire are curved segmentally
up round the inner or adjacent sides or edges of the glass holding parts and carried
through a ring or guide on the top of each ring or wire bezel holding the glass
where they are given one or more spiral turns, and have a connecting slightly
curved bridge piece between the two, and thus give a spring yielding action over
the centre or nose part. The segmental parts of the wire curving round the inner
sides of the glass frame, are covered with vulcanite or vulcanized dental rubber
tubing, or it might be cork or shell, so as to catch the nose of the wearer softly,
cleanly, and effectually. The wire forming the frames of the glasses are by a
further improvement formed of a grooved shape to receive and secure the edges of
the lenses, but these may be plain wire and the lenses formed with grooved edges,
to suit the tastes of the wearer. The two glass frames may be folded up parallel
in the ordinary manner against the action of the spiral springs to go into the wearer's
pocket, and be secured by catches at the parts where the ends are clamped, and
have a hand holding loop attached to one of the clamps for adjusting the glasses on
the wearer's nose.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, we have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. In these
drawings front and top edge views respectively are represented of five pair of
eye-glasses and one pair of spectacles all constructed in accordance with modified
arrangements of our improvements. The frames of the eye-glasses shown in
This is effected
Figures 1 and 2 are formed into shape out of one piece of wire a.
by taking a piece of wire of a suitable length and softening both its ends a¹. The
plaquets which are formed of tubular pieces of vulcanized dental rubber are
packed on to the proper parts of the wire and vulcanized in an ordinary manner. A
groove is formed on the outer edges of the lenses or this may be formed on the
inner surfaces of the parts of the wire which are to enclose the glass lenses A, A, and
the wire is then cleaned and with a tool turned up into proper shape to fit the lenses.
The ends of the continuous frame of wire a are soldered or brazed at a' under the
hand and securing clamps a", a". The parts of the continuous wire which form
the flexible bridge a' and the spring coils a³ are shown in this figure as flattened
while the other parts of the wire a are of a round section. These spirals a³ are
shown as formed preferably as a complete single helix so that they give elasticity
for the frames of the two lenses to separate and grip the nose of the wearer.
parts of the wire a between the plaquets 6 and the spring coils a' are held in 5
position each by a small shackle or link c passed through the edge of the glass A,
on the inside of the bezel part securing the lense A. In Figures 3 and 4 the
frame is also formed of one continuous piece of wire a but is here shown as made
wholly of flat section, while the vulcanized dental rubber plaquets are shown as
formed of flat strips and secured to the wire a by a series of small metal clamps or 5
projections at 6' embedded in the dental rubber b, but other forms of plaquets may
The

page_text: с
be used. The ends a³ of the continuous wire a are here secured by collar rings
round the double up parts of the wire made to form a handle and small eye neck
for the purpose at all. In this arrangement the upper parts of the wire a between
the plaquets and the helical springs a slide through eye c' soldered on to the
upper part of the rim of the lenses A, A. In Figures 5 and 6 the rim frames A', A',
enclosing the lenses A, A, are formed of an ordinary grooved construction jointed
and screwed at c³, c", but have screwed or jointed to them at a' our new or improved
nose and bridge spring coil wire a, a, a, formed of one piece of wire to give the
gripping and elastic action on the nose. In this arrangement the plaquets & are
shown as tortoise-shell or vulcanized dental rubber pinned or secured to the wire
in an ordinary manner, and the link c is here shown as screwed to an eye on the
lense frames. Figures 7 and 8 represent an arrangement analogous to Figures 5
and 6, but instead of forming the bridge part a³, of the continuous wire a Hexible
it is formed as a rigid round rod and the spirals a formed at its ends of a flattened
shape to give the necessary elasticity for the plaquets b to expand and grip the
nose. The plaquets are in this case shown as formed the same as in Figures 1
and 2. Figures 9 and 10 show our improved nose and bridge spring coil wire a, a³, a³,
as applied to ordinary glass lenses A, A, to form cheap eye-glasses which have no
enclosing metallic frames. In this arrangement the extreme ends a' of the wire a
are rivetted to a clamp and secured to the glass by an ordinary screw clamp at c³.
In this arrangement no plaquets are shown, the edges of the glass being roughened
at the parts to grip on the nose. Figures 11 and 12 show our improvements
applied to spectacles. In this arrangement the rim frames and bridge are made all
of one continuous piece of wire a, the parts at the ends of the bridge a³ being
formed with one or more spiral turns at a to give elasticity or have rigidity as
required while on the nose of the wearer. While the side wires d for gripping on
the face of the wearer are formed of separate pieces of wire and screwed and
jointed by clamps d' much in a usual manner, and soldered to the wire a which may
be subsequently cut through by a fine saw for the insertion of the lenses A, A.
The glass enclosing frames of the spectacles may be formed in a usual manner and
our improved spring coil bridge piece a, a², a³, be soldered or otherwise secured to
the adjacent sides of the frames.
These improved wire frames and spring coils for eye-glasses and spectacles instead
of being made of tempered steel may be formed of brass, German silver, nickel,
gold, or any suitable hard drawn soft metal, and give equally good elastic or spring
action while on the nose of the wearer. And instead of twisting the spring coils a³
in the direction shown, they may be reversed or turned in the opposite direction, in
which case the bridge part may be bent laterally backwards at the centre. We
are aware that various mechanical devices have heretofore been used on eye-glasses
for giving an elastic action on the nose of the wearer, but these have all consisted
of separate and expensive springs, whereas we obtain our spring action from the
coils a' of the wire a itself, forming the bridge a³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The constructing and use of the glass enclosing and nose and bridge
frames of eye-glasses and folding spectacles, all of one piece of wire with spring
coils at the bridge parts, substantially as herein described in reference to and by
way
of application shown in the accompanying drawings.
Second. The constructing and use of eye-glasses and folding spectacles with the
bridge parts formed with one or more spirals or spring coils, substantially as and for
the purposes herein described in reference to and by way of application shown in
the accompanying drawings.
Third. The constructing and use of eye-glasses as described in the preceding
claims with tubular plaquets formed of vulcanized dental rubber, substantially as

page_text: herein described in reference to and by way of application shown in Figures 1 and 2
and 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 20th April 1892.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.