Improvements in Spectacles,
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 5th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
Improvements in Spectacles, y
I, ALFRED BRUNNER (Senior) of Laupen-Wald near Zurich in the Republic of
Switzerland, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
It is well known that the wearing of eyeglasses or spectacles with side bars is
better for the eyes than those which grip the nose. The latter, the so-called folding
or spring eyeglasses, are however preferred, because when not in use they can be
more conveniently put away than the former, which are commonly called spectacles.
The reason of this is that the ordinary spectacles cannot be folded up like the
folding eyeglasses, that is to say with glass upon glass. Although opticians now
and again advise for instance shortsighted young people to wear spectacles rather
than folding or spring eyeglasses, yet still convenience is generally studied,
although incompatible with a due care for the eyes.
The main object of this invention is to obviate this drawback. It removes the
reason why folding eyeglasses are preferred to spectacles by making the latter,
that is to say those with side bars, capable of being folded like folding eyeglasses,
i.e. with glass upon glass.
According to my invention a hinge is formed in the spectacle frame in the centre
of the bridge, which hinge combines the advantage of a spring which automatically
and suitably holds the frame fixed in an open or closed position, with the further
advantage that the curve of the bridge is not interrupted by any projection of the
hinge on the underside. By the use of the hinge for folding eyeglasses, the latter
obtain a firm bridge for connecting the eyeglasses.
In order to make the side bar frames also capable of being folded, the side bars
may be jointed at or near the centre.
The frame hinge consists of a centre piece having above and below longi-
tudinal notches which secure the position of the hinge when the spectacles are
are in a position for use, and of two pairs of spring arms, each pair of which
grips the centre piece in an axis of rotation common to both arms of the pair.
The edges of the longitudinal notches are crossed at the axes of the hinges by
cross notches in such a way that the position of the spring arm pairs is also secured
in the same when the frame is folded up.
The invention is shown in the accompanying drawing as applied both to
spectacles and also to folding eyeglasses, in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the spectacles;
Figure 2 is a front view of the folding glasses;
Figure 3 is a front view of the spectacles folded;
Figures 4 to 7 are enlarged views of details.

page_text: Figure 4 shows the front view of a form of construction of the hinge.
Figure 5 a vertical longitudinal section of another form of construction of the
middle piece of the hinge, whilst
Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a plan view and end view of the middle piece of
the hinge shown in Figure 4.
As
As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the double springs b which are arranged to right
and left and are directly or indirectly connected with the glasses, engage above and
below by means of pivots or projections in holes in the middle piece a.
shown in Figure 5, the middle piece of the hinge has two pairs of pins z', which
engage in holes in the double spring arms. The middle piece has longitudinal and
cross notches on its upper and lower edges in such a way that the two holes l or
the pins z¹ lie in the intersection of the notches. The double spring arms rest in
the latter as catches, whether the spectacles or folding eyeglasses are opened or
folded by which means a suitable resistance is offered against unintentional
opening or closing, and when the glasses are folded or opened, slide over the
projecting centre part of the middle piece, the increased pressure caused by
lifting the spring arms out of one catch or groove causing the same to have a
tendency, on being moved further, to snap into the other catch or groove.
The spectacles as shown in Figures 1 and 3 have a bridge consisting of two
double spring arms bengaging in the middle piece a. The side bars are of the
sort which rest behind the ears with a slight spring action. They may be folded
up by means of the hinge g. The folded spectacles, Figure 3, take up no more
room than folded spring eyeglasses and like them may be carried in the pocket
without a case.
In the side bar frames hitherto employed, the bridge often became bent,
without it being possible to immediately repair it. The wearing of such bent
spectacles has a deleterious effect on the eyes. This drawback is avoided in this
improved frame, as the springs b have a constant automatic tendency to rest in
the proper catch or groove in the middle piece a, and thus to retain the frame
in its correct position. The spring joint conduces especially to increase the
durability of the frame.
The hinge may be employed in various ways in the frames of folding or
spring eyeglasses. As shown in Figure 2, in this form of construction, the strip
or band springs c are attached to the double spring arms, which are shaped
similarly to the bridge of spectacles, and these springs c are fastened by screws on
the strengthened parts e of the frames of the glasses. The nose clamps or nippers d
are movable on a pivot.
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 improvements in spectacles, eyeglasses and the like, which consist in a
folding frame provided with a spring hinge situated in the centre between the
glasses, which hinge is formed by two double spring arms, each pair of which is
directly or indirectly connected with one of the glasses or its frame, and is flexibly
engaged with a middle piece in such a way that longitudinal and cross notches
formed in the upper and lower edges of the middle piece (the former when the
spectacle frame is open and the latter when it is folded) serve as supports or
catches for the spring arms which tend to close together, whereby any unintentional
opening or shutting up of the frame, or any undesirable alteration of the position
of the glasses to one another is prevented, substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown.
Dated this 4th day of December 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents.