Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to protective eyewear, more specifically disposable protective eyewear to protect a wearer from splashes, sprays, spatter or droplets of blood or other potentially infectious materials. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Protective eyewear in infectious environments, such as hospitals and operating rooms, is imperative to protect employees from hazardous exposure when working. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation 1910.1030 (d)(x) requires employees to wear protective masks and eyewear whenever splashes, spray, spatter, or droplets of blood or other potentially infectious materials may be generated and eye, nose, or mouth contamination can be reasonably anticipated. The regulations require the eyewear be either full length face shields or glasses or goggles with solid side shields. 
   Many healthcare supply manufacturers have made and sold goggles and masks, however these devices are prone to fogging and are costly. Known products are not comfortable nor do they possess the stylish appearances. They are also difficult to clean, further enhancing the possibility of exposure to infectious materials. In light of these risks, disposable protective eyewear has become more prevalent in environments containing infectious materials. These disposable glasses are typically a single unit containing a protective shield and a frame. The lenses must be disposed of in order ensure a sanitary environment, although the frame may be sterilized and reused. The ability to reuse the frame makes it more cost-effective. 
   Other low cost disposable eyewear products consist of a removable shield that slides on and off the frame through holes in the sides of the shield. While this does provide a cost effective solution, the holes perforated in the shield allow for passage of infectious materials through the eyewear and onto the face or into the eye. This raises issues with respect to OSHA compliance. Another hazard presented by known disposable eyewear is an opening directly above the eyes between the forehead and the frame of the eyewear. This exposes the wearer to splatters and sprays that may come from above the sightline of the wearer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides affordable, anti-fog coating on both sides of the disposable eye shield, anti-glare, protective eyewear that maximizes protection of the eyes and face from infectious materials, while giving the wearer a maximum range of vision. In addition to maximizing protection, the present invention presents eyewear with a disposable shield that is OSHA compliant with no holes or perforations in the side shields. 
   In one embodiment of the present invention, a molded plastic frame is made in a substantially U-shaped design. Two bends at the closed end of the frame have guards extending from the frame inward that will rest against the forehead of the wearer. The outside of the frame contains projections intermittently spaced which engage with mating structures on an eye shield, attaching the eye shield to the frame to protect the eyes and face. The eye shield is a thin plastic sheet, cut to include a notch for the wearer&#39;s nose. It is coated on both sides with an anti-fogging material. A color band may be built into the top of the eye shield for easy gripping and identification. The top of the shield contains the mating structures in the form of small holes intermittently spaced that snap over the projections on the outside of the frame to attach the shield to the frame. 
   Advantages of the present invention include provision of eye protection that is compliant with OSHA standards. There are no exposure holes in the eye shield through which infectious materials may pass. The eye shield is held in place by use of a tapered knob that attaches it to the frame without damaging the lens or creating any opening. The protective eyewear according to the present invention eliminates exposure points around the eyes and temples of the wearer. 
   Another advantageous feature is the present invention provides a cost effective solution to protective eyewear by utilizing disposable eye shields while being able to re-use the frames. 
   An additional advantage of the present invention is the creation of space between the wearer&#39;s eyes and the eye shield sufficient to permit the wearing of typical prescription glasses under the protective eyewear. 
   Another advantageous feature of the present invention is the ease of interchangeability of the eye shield. The eye shield snaps along the outside of the frame making it easier and faster to remove and replace when needed without creating fingerprints or smudges on the eye shield. The positioning of the tapered knob and the angle of the lens due to the use of the shelf on the frame results in a lens angle that substantially eliminates glare. The frame is wide on the outside near the temples which naturally conforms to the human head. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a top-down view of the frame in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a detached and enlarged view of a projection in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a frontal view of the eye shield before attachment to the frame in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a frontal view of a hole with radial slits in the eye shield in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an assembled eye shield in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   An embodiment of a frame for protective eyewear according to the invention is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The flexible frame  10  is made from a molded plastic and is substantially U-shaped with a closed end  15  and an open end  20 . The flexible frame  10  is shaped in a wrap-around form where the natural form of the flexible frame holds the open end  20  smaller than the width of the average wearers head. This results in a constant tension inward on the wearer&#39;s head to hold the frame  10  in place and prevent it from slipping off the wearer&#39;s head. The frame  10  has angle points  22  whereat the frame  10  extends or angles forming a gripping area at the angle points  22  to allow the user to grip the eyewear to put it on or remove it. The angle points also the align the frame  10  with the contours of the wearer&#39;s head. 
   The inside corners of the closed end  15  of the frame  10  are formed with guards  25  extending inwardly from the frame  10 . The guards  25  abut the wearer&#39;s head just above the eye socket when the protective eyewear is worn, and protect the wearer from infectious materials that may spray, splatter, or drip from above the wearer&#39;s sightline. The frame  10  has a plurality of projections  30  disposed around the exterior of the frame  10  along the closed end  15 . 
   Now referring to  FIG. 2 , an illustrative projection  30  in this embodiment has a generally oval head  31 . A cylindrical body  32  supports the oval head  31  and is smaller in diameter than the oval head  31 . The oval head  31  and the cylindrical body  32  forming the projection  30  are molded as an integral part of the frame  10  and connect at a base  33  of the body  32 . 
   In an embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 3 , an eye shield  35  portion of the protective eyewear is made from a lightweight, thin, clear polyester, plastic material. The eye shield  35  is a generally oval shape with a central notch  40 , where the eye shield  35  will rest on the wearer&#39;s nose. The eye shield  35  is coated, on both surfaces, with anti-fogging material such as known in the art. The eye shield  35  may also be treated to eliminate glare and static electricity as known in the art. A colored band  45  is located on the top of the eye shield  35 . The colored band  45  may be silk-screened on to the eye shield  35 . The colored band  45  provides an easily grippable portion of the eye shield  35  for the user to touch without creating fingerprints, smudges, or other obstructions on the remainder of the eye shield  35 . The eye shield  35  may be a variety of transparent shades depending on the environment in which the protective eyewear is used. Certain colors may enhance detailed viewing. The shield may be tinted red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, gray or any permutation thereof. The eye shield  35  also contains mating structures in the form of holes  50 , for attaching the eye shield  35  to the corresponding mating structures (i.e. the projections on the frame  10 ). 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the holes  50  are located at the top of the eye shield  35 , in the colored band  45  in this embodiment. The holes  50  align with the projections  30  along the frame  10 . The diameter of the holes  50  is substantially equal to the diameter of the body  32  of the projection  30 . Radial slits  55  around the holes  50  allow the holes  50  to expand and snap securely over the projections  30 . When the holes  50  are in position over the projections, the radial slits  55  no longer expand the holes  50 , eliminating any exposure points through the eye shield  35  when it is attached to the frame  10 . 
     FIG. 5 . illustrates the resulting combination of attaching the eye shield  35  to the frame  10  forming a cost effective, reliable, safe and compliant form of protective eyewear. When the eye shield is attached to the frame the holes  50  no longer expand and the oval heads  31  of the projections  30  retain the eye shield  35  in assembly with the frame  10 . When assembled with the frame  10 , the eye shield  35  wraps around the closed end  15  of the frame  10  to provide solid protection to the side of the eye area as required by OSHA standards. When assembled, the combination of the downward angle of the eye shield  35  relative to the frame  10 , and the guards  25  that abut the wearer&#39;s head, create spacing sufficient to permit regular prescription glasses to be worn under the protective eyewear according to the invention. The downward angle of the eye shield  35  also helps to eliminate the glare from surrounding lights. When the wearer needs to replace the eye shield  35 , the wearer simply grips the eye shield  35  at the color band  45  and pulls the eye shield over the oval heads  31  and off the projections  30 . The wearer then obtains a replacement eye shield  35  and, while gripping the eye shield  35  at the color band  45 , re-engages the holes  50  with the projections by snapping the holes  50  over the oval heads  31  of the projections  30 . This alleviates the need for a completely new eye protection unit while remaining safe and effective against infectious materials. 
   Although the embodiments described herein describe a frame that is substantially U-shaped, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various shapes of frames can be used (e.g., square, angular, circular). Additionally while two bends in the closed end of the frame are discussed, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that different numbers of bends can be made in the frame with out departing from the spirit of the invention. 
   Although the embodiments herein describe mating structures comprising expanding holes and projections, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other mating structures can be used (e.g., projections on the eye shield engaging with corresponding holes in the frame, VELCRO strips, adhesive strips, channel or slot fitting or the like). 
   Additionally, while the illustrative embodiments herein describe projections having a head and a body having a smaller diameter than the head, one skilled in the art should appreciate that other retaining structures may be used on the projections, such as tangs extending from the projection or a notch on the projection for receiving the mating structure of the transparent shield. 
   Although the invention is described hereinbefore with respect to illustrative embodiments thereof, persons having ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

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