ILLUMINATED EYEWEAR

• US 20110013135A1
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waters Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Waters Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Waters, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,235,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/04 Illuminating means

Abstract

Illuminated eyewear is provided that directs light forwardly from the user when wearing the eyewear. The illuminated eyewear herein is in the form of eyeglasses, either with or without lenses, or with a lens or lenses that can be refractive or non-refractive, that in one aspect has the lights arranged so as to optimize their performance. In another aspect, the illustrated eyewear herein has electrical components for the lights arranged to provide enhanced aesthetics over prior lighted eyeglasses.

Claims

1. Illuminated eyewear comprising:

a pair of elongate temple arms each having forward and rearward end portions;

inner and outer surface portions of each temple arm having a substantially flat configuration and extending lengthwise along the temple arms;

a front support including a bridge portion extending laterally between the forward end portions of the temple arms with the temple arms and bridge portion adapted to be supported on a user'"'"'s ears and nose, respectively;

a pivot connection between each of the forward end portions of the temple arms and the front support for pivoting of the temple arms relative thereto;

a light source mounted to each temple arm to project forwardly from the forward end portion thereof;

a plurality of disc-shaped batteries for providing power to the light sources; and

a narrow battery compartment of each temple arm laterally between the respective flat inner and outer surface portions thereof, the narrow battery compartment having a thin lateral width between the flat temple arm inner and outer surface portions sized so that a pair of the disc batteries are received in a non-overlapping arrangement in each compartment with main surfaces of the batteries facing the flat inner and outer surface portions of the respective temple arms.

2. The illuminated eyewear of claim 1 wherein the temple arms have upper and lower surfaces that extend along the inner and outer surface portions and which define a temple arm height therebetween that is larger along the battery compartment than the thin lateral width thereof.

3. The illuminated eyewear of claim 2 wherein the temple arm height is substantially constant along the battery compartment.

4. The illuminated eyewear of claim 2 wherein the disc-shaped batteries have a diameter, and the batteries are received in each of the battery compartments to be spaced in a lengthwise direction along the temple arms with the upper and lower surfaces of the temple arms extending closely above and below the batteries to keep the temple arm height to a minimum relative to the battery diameter.

5. The illuminated eyewear of claim 1 wherein the inner surface portion has offset portions so that the temple arms each include a raised portion in which the battery compartment is disposed.

6. The illuminated eyewear of claim 5 wherein the raised portion of each of the temple arms is adjacent to the front support so that the raised portion of each of the temple arms comprises the forward end portion thereof.

7. The illuminated eyewear of claim 6 wherein the rearward end portion of each temple arm extends laterally inward and downward, and the raised portion of each temple arm is offset laterally inward from an adjacent portion of the temple arm with the temple arms pivoted open relative to the front support.

8. The illuminated eyewear of claim 6 wherein the temple arms each have upper and lower surfaces that extend therealong which are spaced by a greater distance at the forward end portion than at the rearward end portion.

9. The illuminated eyewear of claim 8 wherein at least one of the upper and lower surfaces tapers toward the other of the upper and lower surfaces to transition between the forward and rearward end portions of each of the temple arms.

10. The illuminated eyewear of claim 5 wherein the temple arms each have a portion adjacent to the raised portion thereof that is laterally narrower than the lateral width of the battery compartment.

11. The illuminated eyewear of claim 10 wherein temple arms each have a longitudinal axis extending therealong and a shoulder extending generally orthogonally to the longitudinal axis between the raised portion and laterally narrower adjacent portion thereof.

12. The illuminated eyewear of claim 1 wherein electrical components to energize the light source including the batteries and a switch device are integrated into the temple arms to avoid having electrical components that span the pivot connections between the temple arms and the front support.

13. The illuminated eyewear of claim 1 wherein the forward end portion of each of the temple arms includes a forwardmost end and an opening therein, and the light source comprises an LED mounted in the opening and having a lens projecting forwardly therefrom.

14. Illuminated eyewear comprising:

a pair of elongate temple arm assemblies each having forward and rearward portions and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween;

a front support including a bridge portion extending laterally between the forward portions of the temple arm assemblies with the temple arm assemblies and bridge portion adapted to be supported on a user'"'"'s ears and nose, respectively;

a pivot connection between each of the forward portions of the temple arm assemblies and the front support for pivoting of the temple arm assemblies open and closed relative thereto so that when closed the temple arm assemblies generally extend laterally along the front support and when open the temple arm assemblies generally extend in a fore-and-aft longitudinal direction so that the rearward portions are distal from the front support;

a battery compartment of each temple arm assembly at the forward portions thereof;

a substantially flat outer wall portion of each temple arm assembly forward portion that faces laterally outward and a substantially flat inner wall portion of each temple arm assembly forward portion that faces laterally inward with the temple arm assemblies pivoted open, the substantially flat outer and inner wall portions extending on either side of the battery compartments;

a forward end surface of each of the temple arm assembly forward portions having an opening therein in communication with the battery compartment;

a plurality of LED light sources each having a lens thereof with at least one LED light source being mounted to each temple arm assembly at the forward portion thereof so that the lens projects through the opening and forwardly beyond the forward end surface; and

a plurality of disc-shaped batteries each having substantially flat main surfaces thereof with the batteries being arranged in the battery compartments for providing power to the LED light sources and to have the substantially flat main surfaces thereof in facing relation to the respective substantially flat outer and inner wall portions of the temple arm assemblies.

15. The illuminated eyewear of claim 14 wherein the forward portions of the temple arm assemblies each carry a switch operable to turn the respective LED light sources on and off.

16. The illuminated eyewear of claim 14 wherein the forward portions of the temple arm assemblies each include curved support surfaces that extend about the opening to fixedly capture the LED lens therebetween.

17. The illuminated eyewear of claim 14 wherein the elongate temple arm assemblies include elongate temple arms having the substantially flat outer and inner wall portions integrally formed therewith.

18. The illuminated eyewear of claim 17 wherein the elongate temple arms each have a switch on one of the substantially flat outer and inner wall portions thereof.

19. The illuminated eyewear of claim 14 wherein the battery compartments are each sized to contain at two of the disc-shaped batteries closely spaced from each other along the longitudinal axis of the temple arm assembly so that both of the substantially flat main surfaces of each of the two disc-shaped batteries face the respective substantially flat outer and inner wall portions without the other disc-shaped battery being disposed therebetween.

20. The illuminated eyewear of claim 14 wherein the forward portion of each temple arm assembly at the battery compartment thereof is laterally thicker between the substantially flat outer and inner wall portions than along the respective rearward portions of the temple arm assemblies.

21. Illuminated eyewear comprising:

a pair of elongate temple arm members each having forward and rearward ends;

a cross-frame member having opposite ends at which the forward ends of the temple arm members are pivotally connected;

an opening in the forward end of each of the temple arm members;

a pair of LEDs each including a lens with each LED received in a respective one of the forward end openings so that the lens extends through the forward end opening to project out forwardly therefrom;

a thin rear portion of each of the temple arm members;

opposite inner and outer flat surface portions of each of the temple arm members laterally spaced from each and extending lengthwise along the respective temple arm members adjacent the forward ends thereof;

an enlarged forward portion of each of the temple arm members that is laterally thicker between the opposite flat surface portions and vertically larger in a vertical direction along the opposite flat surface portions than the temple arm member thin rear portion;

a tapered portion of each of the temple arm members that tapers from the vertically larger forward portion to the thin rear portion to transition therebetween;

a battery compartment between the opposite flat surface portions of each of the temple arm members; and

a pair of disc-shaped batteries each having substantially flat, opposite main surfaces thereof and being arranged in a non-overlapping orientation relative to each other in each of the battery compartments so that each of the main surfaces of the batteries directly faces one or the other of the opposite, flat surface portions of the temple arm members.

22. The illuminated eyewear of claim 21 wherein the temple arm members each have a longitudinal axis generally extending therealong, the disc-shaped batteries have centers that are aligned with each other along the longitudinal axis of each of the temple arm members, and the openings in the forward ends of the temple arm members are each offset from the longitudinal axis of the respective temple arm members such that the LEDs are offset from the aligned centers of the batteries along the axis of each temple arm member.

23. The illuminated eyewear of claim 21 wherein the temple arm members each include a pivot member extending laterally inward from the inner flat surface portion thereof for pivotally connecting the forward ends of the temple arm members to the opposite ends of the cross-frame member.

24. The illuminated eyewear of claim 21 wherein the temple arm members each include a rearward portion that extends laterally inward and downward to the temple arm member rearward end with the temple arm members pivoted open to generally extend rearwardly from the cross-frame member.

25. Illuminated eyewear comprising:

a pair of elongate temple arm members each having forward and rearward ends;

a cross-frame member extending laterally between the forward ends of the temple arm members;

a forwardly facing opening in each of the temple arm members at the forward ends thereof;

an LED received in each of the forwardly facing openings for projecting light forwardly from the cross-frame member;

a battery compartment in each of the temple arm members;

a plurality of disc-shaped batteries received in each of the battery compartments, the disc-shaped batteries each having a diameter;

an enlarged portion of each of the temple arm members in which the battery compartments are formed with the enlarged portions being enlarged relative to adjacent portions of the temple arm members so that the battery compartments are slightly larger than the diameter of the disc-shaped batteries.

26. The illuminated eyewear of claim 25 wherein the battery compartments are adjacent the rearward ends of the temple arm members.

27. The illuminated eyewear of claim 26 wherein the temple arm members each include a forward portion including the forward end with the enlarged portion of each of the temple arm members comprising a rearward portion thereof including the rearward end, the rearward portion including the battery compartment thereof extending rearwardly and downwardly from the temple arm forward portion.

28. The illuminated eyewear of claim 25 wherein the LEDs each include a lens that extends through the temple arm forwardly facing opening to project forwardly therefrom.

29. The illuminated eyewear of claim 25 wherein the plurality of disc-shaped batteries each have centers that are aligned with the batteries received in the battery compartments therefor, the temple arm members each have a longitudinal axis generally extending therealong, and the battery compartments each have a battery axis extending through the aligned centers of the batteries therein that extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of the respective temple arm members.

30. The illuminated eyewear of claim 25 wherein the temple arm members each include a pivot member at the forward ends thereof extending laterally inward therefrom for pivotally connecting the forward ends of the temple arm members to the opposite ends of the cross-frame member.