Elastic hinge with inclined plane eyelet for automatic closing of spectacle temples

• US 6,721,991 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dot SAS Di Dioguardi Franco & C
• Original Assignee: Dot SAS Di Dioguardi Franco & C
• Inventors: Dioguardi, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): Mah, Chuck Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/192,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 162/28, 162/84, 163/12, 163/13, 351/111, 351/112, 351/113, 351/114, 351/121
• US Class Current: 16/228
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2200/26 Coil spring pushed upon actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/2227 comprising a fixed hinge member and a coil spring

Abstract

The present invention concerns a hinge for the hinging of spectacle temples, which allows the automatic closing of the temples on the same front of spectacle which has been removed from the head or which features one or both temples in open or wide-open position. A hinging element is provided attached to the endpiece of the front, which is cam-shaped with an eccentric profile progressively increasing from its internal position to its external position and on which a follower runs. The follower is guided in an axial hole 23 in the temple 20 to be hinged and together with an elastic medium which acts axially with the hinge pin while the follower works on an inclined plane produced by the shape of the cam to help the automatic return of the temple 20 in the closing phase.

Claims

1. An elastic hinge for spectacles which permits the automatic closing on the front piece of the spectacles of the spectacle temples from an open position thereof, said elastic hinge comprising:

a hinging element (11) forming a head part of an endpiece (10) of the front piece of the spectacles, said hinging element (11) including a cam shaped profile developing a progressively increasing eccentric curvature from a closed positions to a maximum open position of a temple (20);

a follower (30) guided in an axial hole (23) formed in a hinged end of said temple (20);

a hinge pin (40) hingedly connecting the hinged end of said temple (20) along the axis thereof with said hinging element (11); and

biasing means (33) biasing said follower (30) axially with respect to said temple (20) towards said hinge pin (40) along a thrust axis so that said follower (30) makes rolling contact with the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) at a point thereon shifted by an angle β

from said thrust axis whereat the cam shaped profile is effectively an inclined plane,

whereby said follower (30) is continuously urged to follow the curvature of the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) to a closed position of said temple (20).

2. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 1, wherein said hinging element (11) includes a hinging hole (12) whereat said hinged end of said temple (20) is hingedly connected by hinge pin (40) and the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) is shaped as an eccentric cam with a minimum radius R1 corresponding to the closed position of the temple (20) and with a progressive eccentricity leading to a maximum radius R4 corresponding to the point of maximum opening of the temple (20), with respect to the axis of the hinging hole (12).

3. The electric hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 2, wherein follower (30) slides or rolls along the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) with a point of contact defining a shifting angle β

with respect to the thrust axis which determines an inclined plane at the cam shaped profile of said hinging element contact on which said follower (30) guided by the biasing action of said biasing means (33) seeks the point of minimum curvature radius of said cam shaped profile.

4. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 3, wherein the value of the angle β

is determined to be inversely proportional to the differential rate of the varying radius of the cam shaped profile of hinging element (11) from R1 to R4.

5. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 4, which further includes a case (31) disposed in said axial hole (23) of said temple (20) on which said follower (30) is mounted for contact with the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) and said case (31) is acted on by said biasing means (33).

6. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 5, wherein the degree of pressure exerted by the temple (20) on a wearer of the spectacles is determined by the thrust of biasing means (33) on follower (30) cooperating with angle β

of the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) which also determines the closing strength and closing rapidity of the temple (20), wherein the intensity of the thrust of the biasing means is inversely proportional to the angle β

.

7. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 4, which further includes a dynamic compensation chamber (50) disposed in said axial hole (23) of said temple (20) on which said follower (30) is mounted for contact with the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11), said dynamic compensation chamber (50) having an internal space (51) housing a piston (53) having communication loops (54) therein communicating between the thus divided space of said space (51) of dynamic compensation chamber (50), a guide rod (55) of said piston (53) is provided with a bottom nut (56) which engages with said biasing mans (33) so as to control the pre-compression of said biasing means and which rests on a bottom of said axial hole (23) to fix the position of said piston (53) in said hole (23).

8. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 7, wherein the internal space (51) of said dynamic compensation chamber (50) is filled with a viscous fluid so that with the closing movement of said temple (20), the resulting gradual passage of the fluid through said loops (54) from one side of said piston (53) to the other side in said space (51) delays and distributes the thrust intensity of said biasing means (23) on said dynamic compensation chamber (50) so as to dampen the axial movement of said dynamic compensation chamber within said axial hole (23) of said temple (20) and thus the movement of said temple (20).

9. The elastic hinge for spectacles as defined in claim 1, wherein the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) includes a shoulder (16) intermediate the curvature defining the closed and maximum open positions of the temple (20) and a support plane (15) disposed intermediate said shoulder (16) and the curvature of the cam shaped profile of said hinging element (11) defining the maximum open position of the temple (20) on which said follower (30) rests to define a normal open position of said temple (20).