Eyewear with exchangeable temples housing bluetooth enabled apparatus

• US 20040000733A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 4, LLC
• Original Assignee: QR Spex
• Inventors: Malackowski, James E., Meier, Thomas, Greaves, Mikal, Ligtenberg, Christiaan, Milesi, Rolf, Swab, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 6,911,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/1.7
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2015/3895 using light
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 12/02 Spectacle frames constructional form G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/02 Column chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/146 having special front end
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/22 Hinges pivotal connection in general F16C11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/248 where transmission power control commands are generated based on a path parameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless ad hoc pico network is formed by eyewear and other devices such as a computer, a bracelet and a telephone having similar transceivers mounted on them. Master slave relationships are configurable. Other devices, such as a radio, a CD player, a hand held global positioning satellite system and a heart rate monitor, having similar transceivers, can also be connected with the transceiver of the eyewear. The transceivers operate on globally available, unlicensed radio band, 2.45 gigahertz (GHz) and conforms to the Bluetooth standard. The power consumption of Bluetooth enabled devices is less than three percent of the power consumption of a mobile phone. The eyewear includes a frame and connected to the frame are two temples. Temples are connected to frame via hinges. Temples have a male portion of a connector incorporated in them. Female portion of the connector is made integral with the hinges. When the male portion is inserted in the female portion the temple is attached to the frame. The temples can be removed by pulling the connector apart, and a temple with different apparatus within it can be inserted in place of the removed temples. The temple may have co-molded within its body, an apparatus such as an audio device, a camera, a speaker, and a microphone, and a display device such as liquid crystal or an alarm. In another embodiment, eyewear constitutes a distance alarm to monitor the movement of, for example, a child. A device in form of, for example, a bracelet is worn by the child. The transceivers in the eyewear and the bracelet form a small-range wireless network, i.e., piconet, wherein the eyewear and the bracelet communicate using signals conforming to the Bluetooth technology. The transceiver in the eyewear is configured to generate an alarm when the bracelet exceeds a predetermined distance from eyewear.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing eyewear comprising the steps of:

molding a frame;

molding a temple;

co-molding components of an apparatus in said temple; and

removably connecting said frame with said temple using a hinge.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

co-molding conductors in said temple and said frame, said conductors making electrical connection between said components located in said temple and said frame or said temples.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

incorporating a connector between said hinge and said temple, a male portion of said connector being part of said temple and a female portion of the hinge being part of the hinge such that when said male portion and said female portion are connected, said temple is attached to said frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is selected from a group consisting of an audio device having a speaker and a microphone, a camera, a display device, a distance alarm and an ear bud.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of

co-molding a radio transceiver in said temple.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said radio transceiver is capable of forming an ad hoc wireless network with a plurality of devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of

co-molding a radio transceiver in said frame.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said radio transceiver is capable of forming an ad hoc wireless network with a plurality of devices.