Eyeglasses with RFID tags or with a strap

• US 8,337,013 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Chao, David, Tong, Peter P., Thomas, C. Douglass, Howell, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, HUNG XUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/152,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 351/158, 351/41, 351/111, 340/572.1, 340/539.23, 340/539.21, 340/539.12
• US Class Current: 351/158
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/06 Hearing aids construction of hearing aids H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids

Abstract

A pair of glasses includes a clock that is at least partially embedded in the glasses. The clock can be in one of the temples of the glasses. In one implementation, the clock can be positioned at a region close to a hinge of the corresponding temple, with the clock facing inward towards the user. The clock can also be in a temple arrangement. Instead of or in addition to a clock, other types of electrical components can be at least partially embedded into a pair of glasses or a temple arrangement of a pair of glasses. For example, the other electrical components can pertain to a RFID tag, a temperature sensor or an eyewear finder.

Claims

1. An eyewear comprising:

a lens holder for receiving at least one lens, the lens holder having a first side and a second side;

a first temple secured to the first side of the lens holder, the first temple having a temple tip;

a second temple secured to the second side of the lens holder; and

a RFID tag in the temple tip of the first temple,

wherein the RFID tag includes a memory device that is configured to store information regarding the eyewear, and

wherein the eyewear includes a switch that is at least partially in the first or second temple.

2. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the temple tip can be removed from and re-inserted back onto the temple by a user of the eyewear.

3. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the lens holder is metallic, and

wherein the temples, other than the temple tip, are metallic, and wherein the temple tip is non-metallic.

4. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the eyewear includes another electrical component that is in the eyewear, but is not in the temple tip, and

wherein the RFID tag is configured to be electrically coupled to the another electrical component to perform an electrical function.

5. An eyewear as recited in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the eyewear includes information regarding where the eyewear was manufactured.

6. An eyewear as recited in claim 1, wherein the eyewear include a power source.

7. An eyewear as recited in claim 6, wherein the RFID tag uses power from the power source to wirelessly transmit at least some of the information regarding the eyewear to a receiver.

8. An eyewear as recited in claim 6, wherein the eyewear includes a speaker.

9. An eyewear as recited in claim 6, wherein the power source is a solar cell.

10. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the RFID tag is a passive tag,

wherein the RFID tag includes an antenna that extracts power from a receiver'"'"'s radio wave signal to provide power to the RFID tag to wireless transmit at least some of the information regarding the eyewear to the receiver.

11. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the eyewear includes an electrical connector that is electrically coupled to the RFID tag, and

wherein the electrical connector is configured to connect to another electrical connector external to the eyewear.

12. An eyewear as recited in claim 1,

wherein the eyewear includes an electrical connector that is at least partially in the first or the second temple, and

wherein the electrical connector is configured to connect to another electrical connector external to the eyewear.

13. An eyewear as recited in claim 1, wherein the eyewear includes an electrical connector that is at least partially in the first or the second temple, the connector being configured to be electrically coupled to the switch.

14. An eyewear as recited in claim 13,

wherein the eyewear includes another electrical component that is in the first or the second temple, and

wherein the electrical component is configured to be electrically coupled to the connector and the switch.

15. An eyewear as recited in claim 14, wherein the eyewear include a power source in the first or the second temple, and configured to be electrically coupled to the connector and the switch.

16. An eyewear as recited in claim 15,

wherein the power source is a battery,

wherein the temple that the battery is in has a first end and a second end, with the first end being closer to the first end of the lens holder than the second end, and

wherein the battery is located closer to the first end than the second end of the temple.

17. An eyewear as recited in claim 16, wherein the eyewear includes a hatch that can be opened to replace the battery.

18. An eyewear as recited in claim 17, wherein the hatch is configured to be facing the person wearing the eyewear if the eyewear is worn.

19. An eyewear as recited in claim 1 further comprising a strap configured to secure the eyewear to a user.

20. An eyewear as recited in claim 19 further comprising at least another electrical component at least partially embedded in the strap.

21. An eyewear as recited in claim 20, wherein the eyewear is a sports eyewear.

22. A method to read information from a RFID tag, which is in a temple tip of a temple of an eyewear product that includes a pair of temples and a power source, with a switch at least partially in one of the temples, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving, at the eyewear product, a signal from a remote receiver asking for information from the RFID tag; and

using power from the power source to transmit information from the RFID tag to be read by the remote receiver,

wherein the information transmitted includes information regarding the eyewear product.

23. A method as recited in claim 22,

wherein the temple tip can be removed from and re-inserted back onto the temple by a user of the glasses.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the information regarding the eyewear includes information regarding where the eyewear was manufactured.

25. An eyewear comprising:

a lens holder for receiving at least one lens, the lens holder having a first side and a second side;

a first temple secured to the first side of the lens holder, the first temple having a temple tip;

a second temple secured to the second side of the lens holder;

a RFID tag in the temple tip;

an electrical connector at least partially in the first or the second temple;

a switch at least partially in the first or the second temple, the switch being electrically coupled to the electrical connector; and

a power source in the first or the second temple, and configured to be electrically coupled to the connector and the switch,

wherein the RFID tag includes a memory device that is configured to store information regarding the eyewear, and

wherein the electrical connector is configured to connect to another electrical connector external to the eyewear.

26. An eyewear as recited in claim 25,

wherein the power source is a battery,

wherein the temple that the battery is in has a first end and a second end, with the first end being closer to the lens holder than the second end,

wherein the battery is located closer to the first end than the second end of the temple,

wherein the temple includes a hatch that can be opened to replace the battery, and

wherein the hatch is configured to face the person wearing the eyewear if the eyewear is worn.

27. An eyewear for a user comprising:

an eyewear frame;

a strap coupled to the eyewear frame configured to secure the eyewear to the user;

at least one electrical component at least partially embedded in the strap;

a switch at least partially embedded in the eyewear; and

an area to receive a power source, which is configured to provide power to the at least one electrical component to perform an electrical function.

28. An eyewear as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one electrical component is an RFID tag.

29. An eyewear as recited in claim 27, wherein the eyewear is a goggle.

30. An eyewear as recited in claim 29, wherein the eyewear is a ski goggle.

31. An eyewear as recited in claim 27, wherein the eyewear is a sports eyewear.

32. An eyewear as recited in claim 27 further comprising:

a wireless transceiver; and

an electrical connector configured to connect to another electrical connector external to the eyewear,

wherein the wireless transceiver, the electrical connector, the at least one electrical component, and the switch are configured to be electrically coupled to each other.

33. An eyewear as recited in claim 27, wherein the strap is configured to carry at least a portion of the power source.

34. An eyewear as recited in claim 33,

wherein the power source includes a battery, and wherein the eyewear further comprises:

a controller on a circuit board, which is at least partially in the strap; and

a visual indicator configured to provide an indication to the user.

35. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the eyewear further comprises a hatch that can be opened to place the battery in the eyewear.

36. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the at least one electrical component comprises a wireless transceiver.

37. An eyewear as recited in claim 36, wherein the eyewear further comprises an electrical connector configured to connect to another electrical connector external to the eyewear.

38. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the eyewear further comprises at least one electrical component configured to sense motion.

39. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the switch is at least partially embedded in the strap.

40. An eyewear as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one electrical component is configured to sense motion.

41. An eyewear as recited in claim 37, wherein the switch is at least partially embedded in the strap.

42. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the visual indicator includes a light emitting device.

43. An eyewear as recited in claim 34, wherein the at least one electrical component comprises a speaker.