DESCRIPTION

Technical field The present invention relates to an assembly comprising eyeglasses and an auxiliary lens-holder structure with an improved fastening system.

The assembly in question is intended to be advantageously used for arranging on a frame for eyeglasses an auxiliary lens-holder structure by means of an improved magnetic fastening system. Functionally speaking, with the assembly it is possible to arrange, in front of a first pair of lens of the frame or the main structure of eyeglasses, a second pair of lens, for example of the sun shade type provided on an auxiliary lens-holder structure.

Background art

As is known, on the market today there exist numerous designs of assemblies which envisage connecting the auxiliary lens-holder structure to the main frame by means of various designs of releasable fastening means.

In accordance with a known embodiment which however is not very widespread on the market, the auxiliary structure has resiliently yielding means able to engage directly onto the lens of the main frame. This solution

is technically very simple but has proved to be excessively bulky and unable to ensure firm and secure positioning of the two structures on each other.

In order to overcome the drawbacks of this first solution recently numerous other designs of fastening means have been developed, all of them making use of magnets which are arranged on the main frame, on the auxiliary structure or on both the structures.

In greater detail, the patents DE 43 16 69 and EP 877 279 describe designs of fastening means where the magnets are arranged on the arm supporting bases of the frame - commonly referred to in the technical jargon of the sector as "heels" - which receive, mechanically associated therewith, the connecting hinges of the said arms.

The abovementioned magnets are intended to be mechanically and functionally engaged with other magnets provided on external lugs of the auxiliary structure.

In the solutions proposed in the patents DE 43 16 69, JP 7128620 and EP 877 279, the magnets are engaged frontally, namely being arranged on surfaces substantially parallel to' the main direction of extension of the lenses. However, while in the solutions described in the patents DE 43 16 69 and JP 712862O ₇ engagement is performed at the front of the glasses, in the patent EP

877 279 engagement is performed at the rear of the glasses.

The patents US 5,416,537 and DE 8806898U describe solutions where the magnets are provided in positions on the frame other than the support heels, and in particular along the rims supporting the lens.

Differently, the solutions described in the patents DE 8507761, WO 9009611, EP 848 276, EP 877 279 and EP 1251387 disclose designs for assemblies in which the magnets are provided on the bridge connecting the lens support rims.

Obviously in all the solutions magnetic elements are positioned on the auxiliary structure opposite each other in a mirror arrangement. All the solutions known hitherto and briefly described above have in practice proved unable to combine a pleasing aesthetic form with a high degree of reliability of the connection between main frame and auxiliary structure. In fact, if on the one hand the positions chosen for the arrangement of the magnets in some designs have enabled reliable connections to be achieved, on the other hand they have been unable to satisfy the aesthetic requirements of the market. Vice versa, other designs have proved to be valid from an aesthetic point of view, but not reliable enough for

firmly retaining the auxiliary structure on the main structure.

Disclosure of the invention

In this situation the object forming the basis of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the known art mentioned above, by providing an assembly comprising eyeglasses and an auxiliary lens-holder structure, with fastening means able to support in a mechanically reliable manner the auxiliary structure on the main frame without adversely affecting the aesthetic appearance of the glasses.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly which is constructionally simple and operationally entirely reliable. With the proposed solution for the assembly it is possible to obtain a connection between the frame and the auxiliary structure which is reliable and at the same time aesthetically pleasing.

Brief description of the drawings The characteristic features of the invention, in accordance with the abovementioned objects, may be clearly ^* determined from the contents of * the claims provided below and the advantages thereof will emerge more clearly from the detailed description below, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings

which illustrate a purely exemplary and non-limiting embodiment in which:

Fig. 1 shows a first perspective view of an example of embodiment of an assembly according to the present invention with the eyeglasses and the auxiliary structure assembled together;

Fig. 2 shows the assembly of Fig. 1 with eyeglasses having, mounted thereon, an auxiliary structure arranged in a spaced position; Fig. 3 shows a partial and enlarged side view of the assembly according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a detail of Fig. 1 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 shows the detail of Fig. 4 in accordance with a different second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description of a preferred example of embodiment With reference to the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes in its entirety the assembly comprising eyeglasses and auxiliary lens-holder structure with an improved fastening system according to the present ^* invention.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assembly 1 is composed of eyeglasses 2 and an auxiliary lens-holder structure 3.

The eyeglasses 2 may be of any type, including the conventional type, on which, however, as will be explained more clearly below, fastening means which form the specific subject claimed by the present invention are provided.

The eyeglasses 2, therefore, have a main frame 20, which may be made both of metallic material and preferably plastic material and which will conventionally be composed of a framework formed by two rims 4 able to support a first pair of lenses 5 and connected in the centre by a bridge 6 underneath which in the usual manner the nose pieces for resting on the user's nose are provided.

The outer ends of this framework are provided with two protuberances 7, which are referred to in the sector in question as "heels" and which are arranged projecting from the rims 4 and substantially directed towards the rear part of the glasses 2. They support, usually fixed, the hinges 8 for connecting the arms 9 of the eyeglasses 2.

The auxiliary structure 3 supports, in turn, a second pair of lenses 10 intended to be arranged frontally in front of the first pair of lenses 5 when the two structures are coupled functionally and mechanically together.

For this purpose, fastening means 11 are envisaged for connecting in a releasable manner the auxiliary- structure 3 to the main frame 20 of the eyeglasses 2.

With reference to the accompanying drawings these means 11 comprise a pair of first fastening elements 12, each of which is provided on a corresponding support heel 7 of the frame 20 and a pair of second fastening elements 13, each of which is provided on a corresponding lug 14 of the auxiliary structure 13 extending projecting from the latter towards the rear part of the eyeglasses 2.

In greater detail, each lug 14 has a shape substantially in the form of a small rectangular plate with one end 14' fixed laterally to the auxiliary structure 3 and with the free end 14 ' ' having a rounded form and supporting, fixed, a corresponding second fastening element 13. The latter is advantageously inserted and fixed inside a through-hole 19 formed in the abovementioned free end 14 ' ' of the lug 14.

According to the invention the fastening means 11 comprise moreover a pair of engaging seats 15, each of which is formed on the side surface 16 of the support heels 7. The- abovementioned surface remains, substantially vertical in the usual position of use of the eyeglasses 2. A corresponding first fastening element 12 is associated with the bottom 17 of each of

these seats 15.

In turn, each lug 14 is shaped so as to fit snugly- inside the corresponding seat 15 so as to allow the first fastening element 12 mounted therein to engage magnetically in a restraining relationship with the second fastening element 13 and achieve an engaging fit inside the shape of the seat 15.

Basically, the lug 14 is shaped so as to match at least partly the seat 15 and so form an engaging joint able to ensure, together with the magnetic attraction between the two elements 12 and 13, a solid connection between the auxiliary structure 3 and the frame 20.

In particular, each seat 15 is obtained by means of a groove which is formed in the side surface 16 of the heel 7 and extends in the direction of extension of the arms 9 and therefore from the front of the eyeglasses 2 towards the rear of the eyeglasses from a front side 29 which is open, as far as a rear side 30 which is closed and shaped so as ,to match the free end 14' ' of the lug 14.

The seat 15 has at least one side 18 which extends from the bottom 17 and which forms a bearing surface for the lug 14.

The first and the second fastening elements, respectively indicated by 12 and 13, may both

advantageously consist of a permanent magnet. Alternatively, only one of the elements intended to be engaged together will consist of a permanent magnet, the other element being made of a metallic material able to be magnetically attracted by the magnet.

Therefore, the fastening means 11 described above form a releasable mechanical joint between the auxiliary structure 3 and the main frame 20 as a result of a magnetic connection between the elements 12 and 13 and as a result of a mechanical engaging connection of the lug 14 inside the seat 15.

In accordance with the example of embodiment shown in Figure 4, each first fastening element 12 is arranged inside the seat 15, partly delimiting its bottom surface 17.

Alternatively, in accordance with the example of embodiment shown in Figure 5, the first fastening element is inserted inside the plastic material which forms the heel 7 and hence underneath the bottom 17 of the seat 15. With this latter solution it is possible to obtain a particularly appreciable aesthetic effect without adversely affecting the mechanical strength properties of the connection between the auxiliary structure 3 and the frame 20. Functionally speaking, as moreover emphasized above,

in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, releasable fixing between the auxiliary- structure 3 and the main frame 20 is achieved as a result of the combined action of the magnetic force of attraction between the first and the second fastening elements 12 and 13 and the mechanical engagement of the two lugs 14 of the auxiliary structure 3 inside the respective seats 15 of the heels 7 of the main frame 20. Advantageously, each seat 15 acts both as a retaining element for the lugs 14 and as a guide element for correctly positioning the auxiliary structure 3 on the main structure 20.

The insertion of the lugs 14 inside the seats 15 is performed by displacing the auxiliary structure frontally towards the main frame 20 so that the lugs are inserted via the open front side 29 until they reach the closed rear side 30 of the seat 15.

The invention thus conceived therefore achieves the predefined objects. Obviously it may also assume in its practical embodiment forms and configurations different from that illustrated above without thereby departing from the present scope of protection.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements and the dimensions, forms

and materials used may be of any nature according to requirements .