DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention deals with an elastic hinge for eyeglasses, having the features listed in the preamble of the main claim.

Technologic background

The present invention deals with solutions for eyeglasses hinges, which allow an efficient elastic articulation between arm and front frame, with low production and assembling costs for eyeglasses.

Elastic hinges of this type, however, have some inconveniences, among which a scarce stability of the coupling between arm and front frame, which enables undesired arm oscillations outside the oscillation plane defined by the usual arm opening and closing movements.

Description of the invention

The problem solved by the present invention is making a hinge for eyeglasses, structurally and functionally devised to solve the above-mentioned limits with reference to the known prior art.

Within such problem, an object of the invention is providing a hinge which:

- can be easily manufactured and immediately assembled

- can ensure the radial positioning stability of the arms, increasing the active hinge force by means of a double spring

- can be applied on different types of material (among which, acetate plastics, injected plastics, aluminum and wood)

- can have many shapes, even the shape of a brand logo having hidden inside the elements composing it.

This problem is solved and this object is reached by the present invention through a hinge for eyeglasses made according to the following claims .

Brief description of the drawings

The features and advantages of the invention will better appear from the detailed description of some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the hinge under a disassembled condition according to the present invention

- figure 2 is a perspective and enlarged view of the front of an eyeglass and its corresponding screw under a disassembled condition

- figure 3 is a perspective and enlarged view of the box and its elements under a disassembled condition

- figure 4 is a perspective and enlarged view of the hinge under a disassembled condition according to the present invention, equipped with a second arrangement, which provides that the box is shaped as a logo

- figure 5 is a perspective and enlarged view of the hinge under a disassembled condition according to the present invention, equipped with a third arrangement where pieces are directly assembled in the arm seat and covered with a cover

- figures 6 and 7 are respectively a disassembled perspective view and an assembled perspective view of a fourth arrangement of the hinge of the invention. Preferred mode for practicing the invention

The elastic hinge for eyeglasses is composed of: box (1), arm (2), two threaded males (3'; 3"), two nuts (4'; 4"), a screw (5), two pressure springs (6'; 6"), a front (7).

The box (1) contains two springs (6'; 6") and two nuts (4'; 4"). In the box (1) there are: the seat (12'; 12") for the two threaded males (3'; 3") , the seat for the springs (16' ; 16") and the seat for the two nuts (14'; 14"). The seat for the two males (12'; 12") has a cylindrical section and allows the longitudinal sliding of the threaded males (3'; 3") on axis X, allows the rotation of the threaded male (3' ; 3") when screwing the nut (4'; 4") and, at the same time, leaves a minimum gap between male body (32' ; 32") and seat hole (12' ; 12") .

The spring seat (16'; 16") has a cylindrical section and allows the springs (6'; 6") to longitudinally move along axis X.

The seat for the two nuts (14'; 14") has such a shape as to prevent the rotational movement of the nuts (4'; 4") when screwing the threaded male (3' ; 3") with respect to axis X, and at the same time allows the longitudinal movement of the nut (4'; 4") with respect to axis X. The box (1) on the externally visible sides can have any shape - even the shape of the eyeglass logo - provided that a space can be created inside for the spring seats

(16'; 16") and the nut seats (14'; 14").

The following are obtained in the arm (2): seat (21) for the box (1) comprising internal surface (27), front arm surface (28) and two seats

(22'; 22") for the two threaded males (3'; 3"). The shape of the seat (21) is made by removing material and corresponds to the external shape of the box

(1), which will be housed therein. The seat (21) can be made in the internal part of the arm (2) , in the external part of the arm (2) or can be made in such a way that the box (1) can be seen on both sides of the arm (2). The seat (22'; 22") where the threaded males (3' ; 3") are housed, is composed of two, mutually parallel holes with cylindrical section, with a length (A) which changes according to the arm (2) material. The length (A) is the distance between the front surface (28) and the internal surface (27) of the arm (2). The distance (D) between the two seats (22' ; 22") is longer than the distance (T) which is defined by the side edge (36) and the body (32'; 32") of the threaded male (3' ; 3") to be able to screw the threaded male (3' ; 3") when assembling.

The threaded males (3' ; 3") are composed of head (31'; 31"), body (32'; 32"), thread (34'; 34") , through-hole (35' ; 35") and side head edge (36' ; 36") .

The two nuts (4'; A") are traditional threaded nuts whose threading (44'; 44") is compatible with the threading (34'; 34") of the threaded males (3'; 3").

The screw (5) is assembled into the seat (75) of the front (7) along axis Y and passes through the holes (35'; 35") of the threaded males (3'; 3") . The screw (5) operates as pin to connect the arm (2) and the front (7) .

The springs (6'; 6") are under pressure. The internal diameter (62) of the springs (6'; 6") is sized so that the male body (32'; 32") passes through them. The springs (6'; 6") are tensioned between nut (4'; 4") and the end of the seat (16'; 16"). The two springs (6'; 6") are placed in the suitable seats (16'; 16") of the box (1) .

The front (7) has; internal surface (77) and front end surface (78). Inside the front (7) there are two seats (73'; 73") obtained by removing material where the head (31'; 31") of the threaded male (3'; 3") will be housed. A hole (75) with cylindrical section, where the screw (5) will be housed, is obtained in the front (7) .

The elastic hinge is assembled in the following way: in the box (1), the springs (6'; 6") are inserted in their suitable seats (16'; 16") and the two nuts (4'; 4") are inserted in their suitable seats (14'; 14"). The box (1), having springs (6'; 6") and nuts (4'; 4") inside, is laterally placed in its suitable seat (21) obtained inside the arm (2). The threaded male (3' ; 3") passes: through the hole (22) in the arm (2), through the hole (12) in the box (1), inside the spring (62'; 62") and, when it gets to the nut (4'; A") , screwing is performed and the male thread (34'; 34") corresponds to the thread (44'; 44") of the nut (4'; 4"). In this assembling step, the nuts (4'; 4") cannot rotate because the seats (14'; 14") are designed to prevent them from doing this. The threads (34'; 34") of the threaded male (3' ; 3") have a length designed so that, when it gets to the end of the threads, the result is that the springs (6'; 6") are already tensioned on the designed length. Now the assembly of the elements inside the arm (2) is ended. Then, the threaded males (3' ; 3"), which project from the arm (2), are inserted into their suitable seats (73'; 73") of the front (7) and then hinged with the screw (5) along axis Y. The screw (5) must cross the seat (75) of the front (7) and then enter the hole (35'; 35") of the head (31'; 31") of the threaded males (3'; 3").

The screw (5) further tensions the males (3' ; 3") , guaranteeing a flexible contact between the surface (28) of the arm (2) and the surfaces (7, 78) of the front (7); when the arm (2) is open, the flexible contact is between the front surface (28) of the arm (2) and the surface (78) of the front (7) end. When the arm (2) is closed, the flexible contact is between the surface (28) of the arm (2) end and the internal surface (77) of the front (7).

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, the major components are identical to the previous embodiments, while the difference lies in the provision of a C-shaped element (100) adapted to be operatively coupled with a recess (102) obtained in the arm (2) and adapted to house therein both springs (β', 6'') and nuts (44', 44' ') . For this purpose, two holes are obtained in the C-shaped element (100) where the threaded males (3', 3' ¹ ) can penetrate.

Summarizing, this elastic hinge for eyeglasses is composed of: C-shaped element (100), arm (2), two threaded males (3' ; 3"), two nuts (4'; 4"), two springs (6'; 6") under pressure, front (7): the C- shaped element (100) has two holes for the threaded males (3 ¹ ; 3'') and houses the springs (6'; 6") and the nuts (4'; 4"), in order to allow the longitudinal movement of the nuts (4'; 4") with respect to axis X and prevent the rotation of the nuts (4'; 4") with respect to axis X, the C-shaped element (100) being laterally assembled, without interferences, into its suitable seat (102) of the arm (2) without exerting any pressure, the arm (2) having two holes (22'; 22") spaced by D and having a length A, inside which two threaded males (3' ; 3") longitudinally move, the surface (17) of the C- shaped element (100) exerting an elastic pressure against the surface (27) in the seat (21) of the arm (2) and consequently the surfaces (77; 78) of the front (7) and the surface (28) of the arm (2) get in elastic contact, the threaded males (3'; 3") being fastened to their corresponding nuts (4'; 4") through screwing, rotating the male with respect to axis X, the threaded male bodies (32' ; 32") passing through their suitable seats (22'; 22") in the arm (2) and (12'; 12") in the C-shaped element (100), through their corresponding springs, the threaded males (3'; 3"), housed in their suitable seats (73'; 73"), being hinged through the screw (5) along axis Y and rotating around the screw when opening, closing and extra-opening the arm (2) with respect to the front (7) .