BACKGROUND Protective eyewear has been used for years in various sports, including high speed sports such as motocross. skiing and skydiving : contact sports such as basketball, hockey and football: and sports involving a fast-moving projectile such as racquet ball, splat-ball and squash. More recently, similar evewear has been used in other sports such as bicycling and running, as well as various leisure activities such as sailing and hiking. Such eyewear primarily focuses upon preventing any damage caused by a blow to the eye, and secondarily focuses upon preventing eye strain such as caused by glare or the constant movement of air. However. none of these protective sports glasses protect the ears against the deleterious effects of air being constantly blown into the ear. which is often annoying and occasionally painful.

Various efforts have been made to develop ear protective devices, including various designs which incorporate eye and ear protection into a single device.

Examples of such designs are described in United States Patents Nos. 1, 117, 968, 1, 621,593,892,3,943,925,4,746,596,201, 5, and 5,323,493. Unfortunately, such designs are cumbersome, expensive. unappealing and/or significantly interfere with the ability to hear. Of particular interest is the cumbersome and unsightly eyewear described in United States Patent No. 5. 323, 493, which includes U-shaped air deflector structures attached to the ends of a head band and a mechanism for allowing the headband to be attached to a pair of eyeglasses. The headband is essential to operation of the apparatus as it holds the

deflector structures tight against a wearers temples in order to prevent air from flowing between the deflectors and the temples.

Accordingly, a substantial need exists for inexpensive and attractive eyewear which is capable of protecting both the eyes and the ears during various sporting activities without reducing vision or impairing hearing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I have discovered unique eyewear which is both fashionable and functional.

The eyewear protects both the eyes and ears from the wind and various oncoming foreign bodies, such as rain, sand and insects. The eyewear is also compatible with standard bicycle helmets.

The eyewear is based upon a standard pair of conventional reading glasses, prescription glasses, protective eyewear or sunglasses (i. e., a pair of transparent lenses, a nosepiece and a pair of rearwardly extending bows attached directly or indirectly to the lenses). The eyewear further includes a pair of wind-deflecting deflector s attached directly or indirectly to the lenses (e. g.. the deflector s may be attached to a frame which is attached to the lenses) and extending rearward from the lenses in substantially parallel relationship to the bows. The deflector s are configured and arranged to guide rearwardly-directed air flow away from the ear and terminate prior to the auditory meatus of the ear. The eyewear is thereby able to protect both the eyes and the ears of a wearer without substantially interfering with the hearing of the wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the invention as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top view of the invention as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged top view of a left side portion of a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the front left side of the invention as shown in Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING A BEST MODE Nomenclature 10 Eyeglasses 20 Lenses 20r Right Lens 20s Left Lens 21 Inside Edge of Lenses 21 r Inside Edge of Right Lens 21 s Inside Edge of Left Lens 22 Outside Edge of Lenses 22r Right Outside Edge of Lens 22s Left Outside Edge of Lenses 23 Top of Lenses

25 Bridge 30 Nosepiece 40 Bows 40r Right Side Bow 40s Left Side Bow 45 Hinge Connecting Bow to Lens 45r Right Side Bow Hinge 45s Left Side Bow Hinge 60 Deflectors 60r Right Side Deflector 60s Left Side Deflector 61 Front Edge of Deflector 62 Rear Edge of Deflector 63 Top Edge of Deflector 64 Bottom Edge of Deflector 65 Hinge Connecting Deflector to Lens 65r Right Side Deflector Hinge 65s Left Side Deflector Hinge 67i Inside Wall of Deflectors 67o Outside Wall of Deflectors 68 Channel Formed between Inside and Outside Wall 68f Front End of Channel 68r Rear End of Channel 69 Air Intake Vent for Channel 70 Snap 80 Side Pads 81 Vertical Side Pad 90 Front Pad 100 Wearer 101 Wearer's Face 200 Ears

Construction Referring to Figures 1 through 3, the protective eyeglasses 10 include a standard pair of lenses 20, a nosepiece 30, and a pair of bows 40. The eyeglasses 10 may be selected from any of the various conventional glasses, including reading glasses, prescription glasses and sunglasses. The eyeglasses 10 shown in Figures 1 through 5 are a pair of sunglasses. Without intending to be unduly limiting, further discussion of the invention will be based upon the embodiment of the invention as shown in Figures 1 through 5 (e. g., sunglasses having lenses formed from a single sheet of material).

EYEGLASSES Lenses The lenses 20 can be formed from any of the conventional materials used in the construction of reading glasses, prescription glasses, protective eyewear or sunglasses. Such materials includes specifically, but not exclusively, transparent polymeric materials such as polycarbonates and polyolefins, and glass.

The lenses 20 can be configured into substantially any desired shape from separate right 20r and left 20s oval lenses (not shown), to right 20r and left 20s lenses 20 formed from a single sheet of material as shown in Figures 1 through 5, wherein the lenses 20 are shaped to create the bridge 25 of the eyeglasses 10. The design options for the lenses 20 are virtually endless, dependent only upon the contours of a wearer's face 101 and the imagination of the designer.

Nosepiece As with the lenses 20, the nosepiece 30 can be selected from any of the conventional nosepieces known in the industry, from a simple flange formed from the inside edge 21 of each lens 20, to an elaborate assembly of a supple pad (not shown) rotatably mounted within an adjustable post (not shown). The nosepiece 30 shown in Figures 1 through 3 and 5 is formed from an elastomeric material which includes a longitudinal channel (not shown) for accommodating insertion of an edge portion of the lenses 20. The nosepiece 30 is contoured to fit within the arch formed in the lenses 20 and is permanently attached to the lenses 20 by an adhesive.

A particularly well suited nosepiece 30 is one which is capable of conforming to the contours of a wearer's face when the glasses 10 are pressed onto the wearer's face under a modest pressure of about two to ten times the normal gravitational force exerted upon the wearer's face by the glassess 10. One such type of nosepiece 30 comprises a mass of a readily conformable yet cohesive material, such as modeling clay or a soft wax, retained within a nontacky pliable coating, such as a thin layer of a natural or synthetic foamed rubber. This same type of confomrable material can be used to cover that portion of each bow 40 which contacts the ears (not shown).

Bows As shown in Figures 1 and 3 through 5, standard bows 40 are attached to the outside edges 22 of the lenses 20 via hinges 45 to form a conventional pair of eyeglasses 10. The bows 40 can be attached to the lenses 20 directly or indirectly, such as through a frame (not shown).

Frames Depending upon the desired strength and design of the eyeglasses 10, a conventional frame (not shown) may be provided to which the lenses 20, nosepiece 30 and bows 40 are attached. The frames (not shown) may be constructed from the various materials commonly used to construct eyeglass frames, including various plastics and metals.

DEFLECTORS As shown in Figures 1 through 5, a pair of wind-deflecting deflectors 60 are attached directly or indirectly to the lenses 20 and extend rearward from the lenses 20 in substantially parallel relationship to the bows 40.

As shown best in Figures 2 through 4, the deflectors 60 are configured to direct oncoming air away from the ears 200 (e. g., curved away from the wearer's face 101) without covering the ears 200. By positioning the rear edge 62 of each deflector 60 forward of the auditory meatus (not shown) of the ear 200, the deflectors 60 are able to prevent oncoming air-flow from striking the ears 200, without substantially interfering with the hearing of the wearer 100. This feature is particularly useful when the wearer 100 is involved in an activity where the wearer's face 101 is subjected to a continuous oncoming wind of greater than about 10 miles per hour, such as bicycling, motorcycling and sailing. The outward curvature of the deflectors 60 away from the face 101 of a wearer 100 facilitates the passage of a side strap (not shown) of a standard bicycle helmet (not shown) between the deflectors 60 and the face 101 of a wearer 100.

The deflectors 60 are preferably attached to the lenses 20 or frame (not shown) by the same hinged mechanism 65 used to connect the bows 40. This permits the deflectors 60 to be folded inward along with the bows 40 for storage. The deflectors 60 are also preferably releasably connected to the lenses 20 or frame (not shown) so

that the deflectors 60 may be removed from the eyeglasses 10 when the wearer 100 wishes to wear a conventional pair of eyeglasses 10.

The deflectors 60 are optionally provided with a means for connecting the deflectors 60 to the corresponding paired bow 40 in order to provide enhanced stability to the deflectors 60. As shown in Figure 1, a snap 70 may be employed by securing the female half of the snap 70 to the outside surface (not numbered) of the bow 40 and securing the male half of the snap 70 to the appropriate corresponding position on the paired deflector 60.

Any of a number of different connecting means may be employed, including specifically, but not exclusively: permanent means such as an adhesive or a groove in the underside of the bows 40 into which the deflector 60 is friction fitted, and releasable means such as a hook and eyelet system, hook and loop tape, and snaps.

The deflectors 60 can be configured and constructed such that oncoming wind speeds of greater than about 20 miles per hour will cause the rear portion (not numbered) of the deflectors 60 to curve towards the temples (not numbered) of a wearer 100 and thereby result in a streamlined effect as well as securing the eyeglasses 10 in position on the face 101 of the wearer 100.

The deflectors 60 may optionally be formed as a unitary feature with the lenses 20, such that the lenses 20 and deflectors 60 form a single, unitary piece.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, each of the wind-deflecting deflectors 60 may alternatively be configured with inner 67i and outer 67o walls which define a channel 68 therebetween extending roughly parallel to the face of a wearer. An intake vent 69 is provided at the forward edge 68f of the channel 68 to allow the flow of air into the channel 69. The rearward edge 68r of the channel 68 is open so as to allow air to flow through and exit from channel 68. Such a wind channel can provide an air curtain for the ears 200 when the wearer is traveling at a fair rate of speed (i. e., greater

than 20 miles per hour) and thereby reduce the eddy effect occuring at the rearward end 62 of the deflectors 60 proximate the ears 200.

AIR VENTS The eyeglasses 10 and/or the deflectors 60 may optionally be provided with air intake vents (not shown) for venting moisture from underneath the eyeglasses 10, and thereby reducing the tendency of the lenses 20 to fog, the tendency of the glasses 10 to slip on the face 101 of a wearer 100, etc. The vents should be configured and arranged to reduce the amount of foreign bodies, such as dust, passing through the vents and reaching the eyes of a wearer 100.

SIDE PADS The eyeglasses 10 may optionally be provided with side pads 80 for purposes of preventing air from flowing into the spacing between the eyeglasses 10 and the face 101 of a wearer 100 and reaching the ear 200. One example of such side pads 80 are shown in Figure 5, in which vertical side pads 81 are attached to the inner surface (not numbered) of the lenses 20 proximate the outside edges 22 of the lenses 20.

Alternatively, side pads (not shown) may be attached to the inner surface (not numbered) of each deflector 60 and extend at a roughly 45° angle from the upper front edge 61,63 of the deflector 60 towards the lower rear edge 62,64 of the deflector 60.

The pad would terminate a sufficient distance forward of each ear 200 so that the pad would not interfere with the straps (not shown) of a standard bicycle helmet (not shown). Such pads would provide the additional benefit of supporting the deflector 60 in position on the face 101 of a wearer 100 and dampening any vibration of the deflectors 60.

The side pads 80 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as any of the various hypoallergenic foamed plastics commonly used as a cushioning material in conventional sports eyewear.

OTHER OPTIONS The eyeglasses 10 are preferably shaped to closely conform to the contours of a wearer's face 101, and may also be equipped with any of the various options commonly found on other eyewear, including specifically, but not exclusively, (i) a front foamed pad 90 along the top 23 of the lenses 20 or frame (not shown), (ii) antireflective, ultraviolet reflective and/or scratch resistant coatings on the lenses 20, (iii) tinted lenses, (iv) spring biased hinges for attaching the bows 40 to the lenses 20 or frame (not shown), (v) telescoping bows (not shown) capable of being customized to fit the face 101 of a wearer 100, etc.