Technical field The present invention concerns a pair of spectacles transformable into an auxiliary lens device for spectacles, according to the preamble of main claim No. 1.

Technical background Spectacles that can be coupled to auxiliary lenses have been and still are nowadays widely used because of their practicality and convenience in use. The prior art has made available numerous solutions for the coupling of auxiliary lens devices to main mounting members of spectacles, typically to allow the user to provide the corrective spectacles with auxiliary sun lenses, thus guaranteeing optimum conditions of visibility and adaptation to the different of the lighting conditions.

Description of the invention A principal aim of the present invention is to provide a pair of spectacles, for example provided with protective lenses, usable independently with respect to a second pair of spectacles provided for example with corrective lenses, but which can be transformed into an auxiliary lens device that can be coupled to the second pair of spectacles, so as to offer in an integral system a pair of corrective spectacles with protective lenses, for example for screening from the sun's rays, ensuring at the same time that the optical device obtained from the aforesaid combination has an appreciable aesthetic impact.

This aim and others indicated hereinafter are achieved by the

invention by means of spectacles produced in accordance with the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of one of its preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are views respectively in side elevation and in plan view from above of spectacles produced according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of a detail of the spectacles in Figure 1, with parts disassembled, Figure 4 is a view corresponding to that of Figure 3 of the spectacles of the preceding figures transformed into an auxiliary lens device fitted to another pair of spectacles, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the combination of spectacles of the preceding figure, in the uncoupled state, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the combination of spectacles of Figure 5, in the coupled state, Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of a detail of the spectacles in Figure 1, with parts partially disassembled, Figure 8 is a partial view of a further detail of Figure 7, Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view in front elevation and in partial section of the combination of spectacles of the preceding figures, Figure 10 is a partial view in front elevation of the spectacles of

Figure 1, Figure 11 is a partial perspective view on an enlarged scale of a detail of the spectacles of Figure 1, Figure 12 is a partial view in front elevation of a further detail of the spectacles of Figure 1.

Preferred method of implementation of the invention With initial reference to Figure 1, a pair of spectacles produced in accordance with the present invention is indicated as a whole by 1.

The spectacles 1 comprise a front frame 2 with a pair of lens- holding rims, both indicated by 3, capable of retaining respective lenses 4, and a pair of lateral lugs 5, for hinged articulation to respective arms 6.

The lateral lugs 5 are conveniently obtained integrally with the respective lens-holding rims 3 and the front frame 2 and/or the arms 5 articulated thereon are preferably made from plastics material or metallic material or metal alloy.

Each of the arms 6 further comprises a first and a second arm portion, respectively designated by 6a, 6b, extending substantially in prolongation of each other, the first portion of which is articulated on the front frame 2. The second portion 6b, constituting the end-piece of the side arm of the spectacles, is removably coupled to the first portion 6a, as specified in detail in the continuation of the description. In this way the second arm portions 6b are interchangeable with other arm portions 6b of the same or different style and/or colour.

According to the invention, the spectacles 1 moreover comprise means for removable seating and retention of a mounting member 7 of a

second pair of spectacles 8 with lenses 9, so that the spectacles 1 are transformable into an auxiliary lens device capable of being coupled to the second pair of spectacles 8 with consequent corresponding superposition of the auxiliary lenses 4 on the lenses 9, subject to removal of the second arm portions 6b from the spectacles 1.

The mounting member 7 of the spectacles comprises respective lens-holding rims 10 for retaining the lenses 9, and which are connected by a central bridge 11 and are provided laterally with respective lugs 12 for the articulation of respective side arms 13. The reference 14 indicates nose-pieces for nasal support, each of which is respectively connected to the corresponding lens-holding rim 10.

The means for seating the mounting member 7 are provided on the "inner"side of the spectacles 1, this term meaning the side directly facing towards the face while the spectacles are in use, and comprise a first seat 15 provided at a central bridge region 15a of the spectacles 1, for connection between the lens-holding rims 3, constituting the nasal support region for the spectacles 1. Said seat 15 has a grooved conformation with a substantially"U"-shaped cross-section, inside which the bridge 11 of the spectacles 8 is capable of being received so that it disappears. The surfaces in mutual engagement are selected and sized so as to ensure substantial form-fitting coupling between them, so that guided coupling between the coupled parts is guaranteed.

A pair of further seats for seating of the spectacles 8, both indicated by 16, are provided in the lens-holding rims 3 and comprise, in each rim, reduced sections of the front frame defining surfaces 17 for frontal

abutment of the lens-holding rims 10 which are surrounded by lateral locating surfaces 18 for the rims 10.

The reference 19 designates a pair of further receiving seats, respectively provided in the lateral lugs 5 of the spectacles 1. These have an open channel conformation extending from the respective lens-holding rim 3 towards the free end of the corresponding lug and are capable of receiving corresponding portions of the lugs 12 of the spectacles 8. On each first arm portion 6a a further channel-like seat 20 is moreover provided, extending in prolongation of the corresponding seat 19 and open at the opposed axial ends so as to receive a corresponding section of side arm 13 of the spectacles 8 so that it substantially disappears.

According to the invention, means are provided on the spectacles 1 for removable retention of each second arm portion 6b or, alternatively, of each arm 13 of the second pair of spectacles on the corresponding first arm portion 6a. Said means comprise a pair of serrations 21, facing one another and protruding into each respective seat 20 at the free end of the arm portion 6a. The serrations 21 are capable of retaining, as a result of a sort of snap coupling, the corresponding section of arm 6b or of arm 13 in the channel-like seat 20. They extend in such a manner as to interfere with the arm portion retained in the seat 20, in order to prevent it from escaping, but allow the removal of the arm, subject to resilient expansion of the seat 20 (with mutual relative movement of the serrations away from each other so as to permit the free withdrawal of the arm portion from the seat 20).

Further provided in the spectacles 1 are means for relative

retention, in the direction of longitudinal extension of the side arm, between the first arm portion 6a and the second arm portion 6b or the arm 13 of the spectacles 8. Said means comprise an indentation 22 provided internally in each channel-like seat 20, in a position contiguous with the serrations 21, and a corresponding relief provided on the second arm portion 6b (indicated by 23a) or on the arm 13 of the spectacles 1 (indicated by 23b), capable of mutual engagement, as a result of being received in the seat 20 of the respective arm portion.

In each second arm portion 6b there are further provided shoulder surfaces 24 capable of meeting in abutment the free end 6c of the first arm portion 6a. By means of engagement of the relief 23a in the indentation 22 and the locating of the end 6c in abutment on the shoulder 24, the arm portion 6b is retained longitudinally with respect to the arm portion 6a.

The second arm portion 6b is further provided with a pair of pin appendages 25 extending from opposed sides at one of the axial ends of the portion 6b and which are capable of rotatably engaging respective recesses 26 provided inside the seat 20. By means of such rotatable engagement, the second arm portion 6b can be hooked to the first arm portion 6a so as to be pivotable from and towards the state of snap coupling in the seat 20 (Fig. 7). Said recesses 26 have a surface 26a for abutment of the pin appendages 25 so that the arm portion 6b is retained unidirectionally on the arm portion 6a, when pivotally hooked on said portion. In order to allow the insertion and withdrawal of the pin appendages 25 relative to the recesses 26, respective widenings 27 are

provided in each of the seats 20. The pin appendages 25 also have axes for direct pivoting parallel to the axis of articulation of the arms on the front frame of the spectacles.

In operation, provision is made for the spectacles 1 to be first of all usable independently of the spectacles 8, for example as protective glasses or provided with sun lenses of preselected colour and degree of screening from the sun's rays. In this usage the arm portions 6b are connected interchangeably to the corresponding arm portions 6a, and may therefore be removable for substitution with other portions 6b of the same or different style and/or colour. In this regard, each portion 6b can be unhooked by means of resilient expansion of the seat 20 with relative rotation of the arm portion 6b with respect to the portion 6a (about the axis of articulation of the pins 25) followed by unhooking of the pin appendages 25 from the corresponding recesses 26, with consequent withdrawal of the end of the arm 6b from the seat 20. By carrying out the aforesaid steps in reverse order, it is instead possible to snap the portion 6b onto the arm portion 6a in order to obtain the structural continuity of each of the side arms 6 of the spectacles 1.

In order to use the spectacles 1 as an auxiliary lens device that can be coupled to the spectacles 8 (the spectacles 8 may for example be provided with graduated corrective lenses), provision is made first of all for the removal of the arm portions 6b from the respective portions 6a, in the manner described above.

Once the arm portions 6b have been removed, the front frame 2 is coupled to the mounting member of the spectacles 8 by means of seating,

effected with slight pressure, in the seats 15,16, and 19 of the corresponding mounting member portions 7. The arms 13 are then rotated in an opening movement until they are received with snap coupling in the respective seats 20. This coupling is obtained by means of expansion of the seats 20 (with mutual movement of the serrations 21 away from each other to allow the seating of the arm section 13 in the seat 20, and resilient return of the serrations into the undeformed position so as to interfere with the arm 13 and prevent it from escaping from the seat 20). The longitudinal retention of the arm 13 with respect to the first arm portion 6a is further guaranteed by the engagement of the reliefs 23b in the respective indentations 22. Thus, complete coupling between the pairs of spectacles 1 and 8 is obtained, with mutual superposition of the lenses 4 and 9. In this regard, it should be noted that the seats 19 for receiving the lugs 12 are of dimensions such as to guarantee, for each lug of the spectacles, the coaxiality between the axis of articulation of the first arm portion 6a on the front frame 2 and the axis of articulation of the arms 13 on the spectacles 8, when said pairs of spectacles 1 and 8 are mutually coupled. This guarantees a correct pivoting movement for opening of the arms 13, rigidly connected to the first arm portions 6a, when the pairs of spectacles 1 and 8 are mutually coupled.

It should also be noted that it is possible to provide on the spectacles 8 different shapes of the lens-holding rims 10, all, however, capable of being seated (with more or less coupling clearance) in the seats 16 of the front frame 2. In this case, in fact, the function of guiding and centring between the coupled mounting members of the spectacles 1 and

8 is ensured by the engagement in the seats 15,19 and 20 of the corresponding mounting member portions 7. As a result, it is possible to provide a range of different mounting members 7 having a different style of the lens-holding rims 10, all, however, capable of being combined with the spectacles 1 so as to guarantee in each case the production of an integrated optical device which incorporates corrective lenses and auxiliary lenses.

The invention thus achieves the aims proposed, resulting in numerous advantages compared with known solutions.

A first advantage lies in the fact that the spectacles of the invention may be used independently or may be transformed into an auxiliary lens device for a second pair of spectacles, by means of easy and rapid methods of assembly.

Another advantage is that the arms of the spectacles according to the invention are interchangeable so that the user may substitute them with others of the same or different style or colour, for example in order to obtain spectacles having an overall, more or less marked, sporting appearance, as desired.

Yet another advantage lies in the fact that the spectacles capable of being combined with the auxiliary lens device of the invention may be produced in a range of different shapes of the lens-holding rims in order to satisfy different preferences and tastes of the users (or of the same user), thus widening the range of possibilities of combination of the spectacles.

Yet another advantage lies in the fact that the spectacles according to the invention have characteristics of distinct lightness, since they may

be made entirely of plastics material and, as an auxiliary lens device, may be coupled to main mounting members, for example having corrective lenses, of metallic material, the assembly of said spectacles nevertheless giving rise to a single integrated pair of spectacles which are still extremely light and comfortable for the user.

A further advantage is that the front frame of the spectacles of the invention is such as to conceal completely from view the mounting member of the spectacles coupled thereto, even in the region of the lugs and of the side arms, imparting an appreciable overall aesthetic impact, unlike those known solutions in which the auxiliary and main lenses are distinguishable from one another and the coupling means (for example mechanical or magnetic type clip) are moreover visible between the mutually superposed lenses.