INTERLOCKING HINGE, PARTICULARLY FOR SPECTACLE FRAMES

The present innovation relates to a new solution of hinge type without screws or additional pin, particularly for the movement of the temples at the extremities of the spectacle frames, realized in such a way that the application and the replacement of the said temples is extremely rapid, simple and safe to promote their inter-changeability and thus ensure the maximum versatility of a spectacle frame in relation to the changing needs and customisations of the user. The main characteristic of the present innovation is that for providing the realization of an extremity or hinge element, for example of the temple in the form of a hammerhead, hence with a leg projecting from the said extremity, said leg being associated to a cylindrical crossbeam to form a rough "T-shape", while at the other extremity or hinge element, for example of the frame, provided with an axial cavity to which associated is a transversal cavity which is apt to house the cylindrical crossbeam of the hammerhead of the other hinge element.

There are countless existing hinge construction solutions for the movement of the temples at the extremities of the spectacle frame, all essentially based on the unison of an ear, attached for example to the extremity of the temple, the ear of which is interposed to a couple of ears that are attached to the extremities of the spectacle frame, joined by a screw or a pin placed between the aligned ears.

These basic solutions were recently developed with the application of devices and methods for creating adequate flexibility of the spectacle legs on a person's temples as well as to promote the standard opening and closing position at the spectacle frame by locking into position. These devices continue however to be joined together by the same principle of a male ear, included and aligned to a couple of female ears and joined by means of a

screw or hinge pin.

In respect of all these solutions the operator is well aware of the difficulty of having to associate the ears at the extremity of the temple and at the extremity of the spectacle frame in order to join these and is thus well aware of the difficulty of having to screw or at any rate block the screw or the pin to ensure the hinge movement, in conditions rendered uncomfortable by the hinge elements and by inadequate means of blocking the spectacles to a fixed work surface.

As well as being inconvenient to the operator, this standard method also entails prolonged timescales for joining the temples to the spectacle frame, which impacts on the overall cost of the finished spectacles.

Said difficulty in joining the temples to their frame, consequently determines the fact that once the frames of a pair of spectacles are completed, they must always be used in this composition, without possibility of combining the frame with multiple temples for improved customisation of the spectacles to the multiple needs of the persons wearing them.

The object of this innovation is that of creating a hinge for the movement of the temples to the spectacle frame, which allows the end of the temple to be attached to the end of the spectacle frame by an interlocking mechanism, even manually, without having to resort to the use of devices or systems for aligning said extremities and at any rate, without particular difficulty to the operator in respect of the screwing or blocking of the pin.

Within the scope of this objective, another important aim of the innovation is that of reducing to the very minimum the time for connecting and hinging the end of the temple to the end of the spectacle frame, with the consequent reduction of their assembly cost.

Another important objective of the innovation is that of allowing the customisation of the frames, with maximum inter-changeability of the temples and the frames, reducing the

optician's stocks to a minimum and above all allowing the person to always have a versatile frame, meeting his/her specific image and needs.

Not at last, a further objective of the innovation is that of allowing the user to assemble, replace and be able to interchange the temples on the frame, without having to resort to an expert or person having special equipment.

These and other objectives are in fact perfectly achieved by this innovation, which essentially consists of the realization of an extremity or hinge element, for example of the temple in the form of a hammerhead, hence with a leg attached to and projecting from the said extremity, said leg being associated to a cylindrical crossbeam to form a rough "T- shape", while at the other extremity or hinge element, for example of the frame, provided with an axial cavity to which associated is a transversal cavity which is apt to house the cylindrical crossbeam of the hammerhead of the other hinge element.

For a better understanding of the proposed solution and an outline of the achievement of the specified objectives, further details and illustrations are provided hereinafter, based on a construction form which is by no means exhaustive, and is supported by 5 draft illustrations reproduced in 4 tables, as attached, of which:

Fig. 1 of table 1 is a perspective view from the internal section of the spectacles, of a hinge element which is provided with a hammerhead to slot into the other hinge element;

- Fig. 2 of table 1 is a prospective view from the internal part of the spectacles, of a hinge element with longitudinal and transversal cavity, capable of accommodating the hinge element of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 of table 2 is a partial axial section view of the two hinge elements of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, shown in the first phase of their reciprocal interlocking;

- Fig. 4 of table 3 is a partial axial section view of the elements of Fig. 3,

shown with the male element at a 90° angle and thus in the position of their second and final reciprocal interlock phase, the temple being shown in its closed position on the frame to which it is hinged,

Fig. 5 of table 4 is a partial axial section view of the elements of Fig. 4, the temple being shown in its normal open position on the frame to which it is hinged.

The same details are presented or are intended as having been presented in all figures, with the same reference number.

According to the construction solution shown in the attached figures, a male hinge element M in the form of a hammerhead is realized at the extremity of temple A, while a female hinge element E, is moulded with an axial cavity joined to the transversal cavity of a frame extremity F.

At the extremity of temple A, leg H protrudes, for example in continuity or by moulding of to the conformation of said extremity of temple A or through any known unison mechanism to the same extremity of temple A, said leg H being inclined by an alpha value in respect of the flat head surface M of said extremity of temple A, as shown in Fig. 4.

A cylindrical crossbeam is attached to said leg IJ. and with said leg H essentially forms the said male hammer-shaped hinge M.

The same cylindrical crossbeam 1_5 should preferably have a lowered central surface 16^ the function of which is further explained hereunder.

At the inclined extremity 20 of the spectacle frame F, is an axial slot 21 that is also open at its internal side 22 and which terminates with an end wall 23.

This slot 2J_ is wide enough to allow for the axial passage of the crossbeam 15 and its leg H, as shown in Fig. 3, as long as one extremity of said crossbeam 15 is abutted against

the end wall 23_of said slot 2L

Said slot 21 has a beta axial inclination with respect to the inclined head 20 of the extremity of the frame F with the same alpha value of the inclination of the male element M of the temple A and the variation of which is in relation to the desired width of the maximum retraction of temple A on frame F.

The formation of the slot 2J_ on the extremity 20 of the F determines the formation of a couple of external shoulders 24 and 25 the depth of which corresponds to the position of the end wall 23 of said slot 2L

On one of the two shoulders, for example, on shoulder 24, is a through-ear 30, consisting of a central, cylindrical part 3J_ and of two lateral, rectangular and mirror parts 32 and 33_, the extremity of part 3J_ being essentially aligned to the end wall 23 of the slot 21.

The overall length of the ear 30 is slightly in excess of the length of the crossbeam _L5, while the width of its two extremities 32 and_3J_ is essentially the same as the diameter of said crossbeam 15.

The intersection between the extremities 32 and 3J _. of the slot 30 with its central part 3_1, determined the formation of two joints 34 and 35_ along the entire length of the shoulder 24.

The internal surface of the opposing shoulder 25 has a blind hole 3_H, that is coaxial and has the same diameter as the hole 3_1 of shoulder 24, and has a blind hole 32' that is aligned to hole 32 of shoulder 24, thus also determining joint 341, by a similar blind ear 30 that is analogous and coaxial to ear 30' but without the internal part parallel to part 33_ of said ear 30.

Finally, it should also be mentioned that slot 2J _. of the female hinge element E has a depth L2, between its external edge 20 and the centre of ear 30 that is identical to the

length LJ _. of the leg H and its head 15 in respect of the base 14 of the extremity of temple A, so that, upon said temple A being opened on the frame F, said base 14 of temple A may be abutted against the head 20 of the frame F for standard retraction of the two parts as shown in Fig. 5.

The construction characteristics of the elements M and E of the hinge in question thus having been described, their evident functionality shall now be summarised, in particular with the help of Figures 3 to 5, also in relation to the achievement of the specified objectives.

With reference to Fig. 3, it should be highlighted that the axial slot 21 allows for the passage of the male element M, so that one extremity of its crossbeam 15 is abutted against its base 23_, lightly forcing the interlocking mechanism, to overcome the joints 3jT and 35_', for as long as said joints are situated in the low section 16 of crossbeam 15.

Turning the temple A by 90°, the crossbeam J_5 of the male element M is forced to rotate and to place itself in the transversal positions in respect of the extremity E of the frame F, its extremities lodged in the cylindrical housing 3J_ and 3V of the shoulders 24 and 25, as shown in Fig. 4.

This rotation of the crossbeam 15 is rendered possible by the presence of compartments 32 and 33, of the ear 30 and of the compartment 3T_of the blind ear 30| and by the base 23 of the slot 21, upon suitable force, to overcome resistance on the part of the joints 34 - 35 and 341 - 35'.

The presence of the low section 16 on the crossbeam J_5 reduces the friction surface, during this rotation phase, between said crossbeam 15 in rotation and the joints or shoulders 34 - 35 and 34_! - 35^of the through-ear 30 and the blind ear 30'.

By this rotation, one extremity of the crossbeam 15 will become lodged in the cylindrical base 3T of the blind ear 30|, along the inside of shoulder 25, while the other

extremity of said crossbeam 1_5 will be lodged in the cylindrical part 31 of the ear 30 of the shoulder 24, remaining axially blocked by the presence of the joints or shoulders 34|

- 34 and 35.

The leg ϋ, which together with the crossbeam 15 forms the male element M of the hinge, however, is free to oscillate in the slot 21, to then bring itself from the closed temple position of Fig. 4 to the open temple position of Fig. 5.

The reduced length of the slot 21 prevents the leg H and thus the temple A from completing a non-adjusted rotation and also envisages slight retraction or extreme increases of its compartment, to encourage the opening and closure positions of the temple

A on the frame F, such retractions not being reproduced for obvious reasons and for ease of description.

The interlocking hinging of a temple A to a frame F_of a pair of spectacles is thus possible, without the need for the use of screws or pins to be placed in inconvenient work conditions, in accordance with the primary objective proposed.

The ease of application and replacement of the temples A to the frame F by interlocking a male element M with a female element E ₁ allows maximum inter-changeability of the temples as well as the reduction in time and cost of the unison, in accordance with the other specified objectives.

The same ease of application makes the temples easily replaceable and inter-changeable, without any need for resort to an expert in this sector or any requirement for special equipment, in accordance with the other specified objectives.

In accordance with a first construction variant, the leg H of the male element M may have a reduced diameter or section in respect of the head or crossbeam 15, thus allowing the realization of a narrower axial slot 21, with consequent strengthening of the shoulders 24 and 25.

In accordance with another construction variant, the shoulders 24 and 25 may be realized separately and then joined at the extremities of the spectacle frame F and to an external rim. In this way only blind prints of the seats 30 and 301 are realized on their internal opposing surfaces and while the via hole 30 on one of the two shoulders 24 and 25 _^ is hidden from view.

Extremities M can be realized for all types of temple A. For example, these can be fully metallic or made from another material, even plastic, with a suitable inner core, and the same applies to the extremities E of the frame F.

The inversion of the two hinge elements can also be envisaged, with the male element M on the extremity of frame F and the female element E on the extremity of temple A, naturally with the relevant adaptations.

An insignificant variation of the interlocking mechanism of the male element M and the female element E, in accordance with the solution described and illustrated above, is given by the possibility of placing the crossbeam J_5 of the temple A in an orthogonal position to the rim of the ear 30 in order that the male element M may be introduced into the ear 30. The temple A is then rotated by 90° while the crossbeam 15 is in the slot compartment 21, to allow for the desired interlocking of said crossbeam at seats 3J. and 3V of the opposing ears 30 and 30'.

These and other similar modifications or adaptations are to be understood as part of the original invention to be protected.