BACKGROUND

[0001] Traditional eyeglasses have two positions: A folded position and an extended position. LIGS. 1 and 2 show the former and LIG. 3 shows the later. The folded position is for eyeglass transportation and storage. In the extended position, the eyeglass arm earpiece loops over and behind the wearer’s ear, securing the glasses to the wearer’s face. This is so convenient that the design is little-changed from its early l700s introduction by Edward Scarlett and James Ayscough, who invented eyeglass arms and their foldability respectively in 1730 and 1752.

[0002] The traditional eyeglass advantage is not only that it holds the lenses in front of the eyes while the wearer’s hands are free, but it also holds the lenses in a plane in front of the wearer’s eyes, allowing a user to move their eyes and retain the same optical advantage through the lenses.

[0003] One of the problems with early eyeglass designs is that as people age, they become more far-sighted and may thus lose both their ability to see near and far. Such a challenge presented a challenge to early eyeglass manufacturers, who could only produce one appropriate lens to help their wearers. As is widely known, America’s famous polymath Benjamin Lranklin solved this problem with his invention of the bifocals in the mid to late l700s.

[0004] In roughly the same time period, George Adams invented the lorgnette spectacle that had no arms but instead included a handle that allowed the user to place the corrective lenses in front of their eyes in use and remove them when not. These types of glasses proved popular in theater settings and masquerades.

[0005] Each of these inventions, the traditional, the bifocal, and the lorgnette eyeglasses share certain challenges that no single eyeglass addresses. The traditional eyeglass works well but in situations where a user’s ears are not accessible (during hair dying, hair drying, surgery, etc.), a person does not want to give up their ability to see and read. The bifocal (and today’s progressive lenses) solve the challenge of those who want to see both near and far, but a person who wants to look over their glasses must allow the glasses to slide down their nose to look over them, in a stereotypically“disapproving teacher” pose. This way of wearing glasses down-the-nose makes them prone to falling off. Finally, the lorgnette, while stylish and functional in the hair salon, has a valuable functionality but people only call upon in certain circumstances.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a stylish yet functional eyeglass design that solves some or all of the above challenges.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0007] The multiuse eyeglasses include a frame that holds two lenses and arms that extend from the frame. The arms include a first axis of rotation that is generally perpendicular to the arms and a second axis of rotation that is orthogonal to the first axis of rotation and allows the arms to be rotated downwards relative to the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a front elevation view of the multiuse eyeglasses in the traditional folded position.

[0009] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the multiuse eyeglasses in the traditional folded position.

[0010] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the multiuse eyeglasses in the traditional extended position.

[0011] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the multiuse eyeglasses in the traditional extended position.

[0012] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the multiuse eyeglasses in a hybrid extended position.

[0013] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the multiuse eyeglasses in a lorgnette extended position.

[0014] FIG. 7 shows a front view of the multiuse eyeglasses in a lorgnette extended position.

[0015] FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the multiuse eyeglasses in a lorgnette extended position.

[0016] FIG. 9 shows a side view of the multiuse eyeglasses in a lorgnette extended position. [0017] FIG. 10 shows a side exploded view of the multiuse eyeglasses, with certain attachment elements shown in prohle.

[0018] FIG. 11 shows a top exploded view of the multiuse eyeglasses, with certain attachment elements shown in prohle.

[0019] Certain dashed lines within the hgures are meant to show hidden features or moving/adjustable elements, and some elements may have been shown enlarged or reduced in order to show details.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The multiuse eyeglasses 100 described herein move between a traditional folded configuration 200 (FIGS. 1 and 2), traditional extended configuration 300 (FIGS. 3 and 4), hybrid extended conhguration (500), and lorgnette (or“salon”) extended conhguration 600 (FIGS. 6-9). Hybrid folded and lorgnette folded configurations are also possible by folding in the arms; these conhgurations may be useful when attempting to fold the eyeglasses to lit into certain spaces.

[0021] As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arms 140 have a first axis of rotation 142 that is generally perpendicular to the arms 140 and a second axis of rotation 152 that is orthogonal to the hrst axis of rotation 142 and allows the arms 140 to be rotated

downwards relative to the frame 110.

[0022] With reference to all of the hgures, although some hgures show certain components more clearly than others, the traditional eyeglasses 100 parts are readily recognizable. The eyeglass frames 110 hold lenses 120 separated by a bridge 130 with a nosepiece 135. The eyeglass frames 110 may come in many styles and the one shown is merely for illustrative purposes and is in no way limiting to the extension of the application to other frame styles.

[0023] Arms or temples 140 attach the eyeglass frames 110 at end pieces 150. The arms 140 may have tips 145 that wrap around and behind a wearer’s ear.

[0024] The multiuse eyeglasses 100 may include a hinge element 160 that joins the frame 110 to the arms 140 and may be best appreciated in the exploded views of FIGS. 10 and 11. The hinge element 160 may include a frame engagement portion 162 that engages the frame 110 and an arm engagement portion 164 that engages the arms 140. The hinge element 160 engages the frame 110 through a hinge receiving slot 151 that receives the frame engagement portion 162, and it engages the arms 140 through a hinge receiving channel 141 that receives the arm engagement portion 164.

[0025] The frame 110 may further include a frame pivot screw receiving hole 153 that receives a frame pivot screw 154 that defines the second axis of rotation 152 (and allows the glasses to move between the traditional and lorgnette positions). The frame pivot screw 154 may be threaded at its terminal end to engage the threading on the frame 1 10 or as shown, it may engage an internally threaded nut l54a.

[0026] The arms 140 may include arm pivot screw receiving holes 143 that receive arm pivot screws 144 that define the first axis of rotation 142. The arm pivot screws 144 may engage a nut or the arm pivot screw receiving holes 143 may have internal threading 159 at an end thereof to engage the screws 144.

[0027] These holes 153, 143 are best seen in the exploded views and may include a shelf 165 or 196 that engages biasing pins to be discussed hereafter.

[0028] Tracing the path of engagement of the frame pivot screw 154, the frame pivot screw 154 passes through a first portion of the frame pivot screw receiving hole 153, through a hinge element frame pivot screw receiving hole 163 and into a second portion of the frame pivot screw receiving hole 153 or the internally threaded nut l54a.

[0029] Similarly tracing the path of the arm pivot screw 144, the arm pivot screw 144 passes through a first portion of the arm pivot screw receiving hole 143, through a hinge element arm pivot screw receiving hole 165 and into a second portion of the arm pivot screw receiving hole 143 another internally threaded nut.

[0030] To assist in movement between distinct, i.e., not fluid movement, multiple predetermined arm positions 199 shown in phantom in FIG. 5, the hinge element frame engagement portion 162 may include teeth l62a and the frame 110 may have a frame biasing spring receiving hole 181 that receives a frame biasing spring 191 that biases a tooth engaging pin 192 with a biasing channel 193. The frame biasing spring 191 biases the biasing channel 193 against the hinge element’s 160 teeth l62a such that the teeth l62a engage within the biasing channel 193 to hold the arms in one of the multiple positions 199 about the second axis of rotation 152 and provide an audible“click” so the user knows how many clicks from the terminal traditional or lorgnette configuration they moved the arms 140 relative to the frame 110. Both hinge elements 160 for each of the arms 140 would have the same number of teeth and teeth spacing, which would ensure that the arms 140 on each side of the frame 110 would be at the same angle so the glasses wear evenly.

[0031] At this point, one feature of the glasses 100 may be appreciated. Looking at FIG. 5, the glasses 100 may be worn in a hybrid configuration 500. This may occur when a wearer wants to look over the glasses 100 and/or down below at something they are reading. Further, it is possible to adjust the frame 110 relative to the arms 140 while the wearer is wearing the glasses, that is, it is not necessary to remove the glasses 100 to adjust the angle of the lenses 120 to the wearer’s eyes.

[0032] Returning to the details of the eyeglasses 100, the tooth engaging pin 192 may have a slightly larger head than its corresponding pin body, and this head pushes against the frame biasing spring 191 and also is stopped by a frame shelf 194 within the frame 110.

[0033] For traditional arm and frame engagement feel, the hinge element arm engagement portion 164 may include a cam l64a. and the arms may have arm biasing spring receiving holes 185 that receive arm biasing springs 186 that bias a cam engaging pin 187 against the cam 164a such that the arms 140 have a cam-biased movement between a folded configuration 200 and an extended configuration 300 as the arms rotate about the first axis of rotation 142. Movement of the arms 140 in this way would be familiar to most eyeglass wearers.

[0034] The figures show a single style of eyeglasses, but it should be clear that metal frames, frames with different shapes, and other material choices would be possible.

Further, this design may have particular advantages in sunglasses, where the user may want to lower the frames in the hybrid configuration while wearing them in order to read their phone or see something in a darker space.

[0035] While the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments above, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various changes or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.