CONNECTOR FOR ATTACHING A BOW TO A LENS Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of eyeglasses and is more specifically concerned with a connector for attaching a bow to a lens.

Background Art

It is typically desired in rimless eyeglasses that a connector that attaches a bow to a lens be as visually unobtrusive as possible. Indeed, an objective of having rimless eyeglasses is to have eyeglasses in which it appears the the lens is connected to the face of a user through as little material as possible. However, in currently existing methods and devices for attaching bows to lenses, there is typically a connector that either protrudes on the front surface or on the back surface of the lens and which is secured to the lens either through a friction fit system, such as a rivet, or through a screw.

Even if the connector is transparent, the connector is typically relatively easy to see as it adds material to the back or front surface of the lens. Also, when a screw is used, the threads are also relatively easy to see as they introduce discontinuities into the lens that reflect and diffuse light. Not only is the connector visible to people who look at the user who wears the eyeglasses, but they are also intruding into the field of vision of the user who wears the eyeglasses.

Furthermore, the portion of the connector that protrudes onto the front or back surface of the lens makes that surface more difficult to clean as it makes relatively hard to access areas at the intersection of the connector and the lens.

Yet furthermore, since the connector is attached to a surface of the lens, there is typically a need to have connectors having different configurations as persons having different prescriptions have front and back surfaces that are curved with different radii of curvature. Then, to ensure

that the bows are located and oriented so as to be relatively comfortable for the user who wears the eyeglasses, there is a need to have connectors that have different shapes to conform to the curvature of the lenses. This, in turn, requires that a relatively large number of parts be stored for each lens and also requires that parts having different shapes be manufactured for each lens.

Against this background, there exists a need in the industry to provide novel rimless eyeglasses.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved connector for attaching a bow to a lens. Disclosure of the Invention

In a broad aspect, the invention provides a rimless eyeglass, characterized in that it comprises:

- a lens defining a front surface, a substantially opposed rear surface and a peripheral surface extending therebetween, said lens including a recess extending substantially inwardly into said lens from said peripheral surface, said recess further extending between said front surface and said back surface;

- a bow; and - a connector attached to said lens, said connector including a lens attachment portion mounted into said recess and a bow attachment portion attached to the bow.

Advantageously, the connector is inserted into the lens and, therefore, does not protrude onto the front surface of the lens or the rear surface of the lens. Also, the connector does not require the use of a screw to be secured to the lens, which reduces the visual impact that would be created if threads were formed into the lens to receive the screw.

Furthermore, by having a suitable orientation of the channel to the lens, it is possible to use a single type of connectors for attaching bows to lenses corresponding to different prescriptions.

Yet, furthermore, the connector is relatively easy to manufacture and relatively easy to install to a lens. Also, the channel formed into the lens is also relatively easy to manufacture in the workshop of an optician such that the channel might be formed into the lens after the lens has been cut to a suitable shape by the optician. Furthermore, the connector is designed to be attached to the lens such that it cannot rotate with respect to the lens.

In some embodiments of the invention, glue is used to secure the connector to the lens. Only a relatively small quantity of glue is required typically as the connector is movable with respect to the channel in a direction in which typically little forces are exerted onto eyeglasses. Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non- restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the appended drawings:

Figure 1, in a perspective view, illustrates eyeglasses including a connector for connecting a bow to a lens in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2, in a perspective view, illustrates the lens and connector of

Fig. 1 detached from each other;

Figure 3, in a perspective view, illustrates the lens with the connector of Figures 1 and 2 inserted;

Figure 4, in a perspective view, illustrates a connector for attaching a bow to a lens, the connector being attached to a lens, the connector and the lens being in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5, in a perspective view, illustrates the connector of Fig. 4 detached from the lens of Fig. 4; and Figure 6 is a sectional view, taken along a central plane with respect

to the lens of Figure 4, of the connector mounted on the lens of Figure 4. Ways of carrying out the Invention

Figure 1 illustrates eyeglasses 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The eyeglasses 10 include a bow 11 attached to a lens 14 through a connector 12. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the bow 11 is releasably attachable to the connector 12.

In the present document, directional terms such as front, rear, top and bottom are used to describe the eyeglasses 10. These terms suppose that the eyeglasses 10 are worn by an intended user standing up. However, this terminology is used only for clarity reasons and should not be used to restrict the scope of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the connector 12 includes a lens attachment portion 16 and a bow attachment portion 18 extending from the lens attachment portion 16. The lens attachment portion 16 engages the lens 14 so as to secure the connector 12 to the lens 14. Similarly, the bow attachment portion 18 releasably engages the bow 1 1 so as to attach the bow 11 to the connector 12.

In some embodiments of the invention, the bow 11 and the bow attachment portion 18 are similar to the bow 11 and bow attachment portion 18 disclosed in USSN 10/944,220 filed on September 20, 2004, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirely. However, the person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that a connector similar to the connector 12 is usable with any other suitable detachable bows. Also, it is within the scope of the invention to use a connector 12 to which a bow is permanently attached. In this case, the bow 11 is not releasably attachable to the lens 14.

The lens 14 includes a lens front surface 20, a lens rear surface 22 substantially opposed to the lens front surface 20 and a lens peripheral surface 24 extending therebetween. A connector receiving channel 26 extends substantially inwardly into the lens 14 from the lens peripheral

surface 24. Furthermore, the connector receiving channel 26 extends between the lens front surface 20 and the lens rear surface 22. The channel 26 defines a channel peripheral wall 28. The channel peripheral wall 28 is substantially U-shaped. Therefore, the channel 26 includes a channel rectilinear portion 30 and a channel hemicylindrical portion 32. The channel rectilinear portion 30 extends inwardly from the lens peripheral surface 24 while the channel hemicylindrical portion 32 extends inwardly into the lens from the channel rectilinear portion 30.

In some embodiments of the invention, a channel peripheral groove 34 is formed into the channel peripheral wall 28. The channel peripheral groove 34 extends longitudinally along the entire length of the channel peripheral wall 28.

The lens attachment portion 16 is configured so as to be slidable into the channel 26. To this effect, the lens attachment portion 16 is substantially elongated and includes substantially opposed and substantially flat attachment portion surfaces 36 and 38 and a substantially hemicylindrical attachment portion end surface 40 extending therebetween. Therefore, the attachment portion surfaces 36 and 38 and the attachment portion end surface 40 form a substantially U-shaped surface. In some embodiments of the invention, a ridge 42 extends substantially outwardly from the attachment portion end surface 40. The ridge 42 extends longitudinally and is dimensioned so as to engage the groove 34.

In use, the lens 14 is cut to a desired shape in a conventional manner. Then, the connector receiving channel 26 is formed using, for example, a drill bit. The person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the connector receiving channel 26 is shaped so as to be relatively easy to form into the lens 14. Furthermore, using a disc rotating about a rotation axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the channel 26 allows to form the groove 34 relatively easily. Then, the connector 12 is inserted into the connector receiving channel 26 so as to secure the connector 12 to the lens

14.

In some embodiments of the invention, the connector 12 is fixed to the lens 14 through a friction fit. In other embodiments of the invention, a film of glue is applied onto the connector 12 or into the channel 26 prior to inserting the connector 12 into the channel 26.

For example, the glue is applied so that only the ridge 42 and the groove 26 are glued together. Then, in normal use, there is relatively little risk that the connector 12 can be detached from the lens 14 as there are typically only relatively small forces exerted onto the connector 12 in a direction parallel to the groove 34. However, in the event that one needs to remove the connector 12 from the channel 26, the use of a relatively small amount of glue ensures that the connector 12 may be removed from the channel 26 relatively easily.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein an alternative connector 12' is inserted into an alternative channel 26' of an alternative lens 14' of alternative eyeglasses 10', only part of which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring to Fig. 5, the connector 12' is similar to the connector 12 except that it includes an alternative lens attachment portion 16'. The lens attachment portion 16' includes a proximal section 46 proximal to the connector attachment portion 18' and a distal section 48 extending from the proximal section 46. The proximal section 46 is similar to a corresponding proximal section of the connector 16. The distal section 48 includes substantially concave and substantially opposed top and bottom surfaces 50 and 52 and a substantially convex end surface 54 extending therebetween at the distal end of the connector 12'. Furthermore, the distal section 48 defines a fastener receiving recess 56 positionable substantially adjacent the lens front surface 22 for receiving a substantially disc-shaped portion of a fastener, described in further details hereinbelow. The channel 26' is similar to the channel 26 except that the channel

26' is substantially keyhole-shaped. To this effect, a distal portion 58 of the channel 26' distal from the lens peripheral surface 24 is substantially cylindrical. The diameter of the distal portion 58' is substantially larger than a gap formed at the entrance of the channel 26' substantially adjacent the lens peripheral surface 24.

A fastener 60 is usable to secure the connector 12' into the channel 26'. The fastener 60 includes a disc 62 from which a wall 64 extends. The wall 64 extends substantially perpendicularly and outwardly from the disc 62. The wall 64 describes an arc segment of a cylinder having a diameter substantially similar to the diameter of the distal portion 58'.

In use, the connector 12' is inserted into the channel 26' similarly to the manner in which the connector 12 is inserted in the channel 26. Then, the fastener 60 is inserted into the distal portion 58 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lens front surface 22 so as to prevent the connector 12' from sliding out from the channel 26'. The disc 62 is received into the disc receiving recess 56 and the wall 64 is received substantially in register with the top, bottom and end surfaces 50,52 and 54.

In some embodiments of the invention, the fastener 60 snaps to the distal portion 48 so as to be relatively difficult to detach from the lens 14'. In other embodiments of the invention, a relatively small amount of glue is used to secure the fastener 60 either to the connector 12' or to the lens 14'.

The channel 26' and the connector 12' may include respectively a groove 34' and a ridge 42' similar to the groove and ridge of the channel 26' and connector 12'. The groove and ridge of the channel 26' and connector 12' extend only over a respective rectilinear portion of the channel 26' and connector 12'.

Typically the connectors 12 and 12' are made of a substantially transparent material so as to be relatively hard to distinguish from adjacent portions of the lens 12. Also, in some embodiments of the invention, a similar connector is

usable to interconnect two lenses. This connector includes two substantially opposed lens attachment sections and a nosepad for abutting the nose of the intended user extending therebetween.

Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of preferred embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the scope of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.

The disclosures in US Provisional Application No. 60/780,875 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.