REALIZING A SELECTIVE MIRRORING LENS

The present invention refers to a lens for selective mirroring glasses .

More specifically, the invention refers to a lens for glasses envisaging selective mirroring on both sides, said selective mirroring being capable of providing a three-dimensional or perspective effect on the lens itself.

Selective mirroring means a mirroring limited to a precise area or zone of the surface of the lens.

The invention also refers to a method for realizing a selective mirroring lens.

Hereinafter, lens will mean any type of lens, both vision corrective or not, and of any shape, included a mask shape, and made of glass and/or plastic.

Lenses for selective mirroring glasses are already available on the market. However, known lenses envisage mirroring only on one side of the lens, mainly the external side, thereby the image obtained by the selective mirroring on the lens is two-dimensional .

The need to have lenses for glasses with increasing attraction, and thus also with mirroring with three- dimensional or perspective image effect, is available on the market .

Currently, lenses having this type of effect do not exist, since a technology capable of obtaining this type of result has not been developed yet .

In view of this need, the Applicant has studied and carried out a product being able to solve the market need, obtaining a lens with selective mirroring on both sides, and with a three-dimensional or perspective effect of the figure emerging from the selective mirroring.

The Applicant has also found and carried out a method capable of realizing a lens with selective mirroring and with three- dimensional or perspective effect.

These and other results are obtained according to the invention by a lens with selective mirroring according to the independent claim 1.

Other features of the lens with selective mirroring are specified in the dependent claims 2 - 7.

In the independent claim 8 a method for realizing said lens with selective mirroring is described.

The present invention will be now described for illustrative, but not limiting, purposes according to preferred embodiments thereof, with particular reference to the figures of the attached drawings, wherein: figures la - Id show some lenses with selective mirroring on both sides according to the invention observed in transmission ; figure 2 shows a variant of a lens with selective mirroring on the convex side according to the invention observed in reflection; and figure 3 shows a variant of a lens with selective mirroring on the concave side observed in reflection.

Turning now to observe the figures in the attached drawings, it is observed, in particular from figure 1, that each lens for glasses, generally referred to as numerical reference 10, envisages a convex side 20 and a concave side 30.

After the selective mirroring treatment according to the present invention, a three-dimensional or perspective image, generally referred to as numerical reference 40 is observed on each lens 10 (in particular, see figure 1) . The perspective image is appreciable only if the lens is observed in transmission .

Hereinafter, still referring to the drawings of the attached figures, a method for realizing a lens 10 with selective mirroring on both sides is described.

As will be apparent below, the solution according to the invention envisages the application of the selective mirroring on both faces of the lens 10 for glasses.

As already said, the lens 10 can have any shape, be made of glass and/or plastic material, and also be of the visioncorrective type, as long as the perspective effect is outside the optical centre.

In the preferred embodiment, the method according to the invention envisages the following steps:

1. preparation of the lens 10,

2. application of the pad printing on the convex side 20 of the lens,

3. drying of the paint applied in step 2,

4. application of the pad printing on the concave side 30 of the lens,

5. drying of the paint applied in step 4,

6. carrying out a physical vapour deposition or PVD treatment on the concave side 30 of the lens 10,

7. carrying out a physical vapour deposition or PVD treatment on the convex side 20 of the lens 10,

8. obtaining the final lens 10 subjected to the previous steps for the removal of the pad printing paint.

In particular, it should be observed that the two concave side 30 (step 6) and convex side 20 (step 7) treatments are different from each other, and thus they cannot be carried out in reverse, since in this manner, according to the invention, the above-mentioned desired three-dimensional or perspective effect on the lens 10 is obtained. In more detail, the PVD treatment on the concave side 30 consists in the application of a series of layers or multilayers composed of:

- an absorbent layer (constituted by also precious metals such as Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, Titanium or Chrome) .

- an anti-reflective multilayer (constituted by way of example by titanium oxides, zirconium oxide and silicon oxides ) .

The reflectance of the internal treatment does not exceed 5% (so as not to induce disturbing reflections towards the eyes of the wearer of the lens 10) .

Referring to the treatment according to step 7 on the convex side 20, it concerns the application of a dichroic mirror, of various colours (known in the art as mirroring) .

Indeed, the order of carrying out the steps (1. 2. ) and (3. 4. ) can be reversed, without affecting the final product.

Any removable solvent-based pad printing ink can be applied for pad printing.

A number of other treatments can be also applied to the lens 10, by way of example but not limited to, anti-reflection, mirroring, anti-fog, or anti-mist, hydrophobic and/or oleophobic or anti-stain, anti-scratch, anti-static treatments, and other treatments known in the state of the art. Said treatments can be applied on the convex side 20 and/or on the concave side 30 of the lens 1.

The present invention has been described, for illustrative but not limiting purposes, according to preferred embodiments thereof, being intended that a person skilled in the art can make changes thereto, without departing from the scope of protection as defined in the attached claims.