A mounting for wraparound single-lens spectacles Technical field

The present invention relates to a wraparound single-lens mounting for spectacles according to the preamble of the principal claim. Technological background

The invention is particularly concerned with the specific field of protective spectacles such as those designed for protection from sunlight, commonly known as "shield sunglasses", which are provided with lenses having a marked degree of front and side wraparound. More specifically, these spectacles are distinguished by the fact that they have a single-lens structure with a large degree of wraparound, extending from the main visual field to beyond the opposing and corresponding lateral fields. Spectacles of this type, generally designed and intended for sports activities, have taken on a considerable stylistic significance at the present time, as a result of which they are also in widespread use among the public as fashion accessories with a marked aesthetic effect.

In this field there are known shield-type spectacles in which the wraparound single-lens structure is designed to be pivoted on the lateral support arms, which are preferably made as separate components from the lens. These mountings also include pad elements for resting on the nose, these elements typically being positioned in the central area connecting the principal visual fields. In a known solution, the pads are mounted on a support fixed to the lens by screws or threaded pins passing through the thickness of the lens. However, this solution requires the piercing of the lens structure, and also makes the fastenings (such as screw heads) of the pads visible from the outer

front side of the mounting.

In another known solution, described in JP 10282456, the support of the nose pads comprises an elastic structure with opposing ends which can engage in corresponding recesses formed on the edge of the lens in the nose rest area. However, the structure for fastening the pads is visible in this case also, although to a lesser degree, from the outer side of the mounting, and thus affects the profile of the lens structure and introduces discontinuities which are generally undesirable in these shield-type spectacles. Description of the invention The principal object of the invention is that of producing wraparound single-lens spectacles which overcome the drawbacks mentioned above in relation to the cited prior art, and which also provide an appropriate simplification of the production process and greater ease of assembly of the components used. This and other objects, which will be made clear below, are achieved by the invention by means of a mounting for spectacles made in accordance with the appended claims. Brief description of the drawings

The features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of some preferred examples of embodiment thereof, illustrated, for the purposes of guidance and in a non-limiting way, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of spectacles made according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the spectacles of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a plan view of the spectacles of the preceding figures;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of the spectacles of the preceding figures;

Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the spectacles of Figure 1;

- Figure 6 is a view in partial section and on an enlarged scale of a detail of the lens structure of the spectacles according to the invention;

- Figure 7 is a partial view on an enlarged scale of the detail of Figure 6, taken in the direction of the arrow A;

- Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of a variant embodiment of a detail of the spectacles of the preceding figures; - Figures 9, 10 and 11 are a plan view, a front elevation and a side elevation, respectively, of a detail of the variant of Figure 8. Preferred embodiments of the invention

With reference to the aforesaid drawings, the number 1 indicates the whole of a mounting for spectacles made according to the present invention. The spectacles 1 are of what is commonly known as the "shield" type; in other words, they comprise a single front lens structure 2 with a marked degree of wraparound, incorporating the principal visual fields which are indicated by 2a and 2b respectively. Each of said principal visual fields 2a, 2b extends laterally into a corresponding lateral field 3a, 3b extending over the temporal region of the head (when the spectacles are worn), and developed laterally towards the corresponding spectacle support arm 4a, 4b in the auricular regions of the head.

Because of the single-lens structure, the mounting does not have any lens support frame as such. The number 6 indicates a lens edge cover strip, which runs along the upper profile of the lens 2 to the opposing lateral areas in which

the arms 4a, 4b are hinged. Corresponding hinge devices, indicated as a whole by 7, are provided in these areas, each being fixed on one side to the lens itself and on the other side to the corresponding arm, to enable the arm to pivot about a hinge axis X. A nose rest area 8 is formed centrally in the mounting between the principal visual fields 2a, 2b, by forming a lens profile 2 with a marked curvature, in which nose rest means 9 are provided, together with corresponding means 10 for fixing to the lens structure 2. The nose rest means 9 can comprise a pair of pads, both indicated by 11 in Figures 3 and 5, or can comprise a single nose piece element 12, for surrounding the nose so that the mounting contacts and rests on it, as shown in Figure 8, in a variant embodiment of the invention described more fully below. The means 10 for fixing the nose pads 11 to the lens comprise, according to a principal feature of the invention, a groove 13 running along an edge portion of the lens in the nose rest area 9, which can house and retain part of a wire-like support 14 designed to hold the pads 11.

More specifically, the groove 13 extends into the thickness of the lens, along the curved perimetric profile of the nose rest area 9, being contained between the opposing lens surfaces, indicated by 2c and 2d, opening on the edge of the lens, and being formed preferably with a semi-circular cross section. The groove 13 houses a corresponding portion 14a of the wire-like support 14, preferably made from metal wire, for example steel, the cross section of which is chosen to be such that the wire-like support 14 is housed and retained in the groove, by a connection of the elastic restraint type, but without projecting

beyond the perimetric edge of the lens 2. In other words, the wire-like support portion 14 connected to the groove is contained inside the perimetric profile of the lens edge, and is therefore invisible from the outer front side of the mounting. At each of the opposing longitudinal ends of the groove 13, both of which are indicated by 13a, the groove is prolonged into a corresponding recess 15, which extends in the thickness of the lens in a transverse direction with respect to the surfaces 2c, 2d of the lens 2, as is clearly shown in Figures 6 and 7. Each recess 15 also opens on the inner surface 2d of the lens, this surface being directed towards the face when the spectacles are worn, while said recess extends to a predetermined distance from the opposing outer lens surface 2c. The size of each recess 15 is such that it can house a corresponding portion 14b of the wire-like support, which is set at an angle to the portion 14a, preferably by bending the wire from which the support is made. Said portions 14b thus form stop elements for retaining the portion 14a of the support 14 in the groove 13.

The portions 14b of the support extend to form wire-like portions 14c which are suitably shaped to provide a formation for the attachment of the corresponding pad 11, with a limited freedom of relative orientation, as shown in Figure 4. It should be noted that the portions 14a, 14b and 14c jointly form the wire-like support 14, which can thus be made in one piece by suitable bending of the aforesaid portions with respect to each other.

Additionally, the wire-like support 14, and particularly its portion 14a, is elastically flexible, and the latter portion has a curved profile such that it can be contracted elastically before insertion into the groove, to provide an elastic

return action when it is in a position of connection in the groove, in which the portions 14b continue to be held in the corresponding recesses 15, thus retaining the support on the lens structure 2.

A variant embodiment of the invention, shown in Figures 8 to 10, in which details similar to those of the preceding example are identified by the same reference numerals, differs principally in that, as an alternative to the pads 11, the nose rest element which is provided is a nose piece 12, made in one piece of curved shape, for surrounding the nose on which it rests by contact. Conveniently, the nose piece 12 is made from an appropriate soft material, to provide a suitable degree of comfort in the nose rest, and is fixed, by a screw means, to a fastening formation 17 which is fixed to a wire-like portion 18 of the support 14 extending so as to link the portions 14b. Thus the invention achieves the proposed objects while yielding numerous advantages by comparison with the known solutions. A principal advantage is that it is possible to produce shield-type spectacles with a lens having a high degree of wraparound, in which the support of the nose rest does not encroach on the visual fields of the lens, and is also contained within the perimetric profile of the lens without projecting therefrom, and therefore without creating discontinuities in the profile of the lens, to provide a better outcome in terms of function (visibility) and appearance (harmony and continuity of the lens profile).

Another advantage lies in the reduction of the number of parts used in assembly, particularly since fixing means of the screw type are not required between the lens and the nose rest element, thus reducing the number of components used in the manufacturing process.