WO1998048905A1

WO1998048905A1 - Swim goggles with soft frames

Info

Publication number: WO1998048905A1
Application number: PCT/CA1998/000410
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph Haslbeck
Original assignee: Sharp Plastics Manufacturing Ltd.
Priority date: 1997-04-29
Filing date: 1998-04-28
Publication date: 1998-11-05
Also published as: AU7025098A

Abstract

Eye goggles comprise a pair of eyepiece lenses (20, 23) with a nosepiece (15) connected directly to inner portions (76) of the lenses to provide a secure connection therewith. A relatively soft eyepiece frame (22) extends around each eyepiece lens (20, 23) and has a lens engaging portion to provide a seal with the lens and a face engaging portion to engage a wearer's face. A headband (17) co-operates with the eyepiece frames (22) to secure the goggles to the wearer's head. Projections (38, 39) extend from opposite outer portions of a bridge portion of the nosepiece (15), and are received in complementary recesses of the eyepiece lens to provide an essentially non-yielding joint between each eyepiece lens and the nosepiece, thus relieving the eyepiece frames from tension from the nosepiece.

Description

SWIM GOGGLES WITH SOFT FRAMES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to swim goggles, in particular swim goggles that can be manufactured for a relatively low cost and can provide a good seal with, and fit comfortably on, a wide variety of faces .

Prior art swimming goggles can be classified into two broad classes based on flexibility of a nosepiece which interconnects two eyepieces of the goggles . One common early type of nosepiece is a relatively thin and flexible strap which is received within complementary openings provided in peripheral rims surrounding the eyepieces. The strap has opposite outer ends provided with "barb-like" stepped projections which engage edges of the openings in the eyepieces to locate the nosepiece with respect to the eyepieces. The stepped projections permit incremental adjustment of spacing between the eyepieces so as to accommodate persons having eyes at different spacings. The flexibility of the nosepiece permits independent variations between the orientation of each eyepiece with respect to the nosepiece, thus accommodating different shapes of faces. However, excessive flexibility in the nosepiece can be a disadvantage in that relatively high tension in the headband is required to locate and seal the goggles securely on the face, which tension can become uncomfortable. To avoid inadvertent shifting of the goggles when diving, even greater tension in the headband is required.

In order to avoid problems relating to excessive flexibility of the nosepiece, some goggles are manufactured with an integral nosepiece interconnecting the eyepieces, that is the eyepieces and nosepiece are fabricated, usually by injection moulding, in one piece from the same material. The nosepiece is relatively broad and provides a relatively rigid connection between the eyepieces, which permits reduction of head—strap tension while maintaining sealing of the eyepieces when held against the wearer's face. However, manufacturing the eyepieces and nosepiece of one type of material requires a compromise in the material characteristics. Material for use as eyepiece lenses is best selected for optical qualities and hardness to resist scratching, whereas the nosepiece material should be selected for toughness and slight flexibility. Most plastic materials do not exhibit the best of these two properties and a compromise is reached in which the lens has relatively poor optical quality and the nosepiece has poor toughness. This often results in relatively brittle goggles which can break easily and are too stiff to adapt to a wide variety of different shapes of faces. If the material is sufficiently flexible to permit accommodation for different face shapes, the lenses tend to be excessively soft and prone to scratching, with a corresponding reduction in optical quality.

Many prior art goggles have an eyepiece unit which comprises a relatively rigid eyepiece frame surrounding the eyepiece lens, and a relatively soft resilient gasket surrounding an edge of the eyepiece frame to engage the wearer's face to increase comfort and to provide sealing against water seepage between the goggles and the face . Thus, each eyepiece unit comprises three separate materials, namely a scratch—resistant transparent eyepiece lens, a relatively stiff eyepiece frame and a resilient gasket or padding. Goggles of this general type are disclosed in the present applicant's International Patent Application PCT/CA93/00157 which was published on 28 October, 1993 under International Publication Number WO 93/20786. This patent also discloses a stiff nosepiece which has two projections and is manufactured separately from the eyepieces, and the goggles are assembled by inserting each projection of the nosepiece into a complementary recess in each eyepiece frame. This provides the advantage that the nosepiece can be made of a suitably tough and stiff material which locates the eyepieces relatively rigidly with respect to each other, and yet permits adjustment of spacing between the eyepieces by bending the nosepiece to accommodate different eye spacing. These goggles are relatively costly to manufacture as several different components made of different materials are required.

In order to avoid the use of three different materials for each eyepiece unit, some prior art eyepiece units have a relatively soft eyepiece frame extending around the eyepiece lens, thus eliminating the need for a separate resilient gasket or padding. This type of goggles is referred to as a "soft frame" goggle and one example was published on 10 November 1994 in Australian Petty Patent 654648, Inventor Herman Chiang. In these particular goggles, the eyepiece frame are also injection moulded integrally with the nosepiece, thus providing a one—piece goggle frame having a flexible nosepiece integral with the flexible eyepiece frames. The eyepiece lenses are retained within the eyepiece frames around edge portions of the lenses by injecting the plastic of the frames through a series of openings adjacent the periphery of the lenses. The openings receive the plastic material from the frames which form complementary plugs thereof to retain the eyepiece lenses within the frame. However, when the frame is subjected to relatively high tension from the headband, the eyepiece frame stretches with respect to the eyepiece lens, resulting in relative displacement adjacent the plugs and the lens, which can result in water seepage between the lens and the respective eyepiece frame. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention reduces the difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art by providing eye goggles made of different materials in which compromises on strength and optical quality are not necessary. In addition, the goggles are manufactured by injection moulding in which a first component of the goggles, i.e. the eyepiece lens, is injection moulded first, followed by injection moulding a second component of the goggles, i.e. eyepiece frame, to cooperate with the first component to provide a water tight bond therewith, thus eliminating chances of leakage between the eyepiece frame and the eyepiece lens. The eyepiece lens is made from a tough, scratch—resistant transparent material and the eyepiece frame is made from a relatively soft, rubber—like material which extends around the eyepiece lens to provide comfort for the wearer and a sealed fit. A separate relatively tough nosepiece is connected directly to inner portions of the lenses to restrict movement between the lenses, so as to stabilize the eyepieces on the face, thus permitting use of relatively low tension in the headband. In addition, by connecting the eyepieces directly together with the nosepiece, tension in the material of the eyepiece frames is reduced considerably so as to essentially eliminate stretch of the rubber—like material, thus reducing any chances of leakage between the eyepiece lens and the eyepiece frame. In addition, because the nosepiece is relatively tough it can be manually deformed to accommodate faces of different shapes, as well as permitting adjustment of spacing between the eyepieces.

The eye goggles according to the invention comprise a pair of eyepiece lenses, a nosepiece, a pair of eyepiece frames and a headband. Each eyepiece lens has a respective inner and outer portion. The nosepiece is connected directly to and extends between the inner portions of the lenses to connect the lenses directly together. Each eyepiece frame extends peripherally around a respective eyepiece lens and has a lens engaging portion to provide a seal with the lens, and a face engaging portion to engage a wearer's face. The headband secures the goggles to the wearer's head.

Preferably, the nosepiece has a bridge portion and a pair of projections, the projections extending from opposite outer portions of the bridge portion. The inner portion of each eyepiece lens has a recess to receive a respective projection of the nosepiece to provide an essentially non- yielding joint between each eyepiece lens and the nosepiece. Preferably, a latch means is provided for retaining the projections within the respective recess and each recess is disposed generally perpendicularly to an adjacent outer surface of the eyepiece lens.

To attain a non—yielding joint, each outer portion of the bridge portion has a size greater than the respective projection to provide a nosepiece shoulder extending between each outer portion of the bridge portion and an adjacent proximal portion of the respective projection. Also, the recess of the lens has a rim extending therearound, the rim having an engaging portion which engages the nosepiece shoulder to resist movement between the nosepiece and the eyepiece lens.

A detailed disclosure following, related to drawings, describes a preferred embodiment of the invention which is capable of expression in structure other than that particularly described and illustrated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pair of goggles according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the goggles as seen from line

2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a simplified fragmented longitudinal section generally on line 3—3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a nosepiece by itself, generally as would be seen from line 4—4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an elevation of the nosepiece as seen from line 5—5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a simplified fragmented oblique section of a nosepiece connection as would be seen from line

6—6 of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a simplified transverse cross—section of an eyepiece unit as would be seen generally on line 7-7 of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is a simplified side elevation of a headband connector member cooperating with a headband shown in broken outline,

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section on line 9—9 of Figure 8, also showing the headband in broken outline,

Figure 10 is a simplified fragmented longitudinal section generally similar to Figure 3, and showing an alternative integral cushioned nosepiece, and Figure 11 is a simplified fragmented section on line 11-11 of Figure 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figures 1 and 2

A pair of swim goggles 10 according to the invention has right and left eyepiece units 12 and 13 having inner portions interconnected by a nosepiece 15. The goggles further include a headband 17 extending between the eyepiece units 12 and 13 to pass around the wearer's head to secure the goggles to the wearer. Following

conventional practice, the eyepiece units 12 and 13 are mirror images of each other, and thus only one eyepiece is described in detail. The nosepiece 15 is a symmetrical mirror image about a mid—portion 18 thereof, and has opposite end portions similarly connected to the eyepieces 12 and 13 to hold the eyepieces at a correct spacing to accommodate eyes of the wearer.

The right eyepiece unit 12 has an eyepiece lens 20 and an eyepiece frame 22 extending peripherally around the eyepiece lens. Similarly, the eyepiece unit 13 has an eyepiece lens 23 surrounded by an eyepiece frame 25. The frames 22 and 25 have respective outer portions 26 and 27 with recesses 28 and 29 respectively which receive retainer members 30 and 31 respectively which cooperate with opposite ends of the headband 17. Thus each end of the headband cooperates with the respective eyepiece frame to secure the goggles to the wearer's head as will be described with reference to Figures 3, 8 and 9. Figures 3 through 7

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the nosepiece 15 has a bridge portion 37 and a pair of projections, namely right and left projections 38 and 39 respectively. The projections 38 and 39 extend in generally similar directions from oppositely located right and left outer portions 42 and 43 respectively of the bridge portion. The nosepiece is connected to the eyepiece lenses 20 and 23 in a manner which superficially resembles connections between the nosepiece and eyepiece frames or rims as shown in the said International Patent Publication No. WO 93/20786. In the said publication, the nosepiece has projections which are received in complementary recesses provided within the eyepiece frames to provide a sturdy connection between the nosepiece and the eyepiece frames. In contrast, as will be described, in the present invention the nosepiece is connected in a generally similar manner directly to the eyepiece lenses, thus avoiding an intermediate connection with an eyepiece frame as shown in the publication.

The right projection 38 has inwardly and outwardly facing first and second broad projection faces 45 and 46 respectively, space between the faces adjacent a proximal end portion 47 of the projection defining width 48 of the proximal end portion. The outer portion 42 of the bridge portion 37 has a width 49 which is greater than the width 48 of a proximal end portion 47 to provide a first or inner nosepiece shoulder 50 between the outer portion of the bridge portion and the proximal end portion 47 to cooperate with the eyepiece unit 13 as will be described.

As seen in Figures 5 and 6, the projection 38 is rectangular sectioned and has upper and lower narrow projection faces 51 and 52 respectively, space between the narrow faces defining depth 54 of the proximal end portion 47 of the projection. The adjacent outer portion 42 of the bridge portion has a depth 55 which is greater than the depth 54 of the projection to provide second and third, or upper and lower, nosepiece shoulders 58 and 59 respectively extending between the outer portion 42 of the bridge portion and adjacent proximal portion end 47 of the projection. It can be seen in Figure 5 that the outer portion 42 of the bridge portion 37 has an irregular, generally trapezoidal shape such that the three shoulders 50, 58, and 59 do not have clearly defined boundaries, but are located generally on three sides of the projection. The width 49 and the depth 55 of the outer portion 42 are necessarily approximate and are shown to be taken within planes generally parallel to the appropriate adjacent narrow projection face 51 and broad projection face 46 respectively. It can be seen that the nosepiece shoulder adjacent the proximal end extends on at least two sides of the projection to provide at least two spaced apart nosepiece shoulders to reduce chances of "rocking". However, preferably there are three nosepiece shoulders adjacent to the proximal end portion of the projection, which extend on three sides of the said projection. Preferably, for manufacturing simplicity the nosepiece shoulders 50, 58 and 59 are co—planar with each other and the projection 38 extends generally perpendicularly from a plane containing the three nosepiece shoulders 50, 58 and 59. In summary, each outer portion of the bridge portion has a size greater than the respective projection to provide at least one nosepiece shoulder extending between each outer portion of the bridge portion and an adjacent proximal portion of the respective projection.

Similarly to generally equivalent projections in the said WO Publication, the faces 45 and 46, and 51 and 52 taper slightly from the proximal end portion 47 to a distal end portion 57 of the projection. The taper of the projection faces provide draft or draw angles for removing the nosepiece from the injection die, as well as facilitating assembly of the goggles as will be described.

As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the distal end portion 57 has a barb—like projection step 61 extending inwardly from the first broad face 45 which engages a complementary portion of the eyepiece lens as will be explained. The nosepiece shoulder 50 and the projection step 61 extend from the same side of the projection 38, namely the first broad face 45 of the projection, so as to be spaced axially apart from each other along the length of the projection.

As seen in Figures 4 and 5, outer corners 60 of the projection 38 adjacent the proximal end portion 47 are relatively sharp, whereas outer corners 63 adjacent the distal end portion 57 are rounded or radiused. This is to facilitate assembly of the nosepiece and eyepieces as will be explained. As seen in Figure 5, the distal end portion 57 also has a pair of spaced apart, semi—circular raised portions 62 which are concentric with the radiused corners 63 but are for tooling purposes only.

Referring to Figure 3, the right eyepiece lens 20 has outer and inner lens surfaces 65 and 66 which are bowed outwardly slightly from an undesignated plane to improve optical qualities over a flat lens. The lens has a peripheral rim 68 extending between the surfaces 65 and 66 with a raised rim portion 70 extending peripherally around the lens, the rim portion extending outwardly from the outer surface 65 and being spaced slightly inwardly from the peripheral rim 68. The eyepiece frame 22 has a lens engaging portion 73 which is integrally moulded around the rim 68 and raised rim portion 70 to provide a seal with the lens and augment retention of the lens to the eyepiece frame by "mechanical keying" due to integral moulding of the frame 22 around the lens. The materials of the lens and frame are selected so that, in addition to the mechanical keying, there is also a partial chemical bonding between the components due to the integral moulding which further augments sealing and retention of the frame to the lens. Each eyepiece frame also has a face engaging portion 75 which extends all around the periphery of the frame to engage a wearer's face, not shown. The face engaging portion has a feather edge to increase flexibility of the extreme edge portion so as to enhance sealing with the face, and to improve comfort for the wearer.

Referring to Figures 3 and 6, the right lens 20 has inner and outer portions 76 and 77 respectively, the inner portion having a boss 74 extending outwardly from the outer surface 65 to increase local thickness of material of the lens so as to provide a reinforced secure connection with the nosepiece as follows. An outer surface of the boss 74 has a recess 78 to receive the right projection 38 of the nosepiece, and thus has a cross—section generally complementary to the cross—section of the projection. The recess 78 is disposed generally perpendicularly to the adjacent outer surface 65 of the eyepiece lens, so that a common axis, not shown, of the recess 78 and projection 38 is disposed generally perpendicularly to a tangent of the lens adjacent the recess.

An open end of the recess 78 of the lens has a rim 80 extending therearound, and a first engaging portion 81 of the rim contacts the first nosepiece shoulder 50 of the nosepiece. As seen in Figure 6, the rim 80 also has undesignated second and third or upper and lower engaging portions which engage the second and third nosepiece shoulders 58 and 59 respectively, similarly to the shoulder 50. Also, similarly to the outer portion 42, the three engaging portions of the rim are similarly co—planar so as to engage the three shoulders of the nosepiece portion. The recess 78 is defined by a pair of oppositely facing broad recess walls, namely first and second broad recess walls 83 and 84 (Figure 3) , and oppositely facing first and second narrow recess walls 85 and 86 (Figure 6) respectively. The recess walls 83 through 86 taper inwardly at draft angles towards the lens for manufacturing purposes, the draft angles of the recess walls being generally similar to the draft angles of the projection faces so as to complement adjacent corresponding projection faces 45, 46, 51 and 52 respectively. Clearly, the additional thickness of material provided by the boss 74 permits the recess 78 to be deeper than would otherwise be possible, thus increasing stiffness of the connection.

The first broad recess wall 83 is shorter than the second broad recess wall 84 and has a recess shoulder 90 spaced from the rim 80 by a distance 92 which is essentially equal to spacing between the step 61 and the nosepiece shoulder 50 of the nosepiece. Thus, when the nosepiece shoulder 50 engages the rim 80, the step 61 engages the recess shoulder 90, which is generally complementary thereto thus providing a latch means 95. The latch means is for retaining the projection in the recess by drawing at least the nosepiece shoulder 50 against the engaging portion 81 of the rim 80 to resist disengaging movement between the projection and the recess. Thus a portion of the boss 74 is located and gripped between the step 61 and the shoulder 50 of the nosepiece. The undesignated second and third engaging portions of the rim are generally co—planar with the first engaging portion 81 and generally perpendicular to the axis of the recess, and thus are similarly spaced from the recess shoulder 90. Because the three nosepiece shoulders are co—planar with each other, when the step 61 engages the recess shoulder 90, the three nosepiece shoulders engage the corresponding and complementary three engaging portions of the rim to provide a secure, essentially non-yielding joint between the nosepiece and the eyepieces. An opening 94 is shown passing completely through the rim 68 of the eyepiece lens adjacent the nosepiece so as to define the recess shoulder 90, but this opening is for manufacturing convenience and it could be closed, provided the recess shoulder 90 is sufficiently large to receive the step 61. When the step 61 is engaged by the recess shoulder 90, it is essentially impossible for inadvertent separation between the projection and the recess, unless exceedingly high forces are generated, which forces would not occur in normal use. With care, it is possible to deliberately separate the projection from the recess, for substitution, repair, etc.

As best seen in Figure 5, the mid—portion 18 of the bridge portion 37 of the nosepiece has a smaller cross—sectional area than the outer portions 42 and 43 and thus provides more flexibility than the outer portions. Consequently, any bending of the nosepiece tends to occur adjacent the mid—portion 18 and remotely from the outer portions. The dimensions of the mid—portion are selected to permit bending of the nosepiece selectively to attain a desired spacing between the eyepieces to permit easy adjustment of the goggles to accommodate persons having different—sized faces .

In Figure 7, the eyepiece lens 20 is shown bowed outwardly from the undesignated plane interconnecting the peripheral rim 68 of the lens. Thus, Figures 3 and 7 show that the lens 20 is partially spherical, being curved in two mutually perpendicular planes, so as to enhance optical characteristics. It can be seen that the total periphery of the rim 68 and the raised rim portion 70 are secured within the lens engaging portion 73 of the eyepiece frame 22 so as to essentially eliminate chances of leakage or separation between the eyepiece frame and the eyepiece lens . Figures 3 , 7 , 8 and 9

As seen in Figure 3, the retainer member 30 is shown received within the recess 28 of the right eyepiece frame 22. Referring also to Figures 7, 8 and 9, the retainer member 30 has a forward portion 105 which has a convex outer surface 107 shaped to blend smoothly into the profile of the eyepiece frame 22 so as to improve appearance of the goggles. The forward portion 105 has a generally flat inner surface 109 which, with the oblique outer surface 107 defines a generally truncated triangular shape of the retainer member. The retainer member has a pair of generally parallel rear strut portions 111 and 112 which are connected together by a transverse portion 113. Space between the strut portions 111 and 112 is sufficient to receive the headband 17 which passes in a fold around the transverse portion 113 to essentially fully enclose the portion 113 of the retainer member.

Referring to Figure 3, the recess 28 has opposed rear sidewalls 115 and 116 which are spaced apart at a spacing less than thickness of the headband 17 when folded snugly around the transverse portion 113. Thus, when the retainer member is fitted in the recess as shown in Figure 3, difference in size between the folded headband and the recess generates a frictional grip on folded portions of the headband by the sidewalls of the recess so as to essentially prevent slippage between the headband and the retainer member. Tension in the headband draws the retainer member snugly into the recess to retain it securely in the recess when worn on the head of the wearer. When the goggles have been taken off, the friction between the headband and recess prevents inadvertent slippage. Material Considerations

The selection of materials for the present invention is important as the physical characteristics of each of the main components differ considerably. Clearly, the eyepiece lenses 20 and 23 are made of a relatively stiff and hard transparent plastic, with good scratch resistance and optical qualities. A suitable plastic is a polycarbonate material, e.g. as manufactured by the Bayer Corporation and sold under the name Makrolon 2407. This material has a Rockwell hardness on the M—scale of 75, a flexural modulus of 330000 p.s.i., and a tensile modulus of 350000 p.s.i. An alternative lens material is a cellulose propionate sold under the trade—mark "Tenite" as manufactured by Eastman. This material has a flexural strength of 6000 p.s.i. using ASTM method D- 790, and a tensile strength at yield of 4600 p.s.i. using ASTM method D-638.

The nosepiece 15 is made from a slightly resilient yet tough plastic to stabilize the connection between the nosepiece and the eyepiece lenses and a suitable plastic is a polyamide material. This can be a Nylon 66 which is sold under the trade—mark Zytel , and coded as ST801 NC010, as manufactured by DuPont Engineering Polymers. This material has a Rockwell hardness of 112 on the R—scale, a flexural modulus of 245000 p.s.i., tensile strength at yield of 7200 p.s.i., and elongation at yield of 5.5 per cent. An alternative nosepiece material is a polypropylene copolymer, coded as Pro—Fax Sr—549M and manufactured by Montel Polyolefins. This material has a Rockwell hardness of 77 on the R—scale, a flexural modulus of 150000 p.s.i., a tensile strength at yield of 4300 p.s.i., and elongation at yield of 13.1 per cent .

The eyepiece frames 22 and 25 are made of a relatively soft yielding plastic to enhance sealing against the wearer's face and to enhance comfort of the wearer and a suitable plastic is sold under the trade mark Kraton, a registered trade—mark of Shell Chemical Company. A composition termed Kraton D 3226 rubber has been found suitable and is soft and has low modulus, rubber—like qualities. This material has a Shore hardness on the A—scale of about 45, and a Yerzley resilience using ASTM method D-945 at a 20 per cent deflection of 84 per cent. An alternative composition for the soft eyepiece frames is Monprene, as manufactured by QST Inc. of Vermont, U.S.A. This product is coded MP 1714, and has a hardness of 50 A inst using ASTM method D—2240, a tensile modulus of 300 per cent at 450 p.s.i. using ASTM method D—412, and ultimate elongation of 800 per cent using ASTM method D-412.

OPERATION

The goggles are worn on the wearer's face in the normal manner, but if spacing between the eyepieces requires adjusting, each eyepiece unit is gripped in the respective hand and either a tensile force or a compressive force is applied to the nosepiece to either increase or decrease respectively spacing between the eyepieces. The nosepiece bends more easily at the narrower mid—portion than the end portions, with essentially no movement at the joints with the eyepieces, thus ensuring that there is adequate stability between the eyepieces and the nosepiece to stabilize the eyepieces against inadvertent movement, so as to permit relatively low headband tension.

To adjust length of the headband 17, the retainer member 30 is pulled forwardly from the recess 28 in direction of an arrow 118 (Figure 3) , so that the fold of headband is also drawn forwardly through the recess 28. The headband is now relatively unrestrained as it passes around the transverse portion 113, and thus it is now possible to reposition the headband with respect to the transverse portion. By gripping both portions of the headband around the portion 113, the retainer member 30 is drawn back into the recess 28 to assume the position shown in Figure 3. In this retained position, the sidewalls 115 and 116 of the recess again grip the headband as it passes around the transverse portion 113, thus essentially reducing any inadvertent slippage between the headband and the retainer member.

Thus, it can be seen that the retainer member co-operates with the headband and is sized to be received within the recess of the eyepiece frame when engaged by the headband so as to prevent movement between the headband and the frame when received in the recess, and yet to permit movement between the headband and the retainer member when the retainer member is removed from the recess to permit adjustment of the length of the headband.

ALTERNATIVES

By providing proximal portions of the projection with a width and/or a depth which is less than width and/or depth of the outer portion of the bridge portion, at least one nosepiece shoulder is provided, although other means of providing shoulders to engage the rim or adjacent portions of the eyepiece are envisaged.

The invention is shown with the outer portion 42 of the bridge portion 37 having three co—planar nosepiece shoulders 50, 58 and 59, with corresponding co—planar engaging portions of the rim 80 of the recess 78. Clearly, in some structures the number of shoulders can be reduced, and two shoulders may be suitable for relatively light duty, provided the shoulders are spaced as widely apart as possible. To avoid any rocking tendencies at the joint, preferably more than one engaging shoulder is used. Clearly, while the three engaging shoulders are shown to be co—planar, this is not necessary and non—planar shoulders can be substituted. The eyepiece frame outer portion is located oppositely to the respective inner portion and the headband retainer member 30 cooperates with the outer portion and the headband 17 to secure the goggles to the wearer's face. Clearly, other means of connecting the headband to the goggles can be substituted. Because the nosepiece 15 is connected directly to and extends between the inner portions of the lenses 20 and 23 to connect the lenses directly together, the soft eyepiece frames are relieved of nosepiece tension.

Because the retainer member 30 is connected to the eyepiece frame 22, headband tension is applied to the eyepiece frame but the frame has sufficient material to resist excessive deflection. In an alternative, not shown, the headband could cooperate directly with the outer portion of the eyepiece lens, so as to essentially relieve the eyepiece frame of any headband tension.

Figures 10 and 11

An inner portion only of an alternative pair of swim goggles 120 is shown with an alternative "cushioned" nosepiece 121 interconnecting alternative right and left eyepiece units 122 and 123 respectively. The alternative goggles 120 include a relatively stiff inner nosepiece unit 125, right and left eyepiece lenses 126 and 127, and relatively soft right and left eyepiece frames 128 and 129 respectively, which are essentially identical to the nosepiece 15, the eyepiece lenses 20 and 23, and the eyepiece frames 22 and 25 respectively of the goggles 10 of Figures 1-9. Thus, the nosepiece unit 125 has a bridge portion with right and left projections 130 and 131 engaging complementary respective right and left recesses 132 and 133 provided in bosses adjacent inner portions of the right and left eyepiece lenses 126 and 127 respectively. The materials of the inner nosepiece unit 125, the eyepiece lenses 126 and 127, and the eyepiece frames 128 and 129 can be identical to those materials used in the goggles 10.

The alternative goggles 120 differs from the goggles 10 of Figures 1-9 by extending the relatively soft eyepiece frames 128 and 129 inwardly to fully enclose otherwise exposed portions of the relatively stiff nosepiece unit 125 in a single one-piece injection moulding. This moulding is thus relatively soft and encapsulates the inner nosepiece unit 125 simultaneously with producing the peripherally extending eyepiece frames 128 and 129 around the eyepiece units 126 and 127. This produces in a single injection a relatively soft outer nosepiece unit 135 bonded to the stiffer unit 125 and integrally connected to the right and left eyepiece frames 128 and 129.

As seen in Figure 11, the outer nosepiece unit 135 fully encloses intermediate portions of the inner nosepiece unit 125. This alternative provides an aesthetically pleasing one-piece moulded unit for eyepiece frames and nosepiece which is soft and thus improves comfort by providing additional cushioning around the nosepiece. It is added that, due to the relatively stiff and strong inner nosepiece unit 125, the relatively soft outer nosepiece unit 135 is substantially relieved of tension due to the considerable difference in stiffness or resiliency between the materials of the outer nosepiece unit 135 and the inner nosepiece unit 125. In addition, the outer nosepiece unit 135 has right and left outer portions 138 and 139 respectively which merge smoothly with inner portions of the eyepiece frames 128 and 129 respectively to provide a smooth, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing inner surface of the goggles 120.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Eye goggles comprising:

(a) a pair of eyepiece lenses, each lens having respective inner and outer portions,

(b) a nosepiece connected directly to and extending between the inner portions of the lenses to connect the lenses directly together,

(c) a pair of eyepiece frames, each eyepiece frame extending peripherally around a respective eyepiece lens and having a lens engaging portion to provide a seal with the lens, and a face engaging portion to engage a wearer's face, and

(d) a headband to secure the goggles to the wearer's head.

Eyepiece goggles as claimed in Claim 1, in which:

(a) the nosepiece has a bridge portion and a pair of projections, the projections extending from opposite outer portions of the bridge portion, and

(b) the inner portion of each eyepiece lens has a recess to receive a respective projection of the nosepiece to provide an essentially nonΓÇöyielding joint between each eyepiece lens and the nosepiece .

3. Eyepiece goggles as claimed in Claim 2 further comprising:

(a) a latch means for retaining the projection within the respective recess.

4. Goggles as claimed in Claim 2 in which:

(a) each recess is disposed generally perpendicularly to an adjacent outer surface of the eyepiece lens .

5. Goggles as claimed in Claim 2, in which:

(a) each outer portion of the bridge portion has a size greater than the respective projection to provide a nosepiece shoulder extending between each outer portion of the bridge portion and an adjacent proximal portion of the respective projection, and

(b) the recess of the lens has a rim extending therearound, the rim having an engaging portion which engages the nosepiece shoulder to resist movement between the nosepiece and the eyepiece lens .

6. Goggles as claimed in Claim 5, in which:

(a) the nosepiece shoulder adjacent the proximal end portion of each projection extends on at least two sides of the said projection to provide at least two nosepiece shoulders, and

(b) the engaging portion of the rim engages the said at least two nosepiece shoulders of the nosepiece on the two sides of the projection to augment resistance to movement between the bridge portion and the eyepieces .

7. Goggles as claimed in Claim 6 in which:

(a) the said least two nosepiece shoulders are coplanar with each other, and

(b) the corresponding engaging portions of the rim which engage the said two nosepiece shoulders are also coplanar.

8. Goggles as claimed in Claim 5 in which:

(a) the projection extends generally perpendicularly from the nosepiece shoulder.

9. Goggles as claimed in Claim 2 in which:

(a) the inner portion of the eyepiece lens having the recess has a boss which increases local thickness of the eyepiece lens and depth of the recess to provide a secure connection with the projection of the nosepiece.

10. Goggles as claimed in Claim 5 in which:

(a) the proximal portion of the projection has a width which is less than width of the outer portion of the bridge portion to provide the nosepiece shoulder.

11. Goggles as claimed in Claim 5 in which:

(a) the proximal portion of the projection has a depth which is less than depth of the outer portion of the bridge portion to provide the nosepiece shoulder.

12. Goggles as claimed in Claim 5 further comprising: (a) a latch means which draws the nosepiece shoulder against the engaging portion of the rim to resist disengaging movement between the projection and the recess so as to retain the projection within the respective recess.

13. Goggles as claimed in Claim 3, in which the latch means comprises:

(a) each projection of the nosepiece having a projection step at a distal end thereof remote from the bridge portion, and

(b) each recess having a latch shoulder to engage the projection step of the projection.

14. Goggles as claimed in Claim 13 in which:

(a) each outer portion of the bridge portion has a size greater than the respective projection to provide a nosepiece shoulder extending between each outer portion of the bridge portion and an adjacent proximal portion of the respective projection,

(b) the recess of the lens has a rim extending therearound, the rim having an engaging portion which engages the nosepiece shoulder to resist movement between the nosepiece and the eyepiece lens, and

(c) spacing between the nosepiece shoulder and the projection step is generally equal to spacing between the latch shoulder and the engaging portion of the rim.

15. Goggles as claimed in Claim 14 in which:

(a) the nosepiece shoulder and the projection step extend from the same side of the projection so as to be spaced axially apart from each other along length of the projection.

16. Goggles as claimed in Claim 1, in which:

(a) each eyepiece frame has an inner portion located generally adjacent the nosepiece, and

(b) each eyepiece frame has an outer portion located oppositely to the respective inner portion, and a headband connector to cooperate with the said outer portion and the headband to secure the goggles to the wearer's face.

17. Goggles as claimed in Claim 16, in which the headband connector of each eyepiece frame comprises:

(a) the outer portion of the eyepiece frame having a recess; and

(b) a retainer member cooperating with the headband and sized to be received within the recess of the eyepiece frame when engaged by the headband so as to prevent movement between the headband and the frame when received in the recess, and yet to permit movement between the headband and the retainer member when the retainer member is removed from the recess to permit adjustment of length of the headband.

18. Goggles as claimed in Claim 17, in which:

(a) the recess of the eyepiece frame has opposed sidewalls, and

(b) the retainer has a transverse portion to receive a fold of the headband therearound, difference in size between the folded headband and the recess generates a frictional grip on the headband to prevent slippage of the headband.

19. Goggles as claimed in Claim 1, in which:

(a) the eyepiece lenses are made of a relatively stiff and hard transparent plastic,

(b) the nosepiece is made from a slightly resilient tough plastic to stabilize the connection between the nosepiece and the eyepiece lenses , and

(c) the eyepiece frames are made of a relatively soft yielding plastic to enhance sealing against the wearer's face and to enhance comfort of the wearer.

20. Goggles as claimed in Claim 18, in which:

(a) each eyepiece lens is made of a polycarbonate or cellulose proportionate material or equivalent,

(b) the nosepiece is made from a polyamide or polypropylene copolymer material or equivalent, and

(c) each eyepiece frame is made of a relatively low modulus rubberΓÇölike material.