FR2816072A1 - Spectacle frame spring-loaded hinge has spring tension adjuster in form of screw in closed end of sleeve containing spring and rod - Google Patents

Abstract

The hinge consists of one hinge member on the frame lens surround and another (4) sliding in a sleeve (9) on the forward end of the frame side-piece and equipped with a rod (10) with a spring (14) and end cap (13). The closed end of the sleeve has a threaded bore to receive a screw (16), the shank (17) of which engages with the bore and allows the tension of the spring to be adjusted by varying the pressure of the screw tip on the rod cap.

Description

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ARRIÈRE-PLAN TECHNOLOGIQUE DE L'INVENTION
La présente invention a trait à une charnière à ressort pour monture de lunettes, et elle est applicable à tous les genres de lunettes, c'est-à-dire celles dont, indifféremment, l'élément médian encadré par les branches a soit chacun de ses deux verres enchâssé dans un anneau dénommé cercle, soit, dans le cas de montages plus légers, des verres sans cercle qui portent directement, par vissage, par collage ou au moyen d'attaches en forme de pince, le pont formant liaison entre lesdits verres, les deux plaquettes nasales et les deux branches latérales. SPRING HINGE FOR GLASSES FRAME

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a spring hinge for spectacle frame, and it is applicable to all kinds of spectacles, that is to say those of which, indifferently, the median element framed by the branches has either each of its two glasses encased in a ring called a circle, that is, in the case of lighter assemblies, glasses without a circle which carry directly, by screwing, by bonding or by means of clips in the form of clamp, the bridge forming a connection between said glasses, the two nose pads and the two lateral branches.

 Spectacle frames whose branches are mounted on hinges comprising a return spring to the normal open position have been known for a long time.

 For aesthetic reasons, the spring mechanism is often completely integrated into the front end of the branch.

 American patent US-4,534. 628 published on August 13, 1985, in the name of Michel Morel, describes such a device.

 The complete integration of the various mechanical parts in the branch complicates the realization thereof. In addition, this kind of execution may be incompatible with the type of fashionable fine frame.

 European patent application EP-0. 003.928 published on September 5, 1979, on behalf of Etablissements Auguste Lamy & Fils, describes an independent spring hinge element that can be attached to all types of frame, including those with very thin temples.

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 The hinge described in this document has the particularity of comprising a nut for adjusting the compression of the return spring.

 The possibilities of easy adjustment of the spacing of the branches of the frame in the normal position, of their maximum opening angle, or of the restoring force, are indeed the condition of the comfort of the wearer of glasses.

 International patent application WO 96/37801 published on November 28, 1996, in the name of the Marcolin company, discloses a branch of spectacle frame comprising an integrated spring mechanism similar to that described in patent US-4,534. 628, but also having the possibility of adjusting the nominal opening position. For this purpose, the front end of the branch has a ferrule whose displacement makes it possible to vary the distance between this end and the fixed part of the frame on which it abuts upon opening.

 German patent application DE-198 17 823 published on November 4, 1999, in the name of the company Optische Werle G.

Rodenstock, reveals a similar device, although very complex since the movement of the ferrule is controlled by the rotation of the branch itself around its axis.

 The Otto Filitz company presents in its French patent application FR-2.275. 791, published on January 16, 1976, a hinge for spectacle frame which achieved the same result with much simpler means: a screw made it possible to adjust the distance between the stop zone of the branch and the corresponding stop zone of the middle part of the frame.

 However, it is a device to be integrated in the branch, and its use is therefore impossible for very thin frames.

 European patent EP-0.306. 446 issued on April 8, 1992, on behalf of the company LN Industrie, refers to a spring hinge intended to be fixed internally on a branch

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 a spectacle frame, also adjustable with a single screw. However, unlike other known devices, the screwing or unscrewing of this screw has the effect of adjusting the maximum opening position of the branch, and not its rest position.

 It appears from the state of the art as described in the documents cited above that the spring hinges for spectacle frames comprising adjustment means are perfectly known, but that to date there is no device making a summary of these in order to obtain optimal characteristics, both in terms of simplicity of construction and comfort for the user.

 Moreover, in practice, opticians adjust the spacing of the branches, that is to say their normal rest position relative to the median element, by hand, using pliers, in more or less curving that of the two knuckles of the hinge which is integral with the median element.

 This adjustment of the spacing of the branches is all the more important on glasses without a circle that the glasses on which said knuckles are mounted directly may have very varied convexities, depending on whether the wearer of glasses is more or less myopic, or at otherwise more or less farsighted.

 But, in some cases, the glasses' hinges cannot be deformed with a pair of pliers by the optician because they are decorated with a material which would then be destroyed or broken, for example rhinestones.

 The present invention proposes to overcome all the aforementioned drawbacks and thus to offer a spring hinge which allows easy adjustment of the spacing of the branches, whether the material decorating the knuckles is breakable or not, or simply fragile, and whatever either the type of glasses, with circles or without a circle, and the type of vision anomaly to be corrected.

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DESCRIPTION GÉNÉRALE DE L'INVENTION

La présente invention vise donc à optimiser la conception d'une charnière à ressort.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore aims to optimize the design of a spring hinge.

 Its specific purpose is a spring hinge for a spectacle frame, the branches of which are hingedly connected to the middle element of the frame, and abut, when opened by a pivoting movement, with intended abutment zones. on their front ends located at the hinge against corresponding abutment zones of the middle element.

 This hinge, according to a known technique, comprises: a) a first knuckle intended to be fixed to the median element, and a second knuckle intended to be connected to the front end of a branch, b) a sleeve, having a open front part and closed rear part, intended to be fixed longitudinally on the internal side of the front end of this branch, c) a rod-shaped part whose front end is integral with the second knuckle and whose end opposite has a shoulder, this part being slidably mounted in the front part of the sleeve, and d) a compression spring mounted axially on the part inside the sleeve and bearing, on the one hand, against the shoulder and , on the other hand, against an internal ring integral with the sleeve.

 A great technical advantage is drawn from the fact that, according to the invention, the closed part of the sleeve has a tapped longitudinal bore provided with a screw whose threaded end is in contact with the shoulder which the end of the rod comprises. sliding. This screw forms an adjustable axial stop of the rod when the latter is pushed by the spring.

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The spring hinge for spectacle frame according to the invention is for example preferably used to adjust the spacing of the branches by means of the adjusting screw as a function of the convexity of the adjacent lens.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figures la and lb are top views of the front part of a spectacle frame showing partial sections of the hinge according to the invention, respectively in the case where the adjusting screw is loose, or tightened.

 Figures 2a and 2b are longitudinal sections of the elastic element of the hinge according to the invention in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, respectively in the case where the adjusting screw is loosened or tightened.

 Figures 3a and 3b show a use of the hinge according to the invention for adjusting the spacing of the frame arms in the case, respectively, of a strongly convex or weakly convex lens.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
The hinge (1) for spectacle frame (2) shown in Figures la and lb comprises two hinges (3,4) hinged to each other by a pivot constituted by a screw (5). One of the knuckles (3), also referred to below as the first knuckle, is integral, in known manner, with the median element, supporting the circles of the glasses (6) or essentially constituted by the glasses (6) themselves , of the frame.

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The other knuckle (4), also referred to below as the second knuckle, is fixed longitudinally on the inner side (7) of the front end of a branch (8) by means of an elastic element comprising a sleeve (9 ) in which is slidably mounted a rod (10) integral with the second knuckle (4).

 This assembly allows axial displacement by sliding of the branch (8) relative to the second knuckle (4) and therefore, for a given angular position of the branch (8), a variation of the space between a stop zone ( 11) provided on the front end of the branch (8) of the frame (2), and of the corresponding stop zone (12) of the first knuckle (3). Conversely, for a fixed position of the rod (10) in the sleeve (9), the abutment zones (11,12) being outside the pivot axis (5) of the branch (8), the angle possible opening of the branch (8) relative to the first knuckle (3), that is to say relative to the median element of which said knuckle (3) is integral, depends on the size of this space.

 Thus the Figure shows that, the rod (10) being completely retracted into the sleeve (9), the branch (8) of the frame (2) has, in abutment, a position (A) which corresponds to a small spacing of the two branches. On the contrary, Figure lb shows that, the second knuckle (4) integral with the rod (10) being partly pulled out from the sleeve (9), the position (D) of the branch (8) corresponds to a greater spacing.

 The way in which the spacing of the stop zones (11,12) is precisely controlled by the appropriate elements of the hinge according to the invention will be better understood in conjunction with the references of Figures 2a and 2b.

 The rod (10) has at its free end, that is to say that which is furthest from the hinge, a shoulder (13), and it is surrounded by a spring (14) mounted axially, bearing on the one hand, on this shoulder (13),

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 and, on the other hand, on a fixed inner ring (15), integral with the sleeve (9).

 The assembly comprising the sleeve (9), the rod (10) and the spring (14) held by the stops constituted by the shoulder (13) and the ring (15), is an elastic element whose function is to recall in its rest position the branch (8) which would be removed from it.

 The determination of this rest position, and its precise adjustment, are obtained by means of an additional mechanical element which characterizes the present invention.

 This new element, very simple, but which provides functionality essential to the comfort of the wearer of the spectacle frame, comprises an adjustment screw (16) screwed into a threaded bore (17) of the part of the sleeve (9) opposite to that containing the sliding rod (10).

The threaded end (18) of the screw (16) bears on the shoulder (13) of the rod (10). Therefore, the movement of the rod (10), pushed by the spring (14) towards the screw (16), is blocked, and therefore, conversely, the translational movement of the sleeve (9), and consequently that of the abutment zone (11) of the branch (8), towards the abutment zone (12) of the first knuckle (3) is limited.

 The screwing, or unscrewing of the screw (16) therefore makes it possible to vary the spacing at rest of the branches (8) of the frame relative to the median element of said frame.

 An important use of this characteristic is, as shown in Figures 3a and 3b, to be able to adjust the branches as a function of the convexity of the front face (19) of the glasses (6) used.

 In the case where the first knuckle (3) is directly fixed on the glass (6), if the meniscus (19) is very rounded like that shown in FIG. 3a, for a given knuckle / branch angle (3,8), the branch can be found during installation in a very tight position (B), very different

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 of a medium position (A) which may generally be suitable for the wearer of glasses. Thanks to the adjusting screw (16), the optician can very easily pre-adjust the frame in the workshop by screwing the screw (16) more or less.

 It is the same if, as shown in Figure 3b, the meniscus is very slightly bulging. In this case, it will suffice to unscrew the screw (16) to bring the branch (8) from a widely separated position (D) to a medium position (C).

 The same screw (16) will of course be used to make the final adjustment according to the morphology of the wearer of the frame.

We also see that, thanks to this very fine adjustment of the screw (16), it is possible to adjust with the greatest precision which is the spacing at rest of the branches of the spectacle frame without the need to deform the first knuckle (3)
It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the single embodiment above, given by way of example; on the contrary, it embraces all possible variants of embodiments.

Claims (2)

 1) Hinge (1) with spring for frame (2) of glasses whose branches (8) are connected in an articulated way (5) to the median element of said frame (2), and abut when opened by a pivoting movement, with abutment zones (11) provided on their front ends situated at said hinge (1) against corresponding abutment zones (12) of said median element, said hinge comprising: a) a first knuckle ( 3) intended to be fixed to said median element, and a second knuckle (4) intended to be connected to the front end of a branch (8), b) a sleeve (9), having an open front part and a part closed rear, intended to be fixed longitudinally on the inner side (7) of the front end of said branch (8), c) a rod-shaped part (10) whose front end is integral with the second knuckle (4 ) and the opposite end of which has a shoulder (13), said part (10) being slidably mounted in the front part of the sleeve (9), d) a compression spring (14) mounted axially on said part (10) inside the sleeve (9) and bearing on a part against the shoulder (13) and secondly against an internal ring (15) integral with said sleeve (9), characterized in that the closed part of the sleeve (9) has a tapped longitudinal bore (17) provided with a screw (16) whose threaded end (17) is in contact with the shoulder (13) and forms an adjustable axial stop of the rod (10) pushed by the spring (14).  2) Use of the hinge (1) with spring for frame (2) of glasses according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacing of the branches (8) is adjusted by means of the screw (16) of each hinge (1 ) as a function of the convexity of the adjacent glass (6).