The present invention relates to protective eye wear, and more particularly, to goggles having transparencies which cover the lens and are torn away during a race instead of cleaning the lens.
Motorcross racers typically drive their motocycles at high speeds across rough terrain. Along with various other equipment for protecting the body, these racers typically wear goggles. During a race, dirt and mud build up on the lens of goggles. This substantially impairs the racer's vision and if not corrected, can cause an accident and serious injury. However, because the racer is required to keep both of his hands on the respective handlebar grips of the motorcycle to maintain control, it is extremely difficult to effectively wipe the lens clean during a race. The amount of time that one of the racer's hands would have to be off the handlebar grip could result in a loss of control and an accident. If the racer slows down sufficiently to safely clean the lens, then it is likely that he will be passed by other racers and will loose the race.
One solution to this problem has been provided by a commercially available goggle in which a webbing of clean transparent material is fed across the lens of the goggle between rollers mounted at the opposite side edges of the goggles. When the segment of transparent webbing overlying the lens becomes too dirty, the racer pulls on a cord and mechanisms cause a clean segment of the transparent webbing to be pulled across the lens. However, these goggles require mechanical feed mechanisms which are subject to failure and the complexity of this solution makes it generally one that has not yet received wide spread receptance.
Another solution to this problem of dirty goggles that has received widespread acceptance is the use of tear off transparencies. These comprise individual, thin pieces of transparent plastic material having a general shape of the goggle lens. The transparencies normally have tabs around their peripheral edges. A plurality of these transparencies may be overlaid on the goggle lens, and their tabs inserted between the lens and the flexible lens frame to hold them into position. Generally, these transparencies have an extended arm portion at one side thereof which extends past the side edge of the goggle. These arm portions may extend at different angles in the general plane of the lens. During a race, dirt and mud builds up on the outermost transparency. When the vision is sufficiently obscured, the motorcross racer can reach up with one hand and tear away one of the transparencies with one quick motion. The dirty transparency then falls to the ground and the racer has a clear view through the lens and remaining unsoiled transparencies. A principal drawback in the foregoing arrangement is that the transparencies are held to the lens only by the tabs. Furthermore, the number of transparencies that can be used is limited to a small number, for example three, since there is only a limited amount of angle through which arm portions of the transparencies can extend, and not yet overlap.
Recently, a new type of goggles equipped with tear off transparencies has been marketed under the trademark OAKLEY. In this goggle, an element with a small round head projects outwardly from the lens adjacent one side edge thereof. The transparencies are all identical, each having an arm portion which extends from the left side edge thereof viewed from the racer's standpoint. The arm portions have a large circular hole adjacent their outer end. Each of these transparencies further has insertion tabs around the peripheral side edges thereof and a small hole which tightly fits over the rounded portion of the element which projects from the lens. When a plurality of these transparencies are inserted over the lens of the goggles, they are put in place one at a time.
The transparencies used with the OAKLEY goggles are inserted as follows. The tabs of a first transparency are inserted between the lens and the flexible lens frame. Then the portion of the transparency having the small hole in it is forced over the rounded end of the projecting element. The arm portion of the first transparency is then curled back on itself, away from the goggles. The outer ring of the arm portion is hooked around the projecting element. The arm portion of the first transparency is held in its folded configuration with its ring portion engaged with the element until the next transparency is put in place and the projecting element is forced through its small hold. This serves to retain the arm portion of the first transparency immediately below in its folded state. Each succeeding transparency is similarly installed on the goggle. The arm portion of the last transparency is not folded but is left hanging out, extending beyond the folded arm portions of the transparencies below.
During a race, a motorcycle racer wearing the OAKLEY goggles can easily grasp the arm portion of the outermost transparency and pull this transparency free of the projecting element and from the lens with one quick motion. When this is done, the arm portion of the transparency immediately beneath unfolds, and is ready for grasping by the racer when it time once again to clean his goggles.
While the arrangement utilized in the OAKLEY goggles has a number of advantages, its principal disadvantage is that a special lens must be fashioned with a projecting element which extends therethrough adjacent one side edge of the lens. Furthermore, the projecting element in the lens tends to obstruct the view since the projecting element is opaque. The folded arm portions of the multiple transparencies tend to be clumped over the side edge portion of the lens. It would be desirable to provide a means of retrofitting existing goggles so that they could use the folding type of transparencies without having to replace their lens.