In recent years, numerous improvements have been made in eyewear design and production, which have produced increasingly lightweight, comfortable, and attractive products. However, these product improvements have exposed a number of problems with traditional eyewear designs. First, many eyewear products are very delicate, have multiple small components, and require sophisticated tools or custom parts for repair or assembly. Second, the delicate components inevitably break after extended use, and the repairs are time consuming, expensive, or inconvenient for the user. Third, for a given set of eyeglasses frames, it is often difficult, expensive, or impossible to customize the eyeglasses for a given user. In addition, repairs to damaged eyeglasses can often not be made by the end user, necessitating a visit to an optician. The present invention can provide a solution to at least one of these problems.
A major problem with many eyeglasses designs is the need for multiple fasteners such as screws, pins, or small bolts. These fasteners may be located at hinge points between the eyeglasses temple arm and temple arm hinge block or at various positions on the eyeglasses rim. In some cases, multiple fastener types or sizes are used on the same pair of eyeglasses. Furthermore, these fasteners are often not easily replaced through a vender's stock and often require custom orders to make repairs.
Fasteners may be used both on eyeglasses rims and eyeglasses hinges. When used on eyeglasses rims, the fasteners may help secure a lens in place, connect the rim to another portion of the eyeglass, or hold multi-component parts together. In any case, the fastener, whether it be a screw, pin, or bolt design, is subject to back-out after extended wear. When this occurs, the fastener will often be lost, and the product will be rendered useless until a repair is made.
Fasteners are also used for eyeglasses hinges, for which numerous designs exist. Some designs require threaded fasteners such as screws or small bolts. Others require threadless fasteners such as pins. Some designs also employ an adhesive, washers, or friction-fit materials. Regardless, with all of these hinge designs, the screw, bolt, or pin risks backing out of the socket in the hinge or other frame section, rendering the eyeglasses unwearable and potentially requiring the purchase of new parts, the use of special tools, or a consultation with an optician to make repairs.
Another problem with eyeglasses hinges is that they are sometimes subject to relatively severe stress due to accidental or intentional misuse. Traditional eyeglasses hinges will often break or become distorted under sufficient stress. Broken eyeglasses cannot be worn, and distorted eyeglasses may fit improperly. With most current designs, repairs may require significant training, the purchase of replacement parts, or the use of unsightly materials such as tape or glue.
Yet another problem with current eyeglasses designs pertains to the temple arm ear piece. The temple arm ear piece comes in one length for a given set of frames. Although consumers often need shorter or longer temple arm lengths, this part is rarely stocked and must be special ordered by a vendor. This process is time-consuming if the appropriate piece is available at all. Most temple arms on frames are not universal, are typically left and right-sided, and cannot be switched with other frame styles. The earpiece sock or paddle is not designed to be removed once applied by the manufacturer. In the event that the paddle is lost or breaks, replacing it is very difficult. Paddle styles are often custom items designed for only one temple arm style, color, and size; and manufacturers do not often use paddle part numbers for reordering. Most provide complete frames only for replacement.