Stop this juvenile bickering and answer my question instead
Salmon Egg
Instead, tell me what variable dimension frames are.
Bill
--
An old man would be better off never having been born.
Neil Brooks
> We all know about Otis ad nauseum. It reminds me of elementary school GO.
I'll reiterate: Otis has never helped anybody. He HAS hurt NUMEROUS
people -- mostly children.
As long as he persists, I'll be there. New people don't HAVE the
knowledge that you have.
Sorry if that's overly burdensome for you, Bill. I hope your question
gets answered, regardless.
With luck, you'll recall that -- whenever and wherever _I_ can
directly add info ... I always try.
Dr Judy
> We all know about Otis ad nauseum. It reminds me of elementary school GO.
>
> Instead, tell me what variable dimension frames are.
I've never heard that term, in what context or reference did you find
it? Weblink?
Judy
Neil Brooks
Hm.
It took all of a Google search to find....
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns eyeglass frames. More particularly the
invention is directed to a frame which can be used as a replacement
frame for bent or broken frames while utilizing the sight-correcting
lens or other sun or other protective plain lens of the unusable
frame.
This invention relates to spectacles and more particularly to a
"universal" or variable dimension eyeglass frame wherein the rims of
the frame can be adjusted in length and shape to accommodate almost
any size and shape of lens. Such a frame can be used as a temporary
replacement of a person's normal frame when broken or as a low cost
fashion alternative frame.
Typically when a person breaks their eyeglass frame they have few
choices to fix it. They can attempt to tape or glue the broken
portion, or attempt to obtain a replacement part. However, the former
alternative usually results in an unattractive appearance, and the
latter is usually not available because of the rapid changes in
eyeglass styles and the limited inventories maintained by eyeglass
frame vendors. Even if a replacement frame is still in a
manufacturer's or distributor' stock it may be several days before it
can be delivered to the retail establishment for assembly with the
person's lenses. If a replacement frame is not available the person
then must choose a new frame and have new lenses made which have an
internal periphery to accommodate the chosen fixed opening in the
newly chosen frame.
Traditional eyeglass frames are generally made of plastic, metal or a
combination thereof, and are designed to hold a lens of a single
specific design and shape. So called "semi-rimless" frames have
greater versatility in that the bottom portion of the lens is
typically retained by a flexible wire, strip or cord. This permits
this type of frame to accommodate a greater variety of lens sizes.
However, these frames have an upper rim portion which is of a fixed
size and shape. Thus, they also can only accommodate lenses which have
matching upper rims.
Since the dimensions of existing frames are completely or
substantially fixed, each lens must be modified to satisfy the
dimensions of the frame. If the lens is not modified properly, the
lens may fit loosely or not fit in the frame at all. Modification of
the lens requires the optician to work with great care, otherwise
damage will result to the lens.
In a preliminary search no "temporary" or "universal" eyeglass frame
was uncovered. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,464,025; 4,466,713; 4,842,399; and
4,432,616 disclose spectacle (eyeglass) frames having fixed rigid
rails or top-pieces which correspond in their inner periphery with a
corresponding fixed upper peripheries of the two eyeglass lenses. Nose
pad elements are provided attached either to the top rail in whole or
in part. The lenses are held in the top rail by a flexible filament
such as metal or Nylon plastic; a super elastic Ni--Ti alloy wire by a
barbed nylon cord or a headed wire connected to the lower ends of the
top rail, respectively in the three patents. All of these cords or
wires are of fixed length. The '616 patent does permit mounting the
headed wire in one of two fixing means in the top rail. U.S. Pat. No.
4,550,989 end pieces and threads with the threads soldered or welded
to the end piece are provided. In a second embodiment clamping plates
or bars are included. These constructions provide for the movement by
the optician of the nose bridge and/or end pieces in fitting on an
individual's face. The '989 patent envisions making lenses of various
shapes and having threads, bands or wires of various fixed lengths to
hold such lenses. In a dissimilar art, cable ties employ flat plastic
strips with a serrated end and a pawl-containing clasp end.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention may be termed to be a "universal" frame which is
usable with a wide variety of lens sizes and shapes and can be easily
mounted by a lay person with his or her existing lenses and either new
temple bars or the temple bars of the existing broken frame
transferred to the temporary frame firmly holding the lenses.
In accordance with the invention, a spectacle frame is provided
wherein the lenses are retained within the confines of a variable
length flexible strap or straps. In a first embodiment the strap(s)
have a "V" shaped groove to match traditional lenses which have a "V"
shaped bevel around their perimeter. In a second embodiment, a
protrusion is provided on the strap(s) to match "semi-rimless" lenses
that have a groove around their perimeter. The spectacle frame straps
adjust to the size of the particular lens by means of ratchets on the
strap and use of a ratcheting clasp. Excess strap can be easily
removed without special tools. A scissors or nail clipper can be used.
A variable dimension eyeglass frame is thus formed from a minimal
number of inexpensive components. A frame results which can be easily
modified to accommodate a wide variety of lens sizes and shapes.
The improved eyeglass frame with its variable dimensions, thus reduces
tooling costs for manufacturing frames since one "universal" frame
fits a variety of lenses and correspondingly reduces the cost of
eyeglass frames to consumers. In one embodiment of the eyeglass frame
a releasable ratcheting clasp is utilized to permit easy removal of
the lens or adjustment of its position. The above construction permits
the wearer to insert used lenses into a frame without a screwdriver or
special tools. If desired an optician may adjust the position of the
lenses up or down to allow a perfect individual fitting which is
particularly important for bifocal lens wearers.
The "universal" eyeglass frame of this invention will also permit the
creation of an eyeglass frame after market. For the first time
individuals will be able to obtain inexpensive frames in a variety of
styles and colors which will accommodate their existing lenses. The
design enables them to install their lenses in the frame themselves,
thus allowing them to readily change the appearance of their
eyeglasses for fashion purposes. Optometrists or opticians also may
provide such frames to their patients as temporary replacement or low
cost alternative frames.
An additional feature of the present invention is the incorporation of
markings or indicia on the frame components to insure consistent
sizing of both lenses and help assure the proper orientation of the
lenses within the frame.
....
Bill? May I go back to my "juvenile bickering," now??
Dan Abel
<714b8b7d-f6a4-473b...@c34g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
Dr Judy <mpa...@rogers.com> wrote:
I remember those days in grade school. Some kids knew things that
nobody else knew, not even adults. Looking back, I'm pretty sure the
kids just made them up, which is why nobody else knew what they meant.
In fact, they didn't mean anything.
Adults have carried this on. You go to buy a car, and the saleperson
shows you the "SLE" model. Bill, being who he is, wants to know what
that stands for. Nobody knows. He pursues it. Finally, he has his
answer! Some marketing guy got 20 people in a room, and gave them a
list of 3 character model names, and asked them to pick the one that was
"sexiest". They picked "SLE". So, it means that this car has the
sexiest model name, as chosen by 20 random people who know nothing. If
you want to buy a car with the sexiest model name, the SLE is for you.
Obviously, I just made up all the stuff above.
I did a Google search on variable dimension frames. All paths led to
Zenni Optical. They have a whole category on variable dimension frames.
Absolutely zero information on what it means:
http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php?cat=30
They look like regular frames to me.
--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
da...@sonic.net
Salmon Egg
It os a term used by Zenni Optical. There is no explanation I could find.
Salmon Egg
<d4ef9e29-5837-48fe...@d21g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
Neil Brooks <neil...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> It took all of a Google search to find....
>
> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
>
> The present invention concerns eyeglass frames. More particularly the
> invention is directed to a frame which can be used as a replacement
> frame for bent or broken frames while utilizing the sight-correcting
> lens or other sun or other protective plain lens of the unusable
> frame.
<snip>
I went through the same exercise and found a similar if not the same
patent description. It made not sense to me. Iseemed to have nothing to
do with Zenni offerings.
Mike Tyner
"Salmon Egg" <Salm...@sbcglobal.net> wrot
> It os a term used by Zenni Optical. There is no explanation I could find.
I thought this is what you meant... it's adjustable!
www.s-didgostar.com/product24.html
-MT
Dr Judy
> In article
> <714b8b7d-f6a4-473b-a9fe-39931077b...@c34g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
> Dr Judy <mpac...@rogers.com> wrote:
>
> > On Dec 28, 6:31 pm, Salmon Egg <Salmon...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > > We all know about Otis ad nauseum. It reminds me of elementary school GO.
>
> > > Instead, tell me what variable dimension frames are.
>
> > I've never heard that term, in what context or reference did you find
> > it? Weblink?
>
> > Judy
>
> It os a term used by Zenni Optical. There is no explanation I could find.
Looking at their site, it seems that the frames in the "variable
dimension" category come in a choice of two sizes, whereas the "non
variable" ones come in one size.
Judy
Salmon Egg
<fd74f867-8874-4de9...@a32g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
Dr Judy <mpa...@rogers.com> wrote:
> Looking at their site, it seems that the frames in the "variable
> dimension" category come in a choice of two sizes, whereas the "non
> variable" ones come in one size.
I did not think that it would be so insignificant. Except for possible
marketing hype, this makes no sense. But that might be what marketing is
all about. To me it is equivalent to describing shirts as variable
shirts because they are available in many sizes of the same style.