Elastic hinge for spectacle frame temples, with locking clip engaged on the body of the carriage

Abstract

An elastic hinge for spectacle frames and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed, wherein the hinge includes a fork female component and an eyelet male component mutually hinged, the male component including at least one carriage slidingly fit in a cavity housing of a box-shaped body in contrast with an elastic element constrained with respect to the box-shaped body by way of a locking clip being provided with an annular collar which encircles a stem portion of the carriage, arranged between one end of the elastic element and a rear abutment end surface of a guide portion of the carriage. At least a groove is formed in the guide portion, adjacent to the perimeter profile of the stem portion, having a depth in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the carriage, defining a seat wherein at least a substantial part of the annular collar is engaged.

Claims

1. An elastic hinge for spectacle frames, comprising: a fork female component; and an eyelet male component mutually hinged to the female component, said male component comprising at least one carriage (2) slidingly fit in a cavity housing of a box-shaped body (1) in contrast with an elastic element (3) constrained with respect to said box-shaped body (1) by a locking clip (4), said clip (4) being provided with an annular collar (4a) which encircles a stem portion (2c) of said carriage (2), arranged between one end of said elastic element (3) and a rear abutment end surface of a guide portion (2a) of said carriage (2), wherein at least a groove (10a, 10b) is formed in a rear endmost surface in said guide portion (2a), adjacent to a perimeter profile of said stem portion (2c), having a depth in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the carriage, the at least a groove (10a, 10b) defining a seat wherein at least a substantial part of said annular collar (4a) is engaged.

2. The elastic hinge as in claim 1, wherein the at least a groove (10a, 10b) defining said seat is comprised of at least two straight and parallel opposite grooves (10a, 10b).

3. The elastic hinge as in claim 2, wherein the two straight and parallel opposite grooves (10a, 10b) are flush with an outer profile of the carriage stem (2c).

4. The elastic hinge as in claim 3, wherein the two straight and parallel opposite grooves (10a, 10b) are rectilinear.

5. The elastic hinge as in claim 1, wherein recesses (2) are also provided on a side of said guide portion (2a), the recesses (2) having a bottom surface at 90 with respect to said straight grooves (10a, 10b), adapted to receive elastic tabs (4b) integral with said annular collar (4a).

6. The elastic hinge as in claim 5, wherein said bottom surface of said recesses (2) is flush with the perimeter profile of said stem portion (2c).

7. The elastic hinge as in claim 1, wherein said at least one groove (10a, 10b) has a width greater than a section thickness of said annular collar (4a).

8. The elastic hinge as in claim 7, wherein said width is 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm.

9. A method of manufacturing the elastic hinge as in claim 1, comprising the step of obtaining said at least one groove (10a, 10b) by using a milling tool provided with at least a cutting edge having a width greater than a section thickness of said annular collar (4a).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and advantages of the invention will anyhow be more evident from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, given by mere way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1, as already said, is a perspective view of a carriage of the prior art for a flexible hinge;

(3) FIG. 2 is an elevational side view, partially interrupted, of a hinge according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view according to the trace III-III of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is an elevation side view of the sole assembly of the carriage inside the hinge of FIG. 2;

(6) FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view according to the trace V-V of FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view according to a centreline plane of the carriage of FIG. 4;

(8) FIGS. 6 and 7 are, respectively, elevational side view and perspective view of the sole carriage according to the invention; and

(9) FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views, respectively exploded and in assembled form, of the carriage assembly of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(10) For a better understanding of the invention, first of all a detailed description of the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1, which corresponds to the solution disclosed in EP 1,743,207, is provided.

(11) In FIG. 1, a flexible hinge component for spectacles is depicted, in particular the male component.

(12) In a box-shaped body 1, typically obtained or fixed to a temple A of a pair of spectacles, a longitudinal housing 1a is provided, comprising a cavity within which a sliding carriage assembly is housed. The latter consists of a carriage 2, a return spring 3 and a locking clip 4 for the spring 3.

(13) The carriage 2 comprises a central guide portion 2a, cooperating with a central guide area in a cavity 1a of the housing 1, a proximal end part, forming an eyelet 2b, projecting outwardly of the housing 1, and a distal stem shaped portion 2c, on which the spring 3 is mounted.

(14) The spring 3 is kept compressed between a terminal end of the stem 2c and the clip 4, made integral with the box-shaped body 1 in the manner better described in the following.

(15) The clip 4 provides an annular collar body 4a, mounted on the stem portion of the carriage, and at least one elastic tab 4b, preferably two opposing elastic tabs, which protrudes radially from the collar 4a, obliquely at a given angle, and forward, towards the inlet opening of the housing 1. Typically, the clip is manufactured from sheared and folded metal sheet, therefore the annular collar 4a has a uniform thickness of about 0.2 mm. In the assembled position shown in FIG. 1, with the carriage inserted inside the cavity 1a, the free ends of the elastic tabs 4b extend towards the inlet of the housing 1 and engage within respective notches 5 provided inside the housing 1.

(16) On the main body 2a of the carriage are also provided recesses 2, adapted for accommodating at least partially the tabs 4b in the assembly step.

(17) This arrangement allows to preliminary assemble the assembly consisting of the carriage 2, the spring 3 and the clip 4 and then insert it into the housing 1, introducing it by sliding from its inlet opening. During the insertion, the tabs 4b are forced and made to collapse towards the central axis of the carriage, entering the recesses 2. When, by sliding inside the housing 1, the tabs 4b are in correspondence of notches 5, they can return back to the extended position and snap into these notches 5. Once the tabs 4b are snap engaged into notches 5, it is no longer possible to collapse them again and then the clip 4 remains locked in position with respect to the housing 1.

(18) In FIGS. 3-9 a carriage assembly similar to the one described above is shown, except that the flexible tabs of the clip are arranged rotated by 90 around the longitudinal axis, with respect to those of FIG. 1. The operation and configuration, for the common aspects, are completely equivalent. Like references are assigned to corresponding parts.

(19) According to the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the figures, on the main guide portion 2a of the carriage 2in addition to a recess 2 or to a pair of opposite recesses for accommodating the tabs 4b of the clip 4at least two opposite grooves 10a and 10b are provided in the rear end surface, flush with the outer profile of the carriage stem 2c.

(20) In the context of the present specification, the term flush with means that a surface is tangential or coplanar to the other surface at least in a connection point.

(21) The grooves 10a and 10b extend in depth from a rear end surface of the main guide portion 2ai.e. the end from which the stem 2c projectsin longitudinal direction (i.e. parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carriage), for a distance substantially equal to the longitudinal length D of the annular collar 4a of the clip 4.

(22) Preferably the two grooves 10a and 10b are parallel and rectilinear and are obtained by means of a milling tool having a cutting edge of reduced thickness. Each groove has a width in the range from 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm, however greater than the thickness of the annular collar 4a, in particular the thickness of the sheet material by which the annular collar is made.

(23) According to the illustrated embodiment, two recesses 2 for the housing of the flexible tabs 4b of the clip 4 are also provided on two sides of the guiding portion 2a at 90 with respect to the direction of the two grooves 10a and 10b. The recesses 2 extend from the rear end of the main guide portion 2a to a length and a width proportional to the length and width of the tabs 4b, thus leaving perimeter areas on the side of the guide portion 2a which can act as guide surfaces in cooperation with the cavity in the housing 1. The recesses 2 are made, for example, with a chip-removal tool, such as a slot mill, and have a depth such that the bottom surface is flush with the profile of the stem 2c (as well illustrated in FIG. 7).

(24) Optionally, the same mill tool used for producing said recesses 2 has a profile suitable to produce at the same time also half portion of the two grooves 10a and 10b. For example, a milling tool having a U profile, is suitable to simultaneously produce both a recess 2 and half portion of the two opposite grooves 10a, 10b on the same side of the guiding body.

(25) With this construction, it is obtained that the outer guide surface of the main guiding portion 2a remains substantially unaffected with respect to the prior art, while the material removed around the stem 2c in the area of connection with the rear end of the main body 2a defines a hiding seat for the collar.

(26) The removal of material defined in the guide body 2a by the grooves 10a, 10b, possibly in combination with the one defined by the recesses 2, defines a hiding seat for fitting the annular collar 4a. In short, by keeping the outer surface of the main guide portion 2a unchangedthus ensuring the guiding performance within the housing 1a coupling seat is obtained which substantially houses the annular collar 4a within the longitudinal volume occupied by the main guide body 2a within the housing.

(27) In other words, it is thus obtained that the annular collar 4a no longer interposes between the spring 3 and the rear end of the main guide portion 2aas in the prior artbut remains almost entirely housed within the grooves 10a and 10b.

(28) Thanks to this arrangement, and as it is evident in FIGS. 4, 5B, 8 and 9, the body of the annular collar 4a may be entirely encased in the massive part of the main guide body 2a, making available the corresponding length on the stem 2c of the carriage. This free length can be exploited to extend the spring 3 or the guide surface of the main portion 2a, while keeping the same length of the carriage; alternatively, it is possible to reduce the overall length of the carriage (=greater miniaturization) while keeping the same efficiency of the other elements.

(29) The manufacturing method of the carriage according to the invention can be identical to that established for the carriage of the prior art, e.g. by cutting from profiled bar and subsequent finishing by chip removal, or by shearing/punching from metal strips and subsequent cold deformation process. Once the carriage has been obtained in the traditional way, with a milling tool it is possible to obtain both the recesses 2 and the grooves 10a, 10b which determine the hiding seat of the annular collar 4a.

(30) It is understood, however, that the invention is not to be considered as limited by the particular arrangement illustrated above, which represents only an exemplary embodiment of the same, but different variants are possible, all within the reach of a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention itself, as defined by the following claims.

(31) For example, although the guide body 2a has always been illustrated with a rectangular sectional profile, it cannot be excluded that it may have another geometrical shape.

(32) Also, the relative shapes and dimensions of the guide body, of the rear stem and of the front eyelet can vary widely with respect to what is shown in the drawings.

(33) Moreover, reference has been made to a preferred method for creating the hiding seat of the annular collar, but it is not excluded that the same seat can be obtained with a single milling operation for a groove or by deformation of the material rather than by chip removal.

(34) Finally, in case side recesses 2 are not provided for the elastic tabs 4b, it is understood that seat of the annular collar can be made by providing a groove having longitudinal depth on the rear surface of the guiding body which is extending over the entire circumferential perimeter of the stem section.