Article of manufacture with gradient pigment and method of making same

Abstract

A method of forming an article of manufacture includes at least one gradient including extruding a first material with a first gradient of a first pigment; extruding a second material with a second gradient of a second pigment; laminating the first material to the second material to define a laminated material such that the first gradient of the first pigment is oriented at an angle relative to the second gradient of the second pigment; and milling the laminated material to define an article of manufacture having at least one gradient in a first direction and at least one gradient in a second direction.

Description

ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE WITH GRADIENT PIGMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAMECROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 675,016, filed July 24, 2024, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an article of manufacture defined from an extruded material, such as acetate, having at least a one color gradient and a method of making the same.

[0003] Eyeglass frames have long been designed to hold a pair of corrective, filtering, or polarizing lenses in front of a wearer’s eyes. The frame commonly includes a front portion that holds the lenses, and a symmetric pair of arms that extend from the front portion to rest between the wearer’s head and ear. The arms are typically attached to the front portion by a hinge that allows the arms to pivot relative to the front portion, and thus to be folded against the front portion for compact storage of the eyeglasses.

[0004] Lens requirements, face shape, skin tone, lifestyle, eye color, and personal aesthetic are factors that can affect one’s choice of eyeglasses. As a result, eyeglasses come in a variety of styles, shapes, sizes, colors, and tints. Expansion of design choices provides flexibility to establish trends and meet wearer’s needs and aesthetics.

[0005] However, design and manufacturability of an article of manufacture including an eyeglass frame has been limited in being able to provide colorant or pigment shading or saturation gradients in an acetate material. Typically, a uniform or gradual shading of a pigment has been limited to one direction within a thickness of material suitable for an eyeglass frame.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0006] To overcome the problems described above, embodiments of the present disclosure include a method of forming an article of manufacture including at least one gradient, the method comprising: extruding a first material with a first gradient of a first pigment; extruding a second material with a second gradient of a second pigment; laminating the first material to the second material to define a laminated material such that the firstgradient of the first pigment is oriented at an angle relative to the second gradient of the second pigment; and milling the laminated material to define an article of manufacture having at least one gradient in a first direction and at least one gradient in a second direction.

[0007] In an aspect, the first material and the second material are acetate.

[0008] In an aspect, the first direction is different from the second direction.

[0009] In an aspect, the first direction is orthogonal relative to the second direction.

[0010] In an aspect, the article of manufacture includes a front portion of eyeglass frames, the front portion including a first rim, a second rim, and a bridge extending between and connecting the first rim and the second rim.

[0011] In an aspect, a thickness of a portion of one of the first rim and the second rim of the eyeglass frame extends from about 4.7 mm to about 6.6 mm.

[0012] An eyeglass frame can be fabricated from the method.

[0013] Another embodiment includes an eyeglass frame fabricated from a material with pigment gradients in two orthogonal directions.

[0014] In an aspect, the material includes a first extruded material having a first gradient of a first pigment and a second extruded material having a second gradient of a second pigment.

[0015] An article of manufacture can be defined by the method.

[0016] Another embodiment includes an eyeglass frame fabricated from a material with pigment gradients in two directions.

[0017] In an aspect, the material includes a first extruded material having a first gradient of a first pigment and a second extruded material having a second gradient of a second pigment.

[0018] In an aspect, the material is acetate.

[0019] In an aspect, the two directions are orthogonal to each other.

[0020] In an aspect, an eyeglass frame includes a first rim and a second rim including the first pigment and the second pigment; and a bridge connecting the first rim and the second rim and including one of the first pigment and the second pigment.

[0021] In an aspect, a thickness of a portion of one of the first rim and the second rim of the eyeglass frame extends from about 4.7 mm to about 6.6 mm.

[0022] In an aspect, a portion of the first rim and the second rim has no pigment.

[0023] The methods of the present disclosure provide an ability to create a smooth and pleasing pigment gradient to provide ornamental features in articles of manufacture defined from acetate not previously achievable.

[0024] The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps, and advantages of the disclosed methods and articles of manufacture will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] This patent or application contains at least one drawing execute in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawings will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of necessary fee.

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows examples of cross sections of an acetate laminate in accordance with some embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 show two different pieces with each having a different color pigment and pigment gradient direction.

[0029] FIG. 3 and FIG. 10 illustrate two materials coming together.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows two materials combined as one laminated material.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows two drawings of a cross section of an eyeglass rim.

[0032] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of examples of completed eyeglasses made with a lamination and machining method according to the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of fabricating an eyeglass frame according to the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0035] Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and / or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will beunderstood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.

[0036] Directional terms as used herein - for example up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom, vertical, horizontal - are made only with reference to the figures as drawn and are not intended to imply absolute orientation.

[0037] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order, nor that with any apparatus, specific orientations be required. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps, or that any apparatus claim does not actually recite an order or orientation to individual components, or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or description that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, or that a specific order or orientation to components of an apparatus is not recited, it is in no way intended that an order or orientation be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps, operational flow, order of components, or orientation of components; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation, and; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification.

[0038] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a” component includes aspects having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0039] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustrating specific exemplary embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the concepts disclosed herein, and it is to be understood that modifications to the various disclosed embodiments may be made, and other embodiments may be utilized, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0040] An eyeglass frame (minus the lenses) typically can include multiple components including a rim or rims to hold the lenses, a bridge between the rims, nose pads on either side of the bridge, two temples extending from the rim, and hinges to hold the temple to the rims. Typically, eyeglass frame components of can be made from metal, plastic, acetate, or a combination of these materials. An acetate frame including a one-piece rim may typically bemade by machining and polishing the rims, bridge, and nose pads from a bulk sheet of material. An acetate sheet is typically a laminate of several layers. The layers can include colorants or pigments to provide monochromatic or patterned visual features to style finished components. However, to date, it has not been possible to create color (pigment) gradients, i.e., a transition from one first color to another second color, in acetate.

[0041] For example, FIG. 1 shows cross sections of examples of an acetate laminate 10, 14 having at least one gradient. As shown, a first laminate material 10 cross section can include a first pigment 12 which, when viewed from the Y direction, appears as a darker pigment in areas where the pigment shape is thicker and as a lighter pigment where the pigment shape is thinner. A second laminate material 14 also includes a second pigment 16. As shown, in cross section, the pigments 12 and 16 can be triangularly shaped to be thicker at a first end 161 and thinner at a second end 162. The pigment saturation would appear as a gradient between darker to lighter areas.

[0042] The pigment is provided to the acetate before the acetate is extruded into a sheet. The thicker portion of the triangularly shaped pigment has more of the pigment so it is less transparent, the thinner part of the triangle has less of the pigment so it is more transparent. This thicker to thinner transition provides the visual gradient.

[0043] A material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes pigment gradients in at least two directions. For example, there can be two pigment gradients that are orthogonal to each other. In an embodiment, a material can include a laminate of at least two different acetate substrates with each acetate substrate including a pigment gradient that are angled with respect to each other when laminated. In an embodiment, the angle is about 90 degrees, within manufacturing tolerances; however, it should be understood that other angles (e.g., angles varying from 90 degrees in increments of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. can be used). FIGS. 3 to 5 are used to illustrate this feature. The substrates shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are illustrated as one-piece eyeglass rims but it is understood that the materials may be initially defined in sheets, laminated together, and then processed to define an article of manufacture, such as an eyeglass component (e.g., eyeglass frames, temples).

[0044] FIG. 2 shows two different pieces with each having a different color pigment and pigment gradient direction. As shown, the upper piece 20 has a tan or beige color pigment 22 that is more saturated at the top and transitions to be less saturated towards the bottom. That is, the pigment gradient is in the Y direction. As shown, the bottom portion has no pigment. The lower piece 24 has a gray color pigment 26 that is more saturated at the left and right outer sides and transitions to be less saturated towards the middle. That is, the pigmentgradient is in the X direction. As shown, the middle portion has no pigment. FIG. 3 shows the upper and lower materials coming together. FIGS. 9 and 10 depict the pigment and pigment gradients of FIGS. 2 and 3 using stippling.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows the upper and lower pieces of FIGS. 2 and 3 combined as one laminated component 40 defined in an eyeglass frame. As shown, the laminated component 40 includes both pigment gradients, the first, tan 22 being more saturated at the top and less towards the bottom and overlapped with the second, gray 26 being more saturated at the sides and less towards the middle. In some embodiments, a portion of the component 40 does not include any pigment.

[0046] It has been found that process, i.e., machining and polishing, parameters of the laminated component can be altered to achieve this compound visual affect, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, the laminated component can be subjected to a CNC milling process such that the milling tool is at a slight (i.e., non-perpendicular) angle to create a gradual gradient color appearance in the article of manufacture.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows two dimensioned drawings of a cross section of an eyeglass rim 60 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) in accordance with some embodiments. Before this compound visual affect could be achieved, a central portion of the rim was processed to a final thickness dimension A (e.g., 5.0 mm) thick and transitioned to A’ (e.g., 6.0 mm) thick (within manufacturing tolerances) toward a side where a hinge would be included to mount a temple. The compound visual affect can be achieved by processing a central portion of the rim to be B (e.g., 4.7 mm) thick and transitioned to B’ (e.g., 6.6 mm) thick (within manufacturing tolerances) toward a side. The high tolerance and control of the pigment profile in the frame provides a smooth and pleasing visual affect. It should be understood that the dimensions discussed herein are merely exemplary and that other dimensions may be used. Further, it should be understood that while the article of manufacture is described as eyewear frames, other articles of manufacture may be used using the disclosed methods.

[0048] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of completed eyeglasses made with a lamination and machining method according to the present disclosure. FIGS. 6 and 7 show a front portion of eyeglass frames, the front portion 60 including a first rim 601, a second rim 602, and a bridge 603 extending between and connecting the first rim 601 and the second rim 602. As shown, the eyeglasses includes both pigment gradients, the first, tan 22 being more saturated at the top and less towards the bottom and overlapped with the second, gray 26 being more saturated at the sides and less towards the middle. In some embodiments, a portion of the eyeglasses 40 does not include any pigment.

[0049] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of one example of a method of fabricating an article of manufacture 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. At SI, a first piece that includes a first pigment with a gradient in a first direction is extruded.

[0050] At S2, a second piece that includes a second pigment with a gradient in a second direction is extruded. In some embodiments, the first and second pieces can be made of acetate. In different embodiments, the first and second pieces can have different pigments with different colors, orientation, and dimensions to create different gradients.

[0051] At S3, the first piece and the second piece are laminated together. In some embodiments, the lamination is such that the gradient of the first pigment and the gradient of the second pigment are not parallel with each other. In some embodiments, the lamination is such that the gradient of the first pigment and the gradient of the second pigment are orthogonal with each other.

[0052] At S4, the laminated material is processed to define an article of manufacture, such as eyeglass frame. Processing to define the article of manufacture can include milling the laminated material into a desired shape, such as a frame for eyewear or other object in which at least one ornamental pigment gradient disposed in a first direction and at least one ornamental gradient disposed in a second direction is desired. The pigment gradients oriented to the desired colorant style. Further, the at least one first gradient may be disposed orthogonally relative to the at least one second gradient. However, in some embodiments, an angle between the at least one first gradient and the at least one second gradient may be varied. For example, the at least one first gradient may be arranged parallel to the at least one second gradient. The gradient directions can be oriented at other angles (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30,35, 40, 45, etc.) relative to one another.

[0053] The processing can further include smoothing or polishing the milled frame to smooth its finish. For example, when applying the method to create a pair of eyewear frames in one non-limiting example of an article of manufacture, the front portion of the eyewear frames (e.g., the portion including the bridge and rims), may be milled such that the rim transitions along its length from a first thickness to a second thickness. In some embodiments, a thickness of a portion of a rim of the eyeglass frame can transition from a first thickness of about 4.7 mm to a second thickness of about 6.6 mm. It should be appreciated that other dimensions are possible, and that the temple arms, bridges, and / or other articles of manufacture or components thereof may be formed using the disclosed process.

[0054] After processing, the frame should be ready for the next assembly step.

[0055] While gradients may be formed in other ways, such as painting, the disclosed method advantageously enables one or more gradients to be defined in acetate, which provides a premium product that is less susceptible to fading and / or scratching due to wear or exposure to abrasive (e.g., chemically or mechanical) materials as compared to painting or other conventional processes. Although the article of manufacture is described with references to eyeglass frames, it should be understood that other articles of manufacture may be fabricated using the techniques disclosed herein, without limitation.

[0056] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of forming an article of manufacture including at least one gradient, the method comprising: extruding a first material with a first gradient of a first pigment; extruding a second material with a second gradient of a second pigment; laminating the first material to the second material to define a laminated material such that the first gradient of the first pigment is oriented at an angle relative to the second gradient of the second pigment; and milling the laminated material to define an article of manufacture having at least one gradient in a first direction and at least one gradient in a second direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material are acetate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first direction is different from the second direction.

4. The method of claim 4, wherein the first direction is orthogonal relative to the second direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the article of manufacture includes a front portion of eyeglass frames, the front portion including a first rim, a second rim, and a bridge extending between and connecting the first rim and the second rim.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a thickness of a portion of one of the first rim and the second rim of the eyeglass frame extends from about 4.7 mm to about 6.6 mm.

7. An eyeglass frame fabricated from the method of claim 1.

8. An article of manufacture defined by the process of claim 1.

9. An eyeglass frame fabricated from a material with pigment gradients in two directions.

10. The eyeglass frame of claim 9, wherein the material includes a first extruded material having a first gradient of a first pigment and a second extruded material having a second gradient of a second pigment.

11. The eyeglass frame of claim 9, wherein the material is acetate.

12. The eyeglass frame of claim 9, wherein the two directions are orthogonal to each other.

13. The eyeglass frame of claim 10, comprising: a first rim and a second rim including the first pigment and the second pigment; and a bridge connecting the first rim and the second rim and including one of the first pigment and the second pigment.

14. The eyeglass frame of claim 13, wherein the material is acetate.

15. The eyeglass frame of claim 13, wherein a thickness of a portion of one of the first rim and the second rim of the eyeglass frame extends from about 4.7 mm to about 6.6 mm.

16. The eyeglass frame of claim 13, wherein a portion of the first rim and the second rim has no pigment.

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