Nose pad for glasses

Abstract

Nose pad for glasses having the special feature of comprising an upper shell and a lower shell designed to be coupled together, at least one electronic component being able to be housed inside the coupled arrangement of the upper shell and the lower shell, the nose pad being configured to be snap-engaged and disengaged into / from a cavity (4) in a frame of the glasses.

Description

[0001] NOSE PAD FOR GLASSES

[0002] The present invention relates to a nose pad for glasses. More particularly, the invention relates to a nose pad for glasses which may be easily replaced and / or removed from and reattached to the said glasses.

[0003] As is known, glasses rest on the user’s nose, usually by means of a pair of nose pads designed to be arranged on the sides of the nose and to rest on the nose.

[0004] “Glasses” is understood as meaning eyeglasses, sunglasses, masks or work glasses.

[0005] The nose pads may be of the adjustable or fixed type; in any case they are made so as to allow the glasses to rest comfortably on the user’s nose, thus essentially allowing the user not to feel the nose pad pressing against his / her nose.

[0006] The nose pads of the known type usually are made of plastic material or silicone or consist of a metal structure which is rotatably fixed or welded to the frame of the glasses and has, mounted thereon, a part which is directly in contact with the user’s nose and may be made of plastic or silicone or another material.

[0007] The arrival, on the market, of so-called “smart glasses”, i.e. electronic or electrochromic glasses, has resulted in the problem of incorporating in the glasses electronic components and also for example a microphone. Normally, these electronic components as well as the microphone are housed in the arms of the glasses since the space need to house them is far greater than that which is available in the nose pads, but this has resulted in the problem that there is not a direct interface with the user’s mouth, and therefore a sound transmitted to the microphone is not optimal.

[0008] Moreover, the nose pads of smart glasses are usually not removable and therefore not interchangeable. Interchangeability allows the nose pads to be easily replaced following wear and tear or allows more personalized fitting on the user’s nose. The main task of the present invention is to provide a nose pad for glasses which incorporates the functions of electronic / electrochromic glasses and which is also removable.

[0009] In connection with this task, one object of the present invention is to provide a nose pad for glasses which may be easily replaced.

[0010] Last but not least, an object of the invention is to provide a nose pad for glasses which is highly reliable, is relatively simple to manufacture and has a competitive cost.

[0011] This task as well as these and other objects which will appear more clearly below are achieved by a nose pad for glasses, characterized in that it comprises an upper shell and a lower shell which are designed to be coupled together, a microphone being able to housed inside the coupled arrangement of said upper shell and said lower shell, said nose pad being configured to be snap-engaged and disengaged into / from a cavity in a frame of the glasses.

[0012] Further characteristic features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the description of a preferred, but non-exclusive embodiment of the nose pad for glasses according to the present invention, illustrated by way of a non-limiting example in the attached drawings in which:

[0013] Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the nose pad according to the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 shows a further exploded view of the nose pad according to the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of glasses with a nose pad according to the invention shown in the removed position;

[0016] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a detail of Figure 2;

[0017] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the glasses with the nose pad according to the invention mounted.

[0018] With reference to the figures, the nose pad for glasses according to present invention, denoted overall by the reference number 1, comprises an upper shell 2 and a lower shell 3 which can be coupled together. The nose pad thus formed is able to be snap-engaged into a cavity 4 defined in the internal part of a front frame 10 of a set of glasses.

[0019] The upper shell 2 and the lower shell 3 are configured to house at least one electronic component (e.g. RFID tags, haptic sensors, heat sensors, proximity sensors and / or other electronic components which are commonly known in the present state of the art). Preferably, the at least one electronic component comprises at least one microphone 5 connected by means of a flexible connector 6 provided with pins 7 (so-called “pogo pins”) which are designed to project from respective holes 8 arranged on the inner surface of the lower shell 3.

[0020] The microphone 5 is preferably of the type with modulation of the sound through the air. Alternatively, the microphone is of the bone conduction type or an optical microphone.

[0021] A gasket or element ensuring sealing / protection against external agents (9) is designed to be arranged on the bottom surface of the lower shell 3. Said bottom surface is provided with a cavity 12 for housing the sealing element 9 which has holes corresponding to the contact pins 7 such that the contact pins 7 engage inside the holes of the sealing element and project therefrom.

[0022] The upper shell 2 can therefore be coupled onto the lower shell 3, housing internally the at least one microphone 5 connected to the flexible connector 6 which in turn engages with its contacts 7 inside the holes 8 of the lower shell 3.

[0023] In particular, the upper shell is provided with extending portions 13, 14 at its respective ends. The extending portions 13, 14 are configured to engage inside respective recesses 15, 16 of the cavity 4 on the inner surface of the front frame 10 of the glasses.

[0024] The extending portions 13 and 14 of the upper shell 2 are such as to complete, once the nose pad is snap-engaged inside the cavity 4, the profile of the frame 10 adjacent to the cavity 4.

[0025] In this way, the microphone 5 is housed internally inside the nose pad defined by the coupled arrangement of the upper shell 2 and the lower shell 3, being therefore protected from the atmospheric agents and being moreover hidden from view.

[0026] Moreover, the position of the microphone 5 inside the nose pad 2 means that there is an extremely small distance between the mouth of the person wearing the glasses and the microphone 5 such there is an excellent audio quality compared to a microphone positioned in the arm of the glasses.

[0027] The electronic component 5 housed inside the nose pad 1 is entirely housed inside the nose pad in the sense that, apart from the power supply which is obtained from the contact of the pins, the electronic component comprises all the components for operation thereof, this therefore allowing the nose pad to be exchanged and replaced with a new nose pad.

[0028] The invention also relates to glasses comprising at least one nose pad as described above.

[0029] The glasses are conveniently electronic / electrochromic glasses (smart glasses).

[0030] The glasses have a cavity 4 with recesses 15 and 16 for allowing snap- engagement of the nose pad 1.

[0031] It can therefore basically be seen how the nose pad according to the present invention fully achieves the predefined objects and task since it may be removed from the front frame of the glasses without the aid of tools, and is therefore interchangeable, and is able to house a microphone.

[0032] Moreover, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0033] In practice the materials used as well as the associated forms and dimensions may be varied depending on the requirements and the state of the art.

[0034] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102024000022881 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0035] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

6CLAIMS1. Nose pad (1) for glasses, characterized in that it comprises an upper shell (2) and a lower shell (3) designed to be coupled together, at least one electronic component (5) being able to be housed inside the coupled arrangement of said upper shell (2) and said lower shell (3), said nose pad being configured to be snap-engaged and disengaged into / from a cavity (4) in a frame of the glasses.

2. Nose pad according to Claim 1, characterized in that said at least one electronic component (5) is a microphone.

3. Nose pad according to Claim 2, characterized in that said microphone (5) is connected to a flexible connector (6) provided with contact pins (7) able to project from respective holes (8) arranged on the inner surface of the lower shell (3).

4. Nose pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a gasket (9), at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface of said lower shell (3) being provided with a recess (12) for housing said gasket, said gasket (9) having holes corresponding to said contact pins (7) so that said contact pins (7) engage inside said holes and project from said holes.

5. Nose pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said upper shell (2) is provided with extending portions (13, 14) at its respective ends, said extending portions (13, 14) being configured to engage inside respective recesses (15, 16) of a cavity (4) on the inner surface of the front frame (10) of the glasses.

6. Nose pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said contacts (7) of said flexible connector (6) are pogo pins.

7. Nose pad according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one electronic component (5) able to be housed inside the coupled arrangement of said upper shell (2) and said lowershell (3) is completely contained inside said shells (2, 3); said nose pad being removable and replaceable with another nose pad.

8. Glasses comprising a frame (10) and a pair of nose pads (1), characterized in that at least one of said nose pads (1) comprises an upper shell (2) and a lower shell (3) designed to be coupled together, an electronic component (5) being able to be housed inside the coupled arrangement of said upper shell (2) and said lower shell (3), said nose pad (1) being configured to be snap-engaged and disengaged into / from a cavity (4) in the frame (10).

9. Glasses according to Claim 8, characterized in that said frame (10) has, on an inner surface thereof, said cavity (4) with recesses (15, 16) designed to receive extending portions (13, 14) of said upper shell (2).

10. Glasses according to Claim 8, characterized in that said electronic component (5) is a microphone.

11. Glasses according to one or more of Claims 7-9, characterized in that they are electronic / electrochromic glasses.

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