Collapsible Eyeglasses Link System for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional eyeglasses lack a practical mechanism for transitioning between an extended wear configuration and a compact, storable configuration, making them inconvenient for carrying when not in use.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible eyeglass apparatus with a link system that allows the eyeglasses to switch between an extended configuration for wear and a collapsed configuration for storage, featuring a plug-and-socket mechanism and hinged temple members to facilitate nesting of lenses and frames, enabling easy folding and unfolding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional eyeglasses are designed for wear, then they provide proper lens positioning and viewing comfort, but they occupy excessive space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The eyeglass frame is designed so that one lens assembly can be nested within or adjacent to the other lens assembly when collapsed. The temples fold inward and the bridge section allows the lenses to nest together, creating a compact storage configuration that minimizes volume while preserving the full wear configuration when deployed.
2Ease of operation
If eyeglasses are made collapsible, then storage convenience is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The eyeglass frame is divided into distinct collapsible sections including the bridge, temples, and lens assemblies. Each section can independently fold or collapse, allowing the entire structure to be broken down into a compact form through multiple simple hinge points rather than requiring a single complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame incorporates dynamic elements such as hinges and flexible joints that allow the structure to transition between fixed wear configuration and collapsed storage configuration. These dynamic components enable smooth transformation while maintaining structural integrity during both states.
3Volume of moving object
If the eyeglass frame is collapsed, then compactness is achieved, but maintaining structural integrity becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The design incorporates features that prevent damage during collapse by providing predetermined paths and protected zones. The lens assemblies are positioned and shaped to cushion each other during the nesting process, and the hinge mechanisms are designed to guide the collapse in a way that avoids stress concentrations that could cause structural failure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the eyeglasses to be efficiently transitioned between wear and storage configurations, providing a convenient and space-saving solution for users, with the link system and magnetic attraction ensuring secure positioning in both states.
Implementation Method 1
a first magnetic member secured to the first eyeglass portion and a second magnetic member secured to the second eyeglass portion, the first and second magnetic members being magnetically attracted to one another when the first and second eyeglass portions are in the extended configuration
Data Source
AI summary
An eyeglass apparatus comprises left and right eyeglass portions and a link. The link is configured to permit the eyeglass apparatus to transition between an extended configuration and a collapsed configuration. In the extended configuration, the eyeglass apparatus is adapted to be worn by a user in a conventional eyeglass wearing orientation. In the collapsed configuration: an inwardly facing lens face of one of left and right lenses faces an outwardly facing lens face of the other of the left and right lenses; a medial edge portion of the left lens is closer to a medial edge portion of the right lens than to a lateral edge portion of the right lens; and the lateral edge portion of the left lens is closer to the lateral edge portion of the right lens than to the medial edge portion of the right lens.