Eyeglass Retention via Hat-Mounted Elastic Tethers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Eyeglasses often experience glare and reflections, are prone to loss or misplacement, and can be dislodged during active movements, leading to potential damage when not securely attached to the user's head.
Innovation Solution
A system using mounting pins and flexible tethers that connect the temple arms of eyeglasses to a hat, allowing adjustable placement and secure retention, with elastic loops to accommodate different sizes and types of eyeglasses, ensuring the eyeglasses remain attached to the hat even when the hat is removed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If eyeglasses are worn without secure attachment, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to dislodgement and loss
Solution Approach 1:
The retention system is divided into separate components: a hat-mounted anchor point and a temple arm-mounted connector linked by a tether. This segmentation allows the eyeglasses to remain easily wearable while providing secure retention through the distributed attachment system.
Solution Approach 2:
A tether acts as an intermediary element connecting the hat and eyeglasses. This mediator provides the security connection without requiring direct attachment to the head, maintaining ease of operation while ensuring reliability.
2Reliability
If traditional retainers are used to secure eyeglasses, then retention security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to tight loops around neck or head
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer system extracts the loop from around the neck or head and relocates it to attach to the hat. This removes the uncomfortable tight loop from contact with the body while maintaining retention security through the hat-mounted attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The hat serves as an intermediary attachment point, replacing the need for tight loops around the neck or head. The tether connects the eyeglasses to this intermediary, providing security without compromising comfort.
3Adaptability or versatility
If eyeglasses are kept separately from hat, then adaptability is improved, but loss prevention deteriorates due to misplacement
Solution Approach 1:
The tether acts as a flexible intermediary that maintains connection between hat and eyeglasses while allowing independent use. When the hat is worn, the eyeglasses are securely attached; when the hat is removed, the eyeglasses remain connected to it, preventing loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts to different usage scenarios. The tether allows the eyeglasses to be securely attached when needed and easily removed when the hat is taken off, providing both connection and independence as required by the situation.
4Reliability
If rigid connection is used to secure eyeglasses to hat, then retention security is improved, but adaptability deteriorates due to inability to accommodate different eyeglasses sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The tether provides a dynamic connection that can adjust its configuration. It maintains secure attachment while adapting to different eyeglasses sizes, shapes, and temple arm configurations, eliminating the need for rigid fixed-geometry connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible tether allows geometric parameters of the connection to change and adapt. Unlike rigid connections with fixed dimensions, the tether can accommodate varying distances and angles between attachment points on different eyeglasses and hats.
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
The system effectively reduces glare, prevents loss and misplacement, and provides protection against damage by keeping eyeglasses connected to the hat, which is more visible and less likely to be misplaced, and offers improved retention during active activities.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the bases is connected to a flexible tether, preferably an adjustable length loop and more preferably to an elastic loop. The elastic loop is preferably adjustable via a slide lock to allow each of the temple arms of eyeglasses to be inserted through a different loop.
Data Source
AI summary
A pair of mounting pins are each inserted through the bill of a baseball hat. Each pin is releasably engaged with a base to connect to the bill at various locations. Each of the bases is connected to a flexible tether that is adjustable in length and preferably forms an elastic loop. Each temple arm of an eyeglass is inserted through a different loop, with the slide lock tightened to securely connect the loop to the temple arm of the eyeglasses and connects each temple arm the bill of the hat, at a location below the bill. The elastic loops encircling the temple arms to maintain the eyeglasses at a desired location on the cap and accommodate differing eyeglasses.