U.S. patent application number 10/615656 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-07 for eyeglasses case.
Invention is credited to Yoshizawa, Takashi.
Application Number | 20040195113 10/615656 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30437271 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040195113 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yoshizawa, Takashi |
October 7, 2004 |
Eyeglasses case
Abstract
A novel eyeglasses case can resolve the problems that
conventional eyeglasses cases wherein an upper cover and a lower
cover are connected at one end using a hinge or the like and the
covers are opened by releasing an engagement such as a button or
the like provided at the other end, have to be opened by using both
hands. A novel eyeglasses case of the present invention is provided
wherein a rotating member is utilized for connecting an upper cover
and a lower cover and oil is filled in the rotating portion so that
the rotation of a rotating spindle of a damper or a spring provided
within the rotating member is moderated by utilizing viscosity of
the oil so as to allow the upper cover to be opened automatically.
Therefore, a user can open and close the cover body freely by one
hand.
Inventors: |
Yoshizawa, Takashi;
(Hamamatu-city, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROCCO S. BARRESE, ESQ.
DILWORTH & BARRESE, LLP
333 Earle Ovington Blvd.
Uniondale
NY
11553
US
|
Family ID: |
30437271 |
Appl. No.: |
10/615656 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 11/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/005 |
International
Class: |
A45C 011/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 10, 2002 |
JP |
201180/2002 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An eyeglasses case comprising: an upper cover; a lower cover; a
button which is secured to the upper cover; and a rotating member
which is secured to a contact portion between the upper cover and
the lower cover, wherein, when pushing the button for release, a
spring in the rotating member moves to slowly open the upper cover
upwardly.
2. An eyeglasses case according to claim 1, wherein said rotating
member comprises a support spindle for supporting the spring and an
outer housing for containing the support spindle, the support
spindle and the outer housing being integrally united, and wherein
oil is sealed in the support spindle.
3. An eyeglasses case according to claim 1, wherein the rotating
member comprises a main body case having holes for securement, a
rotor or a vane fitted into an inside of the case, oil with which a
clearance inside of the case is filled, and a cover body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to an eyeglasses case wherein an
upper cover and a lower cover are integrally united, and more
specifically, the invention relates to an eyeglasses case wherein a
rotating member in which oil is sealed is secured to a contact
portion of the upper cover and the lower cover, and the upper cover
is slowly rotated upwardly.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] As for a conventional eyeglasses case wherein an upper cover
and a lower cover are integrally united, an eyeglasses case having
a structure in which the covers can be opened upwardly and
downwardly via a hinge portion at a side end is known, as shown in
Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 2-11431 "an
eyeglasses case with a storage space".
[0005] The eyeglasses case of this shape is typically used in such
a manner that a pair of eyeglasses stored in the case can be taken
out by opening a little an opening mouth provided on an opening
side while being held by both hands and then by opening the mouth
up to the maximum extent of the opening limit or the mouth can be
closed.
[0006] However, in the above-stated conventional eyeglasses case,
the upper cover of the case has to be opened by using both hands.
That is, an eyeglasses case which can be operated by one hand has
not been known yet, for example, such a type of an eyeglasses case
that, when releasing a button, the upper cover is automatically
opened in the upward direction.
[0007] Thus, the inventor of the present invention has studied
earnestly to solve the related problems and found that an
eyeglasses case can be manufactured wherein a rotating member is
secured to a contact portion of an upper cover and a lower cover
and the upper cover can be rotated automatically using a rotating
spindle within the rotating member.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A first invention is an eyeglasses case comprising: an upper
cover; a lower cover; a button which is secured to the upper cover;
and a rotating member which is secured to a contact portion between
the upper cover and the lower cover, wherein, when pushing the
button for release, a spring in the rotating member moves to slowly
open the upper cover upwardly.
[0009] A second invention is an eyeglasses case according to claim
1, wherein said rotating member comprises a support spindle for
supporting the spring and an outer housing for containing the
support spindle, the support spindle and the outer housing being
integrally united, and wherein oil is sealed in the support
spindle.
[0010] The third invention is an eyeglasses case according to claim
1, wherein the rotating member comprises a main body case having
holes for securement, a rotor or a vane fitted into an inside of
the case, oil with which a clearance inside of the case is filled,
and a cover body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eyeglasses case according
to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an eyeglasses case of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a front view of an eyeglasses case of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a partly cross-sectional view for illustrating a
cross section A-A' of FIG. 2; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view for illustrating an embodiment
of an eyeglasses case according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the eyeglasses case relating
to the present invention. An eyeglasses case 1 of the present
invention has a case type shape wherein an upper cover 2 and a
lower cover 3 are integrally united and wherein two rotating
members 6 are provided on the both end portions of a connecting
portion and a button 4 provided on the opposite side for opening
the upper cover is secured on a button securing portion 5.
[0017] In this case, the button of the button securing portion has
a structure, wherein an engaging portion which engages the upper
cover 2 and the lower cover 3 is released within the structure when
the button is pulled outwardly or pushed inwardly by one hand.
[0018] The upper cover 2 has such a structure that the cover is
opened upwardly by the function of the two rotating members 6
provided on the other side end when the above-stated engaging
portion is released. However, the cover is not opened upwardly
immediately with the release of the above-stated engaging portion.
Since the oil 9 filled within the rotating member 6 provides a slow
motion of a spring 8 which is fitted into a supporting spindle 7,
and extended or compressed, a mechanism which allows the upper
cover to be slowly opened upwardly is obtained as a result.
[0019] In this case, the structure within the rotating member 6 is
a structure, as shown in FIG. 4, in which an outer cylindrical
frame is formed at a lower end portion of the upper cover 2 so that
the supporting spindle 7 is fitted into the frame along the inner
circumferential wall of the frame. In this case, the supporting
spindle 7 is cylindrical in its outer shape and a protrusion is
provided on the inner bottom surface to be a spring stopper 11.
[0020] On the other hand, a protrusion is also provided in the
outer cylindrical frame formed at the lower end portion of the
upper cover 2 to be a spring stopper 10. The spring 8 is arranged
to be fixed between the two spring stoppers.
[0021] Further, a covering member is provided at a side end portion
of the above-stated supporting spindle 7, and the oil 9 is sealed
in the supporting spindle. When an upper lock member 12 is released
from a lower lock member 13 by pushing the push button 4 provided
on the eyeglasses case upper cover, the spring 8 which has been in
a transformed state begins to extend outwardly, and at the same
time, the upper cover is opened upwardly.
[0022] When only with the spring function in this case, the upward
opening is immediately achieved which might be dangerous, for
example, due to hitting a user on the hand. Therefore, oil is
filled in the supporting spindle so that extension or compression
of the spring is arbitrarily restricted so as to control the motion
of the spring such that the upward opening becomes slow.
[0023] In an another embodiment of the eyeglasses case, instead of
the above-stated rotating member using the spring, a rotating
member may comprise a main body case having holes for securement, a
rotor or a vane fitted into an inside of the case, oil with which a
clearance inside of the case is filled, and a cover body.
[0024] Such a rotating member is referred to as a rotary damper or
an oscillation damper. In this case, the rotary damper is a damper
of a rotating system using a restraining force (a brake force)
generated by viscosity resistance of oil. The upper cover is
adapted to be able to be opened upwardly by fitting a rotor having
a rotating spindle into a cylindrical main body, filling the
circumference of the rotor with oil, covering the body with a cap
and connecting the upper cover to the above-stated rotating spindle
by a lever or a gear as a rotating spindle for the upper cover.
[0025] On the other hand, the oscillation damper is a rotating
system damper using pressure of oil. The upper cover is adapted to
be able to be opened upwardly by securing a plurality of vanes
integrally to a rotating spindle in a main body case, filling the
clearance between the vanes with silicon oil, covering the body
case with a cap and connecting the upper cover to the above-stated
rotating spindle by a lever or a gear as a rotating spindle for the
upper cover.
[0026] The eyeglasses case of the present invention has a structure
in which a lever or a gear connected to a rotating spindle can be
slowly moved by restricting rotation of a rotary damper or a
oscillation damper, or extension or compression of a spring by fill
oil in a rotating member, and with the movement, the upper cover
can be opened slowly upwardly. Therefore, the user can open the
upper cover automatically by releasing the button of the upper
cover with one hand.
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