U.S. patent application number 14/980460 was filed with the patent office on 2016-04-21 for eyewear with exchangeable temples housing a radio frequency transceiver.
The applicant listed for this patent is III Holdings 1, LLC. Invention is credited to Mikal GREAVES, Christiaan LIGTENBERG, James E. MALACKOWSKI, Thomas MEIER, Rolf MILESI, Gregory SWAB.
Application Number | 20160109729 14/980460 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25295212 |
Filed Date | 2016-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160109729 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SWAB; Gregory ; et
al. |
April 21, 2016 |
EYEWEAR WITH EXCHANGEABLE TEMPLES HOUSING A RADIO FREQUENCY
TRANSCEIVER
Abstract
A wireless ad hoc network may be formed by eyewear having a
radio frequency transceiver with other devices having compatible
radio frequency transceivers. The transceivers may operate in an
unlicensed radio frequency band at 2.45 GHz. The eyewear may
include at least one detachable temple, and the radio frequency
transceiver of the eyewear may be embedded in the at least one
detachable temple. Other devices may also be embedded in the at
least one detachable temple. The at least one detachable temple may
be electrically connected to a frame of the eyewear when in an open
position.
Inventors: |
SWAB; Gregory; (Tulsa,
OK) ; MALACKOWSKI; James E.; (Chicago, IL) ;
GREAVES; Mikal; (Mountain View, CA) ; MILESI;
Rolf; (Sunnyvale, CA) ; LIGTENBERG; Christiaan;
(San Carlos, CA) ; MEIER; Thomas; (San Jose,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
III Holdings 1, LLC |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
25295212 |
Appl. No.: |
14/980460 |
Filed: |
December 28, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10884153 |
Jul 2, 2004 |
9244292 |
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14980460 |
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|
10611125 |
Jul 1, 2003 |
6929365 |
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10884153 |
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|
10608321 |
Jun 27, 2003 |
6911172 |
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10611125 |
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09845425 |
Apr 30, 2001 |
6769767 |
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10608321 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
351/116 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 2015/3895 20130101;
G06F 1/163 20130101; G01N 30/02 20130101; G01N 30/02 20130101; H04W
4/80 20180201; H04W 56/0015 20130101; H04W 52/248 20130101; G02C
5/146 20130101; H04W 84/18 20130101; G02C 5/22 20130101; Y10T
16/526 20150115; G02C 11/10 20130101; B29D 12/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G02C 11/00 20060101
G02C011/00; G02C 5/22 20060101 G02C005/22; G06F 1/16 20060101
G06F001/16; H04W 52/24 20060101 H04W052/24; H04W 56/00 20060101
H04W056/00; G02C 5/14 20060101 G02C005/14; H04W 4/00 20060101
H04W004/00 |
Claims
1. An eyewear comprising: a frame, including a temple configured to
be detachably attached to the remainder of the frame, wherein, with
the temple in an open position, an electrical connection is
established between the temple and the frame, and wherein, with the
temple in a closed position, no electrical connection is
established between the temple and the frame; and a radio frequency
transceiver configured for short-distance wireless communication,
wherein the radio frequency transceiver is embedded in the temple,
and wherein the radio frequency transceiver is configured to form
an ad hoc wireless network with at least one of a plurality of
devices.
2. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transceiver
is configured to communicate with the plurality of devices within a
frequency band around a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (GHz).
3. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein any one of the transceiver and
the plurality of devices is configured to be a master or a slave in
a master-slave configuration.
4. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices are
wireless communication devices.
5. The eyewear of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication
devices are chosen from a group consisting of a phone, a computer,
a radio, a compact disc player, a camera, a distance alarm, a heart
rate monitor, and a hand held global positioning satellite
system.
6. The eyewear of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication
devices are located in a range of one hundred meters or less from
the eyewear.
7. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transceiver
is further configured to automatically change an output power of
the transceiver to adjust a range of transmission to exactly a
required range.
8. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein respective ones of the radio
frequency transceiver and the plurality of devices have respective
clocks, and wherein the respective clocks are automatically
synchronized with one of the respective clocks that is a designated
master clock.
9. The eyewear of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transceiver
is enabled to communicate with only those of the plurality of
devices that are preset to communicate with the radio frequency
transceiver.
10. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: an apparatus
attached to the temple.
11. The eyewear of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is selected from
a group consisting of an audio device having a speaker and a
microphone, a camera, a display device, a distance alarm, and an
ear bud.
12. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: a hinge configured
to connect the frame and the temple; a first pad located on the
frame; and a second pad located on the temple; wherein, with the
temple in the open position, the first pad and the second pad
contact each other to establish the electrical connection.
13. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: a hinge; and a
connector having a male portion and a female portion; wherein the
hinge is connected to the frame and the female portion, and wherein
the temple is connected to the male portion such that, with the
male portion engaged with the female portion, the temple is
attached to the frame, substantially hiding from view the connector
and the hinge.
14. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: a hinge; and a
connector having a male portion and a female portion, wherein the
hinge is connected to the frame and the male portion, and wherein
the temple is connected to the female portion such that, with the
male portion engaged with the female portion, the temple is
attached to the frame, substantially hiding from view the connector
and the hinge.
15. The eyewear of claim 13, further comprising: an on/off switch
located on the temple.
16. The eyewear of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the
apparatus is embedded in the temple.
17. The eyewear of claim 16, further comprising: one or more
conductors, wherein the one or more conductors are embedded in the
temple and the frame, and wherein the one or more conductors are
configured to establish electrical connection between different
components of the apparatus.
18. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: another temple,
wherein a first one of the two temples contains the radio frequency
transceiver, and wherein a second one of the two temples contains a
speaker.
19. The eyewear of claim 1, further comprising: a battery disposed
within the temple and electrically coupled to the radio frequency
transceiver embedded in the temple.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/884,153, filed Jul. 2, 2004, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/611,125, filed
Jul. 1, 2003, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,365, U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/608,321, filed Jun. 27, 2003, which
has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,172, and U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 09/845,425, filed Apr. 30, 2001, which has issued as U.S.
Pat. No. 6,769,767, the priority rights of all of which are
claimed, and whose disclosures are incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a wireless communication
eyewear device having interchangeable temples. More particularly,
the invention relates to eyewear having a transceiver enabled with
small-range wireless communication technology.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] Many conventional wearable personal apparatus including
eyewear, having electrical input-output devices are available to
the consumers. Several of these apparatus provide wireless
communications using radio frequency or infrared frequency. For
example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,832 discloses a wearable personal
apparatus that includes an audio transducer, which may function as
an audio input or output device. The audio input or output signals
are provided through a wireless system.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,546 discloses an eyeglass interface
system which includes a display assembly and one or more audio
and/or video assemblies mounted to an eyeglass frame. The display
assembly is mounted to one temple and provides an image to be
viewed by the user. The audio or video assembly is mounted on the
other temple and is in communication with the display assembly. The
audio or video assembly may comprise a camera assembly and/or an
audio input or output assembly, such as microphone and/or speakers.
Applications include hands-free telephone, hands-free pager,
hands-free time display, hands-free blood pressure or vital sign
monitoring device, hands-free voice conferencing or hands-free
surveillance system. The applications can include voice recognition
technology and/or GPS technology utilizing an infrared link or
radio frequency (RF) link, or a fiber optic cable.
[0005] Additionally, a personal display device built into a frame
of eyewear is disclosed at the website of in Viso Inc. and may be
found at the following URL address: http://www.inviso.com. The in
Viso's eyewear is designed in the shape of sunglasses with the
built-in personal display device providing a wearer with a view of
his/her computer screen. The displayed view is equivalent to a view
provided by a 19-inch desktop monitor from a 2.5 feet distance. In
order to display the content of the computer screen on the personal
display device, however, the in Viso's eyewear has to be plugged
into the computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Conventional apparatuses are limited to handling a one to
one communication, and can not form an ad hoc network consisting of
more than two devices. Conventional audio devices do not function
well in a noisy, radio environment and are bulky and have high
power consumption. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wireless
communication device that is capable of forming an ad hoc network
with a plurality of devices. It is also desirable to provide an
apparatus that is low-cost, small in size, and has a low power
consumption. It is also desirable to have an apparatus that can
function in very noisy radio environments and is audible under
severe conditions.
[0007] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the
conventional apparatus, and provides a wireless network formed by
connecting an eyewear with a computer, a bracelet and a telephone.
The eyewear has a transceiver mounted on a temple. The computer,
the bracelet and the telephone also have similar transceivers,
mounted on them. Other devices, such as a radio, a CD player, a
hand held global positioning satellite system and a heart rate
monitor, having similar transceivers, can also be connected with
the transceiver. The transceivers are preferably tiny, inexpensive,
short-range transceivers that operate on globally available,
unlicensed radio band, 2.45 gigahertz (GHz). The transceivers
conform to the Bluetooth.TM. standard promoted by the Bluetooth.TM.
Special Interest Group. Bluetooth.TM. is an open specification
technology, whose specifications can be obtained from Bluetooth.TM.
SIG, Inc. or downloaded from www.Bluetooth.com. A copy of the
Bluetooth.TM. Radio Specification is attached to the present
specification and is fully incorporated herein by reference. The
transceivers can support data speeds of up to 721 kilo-bits per
second as well as three voice channels. The transceivers can
operate at at least two power levels: a lower power level that
covers a range of about ten meters and a higher power level. The
higher level covers a hundred-meter range, can function even in
very noisy radio environments, and can be audible under severe
conditions. The transceivers limit their output power to exactly
that actually needed. If the receiving device is only a short
distance away, the transceivers modify its signals to suit exact
range. Furthermore, the radio automatically shifts to a low-power
mode when traffic volume becomes low or stops. The power
consumption of Bluetooth enabled devices is less than three percent
of the power consumption of a mobile phone.
[0008] The invention contemplates eyewear with interchangeable
temples housing a transceiver enabled with small-range wireless
network technology, which allows the provided eyewear to form
small-range ad-hoc networks with other devices equipped with
similar transceivers.
[0009] The eyewear includes a frame and connected to the frame are
two temples. The temples are connected to the frame hinges. The
temples have a male portion of a connector, for example a
one-eighth inch audio connector, incorporated in them. The female
portion of the connector is made integral with the hinges. When the
male portion is inserted into the female portion, the temple is
attached to the frame. The temples can be removed by pulling the
connector apart, and a temple with a different apparatus within it
can be inserted in place of the removed temples.
[0010] In addition to housing a transceiver, each temple of the
provided eyewear may have other communication devices, for example,
an audio device, a camera, a speaker, a microphone, a display
device such as a liquid crystal or an alarm device, co-molded
within its body. A battery powering the transceiver and other
co-molded devices can also be co-molded within one of the temples
and connected to a co-molded device and the transceiver via a
co-molded conductor.
[0011] In another embodiment, the eyewear, worn for example by an
adult, comprises a distance alarm monitor to supervise the movement
of a child. In this embodiment, a device, preferably in the form of
a bracelet equipped with its own short-range transceiver, is worn
by the child. The transceivers in the eyewear and the bracelet form
a small-range wireless network, wherein the eyewear and the
bracelet communicate with each other using signals conforming to
the aforementioned Bluetooth.TM. standard. The transceiver in the
eyewear is configured to activate the alarm when the distance
between the bracelet and the eyewear exceeds a predetermined
range.
[0012] Further features and advantages of the invention will become
evident to one skilled in the art upon reading of the detailed
description of the invention, which is given below by way of
example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the
following description of the preferred embodiments when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a small-range
wireless network formed by connecting an eyewear, constructed in
accordance with the present disclosure, to a computer, a bracelet
and a wireless telephone;
[0015] FIG. 2a is a schematic representation of the eyewear of FIG.
1 showing the removable temples of the eyewear and their connection
to an eyewear frame;
[0016] FIG. 2b is a diagram of the hinge with the male connector
portion extending out before being molded into the temple;
[0017] FIG. 2c is a diagram showing the hinge molded into the
temple;
[0018] FIG. 2d is a diagram showing the spacial relationship of the
pin of the hinge and the male connector portion;
[0019] FIG. 2e is a diagram showing the hinge, connector and
circuitry such a Bluetooth.TM. PCB before being molded into the
temple;
[0020] FIG. 2f is a diagram showing the spacial relationship of the
assembly of FIG. 2c in the eyewear;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a network formed by the eyewear of
the present invention and various communication devices, for
example a mobile phone or a two-way radio;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a network formed by the eyewear of
the present invention and various audio-playing devices such as an
MP3 player;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a network formed by the eyewear
having a camera mounted on its frame and various video-enabled
devices, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a
laptop computer;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a network formed by the eyewear
having a camera mounted on one of its temples and various
video-enabled devices, for example, a personal digital assistant
(PDA) or a laptop computer;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a network formed by the eyewear of
the present invention and a telephone conferencing device;
[0026] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of different components of the
eyewear co-molded within the frame and temples of the eyewear;
[0027] FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the eyewear provided
with a transceiver and a pair of removable audio speakers;
[0028] FIG. 10 is a back perspective view of the eyewear shown in
FIG. 8 with one of the speakers being removed from its temple;
[0029] FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the eyewear provided
with a digital camera mounted on the frame of the eyewear and a
pair of speakers mounted on the temples; and
[0030] FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the eyewear, having
a microphone mounted on its temple, and a teleconferencing device
being in communication with the eyewear.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] A general concept of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention is shown in FIG. 1. In accordance with this embodiment, a
wireless network 10 is formed by connecting eyewear 12 with
computer 14, bracelet 17 and telephone 16. Eyewear 12 has a
transceiver 18 mounted on one of the temples of the eyewear 12
(shown on the temple 19). Computer 14, bracelet 17 and telephone
16, also have similar transceivers, (not shown), mounted on them.
When a user of the eyewear 12 comes within a predetermined distance
from the above devices, the transceivers of the eyewear and these
devices start to communicate to each other thereby creating the ad
hoc small-range wireless network 10.
[0032] Transceiver 18 is a tiny, inexpensive, short range
transceiver that operates on globally available, unlicensed radio
band, 2.45 gigahertz (GHz). Transceiver 18 conforms to the
Bluetooth.TM. standard. Bluetooth.TM. is an open specification
technology, whose specifications can be obtained from Bluetooth.TM.
SIG, Inc. or downloaded from www.Bluetooth.com. Transceiver 18 can
support data speeds of up to 721 kilo-bits per second as well as
three voice channels. The transceiver can operate at a lower power
level that covers about ten meters and a higher power level which
covers about a hundred meters. Transceiver 18 includes a chip 22
that along with software control, allows the user to preset which
units transceiver 18 can communicate with. The Bluetooth.TM.
technology allows transceiver 18 to function even in very noisy
radio environments, and be audible under severe conditions, for
example, during a thunderstorm.
[0033] A connection between the eyewear 12 having the transceiver
18 and one or more of any other devices forms a small range
wireless network 10, known as a piconet. Any device in the piconet,
including the transceiver, can be configured to be a master, and
the rest of the devices will be slaves. A different device may be
configured to be the master at a different time, reverting the
previous master to be a slave to the newly configured master.
Several piconets can be established and linked together ad hoc, and
a slave in one piconet can act as a master in another piconet. The
clocks of all devices in the piconet are synchronized with the
clock of the master. The full-duplex data rate within a multiple
piconet structure with ten fully loaded, independent piconets can
be more than 6 megabits per second.
[0034] Transceivers 18 and transceivers within other devices limit
their output power to exactly that actually needed. If the
receiving device is only a short distance away, the transceivers
modify its signal to suit exact range. Furthermore, the radio
automatically shifts to a low-power mode when traffic volume
becomes low or stops. The low-power mode is interrupted by very
short signal, with the purpose of verifying the established
connection. Bluetooth.TM. enabled devices may have four modes of
operation in a connection state. The four modes, in increasing
order of power consumption are part, hold, sniff and active. Thus,
the power consumption of Bluetooth.TM. enabled devices is less than
three percent of the power consumption of a mobile phone.
[0035] Shown in FIG. 2a is a schematic representation of eyewear 12
of FIG. 1. Eyewear 12 includes a frame 24, and connected to frame
24 are two temples 19 and 20. Temples 19 and 20 are connected to
frame 24 via hinges 26 and 28, respectively. Although hinges 26 and
28 are shown to be adjacent to and separate from connector portions
of the eyewear, it should be appreciated that this is done for
illustration purposes only. As discussed further with respect to
FIGS. 2b-2f, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention
each hinge is integral with one portion (either male or female) of
the corresponding connector. Temples 19 and 20 each have a male
portion 30 of a connector 34, for example, a one-eighth inch audio
connector, incorporated in it. Female portion 32 of connector 34 is
made integral with hinges 26 and 28. As it is evident to one
skilled in the art, mounting positions of male portion 30 and
female portion 32 may be reversed, as shown for example in FIGS.
2b-2f. When male portion 30 is inserted in female portion 32,
temple 20 is attached to frame 24. Temple 19 is also attached to
frame 24 in a similar manner. Temples 19 and 20 can be removed by
pulling the connection apart, and a different temple having a
different apparatus within it can be inserted in place of temples
19 or 20. Temples 19 and 20 when attached to frame 24 substantially
hide hinges 26 and 28, thereby making eyewear 12 esthetically
better. A patent application filed by Gregory Swab, entitled
"Exchangeable Eyeglass Temple Pieces Utilizing Quick-Connect
Attachment" Ser. No. 09/532,427, describes temple pieces with
quick-connect attachment for quick attachment and removal of the
temple pieces to the frame.
[0036] Frame 24 has pads 42 and 44 located near hinges 28 and 26,
respectively. Temples 20 and 19 also have pads 46 and 48 which
contact pads 42 and 44 respectively when temples 20 and 19 are in
open position. The pads, when in contact, complete the electrical
path thereby activating the circuits of apparatus 36.
Alternatively, a switch 50 may be located on temples 19 or 20 to
activate the circuits.
[0037] The connected hinge which permits electrical conduction
between the both temples and the frame enables the sharing of
fuctionality between the left and right temples. It further enables
the battery and the circuitry such as the Bluetooth.TM. PCB to be
on opposing sides to accommodate more circuitry and their functions
and to balance the weight and volume. The hinge enables dual mono
or stereo speakers and can accommodate USB devices such as a
digital camera.
[0038] FIG. 2b is a diagram of the hinge (an embodiment of 26 or
28) with male connector portion 32 extending out before being
molded into the temple 19, 20. FIG. 2c is a diagram showing the
hinge molded into the temple. FIG. 2d is a diagram showing the
spacial relationship of the pin 50 of the hinge and the male
connector portion 32. FIG. 2e is a diagram showing the hinge,
connector 34 and circuitry 90 such a Bluetooth.TM. PCB before being
molded into the temple. FIG. 2f is a diagram showing the spacial
relationship of the assembly of FIG. 2c in the eyewear.
[0039] Temple 20 has co-molded within its body, an apparatus 36.
Apparatus 36 can be, for example, an audio device, a camera, a
speaker, a microphone, and a display device such as a liquid
crystal or an alarm. The apparatus includes electrical circuitry
for operation in an electronics package such as a Bluetooth.TM.
module with PCB. A battery 38, can be co-molded within temple 20 or
19 and connected to the co-molded apparatus 36 via co-molded
conductors 40.
[0040] Other devices, such as a radio, a CD player, a hand held
global positioning satellite system and a heart rate monitor,
having their own transceivers similar to the transceiver 18, can
also be connected to the eyewear 12. As shown in the flow-chart of
FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the present invention, the eyewear 12,
having the transceiver 18, battery 52, microphone 54 and speaker 56
molded into one of its temples, is connected to a mobile phone, a
heart rate monitor or a two-way radio, represented in the
flow-chart as one box 66. All of these connected devices are
equipped with their own transceivers 68, similar to the transceiver
18, and each transceiver is powered by a battery 72. Since mobile
phones, heart-rate monitors and two-way radios are typically
battery operated, no additional power source is required to power
transceivers 68. A signal, for example audio information generated
by the wearer of the eyewear 12, is transmitted through the
microphone 54 and transceiver 18 to the transceiver 68 associated
with the intended recipient device, which device, upon receipt of
the signal, performs a desired action, for example further conveys
the received audio information. A similar embodiment of the present
invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 12 where the eyewear 12 is
utilized in connection with telephone conferencing equipment 78.
The transceiver 18 of the eyewear 12 is then coupled to the
transceiver 80 of the telephone conferencing equipment 78 for
transmission/receipt of communication signals. This embodiment of
the present invention may also be utilized together with a digital
camera, as described more fully below, for video conferencing.
[0041] In another embodiment of the present invention, the eyewear
12 may be connected to various audio-playing devices, for example,
an MP3 audio player 58, through the eyewear transceiver 18 coupled
to the MP3 player's transceiver 70, as shown in the flow-chart of
FIG. 4. In this embodiment, one speaker is mounted on each temple
of the eyewear 12, i.e., a left speaker 60 is mounted on the left
temple 19 and a right speaker 62 is mounted on the right temple 20.
Preferably, only one speaker (left speaker 60 in FIG. 4) is
connected directly to the transceiver 18, the other speaker (right
speaker 62 in FIG. 4) is then connected to the first speaker
through the electrically conductive connection of the two temples
and the frame. Similarly to the above described embodiment, the MP3
player 58 is equipped with its own transceiver 70 capable of
exchanging signals with the transceiver 18. In operation, when MP3
player plays back previously stored music or any other stored audio
signal, the transceiver 70 feeds this signal to the transceiver 18
which, in turn, conveys the signal to the speakers 60 and 62. This
embodiment of the present invention is further illustrated in FIGS.
9-10 showing the eyewear 12 having the transceiver 18 molded into
the left temple 19, the left speaker 60 removably mounted on the
left temple 19 and the right speaker 62 removably mounted on the
right temple 20. Left temple 19, frame 24 and right temple 20 form
an electrically conductive link connecting the right speaker 62 to
the left speaker 60.
[0042] Various video or photo-enabled devices 74, such as a laptop,
personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone or others, can also
be connected to the eyewear 12, as shown in the flow-chart of FIG.
5. In this embodiment, a small digital camera 64 is mounted on the
frame 24 of the eyewear 12, as shown for example in FIG. 11. Camera
64 can preferably take digital still pictures as well as video
images and transmit them through the transceiver 18 to one or
several transceivers 76 of the connected devices 74. If camera 64
is provided with software, such software may be stored on one of
the connected devices 74, for example the laptop computer. It is
possible then to control camera 64 by transmitting commands, issued
from the laptop computer, through the laptop's transceiver 76 to
the eyewear's transceiver 18, which then conveys the commands to
the camera for fulfillment. This embodiment may be particularly
useful if utilized together with the child's alarm system described
below. In the described embodiment, the electrically conductive
connection of the two temples and the frame is necessary in order
for the signal to be conveyed to and from the connected devices.
However, if such connection is not desirable, camera 64 may be
located on the same temple, for example temple 19, with the
transceiver 18. An electrical connection link between the camera
and the transceiver may then be embodied within the single temple,
as shown in the flow-chart of FIG. 6.
[0043] FIG. 8 illustrates a possible combination of the eyewear
components described in the previous embodiments. As described
above, the eyewear comprises the frame 24 and two temples: left
temple 19 and right temple 20. Frame 24 preferably houses the
camera 64 for taking video images and still photographs. Right
temple 20 preferably houses a removable right speaker 62. Left
temple 19 preferably houses a removable left speaker 60, microphone
54, transceiver 18 and battery 52. When the eyewear 12 is open, as
shown in FIG. 8, the electrical circuit of the conductive
connection between all the components is closed, thereby enabling
battery 52 to power all of the components located on the frame and
the opposite temple.
[0044] In another embodiment, eyewear 12 worn for example by an
adult, comprises a distance alarm monitor to supervise the movement
of a child. In this embodiment, a device, preferably in the form of
a bracelet 17 equipped with its own short-range transceiver (see
FIG. 1), is worn by the child. Transceiver 18 in the eyewear and
transceiver in the bracelet 17 form a small-range wireless network,
wherein the eyewear and the bracelet communicate with each other
using signals conforming to the aforementioned Bluetooth.TM.
standard. The transceiver 18 in the eyewear 12 is configured to
activate the alarm when the distance between the bracelet 17 and
the eyewear 18 exceeds a predetermined range. The alarm could be,
for example, a video alarm like a red light, or an audio alarm like
an audible beep or vibratory alarm. Of course the functions of the
eyewear and the bracelet may be reversed, i.e. the bracelet with a
distance alarm monitor is worn by the supervising adult and the
eyewear with its own transceiver is worn by the child.
Alternatively, two pairs of eyewear may be provided, one with an
alarm monitor and a controlling transceiver, to be worn by the
adult, and another with a controlled transceiver, to be worn by the
child.
[0045] The invention also includes the methods of manufacturing the
eyewear. The eyewear is manufactured in a process to create
electrical components contained throughout the entire frames and
temples. Electrical components discussed above and electrical
conductors are embedded in the temple and frame portions for the
purpose of supplying electrical energy to the various components.
In one method some or all of the components, including the
conductive wires are co-molded into the temples and frames. This is
an in-process method where the components are inserted into the
temple and frame tools. The mold cycle is started, plastic material
flows into the core and covity of the tool, and the components are
permanently set in the rigid temples and frames.
[0046] Alternatively, the method of manufacture may be that some or
all of the components, including the conductive wires, are
assembled into piece parts that make up the temples and frames. The
piece parts that make up the temples and frames are designed and
injection molded to facilitate easy insertion and assembly of
mechanical and electrical components. Further, a combination of the
co-molded and assembled components may be used to maximize
efficiency.
[0047] While particular embodiments of the present invention have
been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art
that changes and modifications may be made without departing from
this invention in its broader aspect and, therefore, the appended
claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and
modifications that fall within the true sprit and scope of this
invention.
* * * * *
References