US2619641A - Eyeshield for headgears - Google Patents

Description

`- z, 1952 H, VACA 2,619,641'

EYESHELD FOR HEADGEARS Filed May 16', 1951 "@remewnwgggg INVENTOR Humberto -l/oco ATTOPNEKJ'- Patented Dec. Z, 1952 UNITED sTAres "FFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an eye shield construction in the nature of sun glasses to be secured to the under side of the visor of head gear such as the bill of a cap, or the brim of a hat, or similarly mounted on other head gear. The construction is such that the eye shield may be moved to and from positions of use and positions of non-use.

The invention aims to provide a construction of simplified form embodying a minimum number of parts so that the same can be manufactured with facility and supplied to the public at a relatively low cost, While at the same time, the construction is positive and sure in operation. In the position of non-use, the shield is positioned so as to underlie the visor and in its position of use, it depends therefrom in a position in the line of sight of the wearer. In this connection, the shield has a pivotal motion. Also,

the shield is slidably adjustable to the end that it may be shifted toward and away from the face of the wearer. This is particularly convenient as it makes the device adjustable to accommodate different facial contours and also makes the device adjustable so that it may be conveniently used by persons who wear spectacles.

A device constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a general view showing the structure applied to a bill of a cap and illustrating the shield in its position of use.

Fig. 2 is an underside View of the bill of the cap showing the shield in its position of nonuse.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken through the bill of the cap showing the structure in position of use and illustrating in dotted lines, a second position.V

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing the structure shifted to a position of nonuse.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective showing the underside of the structure and illustrating the spring element.

Fig. 6 shows the hinge element on the shield.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing the formation of the spring member to provide a sliding action.

Fig. 8 is a view of a modified form of spring.

`It is appreciated that an eye shield of this general type is not entirely new and, as a matter of fact, I have obtained several patents on eye shields of this nature. One patent which I have obtained is No. 2,538,608 of January 15, 1951. However, as explained above, the purpose of this invention is to provide a structure of a more simplified nature possessing both a pivotal adjustment and a sliding adjustment and one which is so designed that it can be manufactured with great facility and thus suplied to the public at a low cost.

2 In Fig. 1 a cap is shown at I with its bill 2 which projects over the eyes of the wearer and the shield generally illustrated at 3 is in its position of use. 'Ihis shield may have a frame 5 conveniently shaped in the conventional form of sun glasses. The shield carries suitable light filtering material 'I which may be of any desired substance, such as a colored plastic or glass or al substance for polarizing the light. The material 'I may, in fact, be lenses ground to prescription to correct imperfect vision if the same be desired.

The frame 5 may be of plastic material and a hinge or pivot element may be secured to what may be termed the upper central portion thereof. This hinge element, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, has a body portion I0 which may be inserted into the material of the frame as indicated at I I and cemented thereto. However, the frame and pivot member may be formed integrally of one piece. This member has a central thickened portion or fillet I3 for carrying a pintle I5 which may be of plastic material and which may be inserted in an opening in the llet and cementedL thereto. This pintle is advantageously of plastic material. The pintle and llet may be integrally formed of plastic material or other substance. The body portion terminates in shoulders I6 and it has an angularly projecting part or finger I8 provided with oppositely extending projections I9.

There is a support and guide member arranged to be mounted on the under side of the visor of the head gear. This member is conveniently in the form of a, body of metal having aback portion 20 with apertures therein so that it may be secured to the visor as by means of rivets or the like 2|. The edges of this body member are fashioned to providechannels 22 and 23. One end of thebody 20 is provided with aprojection 24 which may be formed by indenting or pressing out the metal and the side walls of thechannels 22 and 23 are formed with inwardly extendingprojections 25. These may be provided by pressing the metal to form an inwardly extending teat. v

There is a single spring element generally illustrated at 30. Ithas anend portion 3|, here shown as being of rectangular shape arranged to be positioned so that opposite edges thereof are engaged in thechannels 22 and 23. In other words, the width of this end piece 3I is such that it is retained in the channels and yet it may slide therein. The corners of the portion 3l are provided with means Vfor engaging and nicely sliding upon the guide. Near the free end of theportion 3| the corners are provided with depressed portions forming teats orbumps 32. These face upwardly to slidably engage the guide as shown in Fig. 7. The other two corners are provided withsimilar formations 33 which face downwardly to slidably engage in the channel (Fig. 4). The spring has a narrowedcentral portion 35 formed by cut outportions 36 for passing between the inturned edges of the channel and it has anend portion 33 which lies outside the channel and is formed with two laterally spaced hook like bearingmembers 33 and 43. These bearing members engage the pintle l5.

In making the assembly, theportion 3| of the spring element can be easily slipped into the channel from the left hand end thereof as Fig. 3 is viewed. The end of the portion I8 is placed in the channel with the projections I9 engaging in the respective channels. Then the spring is flexed so that the bearingportions 33 and, 43 may be engaged over the pintle l5. The spring lthus remains under tension atv all times. The extending portion, of the spring which is outside the channel yieldably urges the pintle l5 toward the guide, the spring acting as a cantilever with its support obtained by contact of theelements 32 and 33 with opposite sides of the channels.

In operationthe finger l swings over cen.-

ter as it is shifted to and from operative and` non-operative position. In Fig. 4, which is the non-operative position, the projections i@ engage the guide and the force of the spring maintains a yielding pressure on the pintle tending to rock the shield clockwise about the end of the projection i3. The spring thus holds the shield snugly against the underside of the bill 2. lhen the shield is swung counter-clockwise from the Fig. 4 position, the spring is flexed and the fmger I8 moves over center andthe structure ultimately reaches the operative position, as shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the spring Yholds the shield strongly in position as the shoulders I3 abut the channel formation on each side of the guide. In this position, the yielding action of the spring tends to swing the shield counterclockwise as Fig. 3 is viewed. The shield is accurately and strongly positioned by the engagement of the shoulders Iii with the two channels.

The shield may be adjusted lengthwise in the channel by merely sliding the same along the the same in which action the rounded teats orbumps 32 or 33 nicely slide on the metal of the guide. These teats prevent sharp edges from cutting into the guide or scraping the same. Since the spring is always under tension, theportion 3| is always in an angular position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and theteats 32 and 33 yieldably engage the surfaces of the channels. The forward limit of sliding adjustment is determined by theprojection 25, against which the part 3l abuts. The inwardly extendingprojections 25 limit the rearward sliding position as thebody portion 3| abuts against the same. Theelements 25 do not interfere with the projections It.

The modiiied form of spring shown in 8 is formed of spring wire. The wire is fashioned to provide a portion Sia to be received in the guide, the intermediate narrow portion 33a and theouter portion 38a. The bearings 33a and #lila are formed by hook shaped parts at the end of the spring. rIhis spring may be inserted in the guide the same as the spring made out of strip material and insofar as its function is concerned, it acts like and is a flat spring.

It will readily be seen that the shield may be moved from one position to the other to filter the rays of light or otherwise protect the eyes of the wearer depending upon the substance used in the shield. A person who wears spectacles may desire to shift the shield so that it is in a relatively outward position and thus does not engage the spectacles. The shield may be easily removed from the guide for purposes of changing the type or color of the light filtering material. By the use of a sharp instrument a spring may be flexed so that it may be moved over theprojection 24.

I claim:

1. An eye shield attachment for head gear having a visor, comprising, a guide member having a back portion and an inwardly opening channel ateach edge for attachment to the under side of the visor with the guide member extending in a fore and aft direction, a spring of flat form having an end part slidably engaged in thechannels, a relatively narrow intermediate part extending out between the channels and a second end part positioned outside the channels, said second end part having bearing means, a shield, pintle means on the shield engaged vin the hearing means, a finger extending angularly from the shield and engaging the guide member, the pintle rmeans being at all times spaced from the guide member so that the spring is under ten-sion andV with the first named end of the spring yieldably and slidably engaging in the channels of the guide memloer, said shield being movable aboutr the axis of the pintle to and from` inoperative position in which it lies substantially against the underside of the visor and operative position in which it depends from the visor in the line of sightV of the wearer, and the said :linger being shiftable from one side to the other of a center line through the pintle means so that said spring holds the-shield in both positions.

2. The eye shield as substantially described in claim 1, characterized in that the bearing means on the spring member is of hook form and is detachably engageable with the pintle means.

3. The eye shield as substantially described in claim l, characterized in that the guide member has projections thereon engageable by the rst named end of the spring to limit the fore and aft sliding movement thereof.

4. The eye shield as substantially described in claim l, characterized in that the first named end of the spring has a dimension measured lengthwise of the guide member, such that when the spring is flexed, one edge of said end yieldably bears against the surfaces on one side of the channels and the opposite edge of' said end engages against the surfaces at the opposite sides of the channels.

5. The eye shield as substantially described in claim 4, characterized in that said rst end of the spring member is formed with rounded projections for slidably engaging the surfaces of the channels.

6. The eye shield as substantially described in claim l, characterized in that the shield has a shoulder adjacent the pintle for engaging the guide member when the shield is in operative position for holding the shield xed against the tension of the spring.

HUMBERTO VACA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

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