Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
20~6~8~
RBP File No. 2612--003
Tltle: Locking Eyeglas _older
FIELD OF q'ElE INVENTION
This invention relates to display devices for
5 eyeglasses and more particularly to lorkAhle eyeglass
holders .
RAr~'' ~ OF TEIE IN.ENTION
In stores which sell eyeglasses and eyeglass
frames, it is customary to display the eyeglasses or the
10 frames on racks specificA1ly built for this purpose. Some
of the prior racks are merely a series of inclined shelves
on which the eyeglasses or frames are placed, with the
shelves having a raised lip to prevent the eyeglasses from
sliding down the incline. Another form of eyeglass
15 display device utilize8 pro~ections or nosPpieces which
are contoured to support the eyeglasses or frames at their
respective nose portions.
A disadvantage with the simple display devices
described above iB that they do not include any means for
20 preventing unauthorized removal of the eyeglasses or
frames being displayed on them. This results in an
~nhAnr-~d risk of theft of eyeglasses or eyeglass frames
particularly in stores which are minir-lly staffed and in
which cu~tomers are encouraged to browse through the
25 eyeglass displays.
A prior eyeglass display device has been devised
which secure~ the eyeglass frame to the display device to
prevent llnAIlth-7rized removal. This device which iB
further illustrated and described in more detail below
30 generally i n~ a rod from which extends a nose piece
which supports the eyeglas8 frame at the nose portion.
This device further includes a ring meml~er which encircles
the rod above the nose pLece and from which depends a
locking arm. The locking arm is pivotally mounted to the
35 ring portion at one end to permit the locking end to be
swung down over the ridge portion of the eyeglr: frame
2~6~7
-- 2 --
once the eyeglass frame ha~ been mounted on the nose piece
of the device. ~he opposite end of the locking arm
includes locking prong5 which may be inserted into a
suitable recess in the nose piece and which requires a
5 special key for its removal.
Although the above lockable display device give~
more security than the non-lockable devices, there are
problems which arise both in the manufacture and the use
of this device. Firstly, the ring portlon of the device
10 which mounts over the rod and to which one end of the
locking arm is pivotally connected Ls not rigidly secured
to the rod portion o~ the device. Since typical rods from
which eyeglass display devices are not manufactured to
e..L~ ly close tolerances, the ring portion in many cases
15 will be either a very sloppy fit or an ~I~L ~ -ly tight fit
making it difficult to mount over the rod. Furth~ :e,
particularly in cases where the ring portion is a sloppy
fit, the resilLency of the locking arm in combination with
the moveability of the ring portion enables the pivotal
20 coupling between the art and the ring portion to be
uncoupled in which case the eyeglass frame may be removed
from the display device without unlocking the prongs.
A further disadvantage with the previous
lorkAhl~ device is that the arm must be swung upwardly for
25 removal of the eyegla~s frames from the nose portion.
Since the arm has a tendency to swing down under its own
weight, the prongs at the free end of the arm tend to
catch on the eyeglass frames thereby inhibiting removal of
the frames from the display device and possibly damaging
30 the frames or lenses.
It is an ob~ect of thi~ invention to provide a
lockable eyeglass holder of generally robust construction
which is easy to manufacture, easy to use and which
resists ti , - n~ .
35 SUMMARY OF TEIE INVENTION
An eyeglass fr_me display device comprising:
a base member;
2Q3~
-- 3 --
a ~rame ~upport member rigidly secured to said
base member;
a socket member rigidly secured to said base
member, and spaced above saLd support member;
an arm having a first end lockably receivable
within said socket member and a second end pivotally
coupled to said frame 8upport member to allow said arm
to be swung downwardly from a closed position wherein said
a~m is generally parallel to said base and said first end
is locked within 5aid socket member to an open position
wherein said arm extends away from said base;
in use, in said locked position said frame
support member supporting a pair of eyeglass frames at a
nose portion thereof, a bridge portion of said frames
being located between said support member and said socket
member and said arm extending across said bridge member
and between said support member and said socket member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OP T~IE DRAlirINGS
A preferred ' ~ --t of the present invention
is described below with reference to the A~ nying
drawings in which:
Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a prior art
device in a locked position;
Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of a prior art
device in a locked position;
Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of a prior art
device in an unlocked position;
Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a ring member
and locking arm of a prior art device;
Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of an eyeglass
frame display device according to the present lnvention;
Fig.SA is a peL~e~:Live view of a frame support
member of Fig . 5;
Fig. 6 shows a ~ide elevation of an eyeglass
frame display device according to the present invention in
the locked position;
203~8~
-- 4 --
Fig. 7 shows a side elevation of an eyeglass
frame display devicQ according to the present invention in
the unlocked position;
Fig. 8 shows a partial section on line 8-8 of
5 Fig. 5 of the socket member of the eyeglass frame display
device with the device in the locked position;
Fig. 9 shows a partial sectional view
coLL~Oponding to Fig. 8 with the display device in the
process of being unlocked; and
Fig. lO shows a perspective view taken on the
line lO-lO of Fig. 5 of a pivotal coupling of an eyeglass
display device according to the present invention.
ur~ r 1 OF A ~rrKK~u RMRrlnTMl~l'
Figs. l, 2 and 3 show a prior eyeglass display
15 device which i'o' generally identified at 20. The device
generally comprises a cylindrical rod member 22 from which
extends a nose piece 24 which has a generally inverted V
shape when viewed from the front as in Fig. 2. The nose
piece is contoured so as to co~ ,ad to the nose portion
2 0 of a typical pair of glaOse8 80 that the glasses may be
supported by the nose piece at their nose portion. Such
a typical pair of glasses iOs illustrated at 26 in Figs. l,
2 and 3 with the nose portion being identif ied at 2 8 . The
prior art display device further includes a ring member 30
25 which encircle8 the rod member 22 above the nose piece 24
as viewed in the drawings. A locking arm 32 extends
between the ring member 30 and the nose piece 24 over a
bridge portion 34 of the glasses 26.
The locking arm 32 is pivotally connected to the
30 ring member 30 at a pivotal connection 36. This enables
the locking arm 32 to be swung from a locked position as
shown in Fig. 1 to an unlocked position as 5hown in Figs.
1 and 2 to an ~nl of~k~d position as shown in Fig. 3 .
Re~erence is now made to Fig. 4 which shows the
35 connection between the locking arm 32 and the ring member
30 in more detail. The ring member 30 is provided with a
_ 5 _ 2~3~
pair of opposed generally rectangular recesses 38 and 40
~Yt~n~l1n~ into it on opposite sides of a slot 42 which
receives an end 44 of the locking arm 32. The recess 38
opens upwardly as viewed in Fig. 4 while the reces5 40
S opens downwardly.
The end 44 of the locking arm 32 is provided
with a hinge pin 46 extendlng from opposite sLdes of it
and into the recesses 38 and 40. It will therefore be
appreciated that if the locking arm 32 is twisted 80 as to
10 cause the ends of the hinge pin 46 to move in the
direction shown by arrows 48, the locking arm 32 may be
connected from the ring member 30.
The locking arm 32 has a locking Qnd 50 opposite
the pivotally coupled end 44. The locking end 50 is
15 provided with a pair of prongs or barbs 52 which are
lockably insertable into a recess 54 in the nose piece 24.
Typical eyeglass display devices are
manufactured from a clear plastic like material which has
a considerable amount of inherent resiliency. Because of
20 this resiliency and al80 because the rLng member 30 is not
rigidly connected to the rod 22, it is possible to apply
pressure to the locking arm 32 in the direction shown by
the arrow 56 in Fig. 4 and to twist the ring member 30 in
the dLrection shown by the arrows 58 to an extent great
25 enough to cause uncoupling of the hinge pin 46 from the
recesses 38 and 40 as described above. In this manner it
is therefore possible to open thQ prior display device 20
and remove the glasse8 26 from it without removing the
barbs 52 from the socket 54 which would otherwise require
30 a special tool or key for removal.
A further disadvantage with the prior art device
is illustrated in Fig. 3. The locking arm 32 is pivoted
at its end 44 which i5 at the top of the locking arm as
viewed in thQ drawings. Accordingly, when the locking arm
35 is in the released position as shown in Fig. 3, it has a
tendency to fall toward the closed position under its own
weight. This results in the barbs 52 at the end 50 of the
`~ :
- 6 - 203~8~
locking arm 32 3nagging on the bridge portLon 34 of the
glasses 26 when an attempt is made to remove the glasses.
This snagging is a rn7 i ~Anre not only in that it interferes
with the removal of a selected pair of glasses 26 but it
5 may also ~ostle further pairs of glasses stored ad~acent
to the selected pair of glasses causing the display to
become disorganized. It may also cause the person trying
to remove the glasses to drop them, possibly breaking
them .
Reference i9 now made to Fig. ~ 5 in which an
eyeglass frame display device according to the present
invention is generally indicated at 100. The device 100
includes a generally cylindrical base member or rod 102.
A generally rectangular socket member 104 extends from the
side of the rod 102 near the top of Fig. 5. The socket
member 104 is rigidly attached to the rod 102 by suitable
means such as an adhesive bond or fusion. This rigLd
att~ of the socket member 104 to the rod 102
prevents relative ~~ v, ~ between these members.
The device further includes an eyeglass frame
supporting member 106 which extends from the rod 102 below
the socket member 104 and which is spaced apart from the
socket member 104. The frame supporting member 106 has a
contoured surface 108 which generally COLleo~UULId8 in shape
to the nose portion of a typical pair of glasses 80 that
it can engage the nose portion of the pair of glasses and
support the pair of glasses on the device. The frame
supporting member 106 is rigidly attached to the rod 102
by suitable means such as fusion or adhesion.
A gt~nt~rAl ly rect~ng~ r arm 110 extends upwardly
from the frame supporting member 106. The arm 110 has a
first end 112 which is lockably receivable within the
socket 104 in the manner described in more detail below.
The arm has a second end 114 opposite the first end 112
which is pivotally connected to the frame supporting
member 106 in a manner which is also described in more
detail below. The pivotal connection at the end 114
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2~36~87
enables the arm to be swung from a closed positLon shown
in Fig. 6 wherein the arm 110 is generally parallel to the
rod 102, to an open position as shown in Fig. 7 where the
arm 110 extends away from the rod 102.
In use, in the locked position, the supporting
member 106 :~U~ JLl~S a pair of eyeglass frames 116 at a
nose portion 118 of the eyeglass frames with a bridge
portion 120 of the frames 116 being located between the
socket 104 and the support member 106. In the locked
position, the arm 110 extends across the bridge member 120
with the end 112 locked in the socket 104 and the end 114
secured by the pivotal coupling between the end 114 and
the frame support member 106. In this position, the
eyeglasses are not removable from the display device 100.
The arm may be unlocked and swung clockwise
about the pivotal co~lrling at the end 114 to the position
shown in Fig. 7. In this unlocked position shown in Fig.
7 the glasses may be removed from the device 100. Since
the weight of the arm in the device 100 tends to cause the
arm to rotate toward the unlocked position shown in Fig.
7, it will be appreciated that unlike the locking arm 32
in the prior device described above, the arm 110 falls
away rather than toward the frames 116. The arm 110 in
the device 100 therefore does not interfere with removal
of the frames 116 in the manner of the prior device 20
described above.
~eference is now made to Figs. 8 and 9 which
show in detail how the end 112 of arm 110 locks into the
socket 104. The end 112 of the arm 110 has a pair of
prongs 122 which extend toward an opening 124 in the
socket 104. The prongs 122 have ridges or barbs 126
extending outwardly from the sides of the prongs 122
toward their ree ends 128. The socket 104 has ridges 130
PytPnrlin~ inwardly from oppo5ite sides of the socket 104.
When the ends 128 of the prongs 122 are inserted into the
socket 104 through the opening 124, the ridges 126
extending from the prongs 122 engage the ridges 130
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-- 8 --
~?5rtQn.i~n,J inwardly from the sides of the ~ocket 104 to
prevent removal of the ends 128 of the prongs 122 from the
socket 104.
The ends 128 of the prongs 122 and the sides of
5 the socket 104 adjacent the ridges 130 have respective
corresponding inclined surfaCes 132 and 134 which urge the
ends 128 of the prongs toward each other to assist
insertion of the ends 128 of the prongs 122 into the
socket 104.
Reference is now made to Fig. 9 which shows
removal of the prongs 122 from the socket 104 with the aid
of a key 136 having a handle 137. The key 136 inr~ ;Q~3 a
pair of thin, elongate, generally parallel strips 138
QYtQn-iin~ from the handle 137. The strips 138 have a
15 thi~knQ~s corresponding to at least the height of the
ridges 126 of the prongs 122. When the free ends 140 of
the strips 138 are inserted into the opening 124 in the
socket 104, they are pressed inwardly by the in~l inQd
surfaces 134 ad~acent the ridges 130 of the socket 104.
20 The strips 138 are of a resilient material which enables
them to flex inwardly and to press against the prongs 122
to urge the ends 128 of the prongs 122 toward each other.
With continued pressure of the key 136 toward the socket
104, eventually the free ends 140 of the strips 138 of the
25 key 136 will cause the ridges 126 of the prongs 122 to
~ i ~Qn~7e from the ridgeg 130 of the socket 104 . At this
point the key 136 and prongs 122 may be removed from the
30cket 104.
Reference is now made to Fig. 10 which
30 illustrates the pivotal connection between the end 114 of
the rod 110 and the eyeglass frame support member 106 in
more detail. The pivotal connection is generally
indicated at 150. As shown in Fig. 10, the second end 114
of the arm 110 curves toward the frame support member 106
35 and has hinge pins 152 extending from opposite sides of
end 114. The frame support member 106 has an opening 154
through which the end 114 of the arm 110 extends. Opening
154 extends through the bottom of frame support member
6g 8 7
108, as best shown in Fig.5A. The opening 154 has a
generally box shaped member 156 on either side of it. The
generally box shaped members 156 define a pair of recesses
158 which open rearwardly toward the rod 102 (which is not
5 shown in Figs. 5A or 10). The recesses 158 receive the
hinge pins 152. The end walls 160 of recesses 158 have
retaining ridges 162 (Fig.10) which hinder removal of the
pins 152 from the recess 158 by interfering with opposite
ends 164 of the hinge pins 152 as the end 114 is removed.
Since the pivot21 connection of the arm 110 is
now in the frame support member 106, which is relatively
broad and solidly anchored to the rod 102, the pivotal
connection is solid and not easily broken.
To ~ n~a~e the arm 110 from frame support
15 member 106, the arm 110 is unlocked and swung downwardly
to the position shown in Fig. 7 . The arm 110 can then be
fbrced in the direction of arrow 166 (Fig.7), forcing pins
152 rearwardly out of recesses 158. To re-install arm
110, the arm is placed with hinge pins 152 immediately
20 behind and aligned with recesses 158. The arm 110 can then
be pulled forwardly, forcing the ends of pins 152 past
ridges 162. Alternatively and more conveniently, the arm
110 can simply be swung upwardly. Since ridges 162 are
near but not at the rear of recesses 158, the recesses
25 partly receive pins 152 at this time, guiding the swingLng
-- ~/G - t. As the arm 110 swings upwardly, its rear
surface 168 engages the front surface 170 of frame support
106, at the top front edge 172 (Figs. 5, 5A, 7) of opening
154. As the arm 110 continues to swing upwardly, the
30 engagement between its rear surface 165 and edge 172 cams
the hinge pins 152 into recesses 158, snapping the pins
152 past ridges 162. This greatly facilitates and speeds
up installation of arm 110.
In the locked position shown in Fig. 6, the
35 amount of clearance between the arm 110 and the frame
support member 106 as shown at 166 is considerably less
than the depth of the recesses 158. Accordingly, any
' ~Q~ 7
_ 10 -
~ opeL attempt to remove the hLnge pin 152 from the
recess 158 would be thwarted by interference between the
arm 110 and the frame supporting member 106. It is
therefore impo3sible to llnrollrlF- the arm 110 without the
5 key or without breaking arm 110.
Since the socket portion 104 of the eyeglass
frame supporting device 100 is attached to the base member
102 by means such as fusion or adhesion, any slight or
even relatively signif icant variations in the dimensions
10 of the base member will not si~nifirAntly affect
attAr~ of the socket 104 during manufacture.
Since socket 104 has straight side edges 180
(Fig.6) and support member 106 has straight side edges
182, these members can be mounted on a flat surface or
15 square or rectAn~l Ar rod as well as on a round rod 102 .
It will be seen that the system d~3rri hed can
readily be used even when it is desired not to lock the
frames to the bars. Normally only expensive frames will
be so locked since the lock does reduce the ease with
20 which a customer can try on the frames. When displays are
changed, display areas which formerly needed locking may
no longer require this, and vice versa. The system
rri hed can be converted to a non-locking system simply
by removing the arm 110. The socket portion 104, and the
25 opening 154 on the support member 106, are both small and
unobtrusive and will not adversely affect the appeareance
of the display.
The above detailed description is intended to
illustrate rather than restrict the scope of the present
30 invention which is set out in the following claims.
Accordingly, although variations to the illustrative
example8 may be apparent to those having relevant skill,
it is intended that such variations be deemed to form part
of the present invention insofar as they are within the
35 scope of the claims below.
