Tear-off lens capture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9918876-B2
Application number	US-201615175623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Sep 16, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A tear-off capture system includes an eye protector with a base lens. The eye protector has a retention mechanism mounted on one side, and a support mechanism that supports the eye protector on the head of a wearer. A two-tabbed stack of laminated tear-off lenses mounts to the eye protector via an adhesive. The stack mounts so that the first tab of the stack aligns with the first side of the eye protector and the second tab engages with the retention mechanism. Via the second tab and the retention mechanism, released tear-off layers are directed toward the second side of the eye protector away from the base lens. A capturer helps hold the initially released tear-off layer to the eye protector. An exposed tacky surface on each released tear-off helps hold the subsequently removed tear-off layers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tear-off lens capture system comprising:
an eye protector having a base lens and a frame supporting the base lens;
a retainer mounted to an outward facing side of the frame so that the retainer extends away from the base lens, the retainer comprising:
a peripheral wall extending outwardly from the frame, the peripheral wall defining a slot that is surrounded by the peripheral wall and the frame, the slot being positioned outward from the base lens; and
a holder protruding from the peripheral wall and extending away from the base lens;

a lens stack mountable to an outward side of the eye protector, the lens stack formed of at least one releasable lens layer, the lens stack comprising:
a central viewing area;
a first tab extending from a first edge of the central viewing area; and
a second tab extending from a second edge opposite the first edge of the central viewing area, the second tab having a second tab width and an aperture;

wherein the slot has a slot width that is at least as wide as the second tab width, and wherein the aperture on the second tab has a size configured to engage with the holder.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second tab has a length configured to allow the second tab to be wound around at least a portion of the retainer so that the lens stack is placed in tension upon mounting to the eye protector.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the eye protector further comprises a support configured to hold the eye protector to the head of a wearer, and wherein the tension is configured to bias a released lens layer of the lens stack toward the support.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a capturer on the support, the capturer configured to hold the released layer from the lens stack along the support.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the capturer comprises a tacky pad.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lens stack comprises at least two releasable lens layers laminated together with an intermediary adhesive layer between each of the releasable lens layers.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the intermediary adhesive layer extends between the opposing first and second edges of the central viewing area so that no intermediary adhesive layer is applied between the releasable layers along either the first or second tab.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the intermediary adhesive is configured to remain with an inward facing surface of a lens layer that is released from the lens stack, and wherein the intermediary adhesive on the inward facing surface of the released lens layer is sufficiently tacky to adhere to an outward surface of a subsequently released layer of the lens stack.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lens stack comprises an upper lens layer and at least one intermediary layer, wherein the lens stack is configured so that each intermediary lens layer adheres to a previously released lens layer upon release from the lens stack.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein a lower-most layer of the lens stack is configured to mount to the base lens of the eye protector without using pins on the base lens.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lens stack comprises at least two releasable lens layers laminated together with an intermediary adhesive layer between each of the releasable lens layers, and wherein a lower-most layer of the lens stack comprises an attaching adhesive layer applied about a perimeter of the lower-most layer.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the attaching adhesive applied about the perimeter of the lower-most layer of the lens stack has a higher peel-strength than the intermediary adhesive between each of the releasable layers of the lens stack.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the lens stack comprises an upper lens stack mountable to a lower lens stack, each of the upper and lower lens stack comprising a plurality of lens layers laminated together and an attaching surface on a lower surface, each of the upper lens stack and the lower lens stack having a first tab portion that forms a part of the first tab of the lens stack and a second tab portion that forms a part of the second tab of the lens stack.

14. An eye protector that captures released layers of a laminated tear-off lens stack that is mounted thereto, the laminated tear-off lens stack having at least one tab with an aperture, the at least one tab having a tab width, the eye protector comprising:
a transparent base lens;
a frame supporting at least a portion of the transparent base lens;
a support configured to hold the eye protector on a wearer;
a capturer positioned relative to the support, the capturer configured to hold a released tear-off lens layer released from the laminated tear-off lens stack along the support; and
retainer mounted to the frame and extending outwardly from the frame and away from the base lens, the retainer having an outer peripheral wall extending from the frame that defines an outer boundary of a slot, the slot being surrounded by the outer peripheral wall and the frame and positioned outward from the frame and base lens, the retainer further having a holder protruding from the outer peripheral wall away from the slot and the base lens, the holder configured to form an engagement with the aperture on the at least one tab of the laminated tear-off lens stack;
wherein the slot has a slot width at least as wide as the tab width of the at least one tab to allow the at least one tab to be inserted through the slot and to wrap about the retainer so that the aperture forms the engagement with the holder, wherein the engagement between the aperture and the holder is configured to bias a released lens layer around the retainer and toward the support of the eye protector.

15. The tear-off lens capture system of claim 1 , wherein the retainer is clipped, adhered, or snapped to the frame of the eye protector.

16. The eye protector of claim 14 , wherein the retainer is clipped, adhered, or snapped to the frame of the eye protector.

17. The tear-off lens capture system of claim 1 , wherein the central viewing area of the tear-off lens stack has a shape that corresponds with a shape of the base lens.

18. The eye protector of claim 14 , wherein the transparent base lens has a shape that corresponds with a shape of the laminated tear-off lens stack so that a central viewing area of the laminated tear-off lens stack is configured to be attached to the transparent base lens.

Assignees

• Racing Optics Inc

Inventors

• Wilson Bart E
• Wilson Stephen S
• Klein Maxwell C

Classifications

• A61F9/029

  Additional functions or features, e.g. protection for other parts of the face such as ears, nose or mouth; Screen wipers or cleaning devices · CPC title

• A61F9/025 Primary

  Special attachment of screens, e.g. hinged, removable; Roll-up protective layers · CPC title

• A42B3/26

  with cleaning means, e.g. wipers {; Movable or interchangeable vision films or sheets} · CPC title

• A61F9/027

  Straps; Buckles; Attachment of headbands · CPC title