Smart Eyeglass Hinge
According to the Vision Council of America InSight Q1 2022 Report, over 166 million US adults wear prescription eyeglasses, an estimated 34 million wear over the counter readers, and a staggering 223 million Americans wear prescription or nonprescription sunglasses. Factor in an estimated 18.1 million children ages 2-17 and it is easy to see why in 2021 the US was the leading eyewear market across the globe with an estimated retail market value of $76.5 billion.
The US eyewear industry is thriving and for good reason. Most folks understand the importance of caring for their eyes and the life-factors that can result in damage to their vision. Fashion eyewear is increasingly popular, with many people choosing glasses and sunglasses as a personal statement accessory. The Vision Council estimates 66.3 million American adults regularly use two or more pairs of eyeglasses.
The cost of prescription eyewear can easily run in the hundreds if not thousands for designer frames. Readers can vary from the simple $10 drugstore buys to hundreds of dollars for the more fashionable. The cost of sunglasses too can vary from the inexpensive to designer prices depending on your taste. Today the vast majority of glasses available use one of 3 types of hinge to attach the temple piece to the frame. They are the Standard or barrel, the Spring or Flex, and Hingeless. The hinge type is dictated by the type, size, and color of the style of the eyeglass frame. These are simple, but effective designs that have been used for decades.
How do you repair the hinge if it breaks or that tiny screw falls out? What do you do? Do you try an eyeglass repair kit, and hope it has the right size and shape of the screw you need? Do you try to replace the hinge with another found online? Can you even confidently find one? What if the temple breaks? There may be temple replacement options available locally or online but do they have the right type hinge and do they match your original well enough to go unnoticed as replacements? Is your only option to go to your local optical shop and hope they can repair them? Finally, what will it all cost? You could get very lucky, but the worst case scenario is you are forced to purchase a new pair of glasses.
Glasses designed with the Smart Eyeglass Hinge offer an easy and inexpensive solution to these questions. Imagine never again breaking the hinge on a pair of eyeglasses; or even worrying about it. And imagine, being able to easily detach a damaged temple and quickly replace it. The Smart Eyeglass Hinge allows fashion conscious folks to readily change the look of their eyeglasses by simply switching out a temple of one color or design with one of a different color or design. The Smart Eyeglass Hinge further expands the eyeglass marketplace to enable ready change-out temples for other reasons including Safety, Sports, Hunting, 3D, and reasons that have yet to be thought of because eyeglass temples were never readily replaceable…until now.
PRODUCT FEATURES & BENEFITS
Special features
- Durable, virtually indestructible hinge mechanism construction
- Retention of common eyeglass look, feel and function
- Multiple sets of temples can be sold with each new pair of eyeglasses for aesthetic (e.g. colors), utility and/or safety purposes
- Cost of the elastic polymers are less expensive than metal
- Manufacturing costs of small elastic polymer parts are less than for metal
- Minimal number of variations of a near universal hinge can be mass produced
- Repair and replacement of parts within minutes
- No special tools required – All you need is a ball point pen!
- A large variety of easily interchangeable aesthetic, utility, and safety temple options would be available
PRODUCT DETAILS
The Smart Eyeglass Hinge is an evolutionary step in eyewear taking us from current fragile metal hinged frames with limited flexibility to durable hinges with unlimited flexibility.
The Smart Eyeglass Hinge consists of a coupling device formed of an elastic polymer material that passes thru the lens frame and into the temple piece. The flexible property of this coupler allows it to be pulled taught when connected to the temple piece. Once connected, the coupler’s tension snugly holds the temple and frame together and enables numerous interface methodologies to create normal hinging functionality.
The flexibility of the elastic polymer coupling device allows the temples to be safely moved at angles far beyond the slightly more than 90 degrees which current metal hinged frames permit. And, the coupling device does so without breakage or fatal failure of the temple, eyeglass frame, or coupling device itself. If the temple or coupling device were to fail, they could be easily replaced on the same eyeglass frame. The potential for interchangeability of the temples for reasons previously mentioned such as for children’s wear, sports, safety, and fashion defines a major increase in consumer value for eyeglass wearers.
Prototype Design Images
Actual eyeglasses made using the Smart Eyeglass Hinge would appear exactly the same as any current pair of eyeglasses
Stabilizing elements in the interface between the temple and frame properly fixes the temple in both the open and closed positions. These interface junctions will evolve and improve beyond the simple ones depicted here; and in fact, already have.
A working prototype of the Smart Eyeglass Hinge can be made available to demonstrate the design and functionality of the product.
Implementation Requirements for Producing the Smart Eyeglass Hinge:
- A coupling device formed of an elastic polymer material
- A complementary attaching element – such as a peg attached to the temple piece or a frictional element within the temple piece
- Stabilizing elements at the junction of the frame and temple
The Smart Eyeglass Hinge is covered by United States Utility Patent: 11,327,338
For additional information, licensing opportunities, and a full prospectus on the Smart Eyeglass Hinge contact:
BankOnIP
VP of Business Development
Email: info@BankOnIP.com
