Binocular eyeglasses are provided for magnification of images, for example, when viewing television or when viewing distant images, such as a sporting event or the like. The binocular eyeglasses comprise a lightweight frame assembly including a lens carrying front frame with rearwardly extending bows permitting the eyeglasses to be worn in a normal manner. The front frame includes eyepiece lenses supported in stationary positions in front of the viewer's eyes and a respective pair of relatively wide-angle and relatively low-power objective lenses movable quickly and easily between close-range and long-range focus setting positions.

Patent
   RE33311
Priority
Feb 12 1988
Filed
Feb 12 1988
Issued
Aug 28 1990
Expiry
Feb 12 2008
Assg.orig
Entity
Small
3
5
all paid
11. A system for broadcasting and viewing television images, comprising:
image means for displaying an image for viewing, wherein the image displayed by said image means comprises an image reduced from the normal state in the horizontal plane; and
binocular eyeglasses for use in viewing the displayed image, said eyeglasses comprising a frame including means for supporting a pair of anamorphic eyepiece lenses and further including means for supporting a pair of anamorphic objective lenses in respective optical alignment with said eyepiece lenses, said anamorphic eyepiece and objective lenses being oriented for magnifying the image in the horizontal plane when said image is viewed through said lenses.
1. Binocular eyeglasses, comprising:
a rear frame panel having a pair of lens openings formed therein;
a pair of eyepiece lenses respectively covering said rear panel lens openings;
a pair of slide panels projecting forwardly from opposite ends of said rear panel;
means cooperating with said side panels to define a slide track extending in a fore-aft direction in front of said rear panel;
a front side panel having a pair of lens openings formed therein and received within said track for fore-aft sliding movement relative to said rear panel;
a pair of objective lenses covering said front panel lens openings, said track including means for maintaining said objective lenses in optical alignment with said eyepiece lenses throughout fore-aft sliding movement of said front panel;
means forming front and rear limit stops defining front and rear end limits to fore-aft sliding movement of said front panel;
means for releasably locking said front panel against fore-aft sliding movement; and
a pair of bows connected respectively to outboard sides of said side panels and projecting rearwardly therefrom.
2. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 wherein said objective lenses comprise relatively wide-angle and relatively low-power magnification lenses.
3. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 2 wherein said eyepiece and objective lenses comprise anamorphic lenses.
4. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 wherein said front panel includes a pair of side wings projecting rearwardly at inboard positions respectively adjacent said side panels, said side panels having elongated slots formed therein to extend in the fore-aft direction, and said lock means comprising lock screws secured to said side wings and extending in outboard directions through said slots and terminating at outboard ends in enlarged, manually rotatable knobs.
5. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 wherein said alignment maintaining means comprises guide runners extending in the fore-aft direction at the inboard sides of said side panels and received into mating notches formed in said front panel.
6. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 further including a plurality of spacer tabs projecting forwardly beyond the forwardmost extent of said objective lenses.
7. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 further including a pair of support pins projecting from said bows in inboard directions from positions spaced rearwardly a short distance from said front panel, said support pins being for engaging the bows of conventional eyeglasses worn by a viewer to support the binocular eyeglasses from the conventional eyeglasses.
8. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 further including spacer means for spacing said bows in outboard directions relative to said side panels.
9. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 1 further including earpieces at the rear ends of said bows, said earpieces including a plurality of pads at stepped positions in an inboard direction for contacting the head of a viewer behind the viewer's ears.
10. The binocular eyeglasses of claim 2 wherein said objective lenses have a magnification power on the order of 2× and are supported for a fore-aft sliding displacement of about three-sixteenths inch.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the image means is a television.

This invention relates generally to optical devices for magnifying or enlarging viewed images. More particularly, this invention relates to a relatively lightweight and inexpensive pair of binocular eyeglasses which can be worn comfortably and adjusted easily for use in magnifying observed images, for example, while watching television or observing sporting events or the like.

Optical devices such as telescopes, binoculars, and the like are relatively well known in the art for use in magnifying or enlarging observed images. Such optical devices conventionally include eyepiece and objective lenses mounted within an elongated tubular housing in spaced relation along an optical axis. Adjustment means is normally provided to vary the spacing between the eyepiece and objective lenses to select the range at which images can be viewed in relatively sharp focus.

While prior art binoculars and telescope devices accommodate viewing of images at relatively long-range distances, their use can be cumbersome or inconvenient in some situations. For example, binoculars are commonly used by spectators during sporting events, theatrical or operative productions, and the like to afford a better or close-up view of the event. However, the binoculars tend to be relatively heavy and bulky and are not adapted for direct mounting and wearing upon the viewer's head but instead must be held manually in front of the viewer's eyes. As a result, the viewer tends to observe the event through the binoculars at intermittent intervals and not for any sustained period of time. Moreover, the requirement to look through the tubular housing structure can be distracting to some viewers, resulting in a tendency to avoid use of the binoculars for purposes of avoiding eye fatigue.

In addition, traditional binoculars and/or telescope devices have not been adapted in a convenient and relatively inexpensive form for viewing relatively close-range images, for example, while watching television or the like. However, magnification of television images for easier viewing can be extremely beneficial when the television is relatively small or when the viewer is located at a significant distance from the television. Moreover, magnification of television images can be beneficial to persons having certain vision deficiencies, such as myopia.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and relatively inexpensive optical device in the form of binocular eyeglasses which can be worn comfortably and over a prolonged time period, and which includes optical elements for magnification of observed images.

In accordance with the invention, a relatively lightweight pair of binocular eyeglasses is provided for magnification or enlargement of observed images, for example, while watching television or a sporting event or the like. The binocular eyeglasses include optical elements supported upon a relatively simple frame assembly which can be worn in a comfortable manner over an extended time period. The optical elements are adjustable between preset limits for respectively viewing relatively close-range or long-range images in clear focus.

In the preferred form of the invention, the frame assembly for the binocular eyeglasses includes a front frame with a rear panel supporting a pair of eyepiece lenses. The rear panel is joined at its opposite ends to a pair of forwardly projecting side panels to which a pair of adjustable bows are connected to extend rearwardly over the ears of the person wearing the eyeglasses, thereby supporting the eyepiece lenses in fixed positions in front of the viewer's eyes. A front slide panel is carried along a track between the side panels and includes a pair of objective lenses positioned in respective optical alignment with the eyepiece lenses. These objective lenses are selected to have relatively wide angle and relatively low power magnification characteristics.

The eyeglasses include adjustment means including front and rear limit stops defining end limits of fore-aft movement for the front slide panel and objective lenses. More particularly, the front slide panel can be moved forwardly between the frame side panels to contact the front limit stops thereby achieving a close-range focus setting position for clear viewing of images within a relatively close range, such as about six feet to about twenty feet. Alternatively, the slide panel can be displaced rearwardly into contact with the rear limit stops for focusing of relatively long-range images, such as images located at distances greater than about twenty feet. Guide runners on the side panels conveniently cooperate with the front slide panel to maintain optical alignment between the eyepiece and objective lenses. Lock means are provided for securing the slide panel in the selected position of adjustment.

In accordance with further features of the invention, the front frame includes a plurality of forwardly projecting spacer tabs for preventing surface scratching of the objective lenses when the eyeglasses are placed, for example, face down upon a flat surface. In addition, the eyeglasses are adapted for convenient wearing in conjunction with conventional eyeglasses. In this regard, support pins are mounted on the bows to project in inboard directions behind the rear panel of the front frame. These support pins are adjustable in vertical position to rest upon the bows of conventional eyeglasses thereby supporting the binocular eyeglasses in a secure and stable manner. Adjustable ear pieces on the bows may also be provided.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view depicting use of binocular eyeglasses embodying the novel features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view depicting use of the binocular eyeglasses;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the binocular eyeglasses;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3, with portions broken away to illustrate construction details of the eyeglasses;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmented top plan view of the eyeglasses, with portions broken away to illustrate additional construction details;

FIG. 7 is a fragmented exploded perspective view illustrating assembly of portions of the eyeglasses;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating adjustment of the eyeglasses in use; as viewed in FIG. 10, the eyepiece and objective lenses 26 and 36 may comprise so-called anamorphic lenses of equivalent focal lengths for magnifying images in one plane only, such as magnification in the horizontal plane. With such modification, the eyeglasses can be used while veiwing viewing television images 80 which have been previously reduced in the horizontal plane from a so-called wide screen motion picture production for broadcast on a standard television 82. The anamorphic lenses enlarge the images in the horizontal plane to provide the viewer with a wide screen effect 84 without impacting the images in the vertical plane.

Other features and advantages are also believed to be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, no limitation on the invention is intended by way of the description and drawings herein, except as set forth in the appended claims.

Wilkins, Vaughn D.

Patent Priority Assignee Title
5097705, May 25 1990 Gauge protector
6254233, Aug 13 1999 Anthony, Prestandrea Wide-angle view eyeglasses
8970960, Dec 22 2011 Mattel, Inc Augmented reality head gear
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1086802,
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4155626, Feb 17 1977 Spectacles with a wide angle of vision and method
4195918, Nov 14 1977 Illuminating spectacles with variable magnifying power
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Jul 25 1995WILKINS, VAUGHN D WILKINS, JEFFERY N ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS 0075700953 pdf
Jul 25 1995WILKINS, VAUGHN D WILKINS, BRENT L ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS 0075700953 pdf
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