Combination sight and hearing protection

#The present invention relates generally to protective devices that are worn on the head of a user. More particularly, the present invention relates to a protective device for protecting the sight and hearing of a user.

#It is known that high levels of sound can damage auditory nerves. In fact, loud continuous or steadily recurring sounds cause loss of hearing. In response to this knowledge, numerous types of hearing protectors have been manufactured. Several of these hearing protectors include a band that fits over the head of the user and has hearing protection attached at each end thereof. However, many hearing protectors are small earplugs inserted into the ear canal of the user to reduce the amount of sound that enters the ear. Because these earplugs are small, they are easily lost.

#It is common place for an individual to misplace earplugs when on the work site. Typically, workers carry several sets of foam earplugs in their pockets to replace misplaced or lost ones. The loss of earplugs becomes costly over time. Furthermore, a worker is apt to proceed with work in noisy conditions if replacement earplugs are not handy, thereby risking injury to hearing.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention.

#FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

#It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described herein, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the claims presented at the end of the detailed description.

#In FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination safety glasses and earplugs device 1 comprises safety glasses 3. The safety glasses 3 typically include shatter resistive lenses 9. Side shields 8 are affixed to temple portion 5 for deflecting or preventing flying debris from hitting the eye of the wearer from the side. It should be noted that the invention might be implemented with a single wrap-style lens or a goggle-shaped lens.

#In FIG. 1, an earplug 11 attaches to the temple portion 5 via a flexible rubber stem 13. The rubber stem 13 connects to a rubber sleeve 6. The rubber sleeve 6 is rotatable about temple portion 5. Thus, the earplugs 11 may be readily held away from the ear or ear region of a wearer when the earplugs 11 are not inserted into wearer's ears. Earplugs that dangle from the glasses frame may be considered distracting by some users. The aforementioned types of users therefore prefer this embodiment.