Mechanical universal hinge

Abstract

A hinge assembly is provided for connecting the temple of an eyeglass to a lens support assembly. The hinge assembly comprises a cam member with a pair of oppositely directed cam surfaces disposed in orthogonal planes. The assembly also comprises a pair of pivots extending normal to respective ones of the planes and defining orthogonal pivot axes for relative movement between the cam member and the main frame and the temple respectively. The hinge has a pair of followers, each associated with a respective one of the cam surfaces; and a pair of biasing members acting on the followers to maintain the followers in contact with the cam surfaces. An eyeglass comprising the hinge assembly is also provided. The hinge assembly allows a compound movement between the main frame and the temple that can accommodate the abnormal loading that might be placed on the eyeglasses.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.