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US 6,280,031 B1Granted
Prismatic optical viewing glasses
OwnerHoward Zerkleinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Optical viewing glasses incorporate a visor positioned at the brow line or a wearer above the normal viewing field from which a pair of prisms depend without additional supporting structure thereby allowing the wearer to have a redirected field of vision while retaining peripheral viewing fields.
Claims18
An optical eyewear for providing a wearer with a redirected field of vision when the wearer assumes a normal frontal viewing line of sight, said optical eyewear comprising:
- an eyewear frame including having a rigid opaque planar visor with a pair of laterally spaced temples hingedly connected to and extending rearwardly thereof for supporting the visor on the wearer with said visor extending substantially parallel to and above said normal viewing line of sight with a lower planar surface of said visor substantially normal to the face of the wearer;
- a pair of prismatic elements connected to said lower planar surface of said visor in laterally spaced relationship in front of each eye of said wearer, each of said prismatic elements having an optically clear rectangular vertical surface facing said wearer, a rectangular horizontal surface with a reflective coating at said lower surface of said visor, and a rectangular optically clear inclined surface interconnecting said horizontal surface and said vertical surface, the angularity between said surfaces of said prismatic elements and the optical characteristics thereof being such that images in the redirected line of sight are reflected at said horizontal surface, internally reflected at said inclined surface and refracted at said vertical surface to the eyes of the wearer thereby providing a redirected view normal to said line of vision, the adjacent inner side surfaces of said prismatic elements being translucent and sufficiently closely spaced to provide a continuous lateral field, the outer side surfaces being sufficiently closely spaced to provide unobstructed lateral peripheral vision, and the lower edge of the vertical surface terminating slightly below said binocular view field thereby providing unobstructed lower peripheral vision sectors whereby the wearer may achieve the redirected line of sight without loss of sensory aspects of normal peripheral vision.
A prismatic view device, comprising:
- elongated substantially planar visor means;
- support means connected to said visor means for supporting said visor at the brow line of a wearer and parallel to a forward line of sight;
- a pair of optical prisms connected to a bottom surface of said visor means and freely depending in front of the eyes of the wearer within the forward line of sight, said prisms being effective for redirecting said forward line of sight downwardly with respect, to said wearer to provide a redirected line of sight normal to the wearer.
Prismatic optical viewing glasses for providing a wearer with a redirected field of vision from a forward line of sight, comprising:
- an eyewear frame including having an opaque planar visor;
- a pair of laterally spaced temples hingedly connected to and extending rearwardly of said visor for supporting said visor substantially parallel to and above said forward line of sight substantially normal to the face of the wearer;
- a pair of triangular optical prisms connected to said lower planer surface of said visor in laterally spaced relationship in front of each eye of said wearer, said prisms having an optically clear vertical surface facing said wearer, a reflective horizontal surface with at said lower surface of said visor, and an optically clear inclined surface interconnecting said horizontal surface and said vertical surface, said surfaces of said prisms and the optical characteristics thereof redirecting the line of sight normal to said line of vision, the adjacent inner side surfaces of said prisms being sufficiently closely spaced to provide a continuous lateral binocular field, the outer side surfaces being sufficiently closely spaced to provide unobstructed lateral peripheral vision, and the lower edge of the vertical surface terminating slightly below said binocular view field
- thereby providing unobstructed lower peripheral vision sector whereby the wearer may achieve the redirected line of sight without loss of sensory aspects of normal peripheral vision.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.