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Claims  |
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The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by a person in
conjunction with a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperature,
the person having a sighting eye and nonsighting eye, comprising:
(a) a partial shielding means having dimensions effective to occupy a
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view that substantially
corresponds to the portion of the sighting eye's field of view that
contains only the image transmitted through the single eye sighting
device's sighting aperture, the partial shielding means including a
channel;
(b) a support arm for slidably mounting the partial shielding means
thereon, the support arm allowing sliding adjustment of the partial
shielding means to position the partial shielding means before the
nonsighting eye to allow the image in the portion of the sighting eye's
field of view transmitted through the single eye sighting device's
sighting aperature to dominate and suppress the image in the corresponding
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view, the support arm
further allowing adjustment of the partial shielding means so that a
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view is maintained when
the partial shielding means is positioned before the nonsighting eye, the
support arm including a support head and a body capable of being slidably
disposed within the internal channel of the partial shielding means;
(c) a support housing including means for accepting and retaining the
support head for swinging movement between first and second positions; and
(d) fastening means for securing the support housing to the single eye
sighting device.
2. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
partial shielding means is opaque.
3. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
partial shielding means is slidably mounted to the body of the support arm
to allow for the horizontal adjustment of the partial shielding means.
4. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
partial shielding means further comprises a spring means positioned in
said channel, said spring bearing on said support arm to provide
resistance to adjustment of the partial shielding means.
5. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 4, wherein spring
means comprise a flattened V-shaped, resilient member.
6. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 5, wherein the
support arm also includes a flange disposed on the end opposite the
support head, the flange cooperating with the spring means in a manner
effective to limit the range of slidable adjustment of the partial
shielding means on the support arm.
7. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
first position of the support head is a retracted position placing the
partial shielding means outside the nonsighting eye's medial field of view
and the second position is an extended position placing the partial
shielding means within the nonsighting eye's medial field of view.
8. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 7, wherein the
partial shielding means is capable of a limited range of swinging movement
around the vertical axis of the support head to allow adjustment of the
distance between the nonsighting eye and the partial shielding means.
9. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
means for accepting and retaining the support head further includes a pair
of coupling flanges extending outwardly from the body of the support
housing, the coupling flanges having vertically aligned bores therein, and
wherein the support head includes a pair of vertically disposed pivot pins
having dimensions effective to be received in the bores of the coupling
flanges.
10. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 9, wherein each
coupling flange has a slot therein, allowing the pivot pins to enter the
vertically aligned bores in the coupling flanges.
11. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 10, wherein the
support head further includes a semicylindrical seat vertically disposed
between the pivot pins that allows for the swinging adjustment of the
support arm, and wherein the support housing includes a spring means
positioned to bear against the seat and provide frictional resistance to
rotation in said support head.
12. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 11, wherein the
support head further comprises a flat seat vertically disposed between the
pivot pins, the spring means bearing against the flat seat to releasably
retain the support head and thus the partial shielding means in a
retracted position.
13. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein the
support housing further includes a means defining a passage for the
fastening means, the passage including a fastening pawl, the fastening
means further including a flexible fastening cable, the flexible fastening
cable including a fastening cable lug on one end, and fastening teeth on
one surface, the fastening teeth cooperating with the fastening pawl to
retain the notched portion of the fastening cable within the passage.
14. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 13, wherein the
support housing further includes a fastening groove joining the fastening
passage and the exterior of the support housing, the fastening groove
cooperating with the cable lug to retain the cable lug within the
fastening groove.
15. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 14, wherein the
cable lug is wider than the cable surface with the fastening teeth and
extends outwardly from the cable surface with the fastening teeth and
wherein the fastening groove has dimensions substantially equivalent to
the dimensions of the cable lug, the fastening groove extending from the
fastening passage to the exterior of the support housing, the lug being
retained on the exterior of the support housing.
16. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1 wherein said
means for accepting and retaining the support head for swinging movement
between first and second positions releasably accepts said support head.
17. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 1, wherein said
support arm carries indicia for indicating the relative position of said
partial shielding means to said support housing.
18. A retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by a person in
conjunction with a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperture,
the person having a sighting eye and a nonsighting eye, comprising:
(a) a partial shielding means having dimensions effective to occupy a
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view that substantially
corresponds to the portion of the sighting eye's field of view that
contains only the image transmitted through the single eye sighting
device's sighting aperture,
(b) a support arm and means mounting said partial shielding means on said
support arm for lateral movement relative to the nonsighting eye's line of
sight to position the partial shielding means before the nonsighting eye
and to allow the image in the portion of the sighting eye's field of view
transmitted through the single eye sighting device's sighting aperture to
dominate and suppress the image in the corresponding portion of the
nonsighting eye's medial field of view, the mounting means further
allowing adjustment of the partial shielding means so that a portion of
the nonsighting eye's medial field of view is maintained when the partial
shielding means is positioned before the nonsighting eye, the support arm
including a support head and a body said mounting means associated with
said body,
(c) a support housing including means for accepting and retaining the
support head for movement between first and second positions, said partial
shielding means in said first position being positioned in the nonsighting
eye's medial field of view and in said second position substantially
clearing said nonsighting eye's medial field of view, and
(d) fastening means for securing the support housing to a single eye
sighting device.
19. A retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by a person in
conjunction with a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperture,
said person having a sighting eye and a nonsighting eye, comprising:
(a) a partial shielding means having dimensions effective to occupy a
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view that substantially
corresponds to the portion of the sighting eye's field of view that
contains only the image transmitted through the single eye sighting
device's sighting aperture;
(b) mounting means for mounting said partial shielding means to the single
eye sighting device, said mounting means including adjustment means
mounting said partial shielding means for lateral movement relative to the
sighting eye.
20. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 19, wherein said
mounting means further includes means for adjusting the partial shielding
means for movement in a fore and aft direction relative to the sighting
eye.
21. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 19, wherein said
partial shielding means is releasably secured to said mounting means.
22. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of claim 19, wherein said
mounting means is detachably fastened to the single eye sighting device.
23. A video camera accessory kit comprising:
(a) a retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by a person in
conjunction with a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperture,
said person having a sighting eye and a nonsighting eye; and
(b) said partial eyeshield assembly is comprised of a partial shielding
means having dimensions effective to occupy a portion of the nonsighting
eye's medial field of view that substantially corresponds to the portion
of the sighting eye's field of view that contains only the image
transmitted through the single eye sighting device's sighting aperture;
and
(c) mounting means for mounting said partial shielding means to the single
eye sighting device, said mounting means including adjustment means
mounting said partial shielding means for lateral movement relative to the
sighting eye.
24. The video camera accessory kit of claim 23, further comprising
instructions for use.
25. A retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by a person in
conjunction with a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperture,
said person having a sighting eye and a nonsighting eye, comprising:
(a) a partial shielding means having dimensions effective to occupy a
portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view that substantially
corresponds to the portion of the sighting eye's field of view that
contains only the image transmitted through the single eye sighting
device's sighting aperture;
(b) mounting means for mounting said partial shielding means to the single
eye sighting device, said mounting means including adjustment means
mounting said partial shielding means for fore and aft movement relative
to the sighting eye. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to eyeshields, more particularly to opaque
eyeshields that are used for partially shielding the field of view of one
eye while the other eye is sighting an object through a single eye
sighting device.
It is often desirable to use a sighting device to assist the eye. Some
sighting devices, such as view finders for cameras, are attached to or
incorporated in other devices that are aimed; others, such as microscopes
and small telescopes, are themselves devices that are aimed. The term
"sighting device," as used herein, includes both types of sighting devices
and encompasses any devices that the first type may be attached to or
incorporated therein.
Sighting devices used by only one eye at a given moment are referred to
herein as single eye sighting devices. Such sighting devices, by occupying
at least a portion of the binocular region of the user's binocular field
of view, may cause a user to experience binocular rivalry. The binocular
field of view is the entire area visible to both eyes at a given moment.
At the center of the binocular field is a binocular region which is the
region common to the fields of view of both eyes.
For each and every portion of one eye's field of view lying in the
binocular region, there is a corresponding portion of the other eye's
field of view that lies in the same part of the binocular region.
Binocular rivalry is a temporal alternation in what the observer sees
between the image in the right eye's field of view and the image in the
left eye's field of view. Binocular rivalry results when the two images
are in corresponding portions of the two eye's fields of view and are
sufficiently different in brightness, color and contour so as not to fuse
into a single perceived image as they normally would. At a given moment,
the image in the field of view of one eye predominates while the other is
suppressed, then suddenly the suppressed images emerges into perception
and dominates the image that was predominant. This phenomena of
alternating dominant images discomforts the single eye sighting device
user and inhibits him in his use of the device. Thus, it is virtually
impossible to comfortably and accurately perceive the desired image
through the single eye sighting device.
One way single eye sighting device users have attacked the problem of
binocular rivalry is by closing the eye that is not using the single eye
sighting device by contracting the facial muscles surrounding the free
eye. However, this method leads to muscle fatigue, headache and other
discomfort associated with that condition, especially during long periods
of continuous sighting. Another way single eye sighting device users have
attacked the problem is by using devices for occupying the nonsighting
eye's entire field of view and eliminating the image that is in it. Such
devices are hereinafter referred to as "eyeshields." While the method of
using eyeshields solves the problem of muscle fatigue associated with
closing the free eye, it is not entirely satisfactory because it relies on
elimination of the entire nonsighting eye's field of view, both medial and
peripheral, for stopping binocular rivalry. Accordingly, eyeshields result
in the elimination of vision that is of use to the single eye sighting
device user, referred to hereinafter as "usuable vision." Usable vision
may be medial or peripheral vision. Medial vision is vision in the eye's
medial field of view, i.e., that portion of the eye's field of view that
lies in the binocular region of the binocular field of view. Peripheral
vision is vision in the eye's peripheral field of view, i.e., that portion
of the eye's field of view that lies outside the medial portion. The
single eye sighting device user often relies upon peripheral or medial
vision in the nonsighting eye for locating objects at which he wishes to
aim and for keeping his body out of harm's way, for example, walking up or
down stairs, or even walking on the level with obstacles in the user's
path. The total elimination of this vision that accompanies the
elimination of binocular rivalry by closing one eye or using a
conventional eyeshield significantly reduces his ability to effectively
use the device, especially in situations where the device must be used
continuously for relatively long stretches of time.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apparatus that will prevent the
phenomena of alternating dominating images without suffering from the
drawback of eliminating substantially all of the single eye sighting
device user's medial and peripheral vision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides such an apparatus that is simple and easy to
use and is readily adaptable to existing single eye sighting devices. The
present invention is a retractable, partial eyeshield assembly for use by
a person having a sighting eye and a nonsighting eye, in conjunction with
a single eye sighting device having a sighting aperature. The partial
eyeshield assembly includes a partial shielding means having dimensions
effective to occupy a portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of
view that substantially corresponds to the portion of the sighting eye's
field of view that contains only the image transmitted through the single
eye sighting device's sighting aperture.
More specifically, the present invention comprises a support arm for
slidably mounting the partial shielding means thereon, the support arm
allowing sliding adjustment of the partial shielding means to position the
partial shielding means before the nonsighting eye, thus allowing the
image in the portion of the sighting eye's field of view transmitted
through the single eye sighting device's sighting aperture to dominate and
suppress the image in the corresponding portion of the nonsighting eye's
medial field of view. The support arm further allows adjustment of the
partial shielding means so that a portion of the nonsighting eye's medial
field of view is maintained when the partial shielding means is positioned
before the nonsighting eye. The partial shielding means has a channel. The
support arm includes a support head and a body capable of being slidably
disposed within the channel of the partial shielding means.
The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly further includes a support
housing for the support head. The support housing includes a means for
accepting and retaining the support head for swinging movement between
first and second positions. The support housing is attached to the single
eye sighting device by a fastening means. The fastening means secures the
support housing to the single eye sighting device so that the partial
shielding means may be placed before the nonsighting eye.
In a preferred embodiment, the portion of the nonsighting eye's medial
field of view that is maintained corresponds to the portion of the
sighting eye's field of view which does not contain the image transmitted
through the single eye sighting device's sighting aperture. Also the
preferred embodiment, the portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of
view which is maintained corresponds to the portion of the sighting eyes
field of view which does not contain the image transmitted through the
single eye sighting devices sighting aperture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be
readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred
embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
It is understood that variations and modifications may be affected without
departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the
disclosure.
FIG. 1 illustrates a front, isometric, environmental view of the
retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of the present invention fastened
to a circular eyepiece of a single eye sighting device.
FIG. 2 illustrates a front, elevational, environmental view of the
retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of the present invention fastened
to a circular viewing eyepiece.
FIG. 3 illustrates a front, elevational, environmental view of the
retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of the present invention fastened
to a square viewing eyepiece.
FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded, rear isometric view of the retractable,
partial eyeshield assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed, rear isometric view of the support housing
and fastening means of the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a top, cutaway, environmental view of the retractable,
partial eyeshield assembly of the present invention fastened to a viewing
eyepiece and illustrating the shielding means in an extended and a
retracted position.
FIG. 7 illustrates a detailed, top, cutaway view of the support housing and
support head of the present invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates a rear, partially cutaway, elevational, environmental
view of the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly of the present
invention fastened to a circular viewing eyepiece.
FIG. 9 illustrates a top, cutaway view of the partial shielding means and
support arm in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a retractable, partial eyeshield assembly 10 of the
present invention is illustrated fastened to a single eye view finder 13
of a single eye sighting device (not shown). The device's user (not shown)
uses the view finder 13 in order to sight objects (not shown) through the
lens 22. The single eye sighting device user positions his/her eye in
close proximity to the rear of the view finder 13. The retractable,
partial eyeshield assembly 10 is fastened to the view finder 13 by a
mounting cable 15.
The fastening cable 15 detachably fastens the support housing 19 to the
outer periphery of the view finder 13. The support housing 19 is
preferably positioned normal to a vertical tangent of the periphery of the
view finder 13. The retractable partial eyeshield assembly 10 when in an
extended position is thus positioned substantially within the medial field
of view of the nonsighting eye of the single eye sighting device's user.
The support housing 19 contacts the view finder 13 with a pair of support
legs 20. The manner in which the support housing 19 contacts the view
finder 13 is not critical to the present invention as long as the support
housing 19 is securely fastened to the view finder 13. The support housing
19 has a fastening passage 41 capable of retaining one end of the mounting
cable 15 and allowing the opposite end of the mounting cable 15 to
slidably pass through the fastening passage 41 in the direction required
to securely fasten the support housing 19 to the view finder 13.
A pair of coupling flanges 26 extend outwardly in a direction normal to the
vertical tangent at the point that the support housing 19 is fastened to
the view finder 13. The coupling flanges 26 are positioned in a manner so
that the top of the first flange 26 is flush with the top of the support
housing 19 and the bottom of the second flange 26 is flush with the bottom
of the support housing 19. The coupling flanges are offset in a direction
towards the rear of the support housing 19. A cylindrical bore passes
vertically through both coupling flanges 26. The bore 27 is vertically
aligned in each of the coupling flanges 26 and engages a guide slot
positioned on the external edge of the coupling flanges 26. The circular
bore 27 and the guide slots 21 are dimensioned such that the guide slots
21 are capable of accepting and guiding a circular pivot pin 28 that forms
part of the support arm head 29 into the circular bore 27. The coupling
flanges 26 are constructed so that when the pivot pin 28 is received by
the circular bore 27, the guide slots do not allow ready removal of the
pivot 28 from the circular bore 27. More specifically, the guide slot 21
at the point at which it engages the circular bore 27 has a smaller width
than the diameter of the pivot pin 28. The material that the coupling
flanges 26 are prepared from is flexible enough to allow the guide slots
21 to expand to a width sufficient to allow entry of the pivot pin 28 into
the circular bore 27. This construction also allows the support arm to
break free of the mounting flanges should inadvertent downward pressure be
applied to the support arm, thus preventing damage to the device.
When the support arm head 29 is engaged by the coupling flanges 26, the
support arm head 29 which is disposed between the circular pivot pins 28,
is positioned in the cavity 45 created between the coupling flanges 26.
The support arm head 29 is freely rotatable about the axis of the pivot
pins 28 within the cavity 45 created between the coupling flanges 26. The
support arm head thus allows swinging adjustment of the partial eyeshield
11 from a first, extended position represented by the solid lines of FIG.
1 to a second, retracted position 16 represented by the dotted line in
FIG. 1. The partial eyeshield 11 is swung to its retracted position by
movement along the direction of the arrow 17.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the support arm head 29 is located on the
interior end of the support arm 12. The partial eyeshield 11 is slidably
mounted on the outer end of the support arm 12. As will be discussed in
more detail below, the outer end of the support arm is received through an
opening 25 into an elongate internal channel 24 extending lengthwise
through the partial eyeshield 11. The partial eyeshield 11 is thus mounted
for sliding movement in a transverse direction relative to the eyepiece as
indicated by the arrows 18. The partial eyeshield is maintained in a
desired position by the interaction of the support arm 12 and a spring
means 32 positioned in the internal channel 24.
Referring now to FIGS. 2, 4, 8 and 9, the view finder 13 is shown as a
circular eyepiece and lens 22. The retractable, partial eyeshield assembly
10 is attached by the mounting cable 15 to the circular lens housing 14 of
the view finder 13. Located on the exterior end of the support arm 12 is a
flange 23 for restricting the range of horizontal movement 18 of the
partial eyeshield 11. The range of movement 18 of the partial eyeshield 11
is restricted by the flange 23 contacting the exterior end of the spring
means 32 whose spring finger 35 is positioned adjacent to the slot 47 for
the spring ribs 33.
A more detailed description of the particular components making up the
retractable, partial eyeshield assembly 10 of the present invention will
be described with reference to the remaining Figures. Referring to FIG. 4,
the present invention comprises a mounting cable 15, a support housing 19,
a support arm 12, a partial eyeshield 11, a spring means 32, and a spring
means 36.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, the fastening cable 15 is preferably a flexible
polymeric material that is capable of being securely wrapped around the
view finder 13 for fastening the support housing 19 to a view finder 13.
As shown in FIG. 4, the top portion of the fastening cable is a thin,
smooth member capable of passing through the cable entry 51 in the support
housing 19. The fastening cable 15 has one surface that is smooth and the
other surface includes a plurality of fastening teeth 39 for securing the
fastening cable 15 to the support housing 19. On the side opposite the
smooth surface are a pair of cable ribs 38 along the outer edges of the
fastening cable 15. The ribs are positioned so that the outer edges of the
ribs are flush with the outer edges of the fastening cable 15. The ribs 38
increase the thickness of the fastening cable 15 along the remaining
length of the fastening cable 15. Between the first and second ribs 38 are
the plurality of teeth 39 for securing the fastening cable 15 to the
support housing 19 once the fastening cable 15 has been fastened around
the view finder 13. A cable lug 40 is positioned at the end opposite the
thin portion of the fastening cable 15 that enters the cable entry 51. The
cable lug 40 secures the fastening cable 15 to the support housing 19,
prior to the step in which the fastening cable 15 is fastened around the
view finder 13 and secured by the teeth 39. The cable lug 40 is a
rectangular bar positioned horizontally on top of the ribs 38. The cable
lug 40 is wider than the fastening cable 15. The cable lug 40 has
dimensions that allows the cable lug 40 to mate relatively closely with
the fastening groove 43 of the support arm housing 19. The fastening
groove 43 joins the fastening passage 41 and the exterior of the support
housing 19. As shown in FIG. 8, the cable lug 40 securely fastens the
fastening cable 15 to the support arm housing 19 after the thin leading
end of the fastening cable 15 has passed through the cable entry 51 in a
manner illustrated by the broken line 56 in FIG. 4. The fastening cable 15
is placed around the circumference of the view finder 13 and reentered
into the bottom of the support arm housing 19 through the fastening
passage 41. The teeth 39 are engaged by the pawl 50 that is located on the
interior wall of the fastening passage 41. The cooperation of the teeth 39
and the pawl 50 allow the upward passage of the fastening cable 15 through
the fastening passage 41 while restricting the downward removal of the
fastening cable 15 from the fastening passage 41.
Referring to FIG. 3, the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly 10 is
illustrated attached alternatively to a square lens housing 14 containing
a circular lens 22 by fastening cable 15. Because the fastening cable 15
is flexible, the partial eyeshield assembly can be attached not only to
square and circular lens housings 14, but also to other shapes of lens
housings.
Referring to FIG. 4, the support legs 20 of the support arm housing 19
contact the view finder 13 near a vertical tangent. The support legs 20
sturdily mount the support arm housing 19 to the view finder 13. Each of
the support legs 20 steps down to a fastening groove wall 53. The
fastening groove walls 53 are the vertical boundaries of the fastening
groove 43 into which the fastening lug 40 is seated. The forward ends of
the support legs 20 and the fastening groove walls 53 are flush with the
forwardmost portion of the support arm housing 19. The rearward ends of
the support legs 20 extend farther rearward than the fastening groove
walls 53. The additional rearward length of the support leg 20 ends serve
as tabs 54 that retain a head 37 of a spring means 36. The head 37 is
retained between the tabs 54 and the interior rearward edge of the
coupling flanges 26 and the interior rear wall of the cavity 45. The head
37 is seated in the vertical groove 44 after the spring means 36 is passed
through the vertical hole 42. The spring means 36 is a thin flexible
member that is positioned to bear against the semicylindrical seat 49 or
the flat seat 30 of the support arm head 29 as shown in FIG. 6. The spring
means 36 locks the support arm head 29 into either a second, retracted
position 16 represented by the dotted lines or a first, extended position
represented by the solid lines of FIG. 6. The spring means 36 supplies a
forward force in a direction normal to the tangential point that the
spring means 36 and the semicylindrical seat 49 or the flat seat 30
contact each other.
Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, the support arm head 29 fits closely
within the cavity 49 that receives the support arm head 29. The pivot pins
28 are guided into the bore 27 by the guide slots 21. The pivot pins 28
have dimensions effective to be received in the bore 27 of the coupling
flanges 26. As the pivot pins 28 become positioned in the bore 27, the
spring means 36 is inserted in the vertical hole 42. The spring means 36
bears on the semicylindrical seat 49 or the flat seat 30 of the support
arm head 29. The force supplied by the spring means 36 to the
semicylindrical seat 49 or the flat seat 30 restricts the swinging
movement of the support arm 12 in a forward or rearward direction and
maintains the support arm 12 in a desired position.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 6, the support arm head 29 includes a first
larger vertical semicylindrical shaft or seat 49 with cylindrical pivot
pins 28 concentrically disposed on the top and bottom of the larger
semicylindrical shaft. The semicylindrical shaft has a height that
corresponds with the vertical distance between the coupling flanges 26.
The right forward portion of the larger cylindrical shaft is removed to
form a flat surface that is tangentially disposed in relation to the
cylindrical pivot pins 28. The flat surface is the flat seat 30 that
contacts the spring means 36 when the partial eyeshield 11 is in the
second, retracted position 16. The left-hand forward portion of the larger
cylindrical shaft, forward of the support arm 12 is beveled to form a
surface 31 that does not contact the outer wall 55 of the fastening
passage 41 when the support arm 12 is in a second, retracted position. The
bore 27 and the coupling flanges 26 are rearwardly offset from the center
of the fastening cable 15. The position of the bore 27 and the coupling
flanges causes the pivot pins 28 to be rearwardly offset from the center
of the fastening cable 15.
Referring to FIG. 6, with the support arm head 29 and the spring means 36
in position, the partial eyeshield 11 may be secured in the second,
retracted position 16. To remove the support arm 12 from the second,
retracted position 16, a force must be applied to the support arm 12 in a
rearward direction. The force must be sufficient to cause the spring means
36 to flex an amount that allows the spring means 36 to disengage the flat
seat 30 and engage the semicylindrical seat 49. When the partial eyeshield
11 is extended, the cooperation of the semicylindrical seat 49 of the
support arm head 29 and the spring means 36 allow the swinging adjustment
forward or rearward of the support arm 12. The spring means 36 supplies
sufficient resistive force to the semicylindrical seat 49, allowing the
support arm 12 to be placed in a position that is maintained until an
intentional force sufficient to move the support arm 12 is applied to the
support arm 12.
Referring to FIG. 5, the support housing 19 with the fastening cable 15,
spring means 36, and the support arm head 29 are in the first, extended
position. As shown in FIG. 5, the tab 37 is locked into place in the head
groove 44. The spring means 36 is flexing in response to the contact with
the semicylindrical seat 49. The cable lug 40 is in the fastening groove
43 with the fastening cable 15 passing out the fastening passage 41. The
fastening cable 15 is placed around the device that the support housing 19
is fastened and is prevented from moving in a direction opposite to the
arrow 46 by the cooperation of the pawl 50 and the teeth 39 as shown in
FIG. 8.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 6 and 9, on the exterior forward end of the support
arm 12 is a flange 23 that limits the horizontal slidable range of motion
of the partial eyeshield 11. The flange 23 and the support arm 12 are
slidably mounted with relation to each other within the internal channel
24. The flange 23 and support arm 12 enter the partial eyeshield through
the opening 25. The range of motion of the partial eyeshield 11 is also
limited by the spring means 32. A limit stop 34 on the exterior end of the
spring means 32, extending forward therefrom, contacts the interior edge
of the flange 23 when the partial eyeshield 11 is slidably adjusted to the
exterior-most position. The spring means 32 is a flattened V-shaped,
resilient member that slidably fits within the internal channel 24 so that
the concave side of the spring means 32 faces forward. The spring means 32
is secured in the internal channel 24 by two spring ribs 33 protruding
forward from the interior end of the spring means 32. The spring ribs 33
cooperate with the slot 47 for the spring ribs 33, thus preventing the
spring means 32 from moving left or right within the internal channel 24
of the partial eyeshield 11. The spring means 32 also includes a spring
finger 35, between the spring ribs 33 that maintains the spring ribs 33 in
the slot 47 for the spring ribs 33.
Referring to FIG. 6, the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly 10 is in a
first extended position represented by the solid lines. The spring means
36 and the semicylindrical seat 49 are intimately contacted providing
resistance to the swinging movement of the support arm 12. The support arm
12 is slidably mounted in the internal channel 24 of the partial eyeshield
11. The spring means 32 is positioned in the internal channel 24 and
maintained there by the cooperation between the spring ribs 33, the spring
finger 35 and the slot 47 for the spring ribs 33. When the partial
eyeshield 11 is moved to the right, the left-most portion of the flange 23
contacts the closed end of the internal channel 24, thus preventing
further movement to the right of the partial eyeshield 11. When the
partial eyeshield 11 is moved to the left, the right-hand edge of the
flange 23 contacts the limit stop 34, thus preventing further movement to
the left of the partial eyeshield 11. The relative position of the partial
eyeshield 11 on the support arm 12 may be determined by referring to the
indicia 58 in FIGS. 4 and 8. The indicia 58 are located on the surface of
the support arm 12 that faces the user when the single eye sighting device
is before the nonsighting eye. The indicia 58 allow each individual user
to quickly reposition the partial eyeshield 11 to accomodate his/her
particular field of view. The indicia 58 may include hash marks and
letter, numerical, or alphanumeric identifiers. The series of indicia 58
are positioned along the length of the support arm 12 so that the user may
easily identify the position of the partial eyeshield 11 in relation to
the indicia 58 for later reference.
Referring back to FIG. 6, the contact surface 48 between the spring means
32 and the support arm 12 supplies enough resistive force to maintain the
partial eyeshield 11 in a desired position. The range of horizontal
movement allows for the fine adjustment and positioning required in order
to obstruct the desired portion of the nonsighting eye's medial field of
view. When it is desirable to transport the device to which the single eye
view finder is attached, the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly 10
may be disengaged and retracted into a second, retracted position 16
adjacent to the lens housing 14. The partial eyeshield 11 is moved from an
extended to a retracted position or a retracted to an extended position by
applying a manual force to the partial eyeshield 11 or support arm 12 in
the direction of the desired movement.
In FIG. 7, the support housing 19 is shown in greater detail, illustrating
the support arm 12 in a second, retracted position. As shown, the flat
seat 30 is contacting the spring means 36. The corner created by the flat
seat 30 and the semicylindrical seat 49 serves as a restriction to the
left-hand rotation of the support arm 12. The corner secures the support
arm 12 in a second, retracted position. Once the support arm 12 is swung
to the left a distance sufficient to cause the spring means 36 to contact
the semicylindrical seat 49, the support arm 12 may then be easily
adjusted to the desired position. In FIG. 7, the pawl 50 has engaged the
teeth 39 of the fastening cable 15, thus preventing the removal of the
cable from the fastening passage 41.
Referring to FIG. 8, the cooperation between the teeth 39 of the fastening
cable 15 and the pawl 50 of the fastening passage 41 is shown in detail.
The teeth 39 and the pawl 50 cooperate in a manner that allows the
vertical movement of the fastening cable 15, while restricting the
downward movement of the fastening cable 15. This provides a convenient
and secure means for fastening the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly
10 of the present invention to the view finder 13.
Referring to FIG. 9, the internal channel 24 of the partial eyeshield 11 is
shown in detail. The flange 23, limit stop 34, spring means 32 and spring
ribs 33 are easily visible in this view. The slidable movement of the
partial eyeshield 11 is resisted to by the resistance created by the
friction at surface 48 between the spring means 32 and the support arm 12.
Thus, the present invention provides an easily adjustable, partial
eyeshield that is used to occupy a portion of the nonsighting eye's medial
field of view that substantially corresponds to the portion of the
sighting eye's field of view that contains only the image transmitted
through the single eye sighting device's sighting aperture. Unless the
partial eyeshield may be adjusted to occupy such portion of the
nonsighting eye's medial field of view, the partial eyeshield will not
assuredly eliminate binocular rivalry between the portion of the sighting
eye's field of view transmitted through the sighting aperture of the
single eye sighting device and the image in the corresponding portion of
the nonsighting eye's medial field of view. If the partial eyeshield
occupies more of the nonsighting eye's field of view than that
corresponding portion, it will result in the loss of use of portions of
the peripheral and medial fields of view which are of value to the device
user. By appropriately positioning the partial eyeshield, when the eyes
are turned to view either the left or right direction, the field of view
can be maximized. Therefore, the present invention allows for the fine
adjustment of the nonsighting eye's medial field of view that is occupied
by the partial eyeshield.
The materials chosen for the retractable, partial eyeshield assembly in
accordance with the present invention will depend on many factors,
including ease of use in the fabrication process, cost, comfort to the
user, and shielding capability. While components of opaque, plastic and
rubber have been used for the heretofore illustrated embodiments of the
invention, it should be understood that other materials and combinations
of these materials can be employed for these and other embodiments.
Preferably, the materials are adaptable to injection molding processes,
and most preferably, the materials include a nylon 12, available
commercially as "Grilamide," from Emser Werke AG.
The construction and size of a single eye view finder to which the
retractable partial eyeshield of the present invention is attached will
also affect the construction and size of the partial eyeshield assembly.
For example, in a preferred embodiment, the view finder is of the type
which is commonly attached to video cameras, particularly portable video
cameras for home use.
While the present invention has been described in conjunction with the
preferred embodiments, one of ordinary skill after reading the foregoing
specification will be able to affect various changes, substitution of
equivalents and other alterations to the articles of manufacture set forth
herein. It is therefore intended that the protection granted by Letters
Patent hereon be limited only by the definition contained in the appended
claims and equivalents thereof.
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