US2043431A - Eyeglass case - Google Patents

Description

R. M. DUGDALE EYEGLASS CASE Filed March 28, 1955 .Mme 9, 193.

Patented June 9, 1936 y UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlce EYEGLASS CASE Application March 2.8,

4 Claims.

^ the lip sothat the front and end portions can be separately folded inside the case. Indeed it is common practice tof provide two notches at each end rof the lip.,l one at each front corner of the case and one at each end of the case in line with the inside edge of the lip, thus dividing the margin of the blank into ve flaps to be folded inwardly over the edges of the case, a wide flap Vat the front to cover the lip, a narrow flap at each end of the lip and a flap of intermediate width extending from the rear edge of the lip along each end of the case to the hinge. In covering the lip the narrow flaps are first folded over the ends of the lip and the wide flap is then folded over the narrow flaps. Thus the wide and narrow flaps overlap at the ends of the lip, thereby producing small humps, and inasmuch as there is only one thickness over the intermediate portion of the lip the cover seats only on the humps, leaving a crack along the major portion of the lip. Not only does this crack admit dust but repeated snapping of the cover to closed position soon produces noticeable wear on the humps. Moreover, the edges of the Wide flap are exposed at the ends of the lip, thereby either presenting an unsightly raw edge or, if the edge is folded under, exaggerating the effect of said humps by producing three thicknesses instead of two; and inasmuch as these edges are at or near the end edges of the case they are soon frayed and/or pulled loose in use.

Objects of the present invention are to eliminate the aforesaid crack, humps and exposed edges, and to provide a case in which the covering extends smoothly and continuously over the lip and thence over the edge of the case at the front and ends of the lip without wrinkles, joints or overlapping.

The preferred mode of attaining these objects is to curve the end walls into conjunction with the front wall of the case so that the ends of the lip gradually taper in width, to employ a blank which is not notched and to fold the margins of the blank over the lip and edges of the case smoothly and continuously without wrinkles or exposed edges.

1935, Serial No. 13,4118V (Cl. 20G- 6) For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the lower half of an eyeglass case before the hinge is attached, a part of the covering material being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank of covering material;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. l.; and

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a cupped sheet met-a1 case l having upturned ends and rear side edges 2 and 3 and a lip 4 extending along the front of the case substantially in the plane of the upper edges l and 3 and integrally joining the front and end walls at its front and ends respectively. The hinge construction shown at the upper part of Fig. 1 constitutes another invention which is independent of the present invention and which is therefore not described herein.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 the case is covered with a sheet 5 of fabric, leather or the like, the outline of the blank cover being shown in Fig. 2. This outline is generally similar to that of the case but the lower part 6 is somewhat extended to provide extra material for covering the lip 4. To apply the covering to the case the outside of the case is placed against the blank and the margins of the blank are folded over the edges of the case. As shown in Fig, 3 the portion 6 of the blank extends over and thence under the lip 4 and as shown in Fig. 4 the end margins 1 of the blank extend downwardly along the insides of the end walls of the case. While the covering may be secured to the case by any suitable adhesive it is preferably attached by thermoplastic adhesive applied to the surface of the blank before the blank is applied to the case, heat being applied to the blank in any suitable manner in the process of applying it to the case to cause it to adhere firmly to the case.

In order to fold the covering material over the ends of the lip 4 without wrinkles, joints or overlapping, the ends 2 of the case are curved into conjunction with the front side of the case (the lower side in Fig. l) so that the front to rear dimension of the lip gradually tapers at each end of the lip. In applying the blank to the case the corners 8 of the blank are stretched obliquely toward the center of the case as they are wiped over the corners of the case and they are then ironed down against the upper surfaces of the tapered ends of the lip, thereby compressing the covering material along lines extending lengthwise of the lip and causing the aforesaid lines to curve inwardly approximately parallel with the curved corners of the case. The compression of the covering material over the ends of the lip takes place chiei-ly near the inner edge of the lip and near the cross-sectional line 3-3 in Fig. 1, as indicated by the fact that the approximately circular graining of the covering material is compressed into more elliptical shape in this region. In ironing the covering material over the ends of the lip, with a small iiat-iron or other suitable ironing device, the motion of the iron is preferably directed approximately toward the center of the case in the general direction of the line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An eyeglass case comprising a hollow bottom having at the front an interior lip meeting the end walls substantially in the plane of their upper edges, the end walls curving into conjunction with the front wall so that the ends of the lip gradually taper in width, and a covering of pliable sheet material having its edges folded inwardly over said lip and the end walls with the portion over said lip extending continuously over both the front edge and the curved end edges of the case without exposed edges of covering material at said curved edges.

2. An eyeglass case comprising a hollow bottom having at the front an internal lip meeting the end walls substantially in the plane of their upper edges, the end walls curving into conjunction with the front wall so that the ends of the lip gradually taper in width, and a covering of pliable sheet material having its edges folded inwardly over said lip and the end walls with the portion over said lip compressed lengthwise of the lip along said tapered ends so that the longitudinal lines of said portion curve inwardly at the ends similarly to the curvature of said end walls.

3. An eyeglass case comprising a hollow bottom having at the front an internal lip integrally united with the end walls substantially in the plane of their upper edges, the end walls curving into conjunction with the front wall so that the ends of the lip gradually taper in width, and a covering of pliable sheet material having its edges folded inwardly over said lip and the end walls with the portion over said lip extending continuously over both the front edge and the curved end edges of the case without wrinkles, joints or overlapping on the upper side of the lip or at the junctions of the lip with the side and end walls.

4. An eyeglass case comprising a hollow bottom having at the front an internal lip meeting the end walls substantially in the plane of their upper edges, the end walls curving into conjunction with the front wall so that the ends of the lip gradually taper in width, and a blank of covering material having smoothly curving edges free from notches at the corners and having its edges folded inwardly over said lip and the end walls with the portion over said lip extending continuously over both the front edge and the curved end edges of the case without exposed edges of covering material at said curved edges.

RICHARD M. DUGDALE.

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