Method of custom fitting eyeglass frames and article formed thereby

Claim 1

The method of custom fitting eyeglass frames on the nose of a wearer, which steps are in part performed by an optician or the like and in part performed in an eyeglass frames laboratory, said method comprising: (1) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (a) heating a wax wafer to an elevated temperature sufficient to make it malleable under pressure; (b) positioning the heated wafer on the bridge area of the wearer's nose and applying sufficient pressure to the wafer to cause it to conform to the contour of the bridge portion of the nose; (c) applying the eyeglass frames against the wearer's nose in a proper viewing position and applying sufficient pressure to the frames to cause the wafer also to conform to the contour of the nose bridge portion of the frames; (d) removing the resulting wax pattern from both the frames and the wearer's nose and cooling it to fix its shape; (e) sending wax pattern to an eyeglass frames laboratory; (2) as steps performed in the eyeglass frames laboratory to produce a nosepiece having a surface configuration corresponding to the nose bridge and frame bridge engaged surface configuration of the wax mold; (f) trimming the wax pattern to conform the pattern substantially to the outline of the eyeglass frames; (g) fabricating from molding composition a two-piece mold from dental stone casting material having an internal cavity in the shape of the trimmed wax pattern; (h) forming a nosepiece by placing a hardenable resin material in the internal cavity of said mold, allowing sufficient time for hardening of the material, separating and removing the hardened resin material from the mold, and grinding and polishing as necessary to form the nosepiece; and (i) returning the finished nosepiece to the optician; (3) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (j) positioning the formed nosepiece on the patient's nose in proper position; (k) placing the eyeglass frames in correct viewing position against the nosepiece and, with said nosepiece in such position, (l) permanently attaching the nosepiece to the eyeglass frames.

Claim 2

The method of custom fitting eyeglass frames on the nose of a wearer, which steps are in part performed by an optician or the like and in part performed in an eyeglass frames laboratory, said method comprising: (1) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (a) heating a wax wafer to an elevated temperature sufficient to make it malleable under pressure; (b) positioning the heated wafer on the bridge area of the wearer's nose and applying sufficient pressure to the wafer to cause it to conform to the contour of the bridge portion of the nose; (c) applying the eyeglass frames against the wearer's nose in a proper viewing position and applying sufficient pressure to the frames to cause the wafer also to conform to the contour of the nose bridge portion of the frames; (d) removing the resulting wax pattern from both the frames and the wearer's nose and cooling it to fix its shape; (e) sending wax pattern to an eyeglass frames laboratory; (2) as steps performed in the eyeglass frames laboratory to produce a nosepiece having a surface configuration corresponding to the nose bridge and frame bridge engaged surface configuration of the wax mold; (f) trimming the wax pattern to conform the pattern substantially to the outline of the eyeglass frames; (g) fabricating from molding composition a two-piece mold from dental stone casting material having an internal cavity in the shape of the trimmed wax pattern; (h) forming a nosepiece by placing a hardenable resin material in the internal cavity of said mold, allowing sufficient time for hardening of the material, separating and removing the hardened resin material from the mold, and grinding and polishing as necessary to form the nosepiece; and (i) returning the finished nosepiece to the optician; (3) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (j) positioning the formed nosepiece on the patient's nose in proper position; (k) placing the eyeglass frames in correct viewing position against the nosepiece and, with said nosepiece in such position, (l) permanently attaching the nosepiece to the eyeglass frames.

Claim 11

The method of custom fitting eyeglass frames on the nose of a wearer, which steps are in part performed by an optician or the like and in part performed in an eyeglass frames laboratory, said method comprising: (1) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (a) heating a wax wafer to an elevated temperature sufficient to make it malleable under pressure; (b) positioning the heated wafer on the bridge area of the wearer's nose and applying sufficient pressure to the wafer to cause it to conform to the contour of the bridge portion of the nose; (c) applying the eyeglass frames against the wearer's nose in a proper viewing position and applying sufficient pressure to the frames to cause the wafer also to conform to the contour of the nose bridge portion of the frames; (d) removing the resulting wax pattern from both the frames and the wearer's nose and cooling it to fix its shape; (e) marking an outline of the eyeglass frames on the wax wafer; (f) sending the wax pattern to an eyeglass frames laboratory; (2) as steps performed in the eyeglass frames laboratory to produce a nosepiece having a surface configuration corresponding to the nose bridge and frame bridge engaged surface configuration of the wax pattern; (g) pouring molding composition on the concave side of the wax pattern and letting the composition harden to form a first mold; (h) cutting and shaping the edges of the wax pattern while the pattern is supported by said first mold to conform the pattern substantially to the outline of the eyeglass frames; (i) fabricating from molding composition a two-piece second mold having an internal cavity in the shape of the trimmed wax pattern; (j) forming a nosepiece by filling the said second mold with a hardenable resin, hardening the resin, separating and removing the hardened resin from said second mold, and grinding and polishing the hardened resin to form the finished nosepiece; and (k) returning the finished nosepiece to the optician or the like; (3) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (l) positioning the plastic nosepiece on the patient's nose in proper position; (m) placing the eyeglass frames in correct viewing position against nosepiece; and with said nosepiece in such position (n) attaching the nosepiece to the eyeglass frames.

Claim 12

The method of custom fitting eyeglass frames on the nose of a wearer, which steps are in part performed by an optician or the like and in part performed in an eyeglass frames laboratory, said method comprising: (1) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (a) heating a wax wafer to an elevated temperature sufficient to make it malleable under pressure; (b) positioning the heated wafer on the bridge area of the wearer's nose and applying sufficient pressure to the wafer to cause it to conform to the contour of the bridge portion of the nose; (c) applying the eyeglass frames against the wearer's nose in a proper viewing position and applying sufficient pressure to the frames to cause the wafer also to conform to the contour of the nose bridge portion of the frames; (d) removing the resulting wax pattern from both the frames and the wearer's nose and cooling it to fix its shape; (e) marking an outline of the eyeglass frames on the wax wafer; (f) sending the wax pattern to an eyeglass frames laboratory; (2) as steps performed in the eyeglass frames laboratory to produce a nosepiece having a surface configuration corresponding to the nose bridge and frame bridge engaged surface configuration of the wax pattern; (g) pouring molding composition on the concave side of the wax pattern and letting the composition harden to form a first mold; (h) cutting and shaping the edges of the wax pattern while the pattern is supported by said first mold to conform the pattern substantially to the outline of the eyeglass frames; (i) fabricating from molding composition a two-piece second mold having an internal cavity in the shape of the trimmed wax pattern; (j) forming a nosepiece by filling the said second mold with a hardenable resin, hardening the resin, separating and removing the hardened resin from said second mold, and grinding and polishing the hardened resin to form the finished nosepiece; and (k) returning the finished nosepiece to the optician or the like; (3) as steps performed by the optician or the like; (l) positioning the plastic nosepiece on the patient's nose in proper position; (m) placing the eyeglass frames in correct viewing position against nosepiece; and with said nosepiece in such position (n) attaching the nosepiece to the eyeglass frames.