Half-jacket eyewear with removable dust shield

Abstract

Disclosed is eyewear that may have a half-jacket frame and a removable dust shield for preventing direct impingement of dust upon a wearer's eye. The eyewear may have a titanium frame and removable lenses free of any attachment structure. The frame may have a lens-retaining ridge with a thin cross section. A nosepad on the frame may carry a shield retainer for releasably affixing a shield to the frame. The nosepad and the half-jacket frame front may be cast together in one piece out of titanium or titanium alloy. An anti-slip nosepad cover may partially cover the nosepad and leave the shield retainer exposed. A removable shield may have a lower lens groove that circumferentially mates with an upper lens groove of an orbital of a half-jacket frame, thereby circumferentially completing the lens groove when the shield is in place. A rigid temple may carry a slip resistor for contacting the wearer's skin. The eyewear may have a vent to reduce fogging of the lenses and the shield may be air-permeable.

1 - 12 . (canceled)  
   
   
       13 . Eyewear comprising: 
 at least one lens;    a half-jacket frame front adapted to receive the at least one lens;    a nose-contacting element attached to the half-jacket frame front; and    a shield retainer carried by the nose-contacting element.    
   
   
       14 . The eyewear of  claim 13  further comprising a removable shield configured to seal the frame front to a wearer's face and to prevent direct impingement of air and dust from outside the eyewear on the wearer's eyes;  
     wherein the nose-contacting element comprises: 
 a nosepad extending rearwardly from the frame front; and  
 a nosepad cover covering more than fifty percent of the nosepad.  
 
   
   
       15 . The eyewear of  claim 14  wherein the nosepad cover covers more than about eighty percent of the nosepad but does not cover the shield retainer.  
   
   
       16 . The eyewear of  claim 14  wherein the nosepad cover comprises anti-slip rubber and is removable from the nosepad.  
   
   
       17 . The eyewear of  claim 14 , wherein the shield retainer is substantially hidden when the removable shield is removed from the half-jacket frame front and the eyewear is not worn.  
   
   
       18 . The eyewear of  claim 13  wherein the shield retainer carried by the nose-contacting element is the sole means of attachment provided for a shield.  
   
   
       19 . The eyewear of  claim 13 , further comprising 
 a substantially rigid temple comprising temple gripping means for a person to grip the temple, the temple gripping means being substantially hidden when the goggles are worn, the temple gripping means comprising an arcuate thumb-shaped indentation formed in the temple.    
   
   
       20 . A half-jacket frame front for eyewear, the frame front having formed therein a lens-retaining groove defined by at least one lens-retaining ridge running from left to right along the half-jacket frame front, the lens-retaining ridge having at least one long run measuring about one inch from left to right along the half-jacket frame front, the long run of the lens-retaining ridge having a cross-sectional dimension averaging less than about 0.6 millimeters.  
   
   
       21 . The half-jacket frame front of  claim 20  wherein the lens-retaining ridge has at least one short run measuring one-half inch from left to right along the half-jacket frame, the short run of the lens-retaining ridge having a cross-sectional dimension averaging no more than about 0.3 millimeters.  
   
   
       22 . The half-jacket frame front of  claim 20  wherein the lens-retaining ridge comprises titanium.  
   
   
       23 . The half-jacket frame front of  claim 20  further comprising at least one removable lens.  
   
   
       24 .- 30 . (canceled)