B: Documentation of Prior Solutions

Prior Solutions

This information was found through online research in both a consumer marketplace and a patent search. The patents were utilized by finding a patent of an already existing product and then taking a dive into the patent citations to find more patents with the same use of cleaning eyeglasses. I was able to cross reference the patent holders and major optometry fields and find patents with credible research and studies behind them.

The current solutions revolve around a few main points:

Ultrasonic Cleaners

• House glasses in a tank
• Utilizes microscopic bubbles to clean the entirety of glasses
• Larger, but provide the best clean

Cloths

• Single use wet wipes or microfiber cloths
• Dry cloths leave lenses smudged
• Wet wipes are disposable
• Extremely portable

Cloth and Spray Combo

• Spray is applied to the lens and wiped off with a microfiber cloth
• Decent clean
• Two separate pieces

Source

Taylor, C. E. (2004, November 23). US6821355B1 - Automatic eyewear cleaner. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://patents.google.com/patent/US6821355B1/en?q=(cleaner)&oq=(eyeglass) (cleaner)

Patent Number

US 6,821,355 B1

Patent Summary

This patent is a device that automatically cleans the glasses by use of a liquid solution. The glasses are clipped inside the machine inside the liquid, and the latch is closed on top. A button is pressed to start the cycle which agitates the liquid inside, cleaning the lenses. The cleaner then removes excess liquid and the latch opens, revealing the clean glasses. A microfiber cloth is then used to give the lenses a final touch up.

Patent Critique

The patent attempts to solve the problem of eyeglass cleaning through a machine which ultrasonically vibrates a cleaning solution in which the eyeglasses are placed, resulting in them being cleaned in almost all nooks and crannies after about one minutes time. The patent is able to clean almost all of the glasses, it is easy to operate and maintain, the cleaning solution is anti-static to help repel dust particles and economic to operate, even with frequent use. However the device does not offer ease of portability and it produces waste from the extra solution inside the machine that remained unused.

• “NEVER clean your glasses without using liquid, even with a microfiber cloth. Particles of dust with be depressed into the glass from the cloth and as you move will scratch your lenses.”

A cleaner like this solves a major problem in lense cleaning by using primarily liquid cleaner to not only dissolve the dirt, but remove it with bubbles rather than wiping.

Images/ Sketches

Source

Wolska-Klis, M. (1995, August 8). US5439104A - Eyeglass cleaning station. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://patents.google.com/patent/US5439104A/en?q=(cleaner)&oq=(eyeglass) (cleaner)

Patent Number

US 5,439,104 A

Patent Summary

The cleaner consists of a two compartment housing which houses a bottle of a cleaning solution and a box of disposable wipes. It can laterally dispose of cleaning materials and has the ability to be wall mounted.

Patent Critique

The patent attempts to solve the problem of cleaning eyeglasses. It provides both a liquid cleaning solution and a cleaning cloth which provides the best clean for glasses. It is concise and easy to use. The cloth is disposed of afterwards so a new cloth is ready to be used for the next cleaning, which guarantees that the cloth will not have dust and particles in it from previous cleans. However, while small it is not designed for ease of portability. It also produces lots of waste as each time a cloth is used, as it is immediately disposed of and is not used again. It is also not able to reach all parts of the glasses, as some spots, like behind the nose pieces, are hard to clean with a normal cloth.

• This product seems to serve as a container for a glasses cleaning kit that already exists. The only difference here is that this container has a slot for disposable cloths as opposed to a single microfiber cloth

Images/ Sketches

Source

Snodgrass, G. F. (1993, June 29). US5222268A - Pocket eyeglass cleaner apparatus. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://patents.google.com/patent/US5222268A/en?q=((eyeglass) (cleaner))&oq=((eyeglass) (cleaner))

Patent Number

US 5,222,268 A

Patent Summary

A U-shaped framework with a clip-like structure house two circular brushes at the end of the frames. These cleaning members brush the two sides of a lens when held against. This cleans the large particles off the lens.

Patent Critique

The patent attempts to provide a solution to clean eyeglasses. It cleans both sides of the glasses of large particles, offers the ease of portability of being carried in a pocket and is cheap and easy to manufacture. However the patent does not offer a liquid counterpart, resulting in a semigood clean at best. The brushes also become contaminated with large particles from previous cleans, which result in the brushes cleaning less and also resulting in a risk of scratching the glasses lenses. It also is not able to clean all parts of the glasses lenses, like the lens behind the nose piece.

• Again we see a solution that does nothing to remove large particles from the glass before wiping away the excess smudging.

Images/ Sketches

Source

Madkour, C. M. (1989, January 10). US4796751A - Portable eyeglass cleaning device. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://patents.google.com/patent/US4796751A/en?q=((eyeglass) (cleaner))&oq=((eyeglass) (cleaner))

Patent Number

US 4,796,751 A

Patent Summary

A portable lens cleaning kit that includes two airtight flexible containers housing a liquid lens cleaner absorbed on a patch of absorbent material and the other housing a dry wiping material used to wipe the lens without harming or deteriorating it.

Patent Critique

The lens cleaner that is absorbed on one patch is good for the lense rather than a dry cleaner, but not as good as running water. The liquid cleaner would assist in breaking down the larger particles, but does not completely wash them off. The particles are then removed with the dry cloth. This patent is very portable and uses a good combo of wet and dry cleaning. The time it takes to use this product would be very similar to using cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth. The major downfall to this product is its disposability. A low cost for a product like this would help to negate the effects of a disposable product.

Images/ Sketches

Source

https://www.amazon.com/Ultrasonic-Jewelry-Eyeglass-Lens-Cleaner/dp/B003BG9Z8I

Product (Include Manufacturer)

Ultrasonic Jewelry Eyeglass Lens Cleaner, made by Ultrasonic

$28.25

Product Summary

This product is an ultrasonic lens cleaning device, utilizing a large tank with tap water that creates microscopic cleaning bubbles to remove dirt, grime, and dust from the item placed in the machine. It has a three minute cycle time, with an auto-shutoff feature to turn the machine off when the cycle is complete.

Product Critique

The product has a three-minute cycle, much longer than it would take to clean glasses with spray and microfiber cloth, and the device has to be manually filled with water from the tap or another source. Detergent is recommended to enhance cleaning but is not provided. At one pound and taking up 212 cubic inches, and ultrasonic cleaner is not able to fit in pockets, but would fit in a bag or backpack.

Images

Source

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GPVQVCO/?tag=wiretoppro-20&th=1&psc=1

Product (Include Manufacturer)

Zeiss Lens Care Pack ($10.99)

Product Summary

This combo product includes a bottle of cleaning spray and a microfiber cleaning cloth. The spray is to be applied to the lenses of the glasses prior to wiping the lenses with the microfiber cloth.

Product Critique

This requires a decent amount of human interaction and effort and does take some time if the user is to clean the glasses properly. The device does allow for easy portability, however it is two items, and one could be forgotten, as you need both to clean the lenses. This comment from the questions page on Amazon suggests that a cloth and spray combo will only work to remove grease and smudging a few times before the cloth must be washed or replaced.

My glasses get greasy, from the kitchen, will this work ?

Absolutely but please be aware that when wiped off and dried with the attached microfiber cloth, you will be adding the dissolved grease back to your glasses the next time used. Always hand wash the microfiber cloth with standard degreasing dish soap then let air dry and never use fabric softener on the cloth.

By James P Iverson on December 29, 2014

Images