CREATED for the #DesignItWright Contest

FLIPS - Version 5 (New Style) - the social media savvy “flip-able spectacles”

• FLIPS - Version 5a (Round Open Frames)
• FLIPS - Version 5b (Shaped/Sculpted Lenses)

The Idea

 As a regular user of social media apps, I’ve recently started flipping my glasses upside down when sitting on the couch to watch television. I originally found myself lifting my glasses and placing them askew, resting one lens on the bridge of my nose allowing me to look below my glasses to view my Smartphone unobstructed. I continued to do this until I got the idea to flip my glasses and wear them upside down. This solution allowed me to watch TV or look at my phone without having to touch my glasses for an extended period of time (sometimes hours).

 Being near-sighted, this simple “FLIP” allowed for extended movie and television viewing (through my distance glasses) while also providing the opportunity to look down occasionally, avoiding my glasses all together, to check emails, messages, Facebook and other social media apps on my mobile phone. It’s worked so well that I do it all the time now.

People often catch me doing this and ask, “Do you know that your glasses are upside down”? It always makes me laugh. Then I tell them, “Yes, I know, I do it on purpose!”

As you can imagine, flipping my glasses is not the perfect solution as they were not designed to be worn in this manner. After an extended period of wearing my glasses upside-down they leave a distinctive line across the bridge of my nose and the arms wrap up and away from my ears, causing them to slide off easily when I get up or walk around.

 When I saw this contest, I decided to develop and share my “flip-able glasses” concept in the hope that others might benefit from my FLIPS design (starting with Ian of course).

The FLIPS .stl file that makes up part of my submission has been monogrammed specifically for Ian (with the letter “i” in the circles at the end of each arm). You will also find a FLIPS brand/logo near the temple on each arm. The logo and letter “i” are right side up on one arm and upside down on the other. This will ensure that at least one arm is easily readable whether they are worn right-side-up or upside-down.

The circle at the end of each arm functions quite well tucked to partially wrap behind your ears no matter which way you are wearing them.

Shaped or Sculpted Open Lenses

When a set of frames is not closed, leaving a portion of the frame open, the lens itself may be shaped to the liking of the customer.

The option to shape a lens is available when an opening or gap appears in the frame of the glasses. The lenses must still be made to fit the frame that will partially surround the lens. The gap in the frame is where the shaping of the lens may occur.  The lens itself may be sculpted or shaped to extend out/through the gap in the frame. Any number of shaping possibilities are available to those willing to explore the possibilities.

Individual Eyewear Designers/Opticians could offer shaped or sculpted lenses from a catalogue. Offering a lens shaping option to customers (for a fee) would increase profitability for those offering the service.

Individuality/personalization are things that consumers want. Why not give them another option that they would be happy to purchase? Offering shaped or sculpted lenses would allow a buyer to create something totally unique (in their eyes) by pairing lens shaping with their frame choice.

Pairing a set of frames with one of several shaped lens options could create an incredible number of lens/frames combinations.

Functionality

FLIPS function normally when wearing them right-side-up (like a standard pair of distance glasses or bifocals) or upside-down when needing to look around your corrective lenses for near sighted viewing without having to adjust your glasses.

I suggest wearing your FLIPS upside-down when you’re more likely to multi task with your mobile phone/wireless device. This may even provide a solution for millions of optically challenged individuals that are unsatisfied with their current glasses which require us to fidget with them repeatedly throughout the day.

Each pair of FLIPS can be worn two different ways;

1. Normally (right-side-up) like any other pair of glasses.
2. Upside-down to raise your prescription lenses up to help when looking upwards

    (e.g. shooting billiards (pool), watching live sports, hunting,…)  

3. Upside-down for multitasking and either watching something at a distance through your

    distance lenses or to view a mobile device or read something close up (e. g. magazine, menu…)

When using FLIPS upside down with distance lenses, simply raise your eyes to view things at a distance and lower your eyes for an unobstructed view below your glasses. It’s that easy.

FLIP were designed to maximize the user experience in the ever expanding digital world in which we live and work equally as well when fitted with distance lenses or bifocals.

These unique spectacles were designed by; 

Cary Lucier