MOLDED LENS WITH NANOFILAMENTS AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20120120365A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovega Inc.
• Original Assignee: Innovega Inc.
• Inventors: Sprague, Randall B., Legerton, Jerome, Meyers, William, Neidlinger, Hermann
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/159.02
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00038 Production of contact lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00644 polarizing
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0058 Liquid or visquous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0005 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0034 Polarising
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/015 involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1876 Diffractive Fresnel lenses; Zone plates; Kinoforms G02B5/1842, G02B5/1847 take precedence; optical systems having diffractive correction means G02B27/0037; Fresnel lenses operating by refraction G02B3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F

Abstract

A method includes molding a lens, the lens including a front portion and a rear portion and an intermediate portion therebetween, the rear portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the back of the eye, the front portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the front of an eye, wherein molding the lens includes disposing conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens. A molded contact lens includes a rear portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the back of the eye, and a front portion that is adapted to be disposed in the direction of the front of the eye. The molded lens includes conductive parallel nanofilaments located on or within a central region of the molded lens.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

molding a lens, the lens including a front portion and a rear portion and an intermediate portion therebetween, the rear portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the back of the eye, the front portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the front of an eye; and

disposing conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein disposing the conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens includes imprinting the conductive parallel nanofilaments on a front portion or a rear portion of the lens.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein disposing the conductive parallel nanofilaments includes printing on a front surface of the lens.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising disposing a thin film monomer of randomly oriented nanowires on a portion of a mold, placing the mold in an orienting field and bringing the nanowires into substantial parallel alignment with each other.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising elongating nanoparticles prior to disposing the conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein elongating the nanoparticles includes applying one or more of heat, pressure, magnetic force, or electromagnetic force to the nanoparticles.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are preformed onto a nanograting prior to molding the lens.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the preformed nanograting is affixed to a half of the mold prior to molding.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the preformed nanograting is sandwiched between two lens portions while molding the lens.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising molding a first portion of the lens, disposing the preformed nanograting on the first portion, and a molding second portion of the lens and encapsulating the nanograting.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein disposing conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens includes applying the conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens further comprising treating a mold surface and creating a thin layer, generating a nanograting from the thin layer, and molding the lens and including the nanograting.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein disposing conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens includes applying the conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens after molding the lens.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein disposing conductive parallel nanofilaments on or within the lens includes disposing a nanograting on or within the lens, and further comprising radially orienting the nanograting and/or axially orienting the nanograting.

14. A molded contact lens:

the molded lens including a front portion and a rear portion and an intermediate portion therebetween, the rear portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the back of the eye, the front portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the front of an eye;

conductive parallel nanofilaments located on or within a central region of the molded lens; and

the molded lens is a gas-permeable lens.

15. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 14, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are located on a front portion or a rear portion of the lens.

16. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 14, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are embedded in the intermediate portion of the lens.

17. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 14, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are disposed in substantially flat regions arranged as segments along a generally curved surface.

18. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 17, wherein the lens has a reference position, the segments are parallel to an imaginary horizontal axis when the lens is in the reference position.

19. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 18, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are curved in one or two axes.

20. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 14, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are printed on a front surface or rear surface of the lens.

21. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 14, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are elongated nanoparticles.

22. A molded contact lens:

the molded lens including a front portion and a rear portion and an intermediate portion therebetween, the rear portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the back of the eye, the front portion adapted to be disposed in the direction of the front of an eye;

conductive parallel nanofilaments located on or within the lens;

the molded lens including a display information optical path to receive display information and a non-display information optical path to receive non-display information;

the display information optical path to substantially focus the display information to a retina in the human visual system; and

the non-display information optical path to substantially focus the non-display information to the retina in the human visual system and to substantially block the display information from entering the human visual system from the non-display information optical path.

23. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 22, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are disposed in substantially flat regions arranged as segments along a generally curved surface.

24. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 23, wherein the lens has a reference position, the segments are parallel to an imaginary horizontal axis when the lens is in the reference position.

25. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 22, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are curved in one axis.

26. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 22, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are curved in two axes.

27. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 22, wherein the conductive parallel nanofilaments are elongated nanoparticles.

28. The molded contact lens as recited in claim 22, wherein the lens is a gas permeable lens.