Soft contact lens analyzer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for measuring a soft contact lens comprising:
- a lens support defining an inspection station, said support having means for supporting a lens immersed within a liquid to allow the lens to conform to a shape for measurement of the lens; and
bubble forming means for causing a bubble to be trapped beneath a generally concave surface of the lens to allow precise optical determination of the position of an interface between the bubble and the lens.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A soft contact lens measuring device. A cylindrical lens support defines a cavity and pedestal for immersing a soft contact lens in a saline solution. A piston engages the support and can be operated by the user to force air in controlled amounts through a narrow passageway extending up through the pedestal to the saline solution. A bubble forms and rises until it is trapped by the lens. The interface between the bubble and the lens makes a convenient surface for focusing a radiuscope to allow lens dimensions to be determined.
74 Citations
13 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for measuring a soft contact lens comprising:
-
a lens support defining an inspection station, said support having means for supporting a lens immersed within a liquid to allow the lens to conform to a shape for measurement of the lens; and bubble forming means for causing a bubble to be trapped beneath a generally concave surface of the lens to allow precise optical determination of the position of an interface between the bubble and the lens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for determining a radius of curvature for a soft contact lens comprising the steps of:
-
immersing the soft contact lens in a liquid to allow the lens to conform to its natural shape;
the shape resulting in a generally convex and a generally concave surface to the lens;supporting the soft contact lens on a cylindrical pedestal that engages the concave surface of the lens to determine the length of a chord of a circle that approximates an arc of the lens by equating the length of the chord with a diameter of the cylindrical pedestal; determining a perpendicular distance from a midpoint of the chord to the concave surface of the lens; and from the perpendicular distance and chord length measurements determining the radius of the circle which approximates the radius of curvature of the soft contact lens. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
-
-
10. Apparatus for measuring the radius of curvature of a soft contact lens comprising:
-
a molded plastic lens support that defines a cylindrical cavity at one end for holding a liquid into which a lens is immersed;
said support defining a cylindrical pedestal extending away from a base of the cylindrical cavity to support the soft lens in the liquid;a piston support threadingly engaging a bore in the lens support;
said bore extending from an outside surface of the lens support to a region of the support beneath a center of the cylindrical pedestal;
said piston support having a center passageway extending therethrough; anda piston that threadingly engages the piston support and can be threaded into the support to direct air into a region of the bore beneath the pedestal;
said piston including and O-ring seal around its periphery to seal a region between the piston and the piston support;said lens support further defining a passageway extending from the bore to a center region of the pedestal so that movement of the piston into the bore causes a bubble to form in the liquid on top of the pedestal and so that continued movement of the piston causes the bubble to break free and be trapped beneath a concave surface of the lens.
-
-
11. A method for determining a thickness of a soft contact lens comprising the steps of;
-
immersing the soft contact lens in a liquid to allow the lens to conform to its natural shape;
the shape resulting in a generally convex and a generally concave surface to the lens;supporting the soft contact lens on a pedestal that engages the concave surface of the lens; contacting the convex surface of the lens with one surface of an optically clear flat slab of a specific thickness; introducing a bubble into the liquid beneath the concave surface; optically determining the position of an interface between the bubble and the lens to determine the position of one end of a perpendicular; optically determining the position of another surface of the slab not in contact with the lens to determine a perpendicular distance from a concave surface of the lens to said another surface of said slab; and from the perpendicular distance and the specific thickness of the slab determining the thickness of the soft contact lens. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
Specification