Method of manufacuturing spectacles, and spectacle frames used therefor

• US 5,926,247 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 07/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Kimura, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, HUY KIM
• Application Number:
  US08/825,548
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 351/41, 351/42, 351/178, 351/200
• US Class Current: 351/41
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 12/02 Spectacle frames constructional form G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 13/003 Measuring during assembly or fitting of spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/128 the workpiece itself serves as a record carrier, e.g. by its form, by marks or codes on it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31095 Read write intelligent chip on workpiece, pallet, tool for data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31096 Data carrier, communication by exchange of floppy disk
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32049 Store program data, manufacturing history on workpiece, shifts to next
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method of manufacturing spectacles by obtaining accurate frame shape information without performing a frame shape measurement in the spectacle store. In this method, frame shape information is first obtained after a spectacle frame is manufactured in a factory. Moreover, frame-related information, which includes the obtained frame shape information, or readout information, according to which this frame-related information is read out, is preliminarily added to the spectacle frame. Thereafter, in a spectacle store, the frame-related information is read from the spectacle itself or from a storage unit or the like by using the information added to the spectacle frame as a key. Thus, frame shape information, which is needed when obtaining lens processing information, is obtained therein. The present invention further provides a spectacle frame for use in this method.

Claims

1. A spectacle manufacturing method of processing non-processed lenses into shapes conforming with a spectacle frame and setting the processed lenses in said spectacle frame to complete spectacles, said method comprising:

a first step of manufacturing a spectacle frame and of measuring configurations of lens-accommodating portions of the manufactured spectacle frame to obtain frame configuration information representative of the measured configurations;

a second step of storing frame-related information including said frame configuration obtained in the first step in information storage means;

a third step of obtaining prescription values for eves of a spectacle wearer;

a fourth step of reading out said frame-related information stored in said information storage means in the second step;

a fifth step of obtaining, on the basis of information including said frame configuration information obtained in the first step and said prescription values for said spectacle wearer'"'"'s eyes obtained in the third step, lens processing information necessary for when non-processed lenses are processed into said shapes conforming with said spectacle frame and mounted in said spectacle frame,

a sixth step of processing non-processed lenses in accordance with said lens processing information obtained in the fifth step to produce spectacle lenses fittable into said spectacle frame; and

a seventh step of setting the produced spectacle lenses in said spectacle frame to complete the spectacles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame configuration information about said spectacle frame is based on design values of data concerning the configuration of said spectacle frame.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame configuration information about said spectacle frame is based on actually measured values of data concerning the configuration of said spectacle frame.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame configuration information about said spectacle frame is obtained by taking actually measured values of data, which represent the configuration of said spectacle frame, and design values of the data, which represent the configuration of said spectacle frame, into consideration.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the frame configuration information according to which information representing the actual shape of said obtainable by performing a simulation based on the frame configuration information and on the design values of data representing the configuration of said spectacle frame.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the frame configuration information about the spectacle frame includes information representing a peripheral length of said spectacle frame.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame-related information includes product individual identification information according to which a product individual of said spectacle frame is identified.

8. A spectacle manufacturing method of obtaining lens processing information, necessary for processing spectacle lenses, on the basis of information including prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer and frame configuration information on a spectacle frame said spectacle wearer selects to choose and process spectacle lens material on the basis of the obtained lens processing information for producing spectacle lenses and of setting the produced spectacle lenses in said spectacle frame to manufacture spectacles, said spectacle manufacturing method comprising:

a first step of, on a factory side, manufacturing said spectacle frame and obtaining said frame configuration information on said spectacle frame;

a second step of, on said factory side, storing frame-related information including the obtained frame configuration information in information storage means to allow said frame-related information to be read out therefrom;

a third step of, on said factory side, adding reading information, on the basis of which said frame-related information stored in said storage means is read out therefrom, onto said spectacle frame; and

a fourth step of obtaining said frame configuration information, needed for obtaining said lens processing information about said spectacle lenses to be set in said spectacle frame said wearer selects, by reading out said frame-related information from said storage means on the basis of said reading information added onto said spectacle frame on a spectacle store side.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the second steps, a host computer system is installed on said factory side and is equipped with a storage unit serving as said storage means for storing said frame-related information, and

wherein, in said fourth step,

a connection is established between said host computer system and a terminal unit installed on said spectacle store side, and said frame-related information is read out on-line from said storage unit of said host computer system to be put in said terminal unit on said spectacle store side.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in said second step, said frame-related information is recorded on an information recording storage medium serving as said storage means through a host computer system installed on said factory side, and

wherein, in said fourth step, said frame-related information recorded on said recording storage medium, which in turn is distributed to said spectacle store side, is read out by a personal computer installed on said spectacle store side.

11. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses formed in accordance with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame including a portion on which frame-related information including frame configuration information representative of a configuration of said portion accommodating each of said lenses is directly recorded.

12. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses formed in accordance with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame having a portion to which an information recording storage medium retaining frame-related information including frame configuration information representative of a configuration of said portion accommodating each of said lenses is integrally attached.

13. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses formed in accordance with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame carrying an information recording storage medium retaining frame-related information including frame configuration information representative of a configuration of said portion accommodating each of said lenses, with said information recording storage medium being constructed as a separate device belonging to said spectacle frame itself.

14. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses conforming with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame having a portion on which frame configuration restoration information is directly recorded, with said frame configuration restoration information being used to fetch frame configuration design information representative of a designed configuration of said spectacle frame portion accommodating each of said spectacle lenses from an information recording storage medium prepared, and the fetched frame configuration design information being used as processing information in processing said spectacle lenses.

15. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses conforming with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame including portion carrying an information recording storage medium retaining frame configuration restoration information, with said frame configuration restoration information being used to fetch frame configuration design information representative of a designed configuration of said portion of said spectacle frame accommodating each of said spectacle lenses from another information recording storage medium prepared, and the fetched frame configuration design information being used as processing information in processing said spectacle lenses.

16. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses conforming with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame including a portion carrying an information recording storage medium retaining frame configuration restoration information, said information recording storage medium being constructed as a separate device but belonging to said spectacle frame itself, with said frame configuration restoration information being used to fetch frame configuration design information representative of a designed configuration of said portion of said spectacle frame accommodating each of said spectacle lenses from another information recording storage medium prepared, and the fetched frame configuration design information being used as processing information in processing said spectacle lenses.

17. A spectacle frame having a portion accommodating spectacle lenses conforming with prescription values for eyes of a spectacle wearer, said spectacle frame having a portion on which frame configuration restoration information is recorded in the form of a bar code, with said frame configuration restoration information being used to fetch frame configuration design information representative of a design configuration of said spectacle frame portion accommodating each of said spectacle lenses from an information recording storage medium prepared, and the fetched frame configuration design information being used as processing information in processing said spectacle lenses.