Plastic lens systems, compositions, and methods

• US 7,079,920 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Q2100, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Q2100, Inc.
• Inventors: Lattis, Matthew C., Powers, Galen R., Buazza, Omar M., Luetke, Stephen C., Joel, Larry H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/780,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20010047217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 700/117, 700/197, 700/198, 264/1.1, 425/808
• US Class Current: 700/198
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0833 using actinic light
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0805 using electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0888 using transparant moulds
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/005 Compensating volume or shape change during moulding, in general
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00442 Curing the lens material
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/041 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/043 Contact lenses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/808 Lens mold

Abstract

An apparatus for preparing a plastic eyeglass lens includes a coating unit and a lens curing unit. The apparatus is preferably configured to allow the operation of both the coating unit and the lens curing unit. The apparatus may also include a post-cure unit and a controller. The controller is configured to control the operation of the coating unit, the lens curing unit and the post-cure unit. A lens forming composition may include an aromatic containing polyether polyethylenic functional monomer, a photoinitiator, and a coinitiator. The lens forming composition may be cured by the application of activating light or activating light and heat.

Claims

1. A computer software program embodied on a computer readable medium for determining a front mold, a back mold and a gasket which together produce a mold cavity, the mold cavity being configured to hold a lens forming composition wherein the lens forming composition is at least partially cured by activating light to produce an eyeglass lens having a predetermined prescription, and the software program comprises a plurality of instructions configured to perform operations comprising:

analyzing prescription information to determine the front mold, the back mold, and the gasket for producing the eyeglass lens, wherein the front mold member comprises a front mold identification marking, the back mold member comprises a back mold identification marking, the gasket member comprises a gasket identification marking, and wherein the front mold identification marking comprises an alphanumeric sequence, and wherein the back mold identification marking comprises an alphanumeric sequence, and wherein the gasket identification marking comprises an alphanumeric sequence; and

determining curing conditions for a lens based on the eyeglass prescription, wherein the curing conditions comprise a dosage of activating light, and wherein the prescription information is analyzed to determine the dosage of activating light required to at least partially cure the lens forming composition to form the eyeglass lens.

2. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the prescription information comprises a sphere power, a cylinder power, and a lens location.

3. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the prescription information comprises a sphere power, a cylinder power and a lens location, and wherein the prescription information is analyzed by correlating the sphere power, cylinder power and the lens location to a record in an information database.

4. The computer software program of claim 2, wherein the prescription information further comprises monomer type and lens type.

5. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the prescription information comprises a sphere power, a cylinder power, an add power and a lens location.

6. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the prescription information comprises a sphere power, a cylinder power, an add power, and a lens location and wherein the prescription information is analyzed by correlating the sphere power, the cylinder power, the add power, and the lens location to a record in an information database.

7. The computer software program of claim 5, wherein the prescription information further comprises monomer type and lens type.

8. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise producing a visual display of the front mold identification marking, the back mold identification marking, and the gasket identification marking subsequent to analyzing the prescription data.

9. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise controlling a lens curing unit, the lens curing unit being configured to cure the lens forming composition.

10. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises controlling a lens curing unit, the lens curing unit being configured to cure the lens forming composition, wherein controlling the lens curing unit comprises operating the lens curing unit such that the curing conditions are produced.

11. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise allowing the eyeglass prescription to be altered after the eyeglass prescription is collected.

12. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise storing the eyeglass prescription on a computer readable media.

13. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise controlling a coating unit, the coating unit configured to produce a coating on at least one of the mold members or the eyeglass lens.

14. The computer software program of claim 1, further comprising collecting prescription information which defines the eyeglass prescription.

15. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the dosage of activating light comprise an intensity of activating light required to at least partially cure the lens forming composition.

16. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the curing conditions comprise an amount of time required for postcure.

17. The computer software program of claim 16, wherein postcure time comprises an amount of time required for treating the at least partially cured lens composition with heat and additional activating light in a postcure unit.

18. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the curing conditions comprise an amount of time required for annealing the formed eyeglass lens.

19. The computer software program of claim 1, wherein the dosage of activating light comprises an intensity of activating light required to at least partially cure the lens forming composition, and wherein determining the intensity comprises analyzing the prescription information and determining a type of filter to be used in the lens curing unit.