Automated apparatus for hydrating soft contact lenses

Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – Electrically controlled

Patent

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

134 59, 134 66, 134901, B08B 304

Patent

active

056409800

ABSTRACT:
An automated means for hydrating a molded hydrophilic contact lens is provided in which a first robotic assembly removes a plurality of contact lens molds from a production line carrier, each of the lens molds having a contact lens adhered therein. The first robotic assembly transports the molds to a first staging area where the lens molds are sandwiched between a lens mold carrier and a top chamber plate to form a first hydration carrier. A first rotary transfer device then hands the first hydration carrier to a second robotic assembly which immerses the first hydration carrier in a hydration bath to hydrate the lens and to release the lens from the lens mold. While the lens is immersed in the hydration bath, each lens is transferred from its respective mold to a lens transfer means found within the top chamber plate. After a predetermined period of time, the second robotic assembly removes the first hydration carrier from the hydration bath and hands the hydration carrier off to a second rotary transfer device which rotates the first hydration carrier and aligns it for transfer to a third robotic assembly. The third robotic assembly then carries the top chamber plate and contact lenses through a series of steps in which the lens mold carrier and lens molds are removed from the top chamber plate. The lenses carried on the lens transfer means are then flushed and transported for assembly with a hydration base member to form a second hydration carrier for processing the lens in subsequent extraction stations. The second hydration carrier is then transported through a plurality of flushing or extraction stations wherein fresh deionized water is introduced into the hydration chambers at each hydration station to flush leachable substances from the hydration chamber. At each flushing station, fresh deionized water is introduced into the hydration chamber to remove previously extracted impurities and the products of hydrolysis. A final robotic dis-assembly device separates the top chamber plate and lens transfer means from the hydration base member, to provide fully hydrated lenses in a concave lens holding means ready for transfer to inspection and packaging stations.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4816232 (1989-03-01), Barrau et al.
patent: 4936329 (1990-06-01), Michael et al.
patent: 4985722 (1991-01-01), Ushijima et al.
patent: 5080117 (1992-01-01), Yang
patent: 5161559 (1992-11-01), Yoshihara et al.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Automated apparatus for hydrating soft contact lenses does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Automated apparatus for hydrating soft contact lenses, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Automated apparatus for hydrating soft contact lenses will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-145155

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.