Special receptacle or package – For eyeglass or spectacle – Contact lens
Patent
1993-12-08
1995-03-14
Foster, Jimmy G.
Special receptacle or package
For eyeglass or spectacle
Contact lens
206210, B65D 8538
Patent
active
053969847
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a container for storing a contact lens.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,579. In this patent specification supporting means are described being a rectangular frame and comprising two openings for receiving of contact lenses placed adjacent to each other. This storage frame is introduced under pressure in the container in that a screw plug is urged on its upper side. This structure is relatively complicated to fabricate and has a substantial thickness. The first feature results in relatively high manufacturing costs whilst the second one will considerably increase dispatching costs. Contact lenses are centrally produced and shipped on order to opticians by mail. These problems are aggravated when forwarding a plurality of these containers, e.g. from the place of manufacture to customers, such as opticians, training institutes, hospitals, etc., but also in storing relatively large numbers of these containers or during transport of the containers, for example, by customers or contact lens specialists.
Another state-of-the-art container for storing contact lenses also comprises a cylindrical receiving means, yet its cap abuts on the cylindrical receiving means as a snap fastening device, so as to close it. The lens is not supported by a supporting means yet is submerged or floats in the conditioning solution. This presents the problem that when removing the lens from the container a finger tip will contact the conditioning solution, so that the receiving means of the container gets easily soiled.
As for both known types of containers, the receiving means, which is designed to contain a conditioning solution, is to be closed on the periphery by means of the cap abutting on the receiving means. Practice showed that when the lens has to stay for a relatively longer period of time in the container some of the solution evaporates, so that therefore the remaining part of the solution thickens. For this reason, these known containers are not suitable for storing the lens for several days, weeks or months. Besides, it appears that after frequent use leaks may occur, as might take place, for example, when the container is transported in such a manner that the solution is near the opening of the receiving space. Moreover, refraction at the container's cylindrical surface makes it hard to catch any sight of the lens, or, if any, it would be distorted, the visibility being hindered even more when the container is,provided with a data-carrying label.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to eliminate the above-described drawbacks, and to this end a container for storing at least one contact lens and comprising at least one receiving means, one side wall of which is provided with an opening providing access to a receiving space within the receiving means the contact lens is to be received in, a closing means for closing the opening, and a supporting means being integral with said closing means and serving to support the contact lens. The receiving means comprises two at least substantially flat wall parts and wall joint parts joining said wall parts, while a space defined by said wall parts constitutes the receiving space. Additionally, a contact lens storage apparatus designed for storing a plurality of containers according to the invention is provided.
Thanks to such a design the container can be extremely compact, while the geometrical shape is such that also dispatch or storage of a plurality of such containers can be efficient in practice.
Preferably, the wall parts are mutually substantially parallel, the distance between the two wall parts being considerably smaller than an average length covered by each of the wall parts. Thus, on the one hand a receiving space is defined which is related to and closely corresponds to the dimensions of a contact lens, so that a relatively small amount of solution will suffice, while on the other hand the selected design of the container optimizes storage, dispatch, or
REFERENCES:
patent: 3113579 (1963-12-01), Willis
patent: 3367481 (1968-02-01), Tanaka
patent: 3741377 (1973-06-01), Krellen
patent: 3880278 (1975-04-01), Brown
patent: 3976193 (1976-08-01), Dogliotti
patent: 4091917 (1978-05-01), Clawson et al.
patent: 4173281 (1979-11-01), Trought
Foster Jimmy G.
Procornea Holding B. V.
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