Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – With means to movably mount or movably support the work or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-04
2001-09-18
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
With means to movably mount or movably support the work or...
C134S147000, C134S153000, C134S140000, C134S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289907
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention is cleaning systems for soft contact lenses.
There have been many devices considered over the years to automatically clean soft contact lenses. These devices have varied in their levels of effectiveness, safety to the lens and wearer, cost of materials required and cost of the device itself. The disadvantages in effectiveness and practicality of such devices have left the preferred method of cleaning lenses recommended by most manufacturers to be that of manual cleaning by the wearer.
The current, most widely recommended method of cleaning is for the wearer to wash their hands, remove the contact lenses, position the lenses in the cupped palm or between two fingers and physically rub the lenses with a finger in conjunction with applying cleaning fluid designed for the purpose. In recent years, this task has been made a bit simpler by the development of “all-in-one” contact lens fluid formulations. These formulations allow a single fluid to be used to store, rinse, disinfect and clean the contact lenses. However, due to the relative levels of effectiveness and practicality, no simple automated machine has been found to be in widespread use. Manual cleaning as described above remains as the predominant method of choice.
Manual cleaning has certain disadvantages. It is a delicate operation requiring great dexterity and subtlety of touch not suited to many people. Lenses can easily be dropped and lost or torn during this operation. To thoroughly clean the lenses, the operation can be time consuming. As the process is typically performed before retiring and/or after rising, such procedures can be inconvenient. Finally, wearers are typically faced with the problem of attempting to manually clean such delicate lenses without clear vision.
In addition to the foregoing obvious difficulties with manual cleaning, there are ergonomic limitations on the process. Rubbing the lens between fingers or with a finger placed in the palm can simply rub debris and substances into the lens or across the face of the lens. The action is one of scrubbing with the debris between the finger and the lens. There is no concurrent rinsing action to expel rather than rub in the debris and unwanted substances. Further, fingers are never truly clean and can simply add debris and substances to the lens itself.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a system for cleaning soft contact lenses. The system provides for a lens to be repeatedly moved into and out of a body of liquid and provides for the lens to move about the loosely constraining enclosure to enhance the cleansing action.
In a first separate aspect of the present invention, a device for cleaning soft contact lenses includes a cage having one or more cavities sized to receive a soft contact lens in each cavity with clearance about the lens and with interstices for fluid flow therethrough. A rotary drive is coupled to the cage which drives the cage about a substantially horizontal axis with a lens contained therein being displaced from the axis. The device may additionally include a fluid type container to receive the cage and to be driven in turn by the rotary drive. By filling the container partway full, a lens positioned within the device may be repeatedly removed into and out of cleaning liquid.
In a second separate aspect of the present invention, a device for cleaning soft contact lenses includes a cage for receiving such lenses, a liquid-tight container and a rotary drive. The drive is able to rotate the container about a horizontal axis. The cage may be contained within the container and includes tabs at either end. The container receives the tabs in the sockets with one of the sockets preventing relative rotation of the cage and the container.
In a third separate aspect of the present invention, a device for cleaning soft contact lenses includes a cage for loosely receiving such lenses and a rotary drive to rotate the lenses about a substantially horizontal axis. The lenses are displaced from the axis of rotation. The cage includes two cavities with each cavity having a convex surface and a concave surface which are in mating orientation and displaced from one another to each receive a lens. Spaced ribs may be additionally incorporated with this aspect of the invention to define the convex and concave surfaces. The ribs may be arranged parallel to the axis of rotation and provide fluid flow through the cage and reduced forces imposed by surface tension which would otherwise retain a lens from significant movement within the cage.
In a fourth separate aspect of the present invention, a cage for containing soft contact lenses in a device for cleaning soft contact lenses includes two cavities sized to receive the contact lenses with clearance and interstices for fluid flow through the cavities. The cage has two sections joined by a living hinge and held in place by a clasp to provide the cavities with convex and concave surfaces which are in mating orientation and displaced apart to receive the lenses. A rotary drive provides an axis of rotation which is displaced from the concave side of the lenses to provide the capability of repeatedly moving the lenses fully into and out of a body of liquid.
In a fifth separate aspect of the present invention, a method for cleaning soft contact lenses includes loosely containing the lenses and repeatedly moving the lenses fully into and out of a body of liquid. The lenses are oriented such that they can move into and out of a body of liquid with the liquid able to wash over or drain from the lenses across the surfaces thereof.
In a sixth separate aspect of the present invention, a method for cleaning soft contact lenses includes loosely containing the lenses and rotatably mounting the lenses about an axis which is horizontal and displaced from the concave side thereof to again provide the ability to move the lenses repeatedly into and out of a body of liquid.
A seventh separate aspect of the present invention includes the combination of any of the foregoing aspects.
Thus, an improved system of cleaning soft contact lenses is disclosed. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
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EPO 354,876 134/901, Feb. 1990.*
WIPO 81/01884 134/901, Feb. 1990.
Lyon & Lyon LLP
Stinson Frankie L.
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