Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Optical article shaping or treating – Light polarizing article or holographic article
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-12
2001-01-30
Vargot, Mathieu D. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Optical article shaping or treating
Light polarizing article or holographic article
C264S001700, C264S002400, C425S808000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180033
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved process or method for making in situ a coated or multi-coated eyeglass lens by the cold flow compression molding of a lens between a pair of mold/cavities using a preformed lens blank of thermoplastic material, and of predetermined configuration with said layer/coating interposed between the lens preform and the mold halves. The system is particularly applicable for use in house by the optician, optometrist and/or ophthalmologist. The improved method further does not require the use of skilled technicians, and reduces the cost of prescription lenses, with or without any layer(s)/coating(s), since they are created substantially defect free, eliminating the need for any middle men, such as a laboratory or lens factory. Moreover, a substantially finished lens can be fabricated quickly in minutes, so that the patient or customer can be fitted with a pair of prescription glasses in virtually no time, and certainly less time than it takes for an eye examination.
Heretofore in the industry, lenses were traditionally fabricated in a distant wholesale laboratory. A patient or customer has first an eye examination, and then orders new lenses based on the eye examination, and then he must return a week or so later to receive and be fitted with a new pair of glasses with the laboratory fabricated lens. This procedure is not only very time consuming, but also expensive. At times errors are made in the prescription. In such cases, yet another visit is required or the lenses must be returned to the laboratory for further corrective measures or an entirely new set of lenses fabricated, with resulting delays and expense.
Within about the last ten years there has been a trend toward development of the so called eyeglass “Super Stores” or “one hour” laboratories. These types of stores are very expensive to run and operate. They require a huge inventory of blanks, and employ highly trained technicians to operate complex lens grinding machines and other finishing apparatuses required to complete all types of prescription lens.
Furthermore, these “Super Stores”, to be profitable, require a constant stream of customers as they promote “one hour” service, and generally have highly paid technicians just waiting for orders to keep their machines operating at full capacity.
As a result of this phenomenon, most opticians, optometrists and/or ophthalmologists are losing their customer base and have had their earnings seriously eroded.
More recently, however, there has been an attempt to introduce the “mini-lab” to the optician/optometrist, and/or ophthalmologist. This is a direct attempt to bring in-house “one hour” capability of making lenses directly to the source who fills the prescription lens.
One such organization in this field was Vision Sciences of Monrovia, Calif., who marketed an in-office lens casting system employing a choice of resins, such as Master Cast 1.5 clear resin, Master Cast 1.50 with UV protection and Master Cast 1.56 High Index with UV protection. Such a system was capable of casting plastic lens whose styles include single vision, progressive bifocals, flat top 28 or 35 bifocals, Round Seg 28 bifocals, flat top 7×28 bifocals, flat top 7×28 trifocals; and whose base curves are 2,4,6 or 8 with lens diameters of 72 mm, 75 mm and 80 mm. This Formalens system was of modular design and embodied a generally large work station incorporating a number of mold storage modules, a resin dispenser, and casting and curing stations. With cure cycles varying from 3 to 16 hours, the customer or patient must usually return a second time to complete his order for new prescription lenses. Such an overnight timetable in reality reduces such “one hour” service to “one day” service at best.
In addition, a deionized, laminar air flow unit is necessary in order to provide a static-free, dust-free area in order to ensure fabrication of clear, sharp spectacle lenses. Such “Method of Choice” plastic lens production systems for office use as marked by Vision Sciences were known as Model numbers 2001 and 2002 and ranged in cost from about $27,000 to $63,000, excluding the cost of optional equipment, such as ultrasonic cleaning units and extended range molds that include higher powers and a wider selection of adds.
Such min-labs are not only very expensive to purchase, but their cost of operation is also costly. In fact, the casting process is laborious since about half of same is “science” and half is “art”. As a result, the scrap rate or rate of rejection is very high. This is due to the fact that the optician, optometrist, and/or ophthalmologist is not an expert manufacturer, and lacks sufficient skill and training despite the fact that all purchasers of such Fomalens System had to undergo a lengthy and expensive training program at Vision Sciences' home office in order to be able to properly operate the system. It is so complex it required a 100 page operator's manual in order to learn how to operate the system. All of these disadvantages have over the last few years brought on a definite need for an improved and better system.
Another similar type lens casting system was marketed by Techna Vision of San Diego, Calif., but this company is no longer believed to be in business either. It is believed that the casting systems developed by both Techna Vision and Vision Sciences involved considerable difficulty due to the complexities of the casting systems employed. The experiences have been negative and, in reality, failures.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved process or method for the manufacture of a finished prescription/ophthalmic lens in virtually minutes with a desired layer/coating, namely one having one or more characteristics, such as anti-reflective, polarizing, photochromic, scratch resistant and the like.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a more simplified, and less expensive means of fabricating relatively expensive lenses, such as multi-focal lenses in house in the shortest possible time so as to eliminate the need for a customer to wait longer than a few minutes or to make a return or second trip to the optician, optometrist and/or ophthalmologist's office.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved novel method of cold flowing and/or compression molding a preheated, predetermined lens blank of thermoplastic material into a substantially finished lens with such predetermined layer/coating virtually within minutes, so that one can obtain a pair of prescription glasses in a single, relatively short visit to the optometrist, optician and/or ophthalmologist, leaving only an edge finishing treatment for any prescription lens desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In summary, the invention as can be readily seen in
FIG. 13
, pertains to an improved method for making a thermoplastic lens by first placing a “laminated” layer/coating having all desired lens characteristics required for a prescription between a preheated lens blank and the mold halves of a preheated pair of lens molds prescribed for the desired lens prescription; the preheated lens blank of thermoplastic lens material having first been heated to a temperature point below its softening point, but being able to retain its original lens blank shape. The pair of molds may also be preheated to about a temperature at which the lens blank is heated as same facilitates production.
In lieu of applying any layer/coating on the surfaces of the preform itself, such as shown and described in my parent U.S. patent application, any desired layer/coating to be had on either lens surface, is made by molding same in situ with the lens using the cold flow compression molding process of my parent invention. The film layer/coating is constructed as will be further explained hereinafter in greater detail as a single, flat generally multi-laminated assembly with the desired “laminations” of a size to be sufficiently uniformly molded totally all about the s
Chrysalis Development Company LLC
Quinton, Esq. James A.
Vargot Mathieu D.
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