Method and apparatus for manufacturing contact lens moulds
AssigneeCooperVision International Holding Company, LP
InventorsGregg A. Dean, Colin Ball
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collet (230) for holding a contact lens mold half (240) during machining of a surface of the mold half (240) having a disc (235) having a face and defining: a central structure (250a), at the center of the face, for receiving a head portion (240a) of the mold half (240), and an elongate recess (250b), in the face, for receiving a tail portion (240b) of the mold half (240), the elongate recess (250b) extending from the central structure (250a) along a radius of the disc (235).
Claims13
A collet for holding a contact lens mold half during machining of a surface of the mold half, the collet comprising a disc having a face and defining:
- a central structure, at the center of the face, for receiving a head portion of the mold half, and
- a recess, in the face, for receiving a tail portion of the mold half, the recess extending from the central structure along a radius of the disc;
- wherein the recess is elongate and shaped and sized to receive substantially the entire length of the tail portion of the mold half.
A lathe for machining a surface of a contact lens mold half, the lathe comprising a headstock and a carriage, wherein the headstock carries a collet for holding a contact lens mold half during machining of a surface of the mold half, the collet comprising a disc having a face and defining:
- a central structure, at the center of the face, for receiving a head portion of the mold half, and
- a recess, in the face, for receiving a tail portion of the mold half, the recess extending from the central structure along a radius of the disc;
- wherein the recess is elongate and shaped and sized to receive substantially the entire length of the tail portion of the mold half.
A method of manufacturing a contact lens, the method comprising machining a surface of a contact lens mold half whilst the contact lens mold half is retained in a collet for holding a contact lens mold half during machining of a surface of the mold half, the collet comprising a disc having a face and defining:
- a central structure, at the center of the face, for receiving a head portion of the mold half, and
- a recess, in the face, for receiving a tail portion of the mold half, the recess extending from the central structure along a radius of the disc;
- wherein the recess is elongate and shaped and sized to receive substantially the entire length of the tail portion of the mold half.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.