Contact Lens Packaging
AssigneeF&S Tool, Inc.
InventorJames D. FAULKNER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Packages, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are generally directed to the use of side gating in injection molding to form packaging for contact lenses. As compared to gating along a top surface of a contact lens package, the use of a side gate in injection molding to form a package for contact lenses may significantly reduce the time required to cool plastic in the injection mold, thus offering potential to reduce the overall cycle time for the injection molding process and increase fabrication throughput of the package.
Claims20
A package for a contact lens, the package comprising:
- a base including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface opposite the second surface, the first surface and the second surface forming a reservoir, the first surface concave along the reservoir and defining a recess, the second surface convex along the reservoir, the first surface forming a rim region circumscribing the recess, and the rim region defining a plane;
- and
- one or more walls, the one or more walls collectively including a wipe surface and at least one draft surface, the at least one draft surface extending from the base in at least one direction oblique to the plane defined by the rim region, and the wipe surface perpendicular to the plane defined by the rim region.
A system for fabricating a package for a contact lens, the system comprising:
- a first mold portion including a convex section, a planar section circumscribing the convex section, at least one draft section extending oblique to the planar section, and a wipe section defining a side gate having an aperture in a plane perpendicular to the planar section;
- a second mold portion releasably engageable with the first mold portion to define a cavity therebetween, the second mold portion including a concave section opposite the convex section of the first mold portion along the cavity;
- and
- a nozzle in fluid communication with the cavity at the aperture of the side gate defined by the wipe section.
A method of fabricating a package for a contact lens, the method comprising:
- moving a first mold portion and a second mold portion together along an axis to define a cavity;
- injecting a molten form of a polymer from a nozzle into the cavity through an aperture of a side gate defined by the first mold portion;
- in the cavity, cooling the molten form of the polymer into a part having a base and one or more walls, the base having a rim region and a reservoir, the reservoir circumscribed by the rim region, and the one or more walls extending away from the base with at least one of the one or more walls oblique to the axis;
- and
- in a direction parallel to the axis, shearing the polymer at least at an interface between the nozzle and the aperture of the side gate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.