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US 5,205,076 AGranted
Self-aligned lens manufacturing system and method
AssigneeDevelopment Associates Controls, Inc.
InventorsEdward W. Vernon, Thomas E. Nelson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeDevelopment Associates Controls, Inc.
InventorsEdward W. Vernon, Thomas E. Nelson
Estimating the term…
Contact and intra-ocular lenses are manufactured by forming reference surfaces in a lens blank along with the inner base surface for the lens. The partially formed lens blank is then mounted to a blocking member which has complementary surfaces that mate with the reference surface and automatically align the lens blank. The blocking member has a flange that abuts against a spindle in which the member is held during formation of the outer lens surface. The known distance between the abutting surface of this flange and the reference surface on the lens blank allows the outer lens surface to be formed without having to separately measure the thickness of the lens blank, or enter dimensional information into the computer which controls the operation. A recessed collet within the spindle enables the blocking member flange to directly abut the end of the spindle.
A lens forming system, comprising:
A blocking member for carrying a lens blank in which an inner lens surface has been formed and positioning the lens blank for formation of an outer lens surface, comprising:
A mounting structure for a lens blank in which a posterior surface corresponding to a desired inner surface, and a flat annular reference surface at a known depth in the blank relative to said inner surface, have been formed, comprising:
A mounting structure for a lens blank in which a posterior surface corresponding to a desired inner surface, and a flat annular reference surface at a known depth in the blank relative to said inner surface, have been formed, comprising:
A mounting structure for a lens blank in which a posterior surface corresponding to a desired inner surface, and a flat annular reference surface at a known depth in the blank relative to said inner surface, have been formed, comprising:
A mounting structure for a lens blank in which a posterior surface corresponding to a desired inner surface, and a flat annular reference surface at a known depth in the blank relative to said inner surface, have been formed, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.