Method of transmitting edger information to a remote numerically controlled edger

A method by which an eye care professional can convey edger information to a remotely located optician in which the eye care professional has eyeglass frames selected by or for the user, the eyeglass frames having demonstration lenses therein, the optician having a numerically controlled edger capable of shaping and beveling lenses in response to digital information signals, comprising the steps of:

• (a) marking a horizontal axis on said demonstration lenses with an ophthalmoscopic while said demonstration lenses are in said eyeglass frames;
• (b) removing each said demonstration lens having said horizontal axis marked thereon from said eyeglass frames;
• (c) placing said demonstration lenses on a lens pattern scale having a horizontal axis line thereon and aligning said horizontal axis marked on each demonstration lens with the lens pattern scale horizontal axis line;
• (d) tracing an outline of each of said demonstration lens onto said lens pattern scale;
• (e) placing said lens pattern scale having said demonstration lenses outline marked thereon into an optical scanning digital data transmitter wherein the patterns of the lenses are converted to digital information signals, steps (a) through (e) being carried out at the location of said eye care professional;
• (f) transmitting said digital information signals by a data transmission carrier to a computer at the location of said optician, the data being received and stored in said computer;
• and
• (g) processing said digital information signals in said computer to provide operating instruction signals for use in said numerically controlled edger to cause said edger to shape and bevel eyeglass lenses to clone said demonstration lenses, the shaped and beveled lenses then being ready for delivery to said eye care professional for insertion into said eyeglass frames.