Disposable lap blank
AssigneeGerber Optical, Inc.
InventorKenneth O. Wood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lap blank and holder assembly includes a lap blank having two spaced apart flat surfaces separated by a given thickness and formed from a material capable of compressing about a member inserted into it. The holder has a projection extending outwardly from a front face thereof and is inserted into the material making up the lap to secure it against rotational and shifting movement while being cut in a surfacing machine. This arrangement further allows the assembly to be placed as an assembly in a finishing machine for subsequent polishing of a cut lens surface in an off-axis polishing procedure.
Claims21
A lap blank assembly comprising:
- a disposable lap having a first side face and an opposite substantially parallel second side face separated from one another by a given thickness;
- a reusable holder having one face facing one of said first and second side faces of said lap,
- engagement means extending outwardly from said holder one face a given distance therefrom for engaging said lap inwardly and beyond the one of said first and second lap faces facing said holder to secure the lap against relative rotational and axial movement and to cause the lap to be releasably gripped by the holder;
- and
- wherein said lap is formed from a compressible material and the holder engagement means is releasably compressibly gripped by the compressible material making up the lap as a result of being inserted into said lap beyond the involved one of said first and second lap faces.
A disposable lap blank having a given shape and a geometric center about which it is rotated for custom cutting of the lap blank to fit a desired prescription surface formed in a lens, said lap blank comprising:
- a first face and an opposite second face each being defined by a flat substantially planar surface extending coincidentally in an associated plane and each of said first and second faces being disposed in a parallel relationship with one another, said first and second faces further being spaced apart from one another by the thickness of said lap blank and each of said first and second faces being penetrable by a member inserted therethrough;
- and
- wherein said lap blank is formed from a material readily cuttable by a cutting tool in a surfacing machine and said material further being yieldable so as to be capable of compressibly holding the member inserted into said lap blank through one of said first and second faces to hold said member within said lap blank under the compressible holding force of said lap blank against axial and rotational relative movement.
A reusable lap blank holder for releasably mounting a disposable lap to a machine, said lap blank holder comprising:
- a body portion generally defined by a raised central portion having two oppositely facing locating surfaces spaced from one another by adjacently disposed interconnecting surfaces, said holder having a first face being planar in form and an opposite second face with said first face including engagement means projecting outwardly from said first side face planar form, said holder having means associated with said opposite second face of said body portion for permitting it to be mounted and subsequently rotated in a cutting machine about a given rotational axis;
- said engagement means projecting outwardly from said holder first face in a first given direction a given distance sufficient to penetrate a lap blank when inserted therein along a line of action extending substantially parallel with said first given direction for the purpose of holding the lap blank against relative axial and rotational movement, said engagement means being oriented relative to said oppositely facing locating surfaces so as to be disposed in a known orientation relative thereto, and
- wherein said engagement means includes at least one leading end on which is formed a means for causing the material forming the lap blank to be compressed in the localized region of the lap blank where the said engagement means is being inserted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.