Contact lens molds and systems and methods for producing same
AssigneeCooperVision International Holding Company, LP
InventorsNeil G. Goodenough, Gregg A. Dean
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Contact lens molds and systems and methods for producing contact lens molds are described. The contact lens mold sections include two optical quality surfaces, a flange circumscribing at least a portion of the two optical quality surfaces, and an elongate member extending from the flange. Two mold sections can contact one another to form a mold assembly having a contact lens shaped cavity. The mold sections are structured to form a contact lens having an edge that does not require further physical modification before placement on an eye. Systems and methods are described which direct a molten polymeric material into cavities corresponding to the mold sections.
Claims13
A contact lens mold section, comprising:
- a single, unitary mold section body comprising a first optical quality surface structured as a negative of an optical quality anterior surface of a contact lens, a substantially opposing second optical quality surface structured as a negative of an optical quality posterior surface of a contact lens, a flange region circumscribing the first and second optical quality surfaces, and an elongated region extending substantially radially outwardly from the flange region, the elongated region includes a first portion having a substantially uniform width and a second portion having a diverging width, the second portion being adjacent the flange region and being thinner than the first portion of the elongated region, the single, unitary mold section body being structured to be operatively coupled to an additional contact lens mold section body to form a contact lens mold assembly defining a contact lens shaped cavity between the single, unitary mold section body and the additional contact lens mold section body.
A mold assembly comprising:
- a first, unitary mold section and a second, unitary mold section structured substantially identically to the first, unitary mold section, each of the first and second, unitary mold sections comprising a first optical quality surface structured as a negative of an optical quality anterior surface of a contact lens, a substantially opposing second optical quality surface structured as a negative of an optical quality posterior surface of a contact lens, a flange region circumscribing the first and second optical quality surfaces, and an elongated region extending substantially radially outwardly from the flange region, the elongated region includes a first portion having a substantially uniform width and a second portion having a diverging width, the second portion being adjacent the flange region and being thinner than the first portion of the elongated region;
- and
- the first, unitary mold section and the second, unitary mold section being coupled so as to form a lens shaped cavity between the first optical quality surface of the first mold section and second optical quality surface of the second mold section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.