CARRIER FOR CARRYING AN OPHTHALMIC LENS DURING ITS TREATMENT IN A BATH

Abstract

A carrier for carrying an ophthalmic lens during its treatment in a bath comprises: a basket (10) comprising a basket wall defining a concave cavity (50) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens, the basket (10) further comprising a plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket wall at different angular locations along the circumference of the basket (10), each recess (17) being arranged to extend downwardly from an upper rim (15) of the basket wall;

and a retainer (20) comprising a plurality of retainer arms (21), the retainer arms (21) being arranged in a star-shaped configuration at angular locations corresponding to the angular locations of the recesses (17), to in an assembled state of two such carriers (1) extends into a corresponding one of the plurality of recesses (17) in the basket wall to retain the ophthalmic lens in the carrier.

Claims

1. Carrier for carrying an ophthalmic lens, in particular a contact lens such as a soft contact lens, during its treatment in a bath, the carrier comprising: a basket (10) comprising a basket wall defining a concave cavity (50) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens, the basket (10) further comprising a plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket wall at different angular locations along the circumference of the basket (10), each recess (17) of the plurality of recesses (17) being arranged to extend downwardly from an upper rim (15) of the basket wall; and a retainer (20) comprising a plurality of retainer arms (21) corresponding to the plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket wall, the retainer arms (21) being arranged in a star-shaped configuration at angular locations corresponding to the angular locations of the recesses (17) along the circumference of the basket (10), to in an assembled state of two such carriers (1) extend into a corresponding one of the plurality of recesses (17) in the basket wall to retain the ophthalmic lens in the carrier, wherein the basket wall defining the concave cavity (50) comprises first and second concavely curved sections (18, 19), the first and second concavely curved sections (18, 19) each having a curvature, with the curvature of the first concavely curved section (18) being different from the curvature of the second concavely curved section (19).

2. Carrier according to claim 1, wherein the first concavely curved section (18) is a lower section and the second concavely curved section (19) is an upper section of the basket wall, the upper section and the lower section being coaxially arranged about a central axis of the basket (10).

3. Carrier according to claim 2, wherein the lower section has a stronger curvature than the upper section.

4. Carrier according to claim 1, wherein the retainer arms (21) are arranged to have a protruding shape to in the assembled state of two such carriers protrude into the concave cavity (50) defined by the basket wall to further limit a space (60) for the ophthalmic lens in the carrier (1).

5. Carrier according to claim 4, wherein the protruding shape comprises first and second portions (22, 23) of the retainer arms (21), the first portion (22) having a convex shape and the second portion (23) having a concave shape.

6. Carrier according to claim 4, wherein the retainer arms radially merge in a common central hub (12).

7. Carrier according to claim 1, wherein the basket wall comprises a transition section (70) arranged between and connecting the first and second concavely curved sections (18, 19) of the basket wall, wherein the transition section connecting the first and second concavely curved sections (18, 19) is rounded to connect the first and second concavely curved sections (18, 19) without forming any sharp edges.

8. Carrier according to claim 1, wherein the basket wall comprises a plurality of basket wall segments (11), in particular at least eight basket wall segments (11), which are adjacently arranged to one another in the direction of the circumference of the basket (10), each individual basket wall segment (11) of the plurality of basket wall segments (11) being formed by a centrally arranged common basket wall bottom and by two adjacently arranged webs (13) extending radially outwardly from the common basket wall bottom to a radial outer end (14) of the respective web (13), the radial outer end (14) of the respective web (13) being arranged in one of the recesses (17) of the plurality of recesses (17), and the individual basket wall segment (11) further being formed by a rim portion (150) connecting the radial outer ends (14) of the two adjacently arranged webs (13) to define an opening (16) bounded by the common basket wall bottom, the two adjacently arranged webs (13) and the rim portion (150).

9. Carrier according to claim 1, wherein the basket wall and each of the retainer arms (21) comprise a lens-contacting surface (24), and wherein the lens-contacting surface of the basket wall is larger than the sum of the lens-contacting surfaces (24) of all retainer arms (21).

10. Carrier according to claim 9, wherein the lens-contacting surface (24) of all retainer arms (21) is convexly rounded (24).

11. Carrier according to claim 5, wherein the first concavely curved section (18) of the basket wall has a radius of curvature in the range of 7 mm and 10 mm, in particular in the range of 8 mm and 9 mm, and wherein the second concavely curved section (19) of the basket wall has a radius of curvature in the range of 11 mm and 15 mm, in particular in the range of 12 mm and 14 mm, and wherein further the first portion (22) of the retainer arms (21) having the convex shape has a radius of curvature in the range of 5 mm to 9 mm, in particular in the range of 6 mm to 8 mm, and wherein the second portion (23) of the retainer arms (21) having the concave shape has a radius of curvature in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm, in particular in the range of 5 mm to 6 mm.

12. Carrier array (40) for forming a plurality of carriers according to claim 1, the carrier array (40) comprising a plurality of baskets (10) and a plurality of retainers (20), each basket (10) of the plurality of baskets (10) comprising a basket wall defining a concave cavity (50) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens, the basket (10) further comprising a plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket walls at different angular locations along the circumference of the baskets (10), each recess (17) of the plurality of recesses (17) being arranged to extend downwardly from an upper rim (15) of the basket wall; and each retainer (20) of the plurality of retainers (20) comprising a plurality of retainer arms (21) corresponding to the plurality of recesses (17) arranged in the basket wall, the retainer arms (21) being arranged in a star-shaped configuration at angular locations corresponding to the angular locations of the recesses (17) along the circumference of the basket (10), wherein a said retainer (20) is integrally formed with each basket (10) on a side of the basket (10) opposite to the basket wall defining the concave cavity (50), and wherein the baskets (10) and retainers (20) of the carrier array (40) are arranged in a matrix configuration comprising one or more rows and one or more columns.

13. Carrier tray (46) comprising a frame (45) and one or more carrier arrays (40) according to claim 12 attached to the frame (45).

14. Carrier stack system (47) comprising a plurality of carrier trays (46) according to claim 13 arranged one above the other to form a stack, wherein with respect to two carrier trays (46) adjacently arranged in the stack the retainer arms (21) of the retainer of an upper carrier tray (46) of the two adjacently arranged carrier trays (46) extend into the recesses (17) in the basket wall of the basket (10) of the lower carrier tray (46) of the two adjacently arranged carrier trays (46).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Further advantageous aspects of the invention become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention with the aid of the drawings, in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above onto a 4×5 matrix configuration of a carrier array according to one embodiment of the invention, the carrier array comprising a plurality of individual carrier elements;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a perspective bottom view of the 4×5 matrix configuration of the carrier array of FIG. 1;

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a top perspective view (partially cross-sectioned) of a carrier stack system comprising three carrier trays each comprising a plurality of carrier arrays of FIG. 1 attached to a frame;

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a small section of the carrier stack system of FIG. 3, showing in detail three individual carrier elements arranged one above the other in a stack;

[0049] FIG. 5 shows a cross-section through the three individual carrier elements shown in FIG. 4.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a carrier array 40 comprising a plurality of individual carrier elements 1 arranged in a 4×5 matrix. Each carrier element 1 forms a part of an individual carrier for carrying a contact lens, in particular during a bath treatment. Each individual carrier element 1 comprises a basket 10 (see in particular FIG. 1), the basket wall of which defines a concave cavity 50 for accommodating a contact lens. In addition, each individual carrier element 1 comprises a corresponding retainer 20 (see also FIGS. 2 and 4), which is configured to engage with the basket 10 of a further carrier element 1 (not shown in FIG. 1) arranged below the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1, to retain the contact lens in the carrier formed by the basket 10 of the further carrier element (not shown in FIG. 1) and the retainer 20 of the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0051] Accordingly, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 a single individual carrier for carrying a contact lens is formed by the basket 10 of a single carrier element 1 of a further carrier array (not shown in FIG. 1) arranged below the carrier array 40 shown in FIG. 1, and by the retainer 20 of a single carrier element 1 of the carrier array 40 shown in FIG. 1. An individual carrier is also formed by the basket 10 of a single carrier element 1 of the carrier array 40 shown in FIG. 1 and by the retainer 20 of another carrier element 1 of a further carrier array 40 (not shown in FIG. 1) arranged above the carrier array 40 shown in FIG. 1.

[0052] Accordingly, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the carrier element 1 may be considered as a constructional base unit having a dual function as being involved in the formation of two adjacent individual carriers, the adjacent individual carriers being arranged one above the other. The basket 10 of the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1 serves to accommodate the contact lens to be retained in the carrier by the retainer 20 of a further carrier element 1 (not shown in FIG. 1) arranged above the said basket 10, while the retainer 20 of the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1 serves to retain a contact lens accommodated in the basket 10 of a further carrier element 1 arranged below the said retainer 20.

[0053] Thus, a single individual carrier element 1 of the embodiment shown comprises both the (concavely shaped) basket 10 and a generally convexly shaped retainer 20. The design here is of a one-piece type, i.e. the carrier element 1 comprises both a basket 10 on its upper side and a retainer 20 on its lower side. Typically, the carrier element 1 is made of a plastic material, e.g. polypropylene (and this holds for the whole carrier array 40, too), so that production of the carrier element 1 or carrier array 40 can be performed using injection molding techniques which are well-known in the art. In the embodiment shown, each basket wall of each basket 10 comprises eight basket wall segments 11 which are circumferentially arranged to form a concave cavity 50. Of course, a different number of basket wall segments 11 can be chosen, for example ten, twelve, or even more. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the basket 10 may have a generally calyx-like configuration and shape, with each of the eight basket wall segments 11 forming a calyx petal. It is to be noted, however, that in the embodiment shown the individual basket wall segments 11—the individual ‘calix petals’—do not form continuous planar surface segments. Instead, originating from a central hub 12 which on one side thereof forms the bottom of the basket wall, a plurality of eight webs 13 emanate in generally radial directions, somewhat similar to the spokes of a wheel. The basket wall segments 11 define the concave cavity 50 for receiving the convex side of a contact lens to be accommodated. At the same time, the rear surfaces of the webs 13 define those portions of the retainer arms 21 of the retainer 20 (see FIG. 2) that hold the contact lens in position in a space 60 (see FIG. 5) formed between the basket wall of the basket 10 of that carrier element 1 (not shown in FIG. 1) which is arranged beneath the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1 and by the retainer 20 of the carrier element 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] The radial outer end 14 of each of the individual webs 13 is arranged in a recess 17. The recess 17 is formed between two rim portions 150 which are adjacently arranged in circumferential direction. As can be seen in FIG. 1, one rim portion 150 connects two webs 13 which are adjacently arranged in circumferential direction. As can be further seen in FIG. 1, the plurality of presently eight rim portions 150 form a more or less continuous upper rim 15 of the basket, interrupted by the recesses 17.

[0055] In the described design, the basket 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has eight openings 16, namely one opening 16 in each basket wall segment 11. Thereby, a very large open area percentage can be obtained so that liquid may easily flow into and out of the individual baskets 10, thus enabling an enhanced treatment of the contact lens. At the same time, the openings 16 are still small enough so that there is only a low risk for a contact lens to inadvertently escape from the carrier during bath treatment.

[0056] As can be further seen in FIG. 1 (and can be seen even better in FIG. 5), the basket wall comprises a transition section 70. In the embodiment shown, the transition section 70 is arranged essentially halfway along the length of each web 13. The transition section 70 thus separates and connects the first concavely curved section 18 and the second concavely curved section 19 of the basket wall. As already discussed, the radius of curvature is different for the first concavely curved section 18 and the second concavely curved section 19. Namely, the radius of curvature of first concavely curved section 18 is smaller than the radius of curvature of the second concavely curved section 19 (see also FIG. 5). By way of example, in the embodiment shown the radius of curvature of the first concavely curved section 18 may be 8.3 mm (millimeters), while the radius of curvature of the second concavely curved section 19 may be 13 mm. The transition section 70 is embodied such that it connects the first concavely curved section 18 and the second concavely curved section 19 of the basket wall without forming any sharp edges. This allows the contact lens to conveniently move from the first concavely curved section 18 to the second concavely curved section 19 during swelling without getting scratched or otherwise damaged, and also allows the contact lens to conveniently move back from the second concavely curved section 19 to the first concavely curved section 18 during shrinking, from where the contact lens may subsequently be removed with the aid of a gripper.

[0057] Thus, the basket wall of each basket 10 comprises a lower section having a stronger curvature (smaller radius of curvature) and an upper section (radially outer section) having a larger radius of curvature which are smoothly connected to one another via the transition section 70.

[0058] A transition portion 55 is also provided on the side of the retainer 20 between different portions of the retainer arms 21 (see also FIGS. 2, 4, 5). And while the transition section 70 on the side of the basket 10 is a transition section between a first concavely curved section 18 and a second concavely curved section 19 (i.e. both sections connected by the transition section 70 are concavely curved), the transition portion 55 on the side of the retainer 20 defines a changeover from a first portion 22 (inner/lower portion) having a convex shape to a second curved portion 23 (outer/upper portion) having a concave shape, as can be seen best in FIG. 5. By way of example, in the embodiment shown the first portion 22 having the convex shape may have a radius of curvature of 7.2 mm, while the second portion 23 having the concave shape may have a radius of curvature of 5.9 mm.

[0059] The transition portion 55 on the side of the retainer 20—like the transition section 70 on the side of the basket 10—is embodied such that it connects the first portion 22 of the retainer 20 having the convex shape and the second portion 23 of the retainer 20 having the concave shape without forming any sharp edges. Thus, scratches on the surface of the contact lenses to be treated or other damages can be avoided. Speaking in mathematical terms, this means that the respective curves describing the convex and concave shape are not only continuous but also differentiable in all sections/portions including the transition section 70 and the transition portion 55 and all transitions from one section/portion to another section/portion.

[0060] When several carrier elements 1 are placed one above the other, the retainers 20 of a respective upper carrier element 1 and the baskets 10 of a respective adjacently arranged lower carrier element 1 together form the carrier for the contact lens to be treated. First, a contact lens may be placed into the concave cavity 50 defined by the basket wall of the lower carrier element 1, in particular into the concavely curved lower section 18 thereof. Thereafter, the upper carrier element 1 is placed on top of the lower carrier element 1 such that the retainer arms 21 of the retainer 20 of the upper carrier element 1 engage into the recesses 17 arranged in the basket wall of the basket 10 of the lower carrier element 1. For production, a large number of contact lenses may be placed into a large number of such baskets 10, one contact lens into the cavity 50 of each basket 10. This may be automatically performed with the aid of suitable lens grippers, as is known in the art. Subsequently, a corresponding large number of retainers 20 are placed on top of the baskets 10.

[0061] This can be achieved with the aid of carrier arrays 40 as shown in FIG. 1, and in particular it can be achieved with the aid of a plurality of such carrier arrays 40 which are attached to a frame 45 to form a carrier tray 46 as shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of such carrier trays 46 can then be arranged one above the other to form a carrier stack system 47 in which the individual carrier trays 46 are arranged one above the other to form a stack, as also shown in FIG. 3. The thus formed carrier stack system 47 comprising the stack of carrier trays 46 each comprising a plurality of carrier arrays 40 (see FIG. 3) can be handled as a common unit and may be concurrently immersed in a processing bath. It is thus possible to concurrently treat a very large number of contact lenses in the same treatment bath, thereby increasing the efficiency of the production process

[0062] In a typical production environment, the contact lenses initially (i.e. after they have been placed into the baskets 10 and the retainers 20 have been placed on top of the baskets 10) do not fill the whole space 60 which is defined between the each basket 10 and the corresponding retainer 20. Instead, typically the contact lenses will take up only a lower portion 61 of the whole space 60. That lower portion 61 may be defined by the lower section 18 of the basket wall of the basket 10 and by the corresponding convex portion 22 of the retainer 20, and initially the contact lens may rest on the lower section 18 of the basket 10.

[0063] Once the contact lens swells, for example due to being exposed to certain organic solvents during extraction (see further above), the upper part 62 of the whole space 60 may be partially taken up by the contact lens as well, or even large portions of the contact lens may be arranged in the upper part 62 of the space 60. For example, the contact lens may rest on the upper section 19 of the basket wall of the basket 10 and is thus prevented from folding or rolling up. Also, due to the rotationally symmetric shape of the different sections of the basket 10 (relative to a central symmetry axis of the basket 10) the contact lens is more or less always arranged in a centered manner in the space 60.

[0064] As can be seen best from FIG. 4, the lens-contacting surfaces 24 of the retainer arms 21 (i.e. those surfaces facing towards the space 60) are convexly rounded. These rounded lens-contacting surfaces 24 help avoiding the formation of scratches on the surfaces or any other type of damage to the surfaces of the contact lens. In addition, due to being rounded the lens-contacting surfaces 24 comprise only a comparatively small surface area that may actually contact the contact lens. In contrast thereto, the lens-contacting surfaces of the webs 13 (i.e. those surfaces of the webs 13 facing towards the space 60) are more or less planar (see FIG. 5) so that they have a larger surface area when compared to the surface area of the convexly rounded lens-contacting surfaces 24 of the retainer arms 21. This measure assists in making the contact lens adhere to this larger surface area of the surfaces of the webs 13, and ultimately in making the lens remain in the basket 10 when the carrier trays 46 are de-stacked. It is then easily possible to automatically remove the contact lens from the basket 10 with the aid of grippers.

[0065] For facilitating the mounting of the carrier arrays 40 to the frame 45 to form the carrier tray 46, and also for the unmounting of the carrier arrays 40 from the said frame 45, each carrier array 40 (see FIG. 1) is provided with a plurality of resilient latches 41 as well as with a plurality of abutments 42, the latches 41 and the abutments 42 being arranged at several locations along the outer edges of the carrier array 40. For mounting the carrier array 40 to the frame 45, a carrier array 40 is inserted into a corresponding opening the frame 45 from below until the abutments 42 engage the lower surface of the frame 45, and until subsequently the latches 41 snap over the upper surface of the frame, thus locking the carrier array 40 to the frame 45. For unmounting the carrier array 40 from the frame, the resilient latches 41 are deflected inwardly and the carrier array 40 is removed from the frame 45 in the reverse order.

[0066] As already mentioned, after a plurality of carrier arrays 40 have been mounted to a single frame 45 to form a carrier tray 46, a plurality of such carrier trays 46 can be arranged one above the other in a stack to form a carrier stack system 47 as shown in FIG. 3. Such carrier stack system 47 allows for a very efficient simultaneous treatment of a very large number of contact lenses in a bath.

[0067] The present invention has been explained with the aid of an embodiment described with the aid of the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. Instead, various modifications are conceivable for the person skilled in the art without departing from the teaching of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection is defined by the appended claims.