LENS POLISHING PAD AND APPARATUS

Abstract

A polishing pad or button for ophthalmic lenses has a flexible cover and a substantially rigid base. The cover has cutouts in a gyre or spiral pattern that may be eccentric from the geometric center of the button. The cutouts may enhance distribution of a polishing fluid across the working surface of the button as the button is moved across a lens. The base may have an undercut around its periphery, which may cause the button to attain a domed shape for conformance to a concave, convex, or saddleback lens surface as the button is pressed against the lens. The button may be used in a conventional lens polishing apparatus.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A polishing button for use in an ophthalmic lens polishing apparatus, the button comprising: a substantially stiff and substantially non-absorptive base; and a substantially flexible cover that is attached to an upper surface of the base; wherein the cover includes separated cutouts in a gyre pattern, wherein each cutout is a different length so that the gyre pattern is eccentric from a geometric center of the button.

3. A polishing button for use in an ophthalmic lens polishing apparatus, the button comprising: a substantially stiff and substantially non-absorptive base; and a substantially flexible cover that is attached to an upper surface of the base; wherein the cover includes cutouts in a gyre pattern, wherein the cover includes dimples adjacent and aligned to the inward points of the cutouts.

4. A polishing button for use in an ophthalmic lens polishing apparatus, the button comprising: a substantially stiff and substantially non-absorptive base; and a substantially flexible cover that is attached to an upper surface of the base; wherein the cover includes separated cutouts in a gyre pattern, wherein the base includes an undercut of reduced diameter around its periphery.

5. The button of claim 4, wherein the undercut is sufficient to permit the button to assume a domed shape when the cover is pressed against a concave, flat, convex or saddleback shaped surface with polishing pressure.

6. The button of claim 5, wherein the polishing pressure is about 1 psi.

7. The button of claim 2, wherein the base is closed cell foam.

8. The button of claim 2, wherein the cover is polyurethane material.

9. The button of claim 2, further comprising a chuck to which the base is attached at a bottom surface of the base, wherein the base is narrower toward the chuck and wider toward the cover.

10-22. (canceled)

23. The button of claim 3, wherein the base is closed cell foam.

24. The button of claim 3, wherein the cover is polyurethane material.

25. The button of claim 3, further comprising a chuck to which the base is attached at a bottom surface of the base, wherein the base is narrower toward the chuck and wider toward the cover.

26. The button of claim 4, wherein the base is closed cell foam.

27. The button of claim 4, wherein the cover is polyurethane material.

28. The button of claim 4, further comprising a chuck to which the base is attached at a bottom surface of the base, wherein the base is narrower toward the chuck and wider toward the cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0027] The present disclosure includes drawings, which depict examples of the technology that is described and claimed herein. The drawings are illustrative in nature and may suggest to the ordinary skilled worker certain variations and equivalents that may be used to implement aspects of the technology, within the scope of what is claimed.

[0028] FIG. 1A depicts a top view of an example of a polishing pad 100, according to aspects of the disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 1B depicts a side view of the polishing pad 100.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technology now will be described with reference to the attached drawing figures.

[0031] FIG. 1A depicts a top view of an example of a polishing pad or button 100, according to aspects of the disclosure. FIG. 1B depicts a side view of the polishing pad 100. The polishing pad has a polyurethane cover 102 that is attached to an upper surface of a closed cell foam base 104. The foam base 104 is mounted to a metal or organic (e.g., wood, plastic) chuck 106. The chuck 106 is shaped to engage into a part 300 of a polishing apparatus 200, an example of which is described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0032] Materials other than those described may be used. Generally, the cover 102 should be a flexible and elastic material whereas the base 104 should be a substantially incompressible and rigid material. The material of the chuck 106 should be substantially stiff to solidly and matingly engage with the part 300 of the apparatus 200.

[0033] When the polishing button 100 is not in use it has a generally flat upper surface and the foam base 104 has an inverted frustoconical shape (narrower toward the chuck and wider toward the cover). When the polishing button is pressed against a lens, an undercut 108 in the foam base permits the button to deform into a domed shape that better conforms to the lens surface. The undercut may be at substantially the middle of the height of the base. In certain embodiments of the technology, the undercut may be about 4 mm across and about 2 mm deep rounded groove. In other embodiments, it may be a V-shape groove or a square groove. Providing the undercut should enhance the elastic response at the edges of the polishing button so that the button adapts more quickly to variations in the surface of the lens as the lens and button rotate at up to or more than 200 rpm.

[0034] The polyurethane cover 102 is not a continuous disc but rather includes cutouts 110 and dimples 112 that are arranged in a gyre like blades of a fan or volutes of a pump. The cutouts 110 are about 6 mm wide at the periphery of the cover 102 and narrow to points toward the middle of the cover. For example, there may be five cutouts. The dimples 112 are about 1 mm-2 mm in diameter. There may be the same number of dimples as cutouts or different numbers of each. Rotation of the button 100 causes the cutouts 110 to scoop polishing fluid from the periphery 114 of the button toward the dimples 112. This scooping action distributes the polishing fluid across the surface of the cover, which enhances polishing toward the center of the button as compared to prior art pads.

[0035] The cutouts 110 and dimples 112 are arranged in an eccentric manner, so that the cutouts and dimples converge toward a point that is not aligned with the button's geometric center 114. For example, the eccentric point may be 2 mm to 3 mm offset from the geometric center 114. This geometry causes a bubble or lump of polishing fluid to gyrate around the geometric center of the button as the button rotates against the surface of the lens. The gyrating lump of polishing fluid will enhance the efficiency of polishing.

[0036] Although the disclosed technology has been described by way of examples and with reference to illustrative drawings, the essential concepts of the technology as claimed should not be understood to extend merely to what is precisely described. Rather, the scope of the claims should be understood to encompass equivalents and alternatives that will be appreciated by the ordinary skilled worker in light of the present disclosure.

[0037] Although specific materials may be described as examples of the disclosed technology, the ordinary skilled worker will appreciate that materials with substantially similar properties may be substituted without departing from the scope of the claims, except where the claims are specifically limited to a given material.

[0038] Where a term such as about or substantially may be used, it should be understood to encompass not only the precisely disclosed amounts or measurements or relationships or properties but also approximations of the disclosure that are sufficiently similar so as to accomplish the same result in the same way.

[0039] Where terms such as above or below may be used, they should be understood to limit the spatial relationship of the components thus described only if the disclosure specifies that such limitation is an essential aspect of the technology. Otherwise it should be understood that spatial relationships between components may be arbitrary and that terms such as above or below are used only for convenience of reference to the illustrative drawings, rather than as essential relationships between components.

[0040] Where terms such as first or second may be used, they should be understood to be used only for convenience of description, not to limit the number or order of components.

[0041] The word a should be understood as one or more whereas the word plurality should be understood as two or more. Similarly, the word the should be understood to include one or more whereas the plurality should be understood to include two or more. Where one may be used, it should be understood as only one.