Method of making an eyeglass lens

Abstract

The invention relates to a spectacle lens (3) which comprises at least one structural element (SE) on the outer edge (4) and/or the front or rear surface thereof, wherein the at least one structural element (SE) is formed by a material which is applied in liquid form on the edge (3) and/or the front/rear surface of the spectacle lens (4), is connected in a bonded manner to the lens and is hardened chemically or by radiation. The invention further relates to a method for the production thereof.

Claims

1. A method of making an eyeglass lens with at least one structural element fastened on an edge or on a front or rear face of the eyeglass lens, the method comprising the steps of: applying a material in a liquid state to the edge or the front or rear face, and bonding the applied material with the lens and hardening the applied material by chemical reaction or by irradiation with electromagnetic waves such that the at least one structural element or each part of a multipart structural element is produced in a single application step in which a plurality of beads of defined shape or a plurality of strands of defined shape of the liquid material are applied adjacent one another or above one another at a rate of one bead or one strand with each application step by a nozzle and hardened, and the shape of the solidified structural element is defined by the cross-sectional or orifice shape of the nozzle or in a plurality of successive application steps, and in each application step a bead or a strand of the liquid material is applied and after each application step the applied bead or strand is hardened.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one structural element forms at least one of the following functional elements: a structural element that fastens an eyeglass lens to a frame, in particular the frame rim, a structural element that connects two eyeglass lenses to one another, and in particular form a bridge, a structural element that supports an eyeglass lens or the frame on the nose of a wearer of the eyeglasses, and in particular form a nose pad, or a structural element that covers a particularly sharp edge on the edge of an eyeglass lens.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material applied is in particular a polymer with a viscosity dependent upon shear force.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material is a polymer and is hardened by irradiation with UV light.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the application of a plurality of beads or strands takes place under computer control as a function of a pre-programmed final shape of a structural element.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape or the distribution of the structural elements around the eyeglass lens is determined under computer control on the basis of the shape of the lens cutout in the eyeglass frame.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front view of an eyeglass frame,

(3) FIGS. 2A and 2B show the shape of a plurality of possible profile cross-sections of structural elements consisting of one or more of strands,

(4) FIG. 3 shows structural elements on the front or rear face for example as a replacement for the holes in the case of rimless frames,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a U-shaped structural element with variable height,

(6) FIG. 5 shows structural elements on the front and rear face at the edge for formation of clip-in latching connections between the frame and the lens,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a structural element for a Nylon frame,

(8) FIG. 7 shows structural elements mounted on the edge and extending axially over the front and/or rear face of the lens, for example for clip connections,

(9) FIG. 8 shows the application of a plurality of individual strands for the formation of a structural element from the totality of all strands,

(10) FIG. 9 shows the application of a plurality of individual beads for the formation of a structural element from the totality of all beads,

(11) FIG. 10 shows a structural element for forming a bridge,

(12) FIG. 11 shows structural elements for forming a nose pad,

(13) FIG. 12 shows structural elements for protection against injuries.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(14) FIG. 1 shows a full-rim frame 1 that has on the inside of the rim 2 a predetermined shape (not shown here), generally a facet to receive a corresponding shape on an edge 3 of an eyeglass lens 4 of suitable shape.

(15) For such a frame, corresponding structural elements SE, that either correspond to the shape of the frame rim or adapt thereto due to flexibility, are arranged on the edge 3 of an eyeglass lens 4.

(16) FIGS. 2A and 2B show a large number of possible shapes of structural elements SE that are provided for application to the lens edge 3 of an eyeglass lens 4, as described in the introduction. In this case the forms 1, 2 and 4 of FIG. 2A and the forms of FIG. 2B are suitable for use in a full-rim frame.

(17) The forms 3, 5 and 6 of FIG. 2A show structural elements SE that are provided to receive Nylon filaments 5. For this purpose, they form, on their own or at least in conjunction with the edge, seat grooves into which the filament 5 can be laid.

(18) FIG. 3 shows raised structural elements SE on a front face and/or a rear face of an eyeglass lens 4, for example in order to replace rimless frames.

(19) Furthermore, for a full-rim frame for example a structural element SE with a U-shape (perpendicular to the circumferential direction) may be chosen, with for example flexible lips that for example taper radially toward the outside, as shown for example in FIG. 4. This shape is preferably not applied to the entire circumference, but only partially, for example at points that are particularly important for stress-free holding of the lens. Furthermore, due to a preferred variation in the lip height the varying local resilience of the frame rim can be taken into consideration. For example, at straight regions the frame rim is already deflected under slight loading, so that a lower resilience of the structural element SE is advantageous here.

(20) According to FIG. 5 structural elements SE are applied near the edge, project axially (with respect to the optical axis) past the front and/or rear face of the eyeglass lens 4 and serve to form a latching connection between the frame and the lens.

(21) In the case of a Nylon frame, a filament 5 that connects the lens to the frame can be held for example by the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. Here a structural element SE is formed by two parts, specifically two strands that are spaced apart from one another on the lens edge 3. In this case too the structural element SE is preferably applied only partially to the edge 3.

(22) FIG. 7 in turn shows a structural element SE that extends axially beyond the front or rear face, but is fastened completely on the edge 3.

(23) Entirely new possibilities are created by the described method with regard to the connection of the lens and the eyeglass frame by the computer-controlled, precise application of structural elements SE whose shapes can be largely freely defined from a plurality of individual strands or beads.

(24) FIG. 8 shows that a structural element SE is built up from a plurality of individual strands 6, for example substantially circular strands, by a step by step application of the strands on and/or adjacent one another. A structural element that is triangular in cross-section is achieved here by a plurality of strands.

(25) FIG. 9 shows substantially the same cross-sectional shape of the structural element SE, but built up from a plurality of individual beads 7. In this case beads 7 of the same size are arranged in three dimensions and adjacent one another, in order as a whole to form the required structural element SE.

(26) From the large number of possibilities, for example, three further possible embodiments of structural elements SE are described in greater detail without limiting the invention to these possibilities.

(27) One application of the method according to the invention may be the production of structural elements SE on the lens edge 3 or the front or rear face of the lens that are oriented radially, that is to say they extend outward over the lens edge 3 and have a supporting or lens-connecting function.

(28) FIG. 10 shows a possible embodiment. These structural elements SE can replace parts of an eyeglass frame, in particular a conventional one, or can themselves form eyeglass frame parts and enable new designs. In the illustrated example of FIG. 10 the predominantly radially applied structural elements SE replace the bridge between two lenses or, in FIG. 11, the nose pad.

(29) A further application is the attachment of protective structural elements SE according to FIG. 12 to the rear and/or front edge of the lens. Due to the shape this point on the glass frequently has a very sharp edge that hitherto has been reduced by grinding of a protective facet and thus the danger of injury is reduced. The protective effect can be substantially improved by the application of a structural element SE, for example as an elastic protective coating.