Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Gabriela Cocora

Axel Heinrich

Peter Hagmann

Halina Heidrich

Nils Schweizer

Felix Brinckmann

Stephan Pirl

Roger Biel

Bernhard Seiferling

Günter Lässig

Uwe Haken

Daryl Reece

Deborah Jean Mulcahy

Honghui Lu

Fabian Kern

Georg Cramm

Volker Lanig

Carlton Pope

Roland Schmieder

William Jordan Hall

Jordan Hall

Steffen Paulekuhn

Jens Wolfstaedter

Lukas Lomb

Kai Breburda

Alexander Bayer

Stefan Kastl

A method of removing a lens forming material deposited on a lens forming surface () of a reusable glass mold for forming ophthalmic lenses, in particular contact lenses or intraocular lenses, comprises the steps of providing a plasma (), exposing the lens forming surface () of the reusable glass mold to the plasma () for removing the lens forming material deposited on the lens forming surface (). The plasma () is generated under atmospheric pressure and potential-free, or is generated under reduced pressure.

Method for removing lens forming material deposited on a lens forming surface

A method for determining whether a sealing area of a primary packaging container for an ophthalmic lens is unacceptable for properly sealing a foil to the sealing area is disclosed. The method involves comparing the temperature of an infrared image of the sealing area to a reference temperature to determine if the difference in temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Method for determining whether a sealing area of a primary packaging container for an ophthalmic lens is unacceptable for properly sealing a foil thereto

A gripper () for an ophthalmic lens comprises The detection vacuum tube () has a distal end which is arranged in the detection through-opening () in a fluid-tight manner, and the detection through-opening () is arranged in the center of the bearing surface () of the gripper.

Gripper for an ophthalmic lens and process for transporting an ophthalmic lens

A packaging container () for a contact lens comprises a shell (). The shell () comprises a cavity () having a drop-shaped perimeter (), and a flange () having a flat upper surface () extending around the drop-shaped perimeter () of the cavity () in an upper surface plane (). The cavity () comprises a bowl portion () including an at least partially spherical section () for accommodating the contact lens, and a chamfer portion () surrounding the bowl portion (). The chamfer portion () is arranged between the bowl portion () and the drop-shaped perimeter () of the cavity () and includes a tapered outlet section () forming a tip towards the flange () to facilitate removal of the contact lens from the cavity ().

Packaging container of a contact lens

A method of cleaning deposited material from a molding surface () of a mold () for forming ophthalmic lenses, including bringing a cleaning head () into contact with the molding surface (), the rotational axis () of the cleaning head () being arranged normal to the molding surface (), rotating () the cleaning head () around the rotational axis () while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head () and the molding surface (), moving the cleaning head () to perform a precession motion () around a central normal () on the molding surface (), while rotating () the cleaning head () around the rotational axis () and while maintaining the contact between the cleaning head () and the molding surface (). During the precession motion () the rotational axis () includes an inclination angle (&#x3b1;) with the central normal () on the molding surface ().

Method and device for cleaning deposited material from a molding surface of a mold for forming ophthalmic lenses

A method for avoiding the entrapment of air bubbles () in a lens forming material, in particular in a low viscosity lens forming material, in an ophthalmic lens manufacturing process using mold halves () each having a lens forming surface () comprises electrostatically charging a predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () of the mold half () prior to the predetermined portion of the lens forming surface () coming into contact with the lens forming material ().

Method for avoiding entrapment of air bubbles in a lens forming material and apparatus for carrying out the method

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d1) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d0) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d1) is 0.

Process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a contact lens with a printed image thereon, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens with a printed image thereon, comprising applying one or more ink drops to at least a portion of at least one molding surface of a lens mold, wherein each ink drop is sufficiently flat, that the forces exerted by the mold surface to the ink drop surface in the area where they make contact, are higher than the forces exerted by the flowing lens forming material to the facing surface of the ink drop, and wherein the ink material and the lens forming material are sufficiently immiscible or not miscible at all.

Method for making a colored contact lens

The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including one or more print heads for depositing printing fluid onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises a maintenance unit for the one or more print heads. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning one or more print heads from adhering printing fluid. The present invention also relates to the use of the apparatus in the automated manufacture of a contact lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens.

Maintenance unit for print head

There is described a process for manufacturing an ophthalmic lens and an apparatus for forming an ophthalmic lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens, wherein in a mold assembly a first and a second mold half () are first arranged in an intermediate closed position in which the mold surfaces of the two mold halves are spaced apart from each other at a distance increase (d) of preferably 1 to 100 &#x3bc;m relative to a final distance (d) in a final closed position, and wherein, during curing of the lens forming material (), the mold surfaces () of the mold halves () are actively or passively moved or moving from the intermediate closed position to the final closed position, where the distance increase (d) is 0.

The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including one or more print heads for depositing printing fluid onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises a maintenance unit for the one or more print heads. The present invention further relates to a method for cleaning one or more print heads from adhering printing fluid. The present invention also relates to the use of said apparatus in the automated manufacture of a contact lens, in particular a silicone hydrogel contact lens.

An apparatus for the plasma treatment of molds (), in particular for contact lens molds, comprises a treatment chamber (), in which a first electrode () is arranged facing a carrier () for carrying the molds () to be treated. The carrier () forms the second electrode () and comprises a first metal plate () having holes () therein and a second metal plate () which is arranged spaced apart from the first metal plate (), and which is connected to the first metal plate () in an electrically conductive manner (). The molds () are arranged on the second metal plate () with their molding surfaces () facing towards the first electrode () and are exposable to plasma through the holes () in the first metal plate ().

Growing community of inventors

Elsenfeld-Eichelsbach, Germany

Gabriela Cocora