Johnson & Johnson Vision Products Inc.

Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

Mark E Schlagel

Russell J Edwards

Daniel Tsu-Fang Wang

Richard W Abrams

Borge Peter Gundersen

Darren S Keene

Thomas Christian Ravn

William Edward Holley

Ture Kindt-Larsen

Wallace Anthony Martin

Kiyoshi Imai

Olin W Calvin

Masao Funo

Hirokazu Kitagawa

Michael Francis Widman

Craig William Walker

John Mark Lepper

Svend Christensen

Dharmesh K Dubey

Gregory Scott Duncan

John C Heaton

Mary L Dolan

Thomas C Ravin

Leslie A Voss

Gary S Hall

James F Kirk

Ravi Sankar Sanka

David C Byram

Andrew J Wagner

Xu Song

Gregory S Duncan

The invention provides molds useful in the production of contact lenses having seamless edges and in which molds movement of one mold half in relation to the other mold half is decreased. These results are attained by providing mold halves with shoulder stops and seam-matching features.

Molds for use in contact lens production

A center touch method and apparatus for use in a contact lens station for use with a contact lens mold assembly comprising a first mold half and a second mold half. The center touch apparatus comprises a center touch engaging member having a center touch engaging surface for engaging a central portion of a non-molding surface of one of the mold halves. The center touch method comprising driving one of the mold halves toward the other mold half using the center touch engaging member to contact a central area of the non-molding surface of the one mold half.

Center touch method and apparatus for forming contact lenses

The present invention relates to an apparatus for packaging contact lenses. The apparatus includes a compliant head, improved heater and improved heat seal die.

Heat seal apparatus for lens packages

This invention discloses an apparatus and method for hydrating or washing ophthalmic devices, comprising the step of directing to an ophthalmic device having a higher concentration of impurities fluid which has previously been directed to ophthalmic device having a lower concentration of impurities. Further, this invention provides a preferred device supporting member.

Method and apparatus for washing or hydration of ophthalmic devices

A method and apparatus for transferring a wet object, such as a contact lens, from a first station to a second station includes a probe having a barrel with a passage for communication with a vacuum source and a pressurized gas source, a nozzle at the end of the passage, and a hood around the nozzle in communication with a vacuum source. The barrel is moved in a first direction to place the nozzle adjacent the object in the first station and the vacuum from the nozzle attaches the object to the nozzle. Moving the barrel in a second direction removes the nozzle with the object attached from the first station. The probe is moved to the second station with the object attached. The barrel is moved in the first direction to place the object at the second station, the vacuum is removed from the nozzle and pressurized gas is applied through the barrel passage to remove the object from the nozzle and deposit it at the second station and, at the same time, blow off matter from the object. Vacuum is applied to the hood when the probe is at the second station for the hood to collect the matter blown the object by the compressed gas.

Contact lens transfer and material removal system

An apparatus for the processing and segmenting of a cover-forming laminate web or sheeting structure which is adapted to interconnect a plurality of containers, such as the base members of blister packages each of which is designed to contain a hydrophilic contact lens in a sterile aqueous solution. More specifically disclosed is an apparatus for the imprinting, perforating, slitting and cutting the laminated web structure such that the severed laminate segments constitute printed covering label for an array of such containers, and whereby the laminated web or sheeting segment may be severed along weakening or perforation lines so as to provide a separable packaging arrangement for individual of the containers which are subsequently adhered thereto.

Apparatus and method for preparing printing labels

This invention discloses an apparatus and method for hydrating or washing ophthalmic devices, comprising the step of directing to an ophthalmic device having a higher concentration of impurities fluid which has previously been directed to ophthalmic device having a lower concentration of impurities.

An automated means for hydrating and packaging a molded hydrophilic contact lens in one of the mold parts used to mold the lens is provided in which a first robotic assembly removes a plurality of contact lens molds from a production line carrier, each of the lens molds having a contact lens adhered therein. The first robotic assembly transports the molds to a first staging area where the lens molds are sandwiched between a lens mold carrier and a top chamber plate to form a first hydration carrier. The hydration carrier is then transported through a plurality of flushing or extraction stations wherein fresh deionized water is introduced into the hydration chambers at each hydration station to flush leachable substances from the hydration chamber. At each flushing station, fresh deionized water is introduced into the hydration chamber to remove previously extracted impurities and the products of hydrolysis. A final robotic dis-assembly device separates the top chamber plate and lens molds in the mold carrier plate, to provide fully hydrated lenses in a concave lens mold ready for transfer to inspection and packaging stations. Following inspection of the lens, the concave lens mold is dosed with saline and used to form part of the package used to distribute the lens.

Automated method and apparatus for single sided hydration of soft

An automated apparatus for controlling the automatic packaging of contact lenses in a contact lens fabrication facility includes: a first robotic transfer device for periodically transferring a first predetermined amount of individual packages from an inspection station to an intermediate consolidation buffer and depositing the packages on the consolidation buffer; a control device for tracking and identifying each individual contact lens conveyed from the inspection station to the consolidation buffer and including memory and logic circuits for storing the identity of individual packages containing contact lenses that have been previously determined at the inspection station as being out of specification, and, generating a signal to enable the first robotic device to discard any individual package identified as out of specification; and; a second robotic assembly for periodically transferring a second predetermined amount of individual packages from the consolidation buffer to a second processing station, the control device enabling the first robotic device to provide a sufficient amount of individual packages to the consolidation buffer to enable the second robotic assembly to continuously transfer the second predetermined amount of packages to the second processing station in every period.

Automated apparatus and method for consolidating products and packaging

An automated apparatus for controlling the automatic packaging of contact lenses in a contact lens fabrication facility includes: a first robotic transfer device for periodically transferring a first predetermined amount of individual packages from an inspection station to an intermediate consolidation buffer and depositing the packages on the consolidation buffer; a control device for tracking and identifying each individual contact lens conveyed from the inspection station to the consolidation buffer and including memory and logic circuits for storing the identity of individual packages containing contact lenses that have been previously determined at the inspection station as being out of specification, and, generating a signal to enable the first robotic device to discard any individual package identified as out of specification; and, a second robotic assembly for periodically transferring a second predetermined amount of individual packages from the consolidation buffer to a second processing station, the control device enabling the first robotic device to provide a sufficient amount of individual packages to the consolidation buffer to enable the second robotic assembly to continuously transfer the second predetermined amount of packages to the second processing station in every period.

Automated apparatus and method for consolidating products for packaging

An apparatus and a method for removing a liquid from a container having a bowl and a flange, the bowl holding the liquid and containing a hydrophilic ophthalmic lens, wherein there is provided a nozzle with a central face and a shoulder around the periphery of the face. The shoulder has a sealing means which is sized to fit on the flange of the container, where it forms a sealed volume above the container bowl, this volume including the volume of the bowl itself. The central face has through it at lease one fluid entrance passage and at least one fluid exit passage arranged so that the flow is distributed substantially symmetric about the center axis of the lens. The apparatus includes a lens retainer which resiliently urges the lens into engagement with the bowl so that when the purging fluid is introduced into the sealed volume, there is no migration of the lens. There is connected to the entrance passage a source of purging fluid that has a pressure and flow sufficient to remove substantially all the liquid through the exit passage.

Growing community of inventors

Jacksonville, FL, United States of America

Mark E Schlagel