Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Products Inc.

Phillip King Parnell, Sr

Victor Lust

Daniel Tsu-Fang Wang

Craig William Walker

Stephen Robert Beaton

Henri Armand Dagobert

Scott Frederick Ansell

Vincent G McAteer

Hassan Chaouk

Michael William Litwin

Brian Schwam

George B Kipe

Michael Francis Widman

Richard W Abrams

Ronaldus Joannes Cornelis Maria Kok

David Dolan

Edwin Van Doorn

Mcateer Vincent G G

Punctal plugs for delivering therapeutic agents have a body, a portion into which the therapeutic agent is held, a winding about the body, and an enlarged portion or anchor at an end.

Punctal plugs

A precision cassette plate, which is an integral component of a mold assembly in an injection molding system, is designed to secure a predetermined number of components fabricated in an injection molding process. The precision cassette plate is designed with two pre-alignment holes and two precision position anti-rotational features that guarantee accurate placement of the precision cassette plate each time at each stage of the manufacturing/assembly process.

Device for injection molding silicone rubber

A micro silicone mold mounted plunger injection system comprises a silicone cartridge assembly, a micro plunger injection assembly and a cold deck nozzle assembly. In this system, these three components are interconnected directly such that it has a greatly reduced material flow path length and diameter. The system is capable of displacing an amount of material in a single shot substantially equal to the desired shot weight required to make a component.

Injection molding device and method

Punctal plugs for delivering therapeutic agents to the eye have a body with a portion into which the therapeutic agent is loaded and a conical anchor portion at an end of the plug.

This invention relates to a device for removing and transporting articles, such as ophthalmic lens mold sections, or packaging elements from a mold. The invention, in one embodiment includes first, second, and third assemblies; the first of which removes the articles from the molding station at a first location and transports them to a second location; the second assembly receives the articles from the first assembly and transports them to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles from the second assembly and transports them to a fourth location. A second embodiment includes a flipper assembly disposed between the first and second assemblies, which flipper receives the articles from the first assembly and inverts them before depositing them onto the second assembly. This second embodiment is useful in conjunction with molded articles which are transported to the flipper assembly in an inverted position. A third embodiment includes second and third assemblies which further include means for altering the relative spacing of the articles while the articles are transported.

Apparatus for removing and transporting articles from molds

In a soft contact lens manufacturing process, an injection molding machine (IMM) produces many thermoplastic injection molded front curve (FC) and back curve (BC) mold parts, each of which mold parts is subsequently used only once to mold a single soft contact lens. An inlay station with alignment assemblies and transfer tubes provide for the precise transfer to and alignment of the FC and BC molds in pallets during their transfer from the IMM to pallets on an assembly line in a high speed automated commercial production operation. A rotatable FC transfer arm and a rotatable BC transfer arm transfer the FC and BC molds from the IMM machine to the pallets in an inlay station. The precisely aligned transfer is provided by two alignment rods of an alignment assembly which pass through two alignment apertures in the pallet and then pass through two alignment apertures in one of the FC or BC alignment arms.

Inlay station with alignment assemblies and transfer tubes

A method for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens fabricating mold sections from a molding device to an inert chamber in a predetermined time, controlled by a central processor. The method includes starting a timer upon opening the molding device and exposing the mold sections; actuating a robotic arm to transport the mold sections from the molding device to an intermediate position using a compound movement; actuating a cam-controlled arm to transport the mold sections from the intermediate position to a pallet held on a conveyor belt at a cam-arm pre-part release location; and releasing the pallet to move on the conveyor belt to the inert chamber for continued transport of mold containing pallets to a treatment or processing facility for producing and/or packaging of the contact lenses.

Rapid robotic handling of mold parts used to fabricate contact lenses

Method for removing and transporting articles from molds

An apparatus and a method for removing and transporting articles from molds. More specifically, the present invention pertains to such an apparatus and method which is particularly well suited for removing the articles from a molding machine having molds in which they are molded, and thereafter carrying the articles within a very short period of time away from the molds and depositing the articles for further processing in a high speed, automated production system. The apparatus removes and transports articles, such as ophthalmic contact lens mold sections or contact lens packaging elements, from a molding station whereby an operating assembly removes the articles from the molding station and transports these in a composite motional displacement enabling rapid conveyance thereof to a first location; a pivotable robotic parts handling element being adapted to receive the articles from the first location and transport these to a further or second location for deposition onto pallets or the like and the continued transport thereof to a treatment or processing facility for producing and/or packaging of the contact lenses.

Apparatus and method for removing and transporting articles from molds

This invention relates to a method for removing and transporting articles, such as ophthalmic lens mold sections, or packaging elements from a mold. The invention, in one embodiment includes first, second, and third assemblies; the first of which removes the articles from the molding station at a first location and transports them to a second location; the second assembly receives the articles from the first assembly and transports them to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles from the second assembly and transports them to a fourth location. A second embodiment includes a flipper assembly disposed between the first and second assemblies, which flipper receives the articles from the first assembly and inverts them before depositing them onto the second assembly. This second embodiment is useful in conjunction with molded articles which are transported to the flipper assembly in an inverted position. A third embodiment includes second and third assemblies which further include means for altering the relative spacing of the articles while the articles are transported.

A method for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens fabricating mold sections from a molding device to an inert chamber in a predetermined time, controlled by a central processor, is disclosed. The method includes starting a timer upon opening the molding device and exposing the mold sections; actuating a robotic arm to transport the mold sections from the molding device to an intermediate position using a compound movement; actuating a cam-controlled arm to transport the mold sections from the intermediate position to a pallet held on a conveyor belt at a cam-arm pre-part release location; and releasing the pallet to move on the conveyor belt to the inert chamber for continued transport of mold containing pallets to a treatment or processing facility for producing and/or packaging of the contact lenses. The method also includes raising a nest to receive the mold sections at the intermediate position; and lowering the nest, after transfer thereon of the molded sections from the robotic arm, for transferring the molded sections to the cam-controlled arm. In a racetrack mode, the pallets continue moving into the inert chamber, while the molded sections are discarded. In a sample mode, a sample bin is moved to the discard location to collect a sample of the molded sections.

Growing community of inventors

Jacksonville, FL, United States of America

Phillip King Parnell, Sr