Contact Lens Patents (Class 134/901)
  • Patent number: 5195549
    Abstract: A device for cleaning contact lenses through agitation using fluids under high pressure which includes a housing having an internal compartment or cleaning tank which includes impeller means suitable to drive a fluid under pressure. The housing further including a continuous sealed passageway to allow for the flow of the fluid under pressure, with the internal compartment designed to receive a removable case which holds a pair of contact lenses in place within a pair of closed perforated cleaning chambers. Means are provided for driving a pair of impellers in order to move a cleaning fluid under pressure through the sealed passageway to simultaneously clean the contact lenses held within the cleaning chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1993
    Inventor: James C. Adams
  • Patent number: 5186317
    Abstract: A contact lens case for use with a contact lens disinfecting system employing one or more disinfecting tablets or catalysts and which comprises a cup having a bottom portion and a basket assembly for releasably holding contact lenses insertable into the cup. The cup is of dimentions sufficient for holding a predetermined amount of disinfecting fluid in disinfecting contact with the lenses when the basket assembly is inserted into the cup. A reaction chamber of predetermined dimensions for retaining the disinfecting tablets in close proximity within the cup for permitting occurrence of disinfecting solution-producing reactions depends from the bottom portion of said cup. There is also provided a novel, one-piece basket assembly including a cap, stem, base plate, hingedly connected baskets and latching extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Ryder International Corporation
    Inventors: Francis E. Ryder, Rowland W. Kanner
  • Patent number: 5184633
    Abstract: A cleansing and sterilization mechanism which is usable on contact lenses, surgical instruments, dental tools, and other items which require regular cleansing and sterilization. Using ozone as the cleansing and sterilization medium, the apparatus provides for added guaranty of operation through the use of feedback mechanism to assure that all the components are working and that the to-be-cleaned items are exposed to the ozone bath for the specified time. Furthermore, the item is capable of communicating, via phone line, to a central unit which monitors the operation and performance of the mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignee: KEW Import/Export Inc.
    Inventor: Terrence R. Langford
  • Patent number: 5181604
    Abstract: A contact lens case including a cylindrical container body, a cap member for closing an opening of the container body, a support member which is attached at one end thereof to the cap member to extend therefrom in an axial direction of the container body, and a lens holder rotatably supported by the support member. The lens holder has one or more lens storage chamber each receiving the contact lens, and a plurality of holes which permit a liquid to flow therethrough. The present contact lens case further includes a detent structure for holding the lens holder selectively in a horizontal position in which the contact lens received in the holder has a horizontal attitude perpendicular to the axial direction of the container body, or in a vertical position in which the contact lens received has a vertical attitude parallel to the axial direction of the container body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Tomei Sangyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyohiko Ohta, Kaoru Kamiya, Keiko Watanabe, Makoto Nakagawa, Tomio Nagao
  • Patent number: 5178173
    Abstract: An ultrasonic contact lens cleaning device has a housing with a hemispherical cover hingedly affixed to it. A container for a lens cleaning solution is mounted in the housing. An acoustic resonant structure in the housing is coupled to the container. The structure has piezoelectric components. A frequency modulated power circuit in the housing is electrically connected to and drives the acoustic resonant structure and provides a controlled level of ultrasonic cleaning energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: Robert J. Pace
    Inventors: John J. Erickson, Drew D. Erickson
  • Patent number: 5176159
    Abstract: A lens case for a contact lens cleaning device comprises a receiving case including a pair of holding chambers for accommodates a pair of both contact lenses and a cover which is detachably coupled to said receiving chamber for opening/closing the holding chamber. The receiving case comprise a pair of first introductory conduits each of which include an entrance opening to a bottom of the receiving case and an exit opening to the holding chamber so as to confront to a center of one side surface of the contact lens which is accommodated in the holding chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikio Yoshihara, Tomio Oguma, Masasi Kai
  • Patent number: 5167323
    Abstract: A lens treating device for treating a contact lens includes: an outer casing having a cylindrical body which is open at at least one of opposite axial ends, and at least one lid removably attached to the cylindrical body to close the axial end(s) thereof; and a lens storage container which is accommodated in the outer casing such that the container is axially slidingly reciprocable within the outer casing. The lens storage container has at least one cap member removably attached thereto. The lens storage container fluid-tightly receives therein the contact lens and a liquid for treating the contact lens, whereby the liquid is forced to flow within the container so as to clean the contact lens, by a reciprocating movement of the lens storage container when the outer casing is axially shaked or repeatedly inverted. A method of treating a contact lens by using such a lens treating device is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Tomei Sangyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyohiko Ohta, Kaoru Kamiya, Keiko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5164166
    Abstract: An apparatus for disinfecting contact lenses by use of microwave energy is disclosed wherein a disinfecting fluid is stored in a first chamber and transferred to a second compartment when exposed to microwave energy. The second compartment holds the lenses to be disinfected and is shielded by a microwave deflecting substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Bausch & Lomb Incorporated
    Inventors: Stephen F. Stepanski, Kelvin H. Wildman
  • Patent number: 5161559
    Abstract: A cleaning device for contact lens which includes a housing having a cleaning chamber which is provided with a container chamber, a container disposed in the container chamber and forming a lens receiving chamber which receives contact lenses therein and a stirring device for generating a rising liquid flow which rises toward to the container chamber and is disposed at a lower side of the container. The container has plural passage holes which communicate between an inside of the lens receiving chamber and outside of the lens receiving chamber. At least one of the passage holes opens diagonally and downwardly as regard to the lens receiving chamber so as to introduce the rising liquid flow into the lens receiving chamber. Since the rising liquid flow flows diagonally from below into the lens receiving chambers via the passage holes, the contact lenses are gently floated in the lens receiving chamber so as to separate from the wall surface of the lens receiving chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1992
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikio Yoshihara, Masasi Kai, Tomio Oguma, Yasuhiro Aso
  • Patent number: 5156175
    Abstract: A container includes a removable door for positioning of a housing therewithin. The housing includes a cleansing solution therein, with a removable lid mounting a plurality of mesh ocular contact lens members, wherein agitation of the cleaning solution by an underlying blade structure effects cleaning of the contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Inventor: Frederick Jones
  • Patent number: 5129410
    Abstract: A rotating agitational device, upon which is mounted a case (14) containing at least one lens and lens cleaning fluid, is electrically driven in a figure eight motion. This causes the contact or each lens to move about rapidly and clean itself automatically in a time of up to 60 seconds. The frequency of the agitations is between 10 and 100 Hz and is preferably between 35 and 45 Hz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1992
    Inventor: Charles Ifejika
  • Patent number: 5127126
    Abstract: A cleaning instrument which can easily clean a lens in a short time without damaging the lens, which can clean both side surfaces of the lens at the same time, and which can serve also as a case for storing the lenses, includes a cleaning ball for cleaning a lens. A cleaning vessel is formed with a recessed cleaning chamber for housing a contact lens and the cleaning ball. The cleaning chamber has a bottom concave inner surface which is curved complementarily to the curvature of the lens so that the lens can be mounted in face-to-face contact therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Menicon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toyoyasu Tanaka, Yasuyoshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5117849
    Abstract: An apparatus having a casing and a rotating cover with baskets to hold the contact lenses which are to be cleaned. The rotating cover is set on the casing with a guide rod. The contact lenses are first lowered into a tub in the casing containing a cleaning and disinfecting solution. After an adjustable amount of time, the rotating cover is pushed up by a push rod. The tip of the push rod is guided down a helical groove, thus rotating the cover 180.degree.. At the end of its path, the push rod ends in a hole of the casing and the contact lenses are thus lowered into the tube containing the neutralization solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1992
    Assignee: Lensmatic AG
    Inventor: Edwin Zimmerli
  • Patent number: 5105841
    Abstract: A cleaning device for contact lenses includes a housing having a cleaning chamber, a stirring device for generating a liquid flow within the cleaning chamber, a heating device for boiling a liquid in the cleaning chamber, a feeding device for feeding the liquid into the cleaning chamber, a discharging device, a feeding amount detecting device for detecting a feeding amount of the liquid which is fed into the cleaning chamber, an operation controlling device for giving a signal to the stirring device, the heating device, the feeding device and the discharging device in response to the feeding amount of the liquid detected by the feeding amount detecting device, respectively and for performing a cleaning process, plural rinsing processes and a boil process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomio Oguma, Mikio Yoshihara, Masasi Kai, Yasuhiro Aso
  • Patent number: 5082558
    Abstract: Contact lenses are purified by contact with ozone in a compact system that includes an ozone generator, a purifying liquid in a lens chamber, and a pumping system for flowing liquid and gas in a way that brings ozone dissolved in a purifying liquid into contact with the lenses. In some embodiments, undissolved ozone can also contact the lenses. Several preferred arrangements are shown for accomplishing the lens purification with such an ozone disinfection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Inventor: William A. Burris
  • Patent number: 5080117
    Abstract: A device for cleaning contact lenses includes a cleansing unit which has a cleanser container shaped as an elongated tub, a perforated bottom plate provided in the cleanser container, a perforated top plate superimposed on the perforated bottom plate to hold the contact lenses therebetween, and a top cover detachably engaged with the cleanser container; a motor with a rotary shaft end; an electric control circuit connected to the motor; a blade assembly disposed inside the cleanser container adjacent to the perforated top and bottom plates and being rotated by the rotary shaft end of the motor; and a housing for containing the cleansing unit, the motor, the electric control circuit, and the blade assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Inventor: Wen-Ho Yang
  • Patent number: 4986290
    Abstract: A cleaning device for a soft type contact lens includes a housing having a cleaning chamber fed with a cleaning liquid, a lens receiving container within the cleaning chamber and a stirring device for generating a liquid flow within the cleaning chamber and for cleaning said contact lens with the liquid flow. In order to clean the contact lens, a high speed liquid flow is generated, so that four kinds of processes of cleaning, rinsing, sterilizing, and preserving are carried out automatically within only one cleaning chamber without moving the contact lens. Therefore the lenses are not stained with dirt when moving them by finger from one process or place to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomio Oguma, Masashi Kai
  • Patent number: 4965904
    Abstract: A contact lens cleaning device comprising a ball, a vessel formed with a recessed chamber for housing the lens and the ball, and a vibrator for vibrating the vessel. The chamber has a bottom concave surface so curved that the lens is mounted in face-to-face contact thereon. After the lens is sandwiched between the bottom concave surface of the chamber, the ball is cleaned when the vessel is vibrated by the vibrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1990
    Assignee: Menicon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toyoyasu Tanaka, Yasuyoshi Yamamoto, Yuzou Kaga
  • Patent number: 4957130
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for contact lenses including a housing, an enclosure in which a transmission means is installed, a knob and two containers. The transmission means has a main gear which is centrally disposed on a plate within an upper portion of the enclosure and loaded with a coil spring, a compound gear and a single gear. The main gear and the single gear are engageable with the compound gear. The main gear is activated by an upper gear of the compound gear and the single gear is activated by a bottom gear of the compound gear. A second spindle of the single gear is centrally disposed on the base of the enclosure and its lower portion is connected with an acceptor to which the containers are attached. The knob has a circumferential toothed portion on its inner circumference. The circumferential toothed portion is engageable with the upper gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Inventor: Chien H. Lee