Patents Assigned to Alcon, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12186917
    Abstract: A method for calibrating lens grippers prior to use of the grippers in a lens manufacturing line includes providing a remote gripper calibration tool having an assembly plate and a Z-directional position sensor; providing a master gripper having a length dimension terminating in a tip, the length dimension being predetermined to match a desired final extension length of a lens gripper; mounting the master gripper to the assembly plate; measuring the Z-directional position of the tip of the master gripper with the Z-directional position sensor; unmounting the master gripper from the assembly plate; mounting a lens gripper to be calibrated to the assembly plate, the lens gripper having a tip, and calibrating the lens gripper by adjusting the final extension length of the tip of the lens gripper to a predetermined position relative to the measured Z-directional position of the tip of the master gripper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Felix Brinckmann, Nils Schweizer, Jens Wolfstaedter
  • Patent number: 12190513
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a system that may acquire, via an image sensor, an image of an eye of a person; may determine a location of an iris of the eye from the image; may determine a position of a suction ring from the image; may display, via a display, the image; may display, via the display, a first graphic overlay on the image that indicates the location of the iris of the eye; may display, via the display, a second graphic overlay on the image that indicates the position of the suction ring; may determine multiple iris structures from the image; may determine an orientation of the eye based at least on the multiple iris structures from the image; and may display, via the display, information that indicates the orientation of the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: ALCON INC.
    Inventor: Johannes Loerner
  • Patent number: 12186236
    Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a base unit, a probe, a stiffener, and an actuation mechanism. The stiffener is formed of a hollow tubular member substantially surrounding at least a portion of a length of the probe. The actuation mechanism is configured to actuate the stiffener along the length of the probe and adjust the stiffness of the probe, thus providing a user better control of the surgical instrument. The actuation mechanism includes a stiffener biasing device configured to apply a first biasing force against the stiffener in the distal direction and, in some embodiments, a control member configured to lock the stiffener in a position along the length of the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Bill Chen, James Y. Chon, Russell Finlay, Paul R. Hallen
  • Patent number: 12186018
    Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking the position and condition of an eye during an ophthalmic procedure include an ophthalmic device configured to measure characteristics of an eye, an eye tracker configured to capture a stream of eye images, and a logic device configured to analyze the stream of images to determine whether the eye is fixating on a target object, detect a predetermined blink sequence in the first stream of images, delay for a predetermined tear stabilization period, start a stable tear film interval, and during the stable tear film interval, capture at least one measurement of the eye using the ophthalmic device when the eye is fixating. The blink sequence may include a plurality of blinks in succession and the detection of the blink sequence may include processing the images through a neural network trained to detect an open eye and/or a closed eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Sascha Birkner, Martin Gründig, Peter Zieger
  • Patent number: 12186036
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for integrating and optimizing a surgical suite. An ophthalmic suite can include a surgical console, a heads-up display communicatively coupled with a surgical camera for capturing a three-dimensional image of an eye, and a surgical suite optimization engine. The surgical suite optimization engine can performs a wide variety of actions in response to action codes received from the other components in the surgical suite. The surgical suite optimization engine can be integrated within another component of the surgical suite, can be a stand-alone module, and can be a cloud-based tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Paul R Hallen
  • Publication number: 20250000642
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for compensating for a tilt of an intraocular lens (IOL) and systems and methods for adjusting the IOL. For example, one of the methods can comprise capturing one or more optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of an eye of a subject when the IOL is implanted within the eye of the subject. The method can also comprise generating a fixation target such that the fixation target is visible to the eye of the subject and moving the fixation target until a transverse plane of the IOL is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of an ophthalmic system. The method can also comprise directing a laser beam generated by a laser of the ophthalmic system at the IOL.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2024
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Zsolt BOR
  • Patent number: 12178461
    Abstract: Particular embodiments disclosed herein provide a surgical instrument comprising a device having a proximal end and a functional end configured to be inserted into a body part, an assembly having a proximal end and a distal end, a shaft coupled to the proximal end of the assembly, the shaft having a shaft housing, a bearing positioned around the assembly, wherein the bearing is configured to slide over the assembly, a hub having a sleeve tube. The basket comprises a plurality of grooved levers, each grooved lever having a proximal end received by the shaft housing and a distal end coupled to a tip of the basket, wherein compressing one or more of the plurality of grooved levers moves the bearing and the hub relative to the shaft and toward the functional end of the device, causing the sleeve tube to transition the device from the deactivated state to an activated state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Niels Alexander Abt, Reto Grueebler, Timo Jung, Thomas Linsi, Niccolo Maschio
  • Patent number: 12175556
    Abstract: A method, instructions for which are executed from a computer-readable medium, calibrates a robotic camera system having a digital camera connected to an end-effector of a serial robot. The end-effector and camera move within a robot motion coordinate frame (“robot frame”). The method includes acquiring, using the camera, a reference image of a target object on an image plane having an optical coordinate frame, and receiving input signals, including a depth measurement and joint position signals. Separate roll and pitch offsets are determined of a target point within the reference image with respect to the robot frame while moving the robot. Offsets are also determined with respect to x, y, and z axes of the robot frame while moving the robot through another motion sequence. The offsets are stored in a transformation matrix, which is used to control the robot during subsequent operation of the camera system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Terry, Ashok Burton Tripathi
  • Patent number: 12173703
    Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a surgical cassette configured to engage a first plurality of rollers of a first roller head. The cassette comprises a face coupled to a first substrate, the face being at a first angle with respect to the first roller head's axis of rotation and a wall of first substrate being at a second angle with respect to the axis of rotation, wherein the first angle is different from the second angle. The cassette also comprises a first sheet positioned on the wall's surface, wherein the first sheet and the wall form first one or more pump segments configured to engage the first plurality of rollers in a position where force applied by each one of the first plurality of rollers on the first one or more pump segments has a direction that is not parallel to the first roller head's axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Brad Yin Chen, Eric Lee, Gary P. Sorensen, Vincent A. Baxter
  • Patent number: 12171871
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to load a water insoluble phospholipid as nanoparticles to load into a hydrogel contact lens in autoclaving process during the hydrogel contact lens manufacturing process without an extra manufacturing step and without swelling the hydrogel contact lens with an organic solvent. The phospholipid nanoparticles loaded in hydrogel contact lens subsequently releases to the eye upon wearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Jing Cheng, Yuan Chang, Feng Jing, Jang-Shing Chiou, Stephen Raymond Perreault
  • Patent number: 12174462
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a cosmetic functional contact lens having a pupil section, a generally annular iris section surrounding the pupil section for detecting at least one target analyte or physical attribute, comprising: a substrate for supporting electronic components and providing structural support for the functional contact lens; at least one sensing element disposed on the substrate for sensing the at least one target analyte or physical attribute and undergoing a physical change representing a sensed signal; an antenna disposed on the substrate for transmitting the sensed signal to an external device, the antenna being coupled to the at least one sensing element; a colored, printed, opaque, intermittent cosmetic pattern to mask the embedded electronic components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Carey Tucker, John Dallas Pruitt
  • Patent number: 12171495
    Abstract: A system and method quantify light exposure of a patient retina during an ophthalmic procedure. A light source illuminates the patient retina with directed light during the procedure to produce an illuminated retina surface. A camera collects image data of the illuminated retina surface. An electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with the camera and an indicator device receives the image data, calculates a cumulative energy spectral density of the directed light falling incident upon the retina, and executes a control action indicative of possible light toxicity in response to the cumulative energy spectral density exceeding a light toxicity threshold, including activating the indicator device. The illuminated retina surface may be divided into virtual zones, with the ECU mapping the cumulative energy spectral density to the illuminated retina surface. Each of the optional zones has a corresponding cumulative energy spectral density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Dan Durant, Ashok Burton Tripathi
  • Patent number: 12171693
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for correcting higher-order aberrations including providing a laser radiation. The method also includes controlling a location of a beam focal point of the laser radiation by a system of scanners and guiding the beam focal point in such a way that the location of the beam focal point is in a cornea of an eye. The method further includes introducing the laser radiation into the cornea of the eye. The method includes cutting a lenslet, wherein a thickness of the lenslet t(X,Y) satisfies a following equation: t(X,Y)=t0+?t(X,Y)/(n?1), where ?t(X,Y) represents a higher-order wavefront elevation and t0 represents the thickness of the lenslet having a spherical refractive power of D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: ALCON INC.
    Inventors: Imre Hegedus, Zsolt Bor
  • Patent number: 12175630
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a digital image optimization system including a camera that includes at least one sensor that detects light reflected off an eye and sends a signal corresponding to the detected light to a processor. The system further includes an image processing system including the processor and that executes instructions to produce a digital image of the eye. The image processing system also executes instructions to apply a digital image optimization algorithm including a trained machine-learning model to the digital image of the eye to generate an optimized digital image of the eye. The system further includes a digital display that displays the optimized digital image of the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Paul R. Hallen
  • Patent number: 12171870
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to load a water insoluble phospholipid as nanoparticles to load into a hydrogel contact lens in autoclaving process during the hydrogel contact lens manufacturing process without an extra manufacturing step and without swelling the hydrogel contact lens with an organic solvent. The phospholipid nanoparticles loaded in hydrogel contact lens subsequently releases to the eye upon wearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Jing Cheng, Stephen Raymond Perreault, Daqing Wu, Steve Yun Zhang, Jang-Shing Chiou
  • Patent number: 12167959
    Abstract: Disclosed are adjustable accommodating intraocular lenses and methods of adjusting accommodating intraocular lenses post-operatively. In one embodiment, an adjustable accommodating intraocular lens comprises an optic portion and a peripheral portion. At least one of the optic portion and the peripheral portion can be made in part of a composite material comprising an energy absorbing constituent and a plurality of expandable components. At least one of a base power and a cylindricity of the optic portion can be configured to change in response to an external energy directed at the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Terah Whiting Smiley, Andrew R. Walz, Sharad Hajela, Gregory Vinton Matthews, Robert Demitri Angelopoulos, Nathan Lewis
  • Patent number: 12168328
    Abstract: An automated production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses comprises: a production line front end (1) comprising: a first injection-molding machine (10) and a second injection-molding machine (12) a casting module (14) comprising a filling station (144) and a capping station (145); a stacking module (15) and a curing module (16); a destacking module (17) and a demolding and delensing module a production line back end (2) comprising: a scalable treatment module (20) comprising a number of liquid baths for a liquid bath treatment of the cured lenses (CL) carried by the treatment carrier tray (200) to obtain the ophthalmic lenses, wherein the number of liquid baths are reduced or increased pending on the number of ophthalmic lenses concurrently produced by the production lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Matthias Braun, Roger Biel, Matthias Schwab, Thomas Leibold, Nicholas Gollas, Shu Zong
  • Publication number: 20240407647
    Abstract: A contact-based wide-angle visualization system (“WAVS”) for use in an ophthalmic suite having a microscope includes a constant downforce (CDF) assembly and a contact lens device. The CDF assembly has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end connects to an optical head of the microscope via an intervening connecting arm. The contact lens device connects to the distal end of the CDF assembly and includes a contact lens configured to be worn on a cornea of a patient's eye in the ophthalmic suite. The CDF assembly provides a constant downforce to the contact lens device, and self-levels and thereby maintains the contact lens device in an approximately parallel orientation relative to the floor of the ophthalmic suite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2024
    Publication date: December 12, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Steven T. Charles
  • Publication number: 20240411511
    Abstract: An electronic control unit (ECU) for a digital optical system includes a processor, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a translation engine. The performance settings include a focus-of-interest setting. Execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to receive voice commands from a user via a microphone during an ophthalmic procedure performed using the digital optical system. The voice commands are processed through the translation engine to convert the voice commands into a machine-readable instruction set. The processor adjusts the performance settings using the instruction set to change a state of the digital optical system, including transmitting display control signals to the display screen to overlay a reference grid onto a displayed digital image of a patient's eye. The focus-of-interest setting corresponds to a user-selected grid area of the reference grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2024
    Publication date: December 12, 2024
    Applicant: Alcon Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Allen
  • Patent number: D1054023
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Cicchella, Grace Chuang Liao, James Y. Chon, Ashish Sinha