Patents Assigned to Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
  • Patent number: 4189215
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for accurately positioning a patient's eyes for an eye examination. An eye positioning beam is oriented transversely to the patient's line of sight. A border surface of the beam facing the patient is positioned at the location along the patient's line of sight at which the patient's cornea is to be located during the examination. The patient's head is moved towards the light beam border surface until the border surface and the patient's cornea are tangent. Tangentially is determined by observing an increase in the illumination of the patient's iris. The increased illumination results from a bending and a corresponding reflection of the light rays, which are tangent to the cornea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1980
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4182572
    Abstract: A unitary light source is imaged through a prism array to generate a plurality of preferably four apparent light sources forming a point of origin for a discrete lens sampling light path. From each apparent light source, each discrete sampling path diverges to a relay lens system. This relay lens system relays and registers to a lens sampling interval discrete images of each apparent light source. The images may be registered to a correspondingly apertured lens sampling diaphragm against which suspect optics are placed for measurement. A moving boundary locus sweeps the light between each apparent source and the sampling interval with paired boundaries of differing slopes which produce non-ambiguous points of intersection with respect to time. After passage through the suspect optics at the sampling interval, light is passed to a photodetector having an overlying set of apertures, each aperture corresponding to one of the four apparent light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1980
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4180325
    Abstract: An automated readout for a lens meter is disclosed in combination with a light beam deflecting type of lens meter such as that of a Hartman test. In such a light beam deflecting type of lens meter, a light source having one or more beams is passed through a suspect optical system and deflected by the suspect optical system to a deviated path. Measurement of the deviated path within a preselected area of excursion is typically equated to various powers of the suspect optical system in sphere, cylinder, cylinder axis, and prism. The invention provides for a means of measurement of deviated paths and includes a moving boundary locus with edges of distinctly different shape placed to intercept and occult said deflected beam in a known plane within the area of excursion at a distance from the suspect optical system. The moving boundary locus is typically arranged for movement along a predetermined path at a velocity within the known plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1977
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1979
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4130361
    Abstract: A lens meter for analyzing suspect lenses in terms of sphere, cylinder and axis by optical beam deflection and without relatively moving optical parts is disclosed. A light source emanating a substantially collimated beam of light from an entrant aperture into a retroreflecting mechanism includes two important properties. The first property is that an image of the entrant aperture is displayed from and reimaged across the optical axis of the retroreflector to a conjugate location at a real image exit aperture, this aperture being provided with a coincident optical stop. Secondly, in the absence of a test lens in the light path, light entrant to the retroreflector through the entrant aperture along a first path departs the real image of the exist aperture along a second path with a known angularity to the first path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1977
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1978
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4113363
    Abstract: An apparatus and process for determining subjective astigmatic and spherical prescription for the eye is disclosed. A target, consisting of a line of small angular divergence, is focused for maximum clarity by the adjustment of spherical optics, causing the line to become proximate to the retinal viewing plane of the eye. Change of astigmatic correction is made along at least one axis diagonal to the line target until maximum sharpness of the line results, without resultant spherical change and resultant movement of the image away from the retinal plane of the eye being tested. A second target, again consisting of a line of small angular divergence, is introduced; this line target is angularly inclined to the first target, preferably at 45.degree.. Spherical adjustment is made to obtain subjective line sharpness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1978
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4070115
    Abstract: A lens meter is disclosed in which continuously variable spherical and astigmatic corrective optics are manipulated to measure the prescription of a suspect optical system. A target including a straight line is focused for maximum clarity, the target being arbitrarily aligned without respect to the axis of the suspect optical system. Continuously variable spherical and first astigmatic optics are juxtaposed to the suspect optics and the image of the target projected through both the suspect optics and the continuously variable optics. Spherical and first astigmatic corrections along at least one axis diagonal to the line target is made until maximum sharpness of a projected image of the line results. A first component of astigmatic correction results. A second target, again consisting of a straight line, is introduced; this target is angularly inclined with respect to the first target preferably at 45.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1978
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William Edwin Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4043644
    Abstract: A reflecting mirror with an active optical surface approximating a sphere is elastically deformed for off-axis use. The mirror, preferably symmetrical about an axis normal to its center point, is circular in peripheral configuration. The active optical surface is ground on a circular face of the mirror. This surface can be ground to be equal to or to exceed the F-stop of 2.5. The mirror has a thickness at its central point in the range of one fifth to one fifteenth of its diameter, with a thickness of one tenth of the diameter being preferred. The reverse and non-optically active side of the mirror is provided with a curvature in anticipation of its elastic deformation for off-axis use. This reverse curvature is a spherical surface having a different radius of curvature complementary to the curvature of the active optical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1976
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1977
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 4015899
    Abstract: Corrective optics having continuously variable spherical, astigmatic, and prismatic functions are placed in a light path between a viewing patient and a projected target. Typically, the target is projected by a projector preferably through focusing optics in the form of a field mirror. The focusing optics serve the dual purpose of relaying to the patient the image of the target as well as focusing to the patient's eyeglass position a real image of the corrective optics. A patient has a patient input, typically a hand wheel, at or near his patient viewing station. The patient uses this input to vary the setting of the corrective optics. The eye examiner, at an adjacent eye examination station, is provided with a gear box having a clutch mechanism. The gear box includes examiner inputs for astigmatic and spherical correction to each eye as well as prismatic correction for both eyes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 5, 1977
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 3964818
    Abstract: A single field mirror serves as a relay for paired images being magnified by a stereo magnifier from an object to a spatial location removed from the field mirror for remote stereo viewing. A simple or compound stereo magnifier or microscope having paired optical paths receives the image of the object for each ocular path and projects each image to the plane of the single field mirror. The ocular path for each eye between the object and paired eyes of the viewer is routed off axis from the mirror in two aspects, typically by a periscoping system. The left eye path approaches the field mirror typically below and from the right of the field mirror axis; the right eye path approaches the field mirror typically below and from the left of the field mirror axis. Upon impingement and reflection of the routed eye paths at the field mirror, reversal of the routed eye paths occurs to remotely reflect a stereo magnified image with binocular image parity for remote view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1976
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 3947097
    Abstract: An apparatus and process for determining subjective astigmatic and spherical prescription for the eye is disclosed. A target, consisting of a straight line, is focused for maximum clarity by the adjustment of spherical optics, causing the line to become proximate to the retinal viewing plane of the eye. Change of astigmatic correction is made along at least one axis diagonal to the line until maximum sharpness of the line results, without resultant spherical change and resultant movement of the image away from the retinal plane of the eye being tested. A second target, again consisting of a straight line, is introduced; this line target is angularly inclined to the first target, preferably at 45.degree.. Spherical adjustment is made to obtain subjective line sharpness. Change of astigmatic correction is made along at least one axis diagonal to the line until maximum sharpness of the line results, without resultant spherical change and resultant movement of the image away from the retinal plane of the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1974
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1976
    Assignee: Humphrey Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: William E. Humphrey