Patents by Inventor Daqing Wu

Daqing Wu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220275154
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 11427685
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for making silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The method of the invention is characterized by using an organic solvent as a processing-aid tool for controlling lens diameter without significantly affecting lens equilibrium water content during cast-molding of soft contact lenses from a polymerizable composition. By adjusting the weight percentage of the organic solvent in a polymerizable composition for making SiHy contact lenses, one can adjust lens diameter of produced SiHy lenses to meet target without affecting adversely the lens properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Daqing Wu, Steve Yun Zhang, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang
  • Patent number: 11365288
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 11346982
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Publication number: 20220126541
    Abstract: Described herein is a method for producing photochromic silicone hydrogel contact lenses in a relatively efficient and consistent manner from a polymerizable composition under a controlled thermal curing scheme. The main polymerizable components in the polymerizable composition are a high radical-reactive hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer, a high radical-reactive siloxane-containing (meth)acrylamido monomer, and a polysiloxane vinylic crosslinker(s) free of low-reactive ethylenically unsaturated group as the main crosslinker. The thermal free radical initiator having a 10 hour half-life temperature (T10h?) of from about 50° C. to about 90° C. The controlled thermal curing scheme includes maintaining a first curing temperature of from about (T10h??20)° C. to about T10h?° C. for a first curing time and maintaining a second curing temperature of from about (T10h?+10)° C. to about (T10h?+35)° C. for a second curing time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Junhao Ge, Yuan Chang, Steve Yun Zhang, Michelle Plavnik, Augustine Twum Kumi, Daqing Wu
  • Patent number: 11254076
    Abstract: The invention provides a contact lens manufacturing method comprising a process for removing unprocessed molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses from mold halves in a relatively efficient and consistent manner. A method of the invention comprising the steps of formulating a lens formulation by dissolving/blending all polymerizable components in a mixture a hydrophobic acrylic monomer as a reactive diluent and an organic solvent as a non-reactive diluent at a weight ratio of least 0.24 (reactive diluent over the sum of reactive and non-reactive solvents) per gram of the polymerizable composition and using a relatively low ultrasonic vibration energy for delensing. This method of the invention can be easily implemented in a production environment for enhancing the production yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Junhao Ge, Daqing Wu, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Steve Yun Zhang, Augustine Twum Kumi
  • Patent number: 11254075
    Abstract: The invention provides a contact lens manufacturing method comprising a process for removing unprocessed molded silicone hydrogel contact lenses from mold halves in a relatively efficient and consistent manner. A method of the invention comprises the combination of using a hydrophilic (meth)acrylamido monomer as one of major polymerizable components in a lens formulation for cast-molding of contact lenses, adding a post-curing treatment step which involves heating molds with molded lenses therewithin in an oven at a post-curing temperature higher than the curing temperature and under nitrogen gas flow at a higher flow rate, and using ultrasonic vibration energy for delensing. This method of the invention can be easily implemented in a production environment for enhancing the production yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Charles Breitkopf, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang
  • Publication number: 20220047503
    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: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Jing Cheng, Yuan Chang, Feng Jing, Jang-Shing Chiou, Stephen Raymond Perreault
  • Publication number: 20220047502
    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: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Jing Cheng, Stephen Raymond Perreault, Daqing Wu, Steve Yun Zhang, Jang-Shing Chiou
  • Publication number: 20210130648
    Abstract: The invention is related to a cost-effective method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a crosslinked hydrophilic coating thereon. A method of the invention involves heating a silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous solution in the presence of a water-soluble, highly branched, thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material having positively-charged azetidinium groups, to and at a temperature from about 40° C. to about 140° C. for a period of time sufficient to covalently attach the thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material onto the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens through covalent linkages each formed between one azetidinium group and one of the reactive functional groups on and/or near the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens, thereby forming a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Such method can be advantageously implemented directly in a sealed lens package during autoclave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Yongxing Qiu, Newton T. Samuel, John Dallas Pruitt, Chandana Kolluru, Arturo Norberto Medina, Lynn Cook Winterton, Daqing Wu, Xinming Qian, Jared Nelson
  • Patent number: 10968319
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to silicone hydrogel contact lenses each inherently having, on lens surfaces, a relatively-high concentration of primary amino groups and to a method for producing the same. The invention is also related to silicone hydrogel contact lens precursors each inherently having, on lens surfaces, a relatively-high concentration of N-Boc-protected primary amino groups which can be easily and conveniently deprotected during lens extraction and/or hydration steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Maria F. Gubitosi Raspino, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Augustine Twum Kumi, Zach Munoz, Weihong Lang
  • Patent number: 10962803
    Abstract: The invention is generally related to a soft contact lens which comprises a hydrogel lens body and a coating of a hydrophilic copolymer thereon and to a method for producing the same. The hydrogel lens body comprises or is made of a polymeric material having 1,2- and/or 1,3-diol moieties, and the hydrophilic copolymer comprises arylborono-containing repeating units each having a boronic acid group. The coating is covalently-attached to the hydrogel lens body through cyclic boronic ester linkages each formed between one boronic acid group and one 1,2-diol or 1,3-diol group. The soft contact lens has a surface lubricity higher than the surface lubricity of the lens body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Weihong Lang, Junhao Ge, Maria F. Gubitosi Raspino, Frank Chang, Thomas M. Moy, Troy Vernon Holland
  • Publication number: 20210077385
    Abstract: The invention is generally related to a soft hydrogel ocular insert that is composed of at least one hydrogel material in fully hydrated state and can be comfortable for wearing. The hydrogel material comprises polymer chains, which are derived from at least one arylborono-containing hydrophilic copolymer and at least one mucoadhesive polymer, and cyclic boronic ester crosslinks for crosslinking those mucoadhesive polymer chains and arylborono-containing hydrophilic copolymer chains to form a 3-dimensional polymer network. Those cyclic boronic ester crosslinks can be hydrolyzed slowly in the tear of the eyes of a patient, resulting in the disintegration (dissolution) of the 3-dimensional polymer network and thereby providing mucoadhesisve polymers and optionally drugs impregnated in the hydrogel ocular insert in a controlled manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Jing Cheng
  • Patent number: 10920102
    Abstract: The invention is related to a cost-effective method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a crosslinked hydrophilic coating thereon. A method of the invention involves heating a silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous solution in the presence of a water-soluble, highly branched, thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material having positively-charged azetidinium groups, to and at a temperature from about 40° C. to about 140° C. for a period of time sufficient to covalently attach the thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material onto the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens through covalent linkages each formed between one azetidinium group and one of the reactive functional groups on and/or near the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens, thereby forming a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Such method can be advantageously implemented directly in a sealed lens package during autoclave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Yongxing Qiu, Newton T. Samuel, John Dallas Pruitt, Chandana Kolluru, Arturo Norberto Medina, Lynn Cook Winterton, Daqing Wu, Xinming Qian, Jared Nelson
  • Publication number: 20210011197
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Publication number: 20210009762
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Publication number: 20200405747
    Abstract: The invention is generally related to topical ophthalmic compositions comprising: from about 0.05 w/v % to about 5 w/v % of galactomannan polymer; a cis-diol and about 0.5 w/v % to about 10 w/v % of a hydrophilic copolymer which comprises (a) arylborono-containing repeating units each having a boronic acid, (b) repeating units of at least one phosphorylcholine-containing vinylic monomer, and (c) acrylic monomeric units of at least one acrylic monomer having 3 to 16 carbon atoms, the ophthalmic composition is substantially free of a borate for improving lubrication, hydration and drug delivery property.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Maria F. Gubitosi Raspino, Augustine Twum Kumi, Wei Liang
  • Patent number: 10875967
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Yun Zhang, Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 10866344
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Alcon Inc.
    Inventors: Daqing Wu, Junhao Ge, Steve Yun Zhang, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi, Weihong Lang, Ying Zheng, Feng Jing, Frank Chang
  • Patent number: 10843422
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a method for producing inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses with a robusteness of lens shape and having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Alcon, Inc.
    Inventors: Daqing Wu, Steve Yun Zhang, Xinming Qian, Zach Munoz, Frank Chang, Wei Liang, Ying Zheng, Richard Charles Breitkopf, Matthew D. Nelson, Augustine Twum Kumi