CONTACT LENS PACKAGING METHODS AND SYSTEMS

Abstract

Methods and systems for producing packaged contact lenses are described. A stock product that includes a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package is provided. The stock product has one or more printing surfaces. The stock product is directed to a labeling station to produce a customer-tailored labeled product. The labeled product includes printed customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product. Manufacturing systems that include such labeling stations are also described. Utilizing the present methods and systems, contact lenses are labeled and supplied to different customers based on customer requirements.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to methods of producing packaged contact lenses and related systems, as well as contact lens packages produced with the present methods and systems.

BACKGROUND

Some contact lens manufacturers supply their contact lenses to private label contact lens companies that market the contact lenses so supplied under their own brand, or market contact lenses under different trade names in different countries or regions. Many contact lenses are provided by contact lens manufacturers in plastic contact lens blister packages, which include a relatively rigid plastic base member having a cavity containing an unworn contact lens in a contact lens packaging solution, and a relatively more flexible sealing foil attached to the plastic base member to seal the unworn contact lens and packaging liquid in the cavity. Multiple contact lens blister packages are then provided in a box or carton. Boxes of packaged contact lenses produced for a private label contact lens company or a particular market include generic unlabeled exterior surfaces to which an adhesive label is applied, and the adhesive label has information specific for the private label contact lens company or the market printed thereon.

SUMMARY

New methods and systems of producing packaged contact lenses are described, in addition to new labeled contact lens packages obtained from the methods and systems. The present methods and systems are effective in providing customer-specific information on a surface of a stock product in a more desirable way than currently provided with adhesive labels. As described herein, the customer-specific information or indicia can comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of, information specific to a private label contact lens company, or information specific to a particular country or marketing region, or combinations thereof.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a method of producing packaged contact lenses comprises providing a stock product. The stock product comprises a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package (e.g., a primary package), and a printing surface. The method also comprises directing the stock product to a labeling station. The stock product is directed through the labeling station to produce a customer-tailored labeled product comprising printed customer-specific indicia directly on the stock product printing surface.

In certain examples, a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer is used to print the printing surface with ink. In addition, if the ink is ultraviolet (UV) curable, the printed surface is exposed to UV radiation to cure the ink on the printing surface. The stock product directed through the labeling station may be one or more contact lens primary packages, such as a single sealed contact lens blister package, or an array of a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages; or the stock product may be one or more contact lens secondary packages, such as cartons containing a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages, or the stock product may be one or more contact lens tertiary packages containing a plurality of contact lens secondary packages containing sealed contact lens blister packages. The customer-specific indicia may be provided on the stock product before sterilization of the stock product or after sterilization of the stock product, or both.

Secondary and tertiary contact lens packages produced with the present methods are also described and within the scope of the present invention.

Systems for practicing the present methods are also described and within the scope of the present invention.

Additional features of the present invention can be understood in reference to the accompanying claims.

Additional embodiments of the present methods, systems, and packages will be apparent from the following description, drawings, and claims. As can be appreciated from the foregoing and following description, each and every feature described herein, and each and every combination of two or more of such features, is included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in such a combination are not mutually inconsistent. In addition, any feature or combination of features may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stock product, which is an unsealed contact lens blister package (primary package) containing a contact lens.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stock product, which is a sealed contact lens blister package similar to that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stock product, which is an array of a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages, each blister package containing a single contact lens.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stock product, which is an assembled carton (secondary package) containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an illustration of an inventory of a plurality of stock products, which is in this figure, a plurality of the stock products of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a labeling station through which a stock product is directed to produce a customer-tailored labeled product.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a customer-tailored product, which is a sealed contact lens blister package similar to FIG. 2, but bearing customer-specific indicia.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a customer-tailored product, which is an array of a plurality of sealed contact lens blister package similar to FIG. 3, but bearing customer-specific indicia.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a customer-tailored product, which is an assembled carton (secondary package) containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages similar to FIG. 4, but bearing customer-specific indicia.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an example of the present methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New methods and systems for producing packaged contact lenses are described herein. Unlike existing methods, with the present methods and systems, new contact lens packages containing contact lenses are produced, and it is possible to simplify inventory requirements in a contact lens manufacturing environment, which can provide significant benefits in the manufacture of private label contact lens products, among other things.

The present methods and systems are effective in providing customer-specific information on stock products. In accordance with the present disclosure, a stock product can be understood to be a single sealed contact lens blister package; multiple sealed contact lens blister packages coupled together, such as an array of contact lens blister packages; or an assembled carton containing one or more sealed contact lens blister packages; or an assembled box containing one or more assembled cartons containing one or more sealed contact lens blister packages. In addition, the stock product can be understood to be a sealed glass vial containing a contact lens, an assembled carton containing one or more sealed glass vials containing contact lenses, or an assembled box containing one or more assembled cartons containing one or more sealed glass vials containing contact lenses. As used herein, the terms carton and box are used interchangeably. Thus, a stock product, as used herein, is an apparatus that comprises an unworn contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package. As described in further detail, the stock product can be a contact lens primary package (e.g., a single sealed blister package, or an array of a plurality of sealed blister packages) or a contact lens secondary package (e.g., a carton containing a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages). In some methods, the stock product can be a contact lens tertiary package (e.g., a carton containing one or more contact lens secondary packages). The present methods and systems are effective in providing customer-specific information on fully assembled stock products, such as on sealed contact lens blister packages or assembled cartons containing sealed contact lens blister packages.

FIG. 1 illustrates an unsealed contact lens blister package, which is a component of a stock product 10. Thus, the stock product 10 comprises a base member 11. The base member 11 has a cavity 13 dimensioned to retain an unworn contact lens 12 in a contact lens packaging solution (not illustrated). The base member 11 also has a thumb-grippable region 15 suitable for a person to hold the base member 11 between a thumb and finger during the removal of a sealing element, or removal of the contact lens 12, or both.

FIG. 2 illustrates a stock product 10, which is a single sealed contact lens package 14. A sealing element or sealing member is disposed over the cavity 13 of the blister package. The sealing element provides a printing surface 16 to the stock product. As shown in FIG. 2, and as described in more detail herein, the stock product 10 may optionally comprise a lot identifier 17 provided on the printing surface 16. Alternatively, the lot identifier can be printed on another surface of the stock product, such as, for example, on an exterior surface of the blister package. The lot identifier 17 is illustrated as a conventional bar code for purposes of illustration. However, the lot identifier 17 can be another type of machine readable tag, such as a radio frequency identification tag, or can include text and numbers useful to a contact lens manufacturer or distributor to identify the lot from which the contact lens came, among other things.

FIG. 3 illustrates a stock product 20. Stock product 20 is an array of a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages 24. The stock product 20 has a printing surface 26 provided by a sealing element disposed over the array of contact lens blister packages 24. As illustrated, the sealing element is provided as a single sheet that is fixed to the contact lens blister packages. A perforation line in the sealing element is provided between two adjacent contact lens blister packages to facilitate separation of one sealed contact lens blister package from the array without disrupting the seal provided by the sealing element. The sealing element of the contact lens blister package(s) is typically a laminated sheet that includes a meltable layer to hermetically seal the contact lens and packaging solution in the cavity of the blister package, such that the contact lens and packaging solution can be sterilized by autoclaving without rupturing the seal, and a metal layer. The sealing elements may be referred to as sealing foils. Although the array of contact lens blister packages illustrated in FIG. 3 consists of five individual contact lens blister packages, the array of contact lens blister packages described herein can be less than or greater than five blister packages. For example, an array of sealed contact lens blister packages can consist of two blister packages, three blister packages, four blister packages, six blister packages, fifteen blister packages, thirty blister packages, or ninety blister packages, among others.

FIG. 4 illustrates a stock product 30. Illustrated stock product 30 is an assembled carton 34 containing a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages. For example, the assembled carton 34 may contain two, three, four, five, six, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty, thirty, or ninety sealed contact lens blister packages, which may be present in one or more arrays, or packaged individually. Another stock product 30 may be an assembled carton containing a single sealed contact lens blister package. The stock product 30 has a printing surface 36. Printing surface 36 is illustrated as being the top exterior surface of the carton. The illustrated stock product 30 has a plurality of printing surfaces, four of which are shown (36, 36a, 36b, and 36c), and two of which are not shown. A lot identifier 37 is illustrated on printing surface 36a, and as described above with respect to lot identifier 17, it can comprise machine readable information, or manually readable information, such as text and numbers. Lot identifier 37 is illustrated as a conventional bar code. It is also understood that lot identifier 37 is an optional component of stock product 30, and that if provided, lot identifier 37 can be provided on any of the surfaces of the stock product 30. The dotted line portion of the stock product 30 illustrated in FIG. 4, and other figures, illustrates a portion of the carton that can be used to open the carton, and close the carton by engaging a tab member in a slot.

FIG. 5 illustrates an inventory 40 of stock products. Specifically, the inventory 40 illustrated in FIG. 5 consists of three assembled cartons, as shown in FIG. 4. However, in accordance with the present disclosure, the inventory of stock products can be any number from one to one hundred, to one thousand, or more. In addition, the inventory can consist of sealed contact lens packages (primary packages) that are not present in assembled cartons, assembled contact lens cartons (secondary packages), or combinations thereof.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a labeling station 50. The labeling station 50 is configured to receive one or more stock products 30 and direct them through the labeling station 50 to produce a customer-tailored labeled product 38. A through-path 52 is provided in the labeling station. The stock products 30 can be directed along the through-path 52 via any suitable mechanism, such as a conveyor system, which may include a conveyor belt or other automated transport assembly. One or more product stoppers, separators, or gates may be provided along the conveyor to provide time delays to facilitate product separation or product verification, as desired by the contact lens package labeler. In addition, the infeed portion of the labeling station 50 may include a cleaning device, such as a wiper or brush, or vacuum, to remove debris from the printing surface of the stock product. The stock products can be manually or automatedly loaded into the infeed portion of the labeling station 50, where the conveyor system can direct the stock products through the labeling station along the through-path 52.

The labeling station 50 also includes one or more printing devices 54. The printing device comprises one or more printing heads which are effective in forming indicia on the printing surface 36 of the stock product 30. The printing heads may be stationary and located an appropriate distance from the printing surface 36 in order to satisfactorily form the indicia on the printing surface 36. Alternatively, the printing heads may be moveable such that they can move into a suitable printing position to form the indicia on the printing surface. For example, the printing heads can by moveable to allow for printing on different types of stock products such as blister packages, cartons or boxes, or to allow for printing on different surfaces of a stock product, such as the different surfaces of a carton or box.

The printing device(s) 54 may be a laser printer. Or, the printing device(s) 54 may be an ink-jet printer, such as a continuous ink-jet system or a cartridge-based ink-jet system. One example of a printing device 54 includes a thermal ink-jet printer. In another particular example, the printing device 54 is a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer, or can comprise a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer. The printing device(s) 54 may also include a curing or drying element to cure or dry ink applied by an ink-jet printer, or the curing or drying element may be provided within the labeling station as a separate element from the printing device(s) 54 to cure or dry the ink after it is applied to the printing surface. In one example, the curing element emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation to provide the desired curing.

In a specific example of the present methods and systems, a drop-on-demand ink-jet system provided with a UV curing system is used to print the customer-specific indicia on the stock products. These printing systems comprise an ink reservoir containing a LTV curable ink, an ink chamber having a piezoelectric actuator, and a nozzle. Deformation of the piezoelectric actuator causes ink to be ejected from the nozzle to form a droplet targeted toward the printing surface of the stock product. One benefit of using these systems is that solvents are not required, which can help reduce maintenance issues associated with solvent-based systems.

In another specific example of the present methods and systems, the drop-on-demand ink-jet system with a UV curing system is used to print customer-specific indicia on a contact lens secondary package, such as an assembled carton comprising a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages. Such methods may comprise a step of maintaining the printing surface in substantially a single plane so that the desired indicia are properly printed on the printing surface. In addition, such methods may comprise a step of printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing surface of the stock product without damaging the secondary package. Such methods may optionally comprise a step of overprinting the customer-specific indicia on the printing surface of the stock product to cover other existing indicia. The other existing indicia can comprise a lot identifier, or can comprise other customer-specific indicia.

With the present drop-on-demand printing systems, it is possible to print the customer-specific indicia in color (or black and white if desired) at a resolution up to about 720 dots per inch (dpi) with print speeds of up to about 27 meters/minute. In other examples, different resolutions and print speeds are used depending on the desired printed text and image quality.

Suitable drop-on-demand printing systems useful in the present methods and systems can be obtained from companies, such as Napa AG (Switzerland), CSAT (Germany), or Atlantic Zeiser (Germany).

As shown in FIG. 7, a customer-tailored product 18 may be a single sealed contact lens blister pack comprising customer-specific indicia 19 on the printing surface of the product. The customer-specific indicia 19 may comprise text, numbers, graphics, and the like as discussed herein. For purposes of illustration, the customer-specific indicia 19 is illustrated as text, for example the letters “A B C” and the numbers “1 2 3”.

FIG. 8 illustrates a customer-tailored product 28 that comprises a printing surface 6 comprising customer-specific indicia 29 provided thereon. For purposes of illustration, the customer-specific indicia 29 is illustrated as the letters “A B C” and the numbers “1 2 3”. The customer-specific indicia 29 may span the entire length of the array of blister packs, and accordingly, cross the perforations in the sealing element between adjacent blister packs, or the customer specific indicia 29 may be limited to dimensions such that the indicia is confined to the printing surface 26 only overlying a single blister pack. The customer-specific indicia 29 may also be repeated on the portions of the sealing element overlying the plurality of individual blister packs.

FIG. 9 illustrates a customer-tailored product 38. The customer-tailored product 38 is a carton and comprises a printing surface 36, as described herein. Customer-specific indicia is formed on the printing surface 36 and can comprise text, such as “A B C”, numbers; such as “1 2 3”; graphical images, such as the image of a contact lens illustrated in FIG. 9; or combinations thereof.

It can be appreciated that the indicia illustrated on the printing surfaces of the stock products shown in the drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only. The actual customer-specific indicia will likely be different, and will depend on the desires or requirements of the customer ordering the products.

The contact lenses packaged in accordance with the present methods are polymerized from a polymerizable composition of lens forming ingredients. The polymerizable composition can also be understood to be a contact lens formulation. Examples of lens forming ingredients include hydrophilic monomers, hydrophobic monomers, hydrophilic macromers, hydrophobic macromers, hydrophilic prepolymers, hydrophobic prepolymers, hydrophilic polymers, or hydrophobic polymers, or combinations thereof. If the contact lenses are silicone containing contact lenses, such as silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the lens forming ingredients can include one or more siloxanes in addition to the other ingredients described above. In addition, the polymerizable composition used to form the present contact lenses can include cross-linkers, initiators, tinting agents, or UV blocking agents, or any combination thereof. Examples of hydrogel forming polymerizable compositions include compositions having the following United States Adopted Names (USANs): etafilcon A, nelfilcon A, ocufilcon A, ocufilcon B, ocufilcon C, ocufilcon D, or omafilcon A. Examples of silicone hydrogel forming polymerizable composition include compositions having the following USANs: acquafilcon A or aquafilcon A, balafilcon A, comfilcon A, enfilcon A, galyfilcon A, lenefilcon A, lotrafilcon A, lotrafilcon B, narafilcon A, or senofilcon A. Another hydrogel contact lens has a material name of filcon IV 1, and another silicone hydrogel contact lens has a material name of filcon II 3.

The polymerizable composition is provided in a molding device. If the contact lenses are lathed contact lenses, the polymerizable composition can be placed in a cylindrical mold or can be placed in a mold assembly to form a contact lens blank. If the contact lenses are static cast molded contact lenses, the polymerizable composition can be placed in a contact lens mold assembly having a cavity having a general shape of the contact lens to be obtained therefrom. The contact lens mold assembly is an assembly of a front surface mold section and a back surface mold section. The front surface mold section has a concave lens forming surface that will form the front convex surface of the contact lens. The back surface mold section has a convex lens forming surface that will form the back concave surface of the contact lens. The front surface mold section and the back surface mold section each have an optical quality surface to form an optical quality surface on the contact lens obtained therefrom. The front surface mold section and the back surface mold section are placed in contact with each other to define a lens shaped cavity. The polymerizable composition can be placed on the concave lens forming surface of the front surface mold section, and the back surface mold section can be placed in contact with the front surface mold section to seal the polymerizable composition in the lens shaped cavity.

The molds containing the polymerizable composition are exposed to radiation to cause the polymerizable composition to polymerize. Examples of radiation include heat, visible light, ultraviolet light, and the like. If a lathed contact lens is desired, the polymerized product obtained from the cylindrical mold is in the shape of a rod, which can be formed into one or more shorter segments, some times referred to as lens buttons, or from a mold assembly in the form of a lens blank having one optical quality surface and a latheable opposing surface, which can then be placed on a lathing machine and lathed into a contact lens having a desired optical design. If a cast molded contact lens is desired, the polymerized product obtained from the contact lens mold assembly is substantially in the shape of the final contact lens, e.g., the polymerized product has a convex optical quality front surface and a concave optical quality back surface.

The unworn polymerized contact lens is separated from the molding device, and the unworn polymerized contact lens is placed in a packaging solution in a contact lens package. Optionally, the unworn polymerized contact lens can be washed to remove lens forming ingredients that have not formed part of the polymeric matrix that forms the lens. The washing can include contacting the polymerized contact lens with an aqueous solution, an organic solvent-containing solution, or combinations thereof. The washing can occur in washing stations or in the final contact lens package. In addition, prior to sealing the package, the polymerized contact lens can be inspected for defects that would make the contact lens unsuitable for placement on an eye of contact lens wearer. The contact lens package, as used herein, can be understood to be a “primary package” since it is the device directly containing the contact lens in the packaging solution, and it is the first sealable container in which the contact lens is placed. The contact lens package, or primary package, can be a glass vial or it can be a plastic blister pack. The contact lens packaging solution containing the unworn contact lens is typically a buffered saline solution, such as a phosphate buffered saline solution or borate buffered saline solution, having physiologically acceptable properties, such as pH, tonicity, and the like. Optionally, the contact lens packaging solution can contain one or more surfactants, such as non-ionic surfactants, and the like, as well as wetting agents, lubricity agents, and the like.

The contact lens package containing the contact lens and the packaging solution is then sealed. After sealing the package, the package containing the contact lens is sterilized, such as by autoclaving the package, or by exposing the package to ultraviolet radiation. The sterilizing step can be performed on batches of contact lens packages or can be performed as an in-line process as part of the manufacturing line used to produce the contact lenses.

Once the primary packages are sterilized, they are placed in one or more secondary packages. A secondary package is typically a box having a cavity dimensioned to accommodate multiple primary packages, such as six primary packages, fifteen primary packages, thirty primary packages, ninety primary packages, and the like. As discussed herein, other numbers or amounts of primary packages may be provided in the secondary package. A secondary package as used herein may also be understood to be a carton. A secondary package differs from a primary package in that the secondary package does not have a cavity that is in direct contact with the contact lens packaging solution, the secondary package contains more than one contact lens (e.g., more than one contact lens in more than one contact lens primary package), and the contact lenses are packaged in a second step after being placed in a primary package.

One or more secondary packages are typically placed in a tertiary package, such as a box, so that the tertiary package containing the secondary package(s) can be shipped to a customer, such as a contact lens distributor, contact lens retailer, eye care practitioner, and the like. The customer may also be a private label contact lens company, that is a company that does not manufacture contact lenses, but sells contact lenses produced by another contact lens company, such as a contact lens manufacturer, and sells the contact lenses under its own brand.

To keep track of which contact lenses are located in the sealed primary package, indicia are provided on the sealed primary package. In the case of contact lens blister packs, the seal is typically formed with a laminated foil element that is heat pressed to a plastic base member of the contact lens blister package. The indicia can be provided on an adhesive label that can be adhered to the laminated foil element, or the indicia can be provided by using a laser to form indicia directly on the laminated foil element (e.g., without an adhesive label), or combinations thereof. The indicia provided on the laminated foil element typically includes lot specific information specific to the contact lens contained in the package. En addition, the indicia provided on the laminated foil element can include brand specific information, such as product names, product logos, manufacturer names, and the like. Brand specific information for a particular contact lens manufacturer is frequently pre-printed by a laminated foil supplier and then provided to a contact lens manufacturer. The indicia can be in the form of numbers, letters, graphical images, or machine readable code, such as bar codes, or combinations thereof. Lot specific indicia can include lot number, contact lens base curve, contact lens diameter, prescriptive power, or expiration date, or combinations thereof. Brand specific information, which may be pre-printed on the sealing element, can include brand name, logo contact lens manufacturer information, or a description of package ingredients, or combinations thereof.

The secondary package frequently includes lot specific information, such as the prescription of the contact lenses contained in the primary packages provided therein, as well as brand specific information, such as product names, product logos, manufacturer names, and the like. Many contact lens manufacturers provide contact lenses marketed with the contact lens manufacturer's name. In such cases, the brand specific information for a particular contact lens manufacturer is pre-printed on unassembled secondary packages by the secondary package supplier of the contact lens manufacturer. The lot specific information is frequently provided on an adhesive label, which is then applied to the assembled secondary package.

Some contact lens manufacturers provide packaged contact lenses produced by the contact lens manufacturer to a “private label” contact lens company. The private label contact lens company provides contact lenses manufactured by another company under the private label contact lens company's own brand. The secondary package containing one or more primary contact lens packages is a generic package comprising six unlabelled exterior package surfaces. Frequently, these secondary packages are boxes that have outer exterior surfaces that are a uniform color, for example, secondary packages have outer exterior surfaces that are white. These private label secondary packages are provided with an adhesive label containing the private label contact lens company's brand specific information. The adhesive label is printed with the private label contact lens company product information and after being printed, the label is applied to the exterior surface of the private label secondary package by a contact lens manufacturer prior to delivering the packages to the private label contact lens company. In a manufacturing environment, the contact lens manufacturer maintains an inventory of private label packaged contact lenses to fulfill orders from the private label contact lens company. When the contact lens manufacturer has many private label contact lens company customers, maintaining the inventory of the different packaged contact lenses and packaging materials becomes a significant challenge. In addition, the presence of an adhesive label on the secondary packaging to provide brand information can be perceived to be less aesthetically acceptable or elegant than pre-printed secondary packaging used by contact lens manufacturers who provide lenses under their own brand name(s).

With the present methods, it is possible for a contact lens manufacturer to reduce inventory amounts of private label packaged contact lenses and packaging materials thereby simplifying administration of packaged contact lens inventory and packaging materials inventory. In addition, it is possible to now provide private label packaged contact lenses without adhesive labels, for example, the present private label contact lens packages appear more similar to contact lens packages with pre-printed information. Since generic unlabelled stock products are relatively less expensive than pre-printed labeled stock products, substantial cost savings can be realized by a contact lens packaging company utilizing the present methods and systems. In addition, with the present methods, it is possible to eliminate maintaining an inventory of adhesive labels. The present methods may also reduce the time to deliver new customer-tailored products based on customer requirements or demands.

A method of producing packaged contact lenses in accordance with the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 10. The method 100 comprises a step of providing 102 a stock product. The stock product comprises a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package. The stock product also comprises a printing surface. Thus, the stock product, as used herein, refers to one or more primary contact lens packages, or one or more secondary contact lens packages, as described above. The method also comprises a step of directing 104 the stock product to a labeling station. At the labeling station, a customer-tailored labeled product that comprises printed customer-specific indicia directly on the stock product printing surface is produced. In other words, the stock product is printed on its printing surface or printing surfaces with customer-specific indicia at the labeling station. The resulting printed stock product can be understood to be a customer-tailored labeled product because the product now includes labeling information specific to a specific customer. For example, a private label contact lens company may request a contact lens manufacturer to provide certain brand information on the product so that the private label contact lens company can sell the contact lenses produced by the contact lens manufacturer under the private label company's own brand.

Unlike existing methods, instead of providing customer-specific indicia, such as private label contact lens company brand information, on an adhesive label that is printed and then adhered to an exterior surface of the stock product, with the present methods, customer-specific indicia is provided directly on a printing surface of the stock product, which is a fully assembled stock product (for example, one or more sealed contact lens blister packages, or one or more assembled cartons). That is, the customer-specific indicia are provided on a surface of the stock product without including an adhesive label on the stock product. However, in some methods, the stock product may include an adhesive label that contains other indicia, in addition to the customer-specific indicia provided directly on the stock product printing surface.

With the present methods and systems, a contact lens manufacturer can maintain a single inventory of a single contact lens product that can be provided to multiple different private label contact lens companies. For example, the contact lens manufacturer can maintain a single inventory of a packaged contact lens in a generic secondary contact lens package. Upon receiving an order from a first private label contact lens company, the ordered amount of generic secondary contact lens packages can be directed to the labeling station to be printed with indicia specific to the first private label contact lens company. Upon receiving an order form a second private label contact lens company for the same contact lenses, the ordered amount of generic secondary contact lens packages can be directed to the labeling station to be printed with indicia specific to the second private label contact lens company.

The customer-specific indicia printed on the stock product printing surface can include brand specific information, such as product names or brand names, product logos, contact lens manufacturer name or other information, or a description of package ingredients, or combinations thereof. The customer-specific indicia can be in the form of numbers, letters, graphical images, or machine readable code, such as bar codes, or combinations thereof.

In addition, with the present methods, it is possible to print lot specific indicia on the stock product, such as lot number, contact lens base curve, contact lens diameter, prescriptive power, or expiration date, or combinations thereof.

In one example, the stock product is a single sealed contact lens blister package, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of a sealing member disposed over a cavity containing the contact lens. As another example, the stock product comprises more than one, that is a plurality, of sealed contact lens blister packages coupled together, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of one sealing member disposed over each of the contact lens blister packages. The sealing member can be a laminated foil element that is adhered to a plastic base member of the contact lens blister package. When a single sealing member is disposed over multiple contact lens blister packages, perforations can be provided in the sealing member at a location overlaying the juxtaposition of two adjacent contact lens blister packages.

In another example, the stock product is an assembled carton containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of the carton. The carton is understood to be a contact lens secondary package or contact lens tertiary package, as described herein. The assembled carton can comprise six exterior surfaces, and a cavity containing the sealed contact lens packages is provided in the interior of the carton. In one embodiment, each of the six exterior surfaces consists of an unlabelled surface prior to printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing surface of the assembled carton. Or, in other embodiments, one or more exterior surfaces may comprise one or more lot identifiers, and otherwise be unlabelled except for the lot identifier(s). In another embodiment, two or more exterior surfaces of the carton are printed with customer-specific indicia. In a further embodiment, the assembled carton may comprise pre-printed generic indicia, such as information for regulatory agencies or descriptions of the contents of the carton. In some embodiments, the printing surface of the assembled carton is varnish-free.

The customer-specific indicia can be printed on the stock product printing surface prior to sterilization of the contact lens in the stock product, after sterilization of the contact lens in the stock product, or both. For example, in some of the present methods, the customer-tailored labeled product is one or more sealed contact lens blister packages, and the method further comprises sterilizing the customer-tailored labeled product prior to placement in a carton. In some methods, sterilized contact lens primary, packages are placed in a carton, and the carton, or secondary package, is printed with customer specific indicia.

Any of the methods described herein may comprise one or more additional steps. For example, some methods may further comprise a step of creating an inventory of a plurality of the stock products prior to directing the stock products to the labeling station.

In addition, methods may comprise receiving an order from a customer, such as a private label contact lens company, for an ordered number of customer-tailored labeled products, and directing at least that number of the corresponding stock products to the labeling station to produce the ordered number of customer-tailored labeled products. For example, a private label contact lens company may place an order for six thousand contact lenses. The contact lens manufacturer receives that order from the private label contact lens company. The contact lenses are provided in sets of six contact lens primary packages located in a single secondary contact lens package. Accordingly, one thousand secondary contact lens packages are to be provided by the contact lens manufacturer to the private label contact lens company. The contact lens manufacturer directs at least one thousand secondary contact lens packages (e.g., the stock product) to the labeling station. The secondary contact lens packages can be obtained from an inventory of secondary contact lens packages, or can be produced based on the customer's order. Similarly, the tertiary packages can be obtained from an inventory of tertiary contact lens packages, or can be produced based on the customer's order. It may be desirable to direct more than the ordered amount of stock products to the labeling station to ensure that at least the ordered amount are printed properly taking into account any errors in printing or further processing of the stock product or subsequently labeled product.

Any of the preceding methods may also comprise a step of printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the stock product printing surface. In some methods, the customer-specific indicia are laser printed on the printing surface of the stock product. In some methods, the customer specific indicia are ink-jet printed directly on the printing surface of the stock product.

In a method that comprises ink-jet printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product, another method may also comprise a step of curing the ink printed on the printing surface by an ink-jet printer.

In certain examples, including the illustrated example described herein, the present methods comprise a step of printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product with a drop on demand ink-jet printing apparatus.

Additional surface treatment steps may also be performed in the present methods to prepare the printing surface for printing by the printing device(s). For example, any of the preceding methods may additionally comprise treating the printing surface of the stock product to make the printed indicia appear clearer than on a printing surface that has not been so treated. Examples of suitable treatments include corona treatments, or plasma treatments, or combinations thereof. In one example in which the indicia is printed on the printing surface using a drop on demand ink-jet printer apparatus, the method comprises exposing the printing surface to a corona treatment, or a plasma treatment, or both prior to printing the indicia thereon. The surface treatment can occur at the labeling station, or can occur at a surface treatment station located “upstream” in the manufacturing line compared to the labeling station.

In any of the present methods, the stock product may include a lot identifier. In some examples, the methods comprise verifying the lot identifier of the stock product, and selecting the customer-specific indicia to be printed on the printing surface based on the lot identifier information.

Additionally, any of the preceding methods may also comprise providing contact lens manufacturer-specific information on the customer-tailored labeled product. Examples of such information may include lot information, expiration date, a listing of package ingredients, such as lens material name, lens properties, and ingredients in the contact lens packaging solution, or other regulatory information required by regulatory agencies, or combinations thereof.

In some examples of the present methods, the stock product may comprise a plurality of printing surfaces. For example, a secondary package may have from one to six printing surfaces. When a stock product comprises a plurality of printing surfaces, examples of the present methods may also comprise a step of rotating the stock product to print the indicia on different printing surfaces. As an example, indicia may be printed on a first printing surface of the stock product, and then the stock product can be rotated and directed through the labeling station an additional time to print more indicia on a second printing surface of the stock product. In other methods, the labeling station can include a plurality of printing devices oriented at different angles relative to stock products being printed such that indicia can be printed on more than one printing surface at the same time.

As described herein, the stock product used in any of the methods may comprise a printing surface that is free of an adhesive label containing customer-specific indicia.

Any of the present methods may also comprise a step of verifying that the customer-specific indicia printed on the printing surface is correct based on a customer's order for the customer-tailored labeled product. The verifying, can be performed manually, for example by a package inspector, or can be performed in an automated manner by a package inspection machine.

As one example of the present methods, a plurality of stock products is provided. The stock products are cartons containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages. Each sealed contact lens package contains a contact lens in a contact lens packaging solution. Thus, the stock products can be understood to be secondary packages containing more than one contact lens primary packages. The method comprises a step of creating an inventory of the plurality of stock products, in which each of the stock products contains the same type of contact lens in each package of the stock products. The method also comprises processing an order received from a first customer of contact lenses, the customer, being a contact lens retailer or eye care practitioner. Additionally, the method comprises printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing, surfaces of the stock products as the stock products pass through the labeling station, and the customer-specific indicia is specific for the first customer. The customer-tailored product so produced is packaged in at least one package. This at least one package containing the customer-tailored product can be understood to be a tertiary package as described herein. The at least one package is shipped to the first customer. The method further comprises repeating the processing, printing, packaging, and shipping steps for at least one additional customer that is a contact lens retailer or eye care practitioner, and in which the at least one additional customer has ordered the same type of contact lens but requires different customer-specific indicia than the first customer. In some examples of these methods, the customers are private label contact lens companies.

As another example of the present methods, a plurality of stock products is provided. Each stock product is an array of a plurality of sealed contact lens packages containing contact lenses in a contact lens packaging solution. In addition to the steps described above, the methods also comprise processing an order received from a first customer of contact lenses, in which the customer is a contact lens retailer. Customer-specific indicia are printed on the printing surfaces of the stock products as the stock products pass through the labeling station. The customer-specific indicia so printed are specific for the first customer. For example, the customer-specific indicia includes information, such as text, logos, and the like, that the first customer has requested or required, such as when the first customer placed the order. The customer-tailored labeled products are sterilized, that is, after the indicia are printed on the printing surfaces. The sterilized customer-tailored labeled products are then packaged in at least one carton (e.g., the secondary package). The at least one carton is then packaged in at least one package (e.g. the tertiary package). The customer-tailored labeled products so packaged are than shipped to the first customer. The method further includes one or more steps of repeating the processing, printing, packaging, and shipping steps for at least one additional customer that is a contact lens retailer, wherein the at least one additional customer has ordered the same contact lens type but requires different customer-specific indicia than the first customer.

In the method of the preceding paragraph, the method may also comprise a step of directing the at least one carton to a labeling station to produce a customer-tailored product comprising customer-specific indicia directly on a printing surface of the at least one carton, in which the customer-specific indicia is for the first customer. In other words, the customer-specific indicia required by the first customer are provided both on the primary packages and the secondary packages produced by the methods.

One example of the present methods employs using a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer device to provide customer-specific indicia on one or more stock products. In such a method, the stock product is selected from an inventory of a plurality of stock products. The selected stock product(s) is then directed through the labeling station and is presented to the drop-on-demand printing device. The stock product is automatedly scanned and automatically matched to the customer's order via an order control system. A printer control system contains the customer's pre-defined artwork format templates, which are based on the customer's desires or requirements. The printer control system receives an instruction from the order control system indicating which templates should be printed on the stock product to produce the customer-tailored product. If a stock keeping unit (SKU) identifier is provided on the stock product, it can be covered or obliterated on the customer-tailored product by passing through the labeling station.

Another example of the present methods comprises providing a polymerized contact lens in a contact lens packaging solution in a cavity of a contact lens primary package. The contact lens primary package is sealed with a sealing element such that the contact lens and packaging solution can be sterilized by autoclaving the package by exposing it to steam at a temperature of at least 120 degrees C. for at least 1 minutes without rupturing the seal. The sterilized sealed contact lens primary package can, optionally, then be directed through a labeling station where a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer dispenses a UV curable ink onto a printing surface of the sealed contact lens primary package. The printed or un-printed sterilized sealed contact lens package is then placed in a contact lens secondary package that comprises six adhesive-label-free surfaces. Multiple contact lens secondary packages are then stored in inventory. One or more contact lens secondary packages, containing the sterilized sealed contact lens primary packages, are selected from inventory and directed through a labeling station such that a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer prints customer-specific indicia on one or more printing surfaces of the secondary package(s). The ink is cured by exposing the ink to UV radiation. The customer-tailored contact lens products so produced are then packaged in a tertiary package for delivery to a customer, such as a private label contact lens company.

Yet another example of the present methods relates to packaging contact lenses and printing customer-specific indicia on a package as part of the packaging process. Such a method comprises placing one or more contact lens primary packages (e.g. one or more sealed contact lens blister packages, each containing an individual unworn contact lens in a contact lens packaging solution) in a contact lens secondary package (e.g. a carton) at a cartoning station. The placement of the primary packages in the secondary packages can be performed manually; however, it is preferred that it is performed using automated devices. At the cartoning station, the contact lens secondary package receives one or more contact lens primary packages, and the contact lens secondary package is closed or sealed. In accordance with the present methods, customer-specific indicia can be printed on one or more printing surfaces of the secondary package at the cartoning station. In one example, the customer-specific indicia is printed on the printing surface or printing surfaces after the secondary package receives the contact lens primary package or packages. In another example, the customer-specific indicia is printed on the printing surface or surfaces before the secondary package receives the contact lens primary package or packages. For example, the contact lens secondary package may be unassembled when it is printed and prior to placement of the contact lens primary package(s) in the assembled secondary package. As a further example, a tertiary package may be printed in an unassembled state at a cartoning station. The printing can also include printing other information on the printing surfaces, as described herein. The resulting printed secondary packages are ready for packaging and delivery to customers without requiring a step of storing the printed secondary packages in inventory. The printing can be accomplished using any of the printing device(s) described herein. As one example, the printing device includes a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer.

Thus, it can be appreciated that a method of producing packaged contact lenses can comprise providing a stock product, in which the stock product is at least one sealed contact lens package including a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution. The stock product is placed in a contact lens secondary package at a cartoning station. The cartoning station is configured to assemble an unassembled contact lens secondary package into an assembled contact lens secondary package. The cartoning station comprises a labeling station configured to print customer-specific indicia directly on a printing surface of the contact lens secondary package, as described herein. The cartoning station also comprises other conventional components present in existing cartoning stations, as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. The method further comprises providing printed customer-specific indicia on the printing surface of the contact lens secondary package to produce a customer-tailored labeled product, wherein the printed customer-specific indicia is printed on the printing surface prior to placing the stock product in the contact lens secondary package, or after placing the stock product in the contact lens secondary package, or both. In reference to the figures, the stock product can be understood to be one or more sealed contact lens blister packages, as illustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, and as described herein. The contact lens secondary packages of this example of the methods can be understood to be one or more cartons, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and as described herein. The cartoning station can be understood to be a component or station of a contact lens manufacturing line, and for purposes of illustration, can be represented by a cube-like structure similar to the labeling station illustrated in FIG. 6.

The foregoing method may further comprise receiving an order from a customer for an ordered number of customer-tailored labeled products, and preparing at least that number of customer-tailored labeled products by printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing surface or surfaces at the cartoning station.

As described herein, the printing may comprise laser printing or ink-jet printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product. A method may comprise a step of curing ink printed on the printing surface by an ink-jet printer, which may be done at the cartoning station. In some examples, the printing is performed with a drop-on-demand ink-jet printing apparatus.

These methods may also comprise treating the printing surface by exposing the printing surface to a corona treatment, a plasma treatment, or a combination thereof, similar to that described above.

If the stock product or the contact lens secondary package includes a lot identifier, the method can further comprise verifying the lot identifier of the stock product, and selecting the customer-specific indicia to be printed on the printing surface based on the lot identifier information.

If printing is desired on more than one printing surface of the contact lens secondary package, the method can further comprise rotating the contact lens secondary package to print on the different printing surfaces.

The method may also comprise a step of verifying that the customer-specific indicia printed on the printing surface is correct based on a customer's order for the customer-tailored labeled product.

As discussed herein, the contact lens secondary package is preferably free of an adhesive label containing customer-specific indicia.

Although the disclosure herein refers to certain illustrated embodiments, is to be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation. The intent of the foregoing detailed description, although discussing exemplary embodiments, is to be construed to cover all modifications, alternatives, and equivalents of the embodiments as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method of producing packaged contact lenses, comprising:

providing a stock product, the stock product comprising a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package, and a printing surface; and

directing the stock product to a labeling station to produce a customer-tailored labeled product comprising printed customer-specific indicia directly on the stock product printing surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product is a single sealed contact lens blister package, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of a sealing member disposed over a cavity containing the contact lens.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product comprises a plurality of sealed contact lens blister packages coupled together, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of a sealing member disposed over each of the contact lens blister packages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product is an assembled carton containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages, and the printing surface is an exterior surface of the carton.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer-tailored labeled product is one or more sealed contact lens blister packages, and the method further comprises sterilizing the customer-tailored labeled product prior to placement in a carton.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an inventory of a plurality of stock products prior to directing the stock products to the labeling station.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an order from a customer for an ordered number of customer-tailored labeled products, and directing at least that number of stock products to the labeling station to produce the ordered number of customer-tailored labeled products.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising laser printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising ink-jet printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of curing the ink printed on the printing surface by an ink-jet printer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing the customer-specific indicia directly on the printing surface of the stock product with a drop on demand ink-jet printing apparatus.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the printing surface by exposing the printing surface to a corona treatment, a plasma treatment, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product includes a lot identifier, and the method further comprises verifying the lot identifier of the stock product, and selecting the customer-specific indicia to be printed on the printing surface based on the lot identifier information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing contact lens manufacturer-specific information on the customer-tailored labeled product.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product comprises a plurality of printing surfaces, and the method further comprises rotating the stock product to print on different printing surfaces.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the stock product printing surface is free of an adhesive label containing customer-specific indicia.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying that the customer-specific indicia printed on the printing surface is correct based on a customer's order for the customer-tailored labeled product.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of stock products are provided, and the stock products are cartons containing a plurality of sealed contact lens packages containing contact lenses in a contact lens packaging solution, and the method further comprises:

creating an inventory of the plurality of stock products, each of the stock products containing the same type of contact lens in each package of the stock products;

processing an order received from a first customer of contact lenses, the customer being a contact lens retailer, or an eye care practitioner;

printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing surfaces of the stock products as the stock products pass through the labeling station, the customer-specific indicia being specific for the first customer;

packaging the customer-tailored labeled product in at least one package;

shipping the at least one package to the first customer; and

repeating the processing, printing, packaging, and shipping steps for at least one additional customer that is a contact lens retailer, wherein the at least one additional customer has ordered the same contact lens but requires different customer-specific indicia than the first customer.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of stock products are provided, and the stock products are arrays of a plurality of sealed contact lens packages containing contact lenses in a contact lens packaging solution, and the method further comprises:

processing an order received from a first customer of contact lenses, the customer being a contact lens retailer, or an eye care practitioner;

printing the customer-specific indicia on the printing surfaces of the stock products as the stock products pass through the labeling station, the customer-specific indicia being specific for the first customer;

sterilizing the customer-tailored labeled products;

packaging the customer-tailored labeled products in at least one carton;

packaging the at least one carton in at least one package; and

shipping the customer-tailored labeled products to the first customer; and

repeating the processing, printing, packaging, and shipping steps for at least one additional customer that is a contact lens retailer, wherein the at least one additional customer has ordered the same contact lens but requires different customer-specific indicia than the first customer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising directing the at least one carton to a labeling station to produce a customer-tailored product comprising customer-specific indicia directly on a printing surface of the at least one carton, the customer-specific indicia being for the first customer.

21. A method of producing packaged contact lenses, comprising:

providing a stock product, the stock product being at least one sealed contact lens package comprising a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution;

placing the stock product in a contact lens secondary package at a cartoning station configured to assemble an unassembled contact lens secondary package into an assembled contact lens secondary package, and comprising a labeling station configured to print customer-specific indicia directly on a printing surface of the contact lens secondary package; and

providing printed customer-specific indicia on the printing surface of the contact lens secondary package to produce a customer-tailored labeled product, wherein the printed customer-specific indicia is printed on the printing surface prior to placing the stock product in the contact lens secondary package, or after placing the stock product in the contact lens secondary package, or both.

22. A contact lens secondary package, comprising:

a carton comprising at least one sealed contact lens primary package comprising an unworn contact lens in a contact lens packaging solution, wherein the carton has a printing surface comprising customer-specific indicia printed directly on the printing surface, the customer-specific indicia comprising UV cured ink provided by a drop-on-demand ink-jet printing system.

23. A system for producing packaged contact lens, comprising:

a labeling station, comprising:

a stock product infeed portion dimensioned to receive one or more stock products, each stock product comprising a contact lens located in a contact lens packaging solution in a sealed contact lens package, and a printing surface;

a conveyor system operable to direct the stock product from the infeed portion toward an outlet of the labeling station;

a printing device comprising a drop-on-demand ink jet printer that dispenses UV curable ink onto the printing surface of the stock product; and

a UV curing system to provide UV radiation exposure to the UV curable ink to provide a customer-tailored labeled product comprising customer-specific indicia printed directly on the stock product printing surface.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the conveyor system is structured to direct a plurality of contact lens secondary packages through the labeling station.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the conveyor system is structured to direct a plurality of contact lens primary packages through the labeling station.