Process for marking an optical eyeglass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12097719-B2
Application number	US-201716315758-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for marking an optical eyeglass (1) equipped with a surface coating (5) comprising the following steps: A step of detreating by means of a laser beam, so as to locally detreat an area of the optical eyeglass by removing the surface coating (5) until a lower layer (7) of the eyeglass (1) is reached, which layer is located under said coating (5) and made of a material that is different from the surface coating (5), thus forming at least one the detreated zone (6, 11), A step of depositing an ink (9) in the detreated zone (6, 11) in order to form at least one inked pattern (4), so that the ink (9) adheres to the lower layer (7) present at the bottom (10) of the detreated zone (6, 11).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for marking an optical eyeglass equipped with an anti-smudge surface coating and a temporary coating used to facilitate the blocking of the lens in an edging operation and placed on said anti-smudge surface coating, comprising the following steps:
providing an anti-smudge surface coating in the optical eyeglass;
placing a temporary coating on said anti-smudge surface coating;
detreating by a laser beam despite the presence of the temporary coating, so as to locally detreat an area of the optical eyeglass by removing the temporary coating and the anti-smudge surface coating until a lower layer of the eyeglass is reached, which layer is located under said anti-smudge surface coating and made of a material that is different from the anti-smudge surface coating, thus forming at least one detreated zone that passes through the temporary coating and the anti-smudge surface coating;
removing the temporary coating; and
depositing ink in the detreated zone in order to form at least one inked pattern, so that the ink adheres to the lower layer present at the bottom of the detreated zone;

wherein the at least one detreated zone is made up of a plurality of holes forming pixels;
wherein at least two different inks of different colors are deposited in adjacent holes to obtain a two-color or polychromatic pattern or macroscopic pattern element;
wherein deposition of inks of different colors in adjacent holes prevents the deposited inks from mixing; and
wherein the step of depositing the ink in said at least one detreated zone is carried out by pad printing by an inking stamp which is dimensioned to cover at least the entirety of the pattern created by the at least one detreated zone created on the surface of the optical eyeglass, and wherein the inking stamp has a geometric shape selected from a parallelepipedal shape and an ovoid shape.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the detreatment step allows at least two separate detreated zones to be obtained that are arranged in at least one group forming a macroscopic pattern element.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the ink is deposited in excess and extends beyond said at least one detreated zone, said process furthermore comprising a step of removing the ink that has overflowed from said at least one detreated zone.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the removing step is carried out by an adhesive laid flat on the surface coating, said adhesive being removed and taking with it the ink that overflowed from said at least one detreated zone onto said coating.

5. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the ink is hardened after deposition, by drying, polymerisation or thermosetting, and the step of removing the excess ink is carried out when said ink is still liquid or soft.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the detreated zones form wells that are separated from one another or at least one detreated zone forms a plurality of adjoining wells that are separated from one another by a protrusion comprising no surface coating.

7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein said wells have substantially the same dimensions as those of the laser beam at a point of impact with the surface.

8. The process according to claim 1 , comprising a step of determining the inked pattern from a list of at least two different inked patterns, the dimensions of the inking stamp being such that said inking stamp deposits a plurality of inked patterns from said list.

9. The process according to claim 1 , comprising a step of establishing a frame of reference of an uncut eyeglass, said step including a step of determining a position of the pattern on the eyeglass taking into account a post-edging shape of the eyeglass and mounting data, so as to place the pattern in a zone comprised in the outline of the post-edging shape of the eyeglass, the step of creating detreated zones being carried out on the uncut eyeglass.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein when the detreated zone formed by a plurality of points of impact of the laser comprises a thinned zone at least one dimension of which is smaller than those of an ink droplet deposited on the material of the bottom of said thinned zone, the excess ink is absorbed by an adjacent zone of larger size or is removed with suitable removing means.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein an interference stack is separated from the substrate by one or more varnishes.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the ink is deposited by an inkjet printer that deposits a droplet of ink within each discrete hole such that each discrete hole is completely filled with ink.

13. An apparatus for carrying out a process according to claim 1 , comprising means suitable for emitting a laser beam, means able to deposit an ink and a holder able to hold the eyeglass, said holder remaining stationary throughout the duration of the marking process and said means being movable in order to be alternatively placeable level with an identified zone of the eyeglass in order to allow the eyeglass to be marked.

14. An optical eyeglass obtained by the process of claim 1 including a surface coating, at least one detreated zone in said coating, and ink that is absorbent in the visible and/or UV spectrum, present in said detreated zone.

Assignees

• Essilor Int

Inventors

• Maurice Sebastien
• Mcclimans Pamela
• Martin Luc
• Hale Mark

Classifications

• B29D11/00336 Primary

  by making depressions in the lens surfaces · CPC title

• B29D11/00923

  on lens surfaces for colouring or tinting (printing or marking in general B41M) · CPC title

• B29D11/00317

  Production of lenses with markings or patterns · CPC title

• G02C7/021

  with pattern for identification or with cosmetic or therapeutic effects (methods and processes take preference, e.g. printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; surface treatment of glass C03C15/00 - C03C23/00; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055) · CPC title

• B41M3/003

  on optical devices, e.g. lens elements; for the production of optical devices (production by thermal imaging means B41M5/265) · CPC title