Container for accommodating an ophthalmic lens during a lens treatment process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9491996-B2
Application number	US-201314103025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Dec 14, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A container ( 1 ) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens during a lens treatment process has a longitudinal axis ( 12 ) and comprises a containment portion ( 2 ), a mounting portion ( 3 ), and a retaining element ( 4 ). The containment portion ( 2 ) comprises a tubular section ( 21 ) and a bottom ( 22 ) protruding convexly towards the outside at one end of the tubular section ( 21 ) and has a number of apertures ( 23, 24 ). The mounting portion ( 3 ) comprises flow openings and an access opening ( 11 ) at an end remote from the containment portion ( 2 ). The retaining element ( 4 ) prohibits the lens from being washed out of the containment portion ( 2 ) and further permits access of a gripper into the containment portion ( 2 ) for insertion and removal of the lens. The mounting portion ( 3 ) extends from the access opening ( 11 ) to the tubular section ( 21 ) in a manner to enable introduction of the containment portion ( 2 ) of another such container ( 1 ) into the mounting portion ( 3 ) through the access opening ( 11 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container ( 1 ) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens during a lens treatment process, the container having a longitudinal axis ( 12 ) and comprising a containment portion ( 2 ), a mounting portion ( 3 ), and a retaining element ( 4 ),
wherein the containment portion ( 2 ) comprises a tubular section ( 21 ) and a bottom ( 22 ) arranged at one longitudinal end of the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ), the bottom ( 22 ) protruding convexly towards the outside at one end of the tubular section ( 21 ) to form a bottom end of the container ( 1 ) and being provided with a number of apertures ( 23 , 24 ) enabling a free flow of a treatment liquid into and out of the containment portion ( 2 ),
wherein the mounting portion ( 3 ) comprises a plurality of flow openings allowing a treatment liquid to flow into and out of an inner space of the mounting portion, the mounting portion further comprising an access opening ( 11 ) arranged at a longitudinal end of the mounting portion remote from the containment portion ( 2 ) to form a top end of the container ( 1 ),
and wherein the retaining element ( 4 ) is arranged inside the mounting portion ( 3 ) at that end of the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ) remote from the bottom ( 22 ), the retaining element ( 4 ) prohibiting the ophthalmic lens from being washed out of the containment portion ( 2 ) and further permitting access of a gripper through the access opening ( 11 ) into the containment portion ( 2 ) for insertion and removal of an ophthalmic lens,
and wherein the mounting portion ( 3 ) extends along the longitudinal axis of the container from the access opening ( 11 ) to that end of the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ) remote from the bottom ( 22 ) in a manner so as to enable introduction of the containment portion ( 2 ) of another such container ( 1 ) into the mounting portion ( 3 ) through the access opening ( 11 ), wherein the mounting portion ( 3 ) comprises a leg portion having a plurality of legs ( 31 ) extending along the longitudinal axis ( 12 ) of the container from the access opening ( 11 ) to that end of the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ) remote from the bottom ( 22 ), with the flow openings being arranged between the legs ( 31 ) of the leg portion.

2. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ) has an outer diameter and the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion has an inner diameter, and wherein the outer diameter of the containment portion ( 2 ) is smaller than the inner diameter of the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion.

3. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the legs ( 31 ) are arranged to conically taper from the access opening ( 11 ) towards the end of the tubular section ( 21 ) remote from the bottom ( 22 ).

4. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular section ( 21 ) of the containment portion ( 2 ) has an outer diameter and the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion has an inner diameter, and wherein the outer diameter of the containment portion ( 2 ) is smaller than the inner diameter of the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion.

5. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein each leg ( 31 ) is provided with an end stop ( 32 ) arranged at its longitudinal end remote from the containment portion.

6. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , comprising four legs ( 31 ) circumferentially arranged around the longitudinal axis ( 12 ) of the container ( 1 ) at an equal distance from the longitudinal axis ( 12 ), with adjacent legs ( 31 ) being arranged by an angular displacement of 90° relative to one another, wherein the end stops ( 32 ) are designed such as to form four corners of a square.

7. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein at least two of the legs ( 31 ) are provided with a resilient locking tab ( 33 ) arranged beneath the end stop ( 32 ).

8. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein the retaining element ( 4 ) comprises a diaphragm having flexible fins ( 41 ) which extend from a circumferential, portion of the retaining element ( 4 ) towards a center of the diaphragm, and wherein the flexible fins ( 41 ) are inclined towards the bottom ( 22 ) of the container and are provided with fin through-holes ( 42 ) enabling free passage of treatment liquid into an out of the containment portion ( 2 ).

9. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 8 , wherein the container comprises an annular shoulder ( 25 ) at the transition from the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion to the containment portion ( 2 ) of the container ( 1 ), and wherein the circumferential, preferably cylindrical, portion of the retaining element ( 4 ) rests against the annular shoulder ( 25 ).

10. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein at least two of the legs ( 31 ) are provided with a resilient locking tab ( 33 ) arranged beneath the end stop ( 32 ).

11. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the end stops ( 32 ) are provided with a locking pin ( 34 ) extending from the respective end stop in a direction towards the bottom end of the container ( 1 ).

12. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein each leg ( 31 ) is provided with an end stop ( 32 ) arranged at its longitudinal end remote from the containment portion.

13. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apertures ( 23 , 24 ) in the bottom ( 22 ) of the container ( 1 ) comprise bottom through-holes ( 23 ) and longitudinal slots ( 24 ), the longitudinal slots ( 24 ) extending from a transition of the bottom ( 22 ) into the tubular section ( 21 ) towards the retaining element ( 4 ).

14. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining element ( 4 ) comprises a diaphragm having flexible fins ( 41 ) which extend from a circumferential, portion of the retaining element ( 4 ) towards a center of the diaphragm, and wherein the flexible fins ( 41 ) are inclined towards the bottom ( 22 ) of the container and are provided with fin through-holes ( 42 ) enabling free passage of treatment liquid into an out of the containment portion ( 2 ).

15. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 14 , wherein the container comprises an annular shoulder ( 25 ) at the transition from the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion to the containment portion ( 2 ) of the container ( 1 ), and wherein the circumferential, portion of the retaining element ( 4 ) rests against the annular shoulder ( 25 ).

16. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 15 , further comprising a retainer ring ( 45 ) for clamping the circumferential, portion of the retaining element ( 4 ) between the retainer ring ( 45 ) and an inner wall section ( 35 ) of mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion as well as between the retainer ring ( 45 ) and the annular shoulder ( 25 ).

17. The container ( 1 ) according to claim 16 , wherein the retainer ring ( 45 ) comprises a circumferentially running inner tapered section ( 450 ) for an abutment of the containment portion ( 2 ) of another such container upon introduction into the mounting portion ( 3 ) or leg portion.

18. A transport carrier assembly comprising at least two transport carriers ( 5 ) arranged in a manner stacked one above the other, each transport carrier ( 5 ) comprising an elongated web ( 50 ) as well as two engagement portions capable of engaging with a transport device, one of the two engagement portions being arranged at one longitudinal end of the elongated web ( 50 ) and the other one of the

Assignees

• Novartis Ag

Inventors

• Biel Roger
• Hagmann Peter

Classifications

• B29D11/0025

  Removing impurities from contact lenses, e.g. leaching · CPC title

• A45C11/005 Primary

  Contact lens cases (A45C11/046 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29L2011/0041

  Contact lenses · CPC title

• B29D11/0023 Primary

  Transferring contact lenses · CPC title