Lens mold carrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9731458-B2
Application number	US-201414551425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2014
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A lens mold carrier ( 1; 2 ) comprises:
a frame ( 10; 20 ) extending in a plane (x,y; u,v) and comprising a plurality of individual compartments ( 100; 200 );
at least one mold unit ( 11; 21 ) arranged in one of the individual compartments ( 100; 200 ) in a manner secured against falling out, the at least one mold unit ( 11; 21 ) including an adapter piece ( 110; 210 ) and a lens mold ( 112; 212 ) fixedly connected to the adapter piece ( 110; 210 ).
The adapter piece ( 110; 210 ) is floatingly arranged within the compartment ( 100; 200 ) to allow for limited movement of the adapter piece ( 110; 210 ) within the compartment ( 100; 200 ) at least in a translation plane parallel to or coincident with the plane (x,y; u,v) in which the frame ( 10; 20 ) extends.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Lens mold carrier ( 1 ; 2 ) comprising:
a frame ( 10 ; 20 ) extending in a plane (x,y; u,v) and comprising a plurality of individual compartments ( 100 ; 200 );
at least one mold unit ( 11 ; 21 ) arranged in one of the individual compartments ( 100 ; 200 ) in a manner secured against falling out, the at least one mold unit ( 11 ; 21 ) including an adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) and a lens mold ( 112 ; 212 ) fixedly connected to the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 );
wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) is floatingly arranged within the compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) to allow for limited movement of the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) within the compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) at least in a translation plane parallel to or coincident with the plane (x,y; u,v) in which the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) extends.

2. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the range of limited movement of the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) within the individual compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) of the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) in the translation plane is up to about ±0.5 mm.

3. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the range of limited movement of the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) within the individual compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) of the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) in the translation plane is up to about ±0.3 mm.

4. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) comprises a plurality of compartment walls ( 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ; 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 , 205 ) bounding the individual compartments ( 100 ; 200 ), and wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) comprises a plurality of abutment posts ( 1106 ; 2106 ) arranged thereon in a manner facing the compartment walls while allowing for the limited movement of the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) in the translation plane.

5. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) comprises resilient latches ( 113 ; 213 ) releasably engaging the frame or the compartment walls, respectively, to secure the mold unit ( 11 ; 21 ) against falling out of the compartment ( 100 ; 200 ).

6. Lens mold carrier according to claim 2 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) comprises resilient latches ( 113 ; 213 ) releasably engaging the frame or the compartment walls, respectively, to secure the mold unit ( 11 ; 21 ) against falling out of the compartment ( 100 ; 200 ).

7. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) further comprises a mold identifier ( 1104 ; 2104 ) containing information allowing to identify the lens mold ( 112 ; 212 ) fixedly arranged in the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ).

8. Lens mold carrier according to claim 6 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) further comprises a mold identifier ( 1104 ; 2104 ) containing information allowing to identify the lens mold ( 112 ; 212 ) fixedly arranged in the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ).

9. Lens mold carrier according to claim 7 , wherein the mold identifier ( 1104 ; 2104 ) comprises a transponder.

10. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the lens mold ( 112 ) is rigidly arranged in a sleeve ( 111 ) which is fixedly connected to the adapter piece ( 110 ), and wherein the sleeve ( 111 ) comprises a chamfered front end ( 1110 ).

11. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the lens mold ( 212 ) is rigidly arranged in a sleeve ( 211 ) which is fixedly connected to the adapter piece ( 210 ), and wherein the sleeve ( 211 ) comprises a rounded front end ( 2110 ).

12. Lens mold carrier according to claim 2 , wherein the lens mold ( 212 ) is rigidly arranged in a sleeve ( 211 ) which is fixedly connected to the adapter piece ( 210 ), and wherein the sleeve ( 211 ) comprises a rounded front end ( 2110 ).

13. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the mold unit ( 21 ) further comprises an adjusting ring ( 214 ) firmly attached to the lens mold or to the sleeve, respectively, and wherein the adjusting ring ( 214 ) is lockingly connected to the adapter piece ( 210 ) at fixed angular positions and can be rotated between these fixed angular positions in the translation plane or in a plane parallel thereto.

14. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ) comprises at least one stub ( 1105 ) arranged on the adapter piece ( 110 ) adapted to be engaged by a retainer for holding the adapter piece ( 110 ) down in the compartment ( 100 ).

15. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter piece ( 110 ; 210 ) is made of plastic.

16. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , further comprising a carrier identifier ( 106 ; 206 ) arranged on the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) and containing information allowing to identify the lens mold carrier ( 1 ; 2 ) as well as to identify which lens mold ( 112 ; 212 ) is arranged in which compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) of the frame ( 10 ; 20 ).

17. Lens mold carrier according to claim 7 , further comprising a carrier identifier ( 106 ; 206 ) arranged on the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) and containing information allowing to identify the lens mold carrier ( 1 ; 2 ) as well as to identify which lens mold ( 112 ; 212 ) is arranged in which compartment ( 100 ; 200 ) of the frame ( 10 ; 20 ).

18. Lens mold carrier according to claim 16 , wherein the carrier identifier ( 106 ; 206 ) comprises a transponder.

19. Lens mold carrier according to claim 1 , wherein the lens mold carrier further comprises at least one transport eyelet ( 107 ; 207 ) arranged in the frame ( 10 ; 20 ), the at least one transport eyelet ( 107 ; 207 ) being sized and shaped to allow a transport pin to engage with the transport eyelet ( 107 ; 207 ) for movement of the lens mold carrier ( 1 ; 2 ).

20. Lens mold carrier according to claim 19 , where the lens mold carrier further comprises at least one fixation eyelet ( 108 ; 208 ) different from the transport eyelet ( 107 ; 207 ), the fixation eyelet ( 108 ; 208 ) being arranged in the frame ( 10 ; 20 ) and being sized and shaped to allow a fixation pin to engage with the fixation eyelet ( 108 ; 208 ) to allow for positional fixation of the lens mold carrier ( 1 ; 2 ) as the transport pin is disengaged from the transport eyelet ( 107 ; 207 ).

Assignees

• Novartis Ag

Inventors

• Biel Roger
• Straube Karsten
• Bernard Jan

Classifications

• B29C33/306

  Exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds, mould inserts (moulds with exchangeable mould parts for injection moulding B29C45/2673; mounting of exchangeable mould inserts for injection moulding B29C45/2675) · CPC title

• B29D11/00182 Primary

  using carrier plates · CPC title

• B29C33/0022

  Multi-cavity moulds (B29C33/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29D11/005

  having means for aligning the front and back moulds · CPC title