IP Library Granted Patent US 6,883,915
Granted Patent B2
US 6,883,915 · App. 10/364,736 · Granted Apr 26, 2005

Contact lenses with off-center sphere surface

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,883,915
App. No.
10/364,736
Granted
Apr 26, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides a contact lens comprising a convex surface and a concave surface, one or both of the surfaces comprising: a) a central optical zone that is an aspherical sub-surface; b) a transition zone that is adjacent to said central optical zone, wherein and is a rotationally symmetric off-center sphere sub-surface; and c) a peripheral zone that comprises one or more sphere sub-surfaces, wherein all sub-surfaces are tangent to each other. By having a transition zone of the present invention, flexion points at the junction of optical zone with peripheral zone can be eliminated. The present invention also provides a method for producing a contact lens of the present invention.

Claims (521)

1. A contact lens comprising a convex surface and a concave surface, one or both of the surfaces comprising:

(a) an apex;

(b) an axis passing through the apex;

(c) a central optical zone that is an aspherical sub-surface described by an aspherical function form y opz (x);

(d) a transition zone that is adjacent to and surrounds said central optical zone, wherein said transition zone is a rotationally symmetric off-center sphere sub-surface characterized by having a curvature radius r a the center C(x c ,y c ) of which is not located in the axis, wherein said curvature radius (r a ) is defined by a functional form (2)

r

a

=

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

3

/

2

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

,

(

2

)

 wherein the center C(x c ,y c ) of the curvature radius r a is given by formula (3) and (4)

x

c

=

x

a

-

y

opz

(

x

a

)

·

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

3

)

y

c

=

y

a

-

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

4

)

 wherein y′ opz (X a ) is the 1 st derivative of the aspherical function form at a junction point A(x a ,y a ) of the transition zone with the central optical zone, y″ opz (x a ) is the 2 nd derivative of the aspherical function form at the junction point A(x a ,y a ); and

(e) a peripheral zone that comprises one or more sphere sub-surfaces, wherein all sub-surfaces are tangent to each other.

2. A contact lens of claim 1 , further comprising a blend zone between said transition zone and said peripheral zone.

3. A contact lens of claim 1 , wherein said aspherical function form is equation (1)

y

opz

=

x

2

r

(

1

+

1

-

1

+

κ

r

0

2

x

2

)

or

y

opz

=

a

0

+

a

1

x

+

a

2

x

2

+

+

a

n

x

n

(

1

)

 wherein r 0 is the radius at the apex of the aspherical sub-surface, κ is a conic constant, a 0 , . . . , a n are coefficient constants.

4. A contact lens of claim 1 , wherein said convex surface comprises said central optical zone, said transition zone, and said peripheral zone.

5. A contact lens of claim 1 , wherein said concave surface comprises said central optical zone, said transition zone, and said peripheral zone.

6. A contact lens of claim 1 , wherein said contact lens is a soft contact lens.

7. A contact lens of claim 1 , wherein said peripheral zone comprises multiple sphere sub-surfaces with fillet between two neighboring sphere sub-surfaces.

8. A method of producing a contact lens, comprising the steps of providing a convex surface and a concave surface, one or both of the surfaces comprising:

(a) an apex;

(b) an axis passing through the apex;

(c) a central optical zone that is an aspherical sub-surface described by an aspherical function form form y opz (x);

(d) a transition zone that is adjacent to and surrounds said central optical zone, wherein said transition zone is a rotationally symmetric off-center sphere sub-surface characterized by having a curvature radius r a , the center C(x c ,y c ) of which is not located in the axis, wherein said curvature radius (r a ) is defined by a functional form (2)

r

a

=

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

3

/

2

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

,

(

2

)

 wherein the center C(x c ,y c ) of the curvature radius r a is given by formula (3) and (4)

x

c

=

x

a

-

y

opz

(

x

a

)

·

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

3

)

y

c

=

y

a

+

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

4

)

 wherein y′ opz (x a ) is the 1 st derivative of the aspherical function form at a junction point A(x a ,y a ) of the transition zone with the central optical zone, y″ opz (x a ) is the 2 nd derivative of the aspherical function form at the junction point A(x a ,y a ); and

(e) a peripheral zone that comprises one or more sphere sub-surfaces, wherein all sub-surfaces are tangent to each other.

9. A method of claim 8 , wherein said aspherical function form is equation (1)

y

opz

=

x

2

r

(

1

+

1

-

1

+

κ

r

0

2

x

2

)

or

y

opz

=

a

0

+

a

1

x

+

a

2

x

2

+

+

a

n

x

n

(

1

)

wherein r 0 is the radius at the apex of the aspherical sub-surface, κ is a conic constant, a0, . . . , an are coefficient constants.

10. A method of claim 8 , wherein said convex surface comprises said central optical zone, said transition zone, and said peripheral zone.

11. A method of claim 8 , wherein said concave surface comprises said central optical zone, said transition zone, and said peripheral zone.

12. A method of claim 8 , wherein said contact lens is a soft contact lens.

13. A series of contact lenses comprising contact lenses having different power corrections, wherein each contact lens in the series comprises a convex surface and a concave surface, one or both of the surfaces comprising:

(a) an apex;

(b) an axis passing through the apex;

(c) a central optical zone that is an aspherical sub-surface described by an aspherical function form form y opz (x);

(d) a transition zone that is adjacent to and surrounds said central optical zone, wherein said transition zone is a rotationally symmetric off-center sphere sub-surface characterized by having a curvature radius r a the center C(x c ,y c ) of which is not located in the axis, wherein said curvature radius (r a ) is defined by a functional form (2)

r

a

=

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

3

/

2

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

,

(

2

)

 wherein the center C(x c ,y c ) of the curvature radius r a is given by formula (3) and (4)

x

c

=

x

a

-

y

opz

(

x

a

)

·

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

3

)

y

c

=

y

a

+

{

1

+

[

y

opz

(

x

a

)

]

2

}

y

opz

′′

(

x

a

)

(

4

)

 wherein y′ opz (x a ) is the 1 st derivative of the aspherical function form at a junction point A(x a ,y a ) of the transition zone with the central optical zone, y″ opz (x a ) is the 2 nd derivative of the aspherical function form at the junction point A(x a ,y a ); and

(e) a peripheral zone that comprises one or more sphere sub-surfaces, wherein all sub-surfaces are tangent to each other.

14. A series of contact lenses of claim 13 , wherein said aspherical function form is equation (1)

y

opz

=

x

2

r

(

1

+

1

-

1

+

κ

r

0

2

x

2

)

or

y

opz

=

a

0

+

a

1

x

+

a

2

x

2

+

+

a

n

x

n

(

1

)

wherein r 0 is the radius at the apex of the aspherical sub-surface, κ is a conic constant, a 0 , . . . , a n are coefficient constants.

15. A series of contact lenses of claim 13 , wherein said surface is a convex surface.

16. A series of contact lenses of claim 13 , wherein said surface is a concave surface.

17. A series of contact lenses of claim 13 , wherein said convex surface comprises said central optical zone, said transition zone, and said peripheral zone.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY DEED OF ASSIGNMENT EFFECTIVE APRIL 8, 2019 Recorded Dec 10, 2019
From: NOVARTIS AG
To: ALCON INC.
Reel/Frame 051454/0788 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 27, 2004
From: YE, MING; MCKENNEY, CURTIS DEAN
To: NOVARTIS AG
Reel/Frame 016110/0675 →