TREATMENT CONTAINER FOR ACCOMMODATING AN OPHTHALMIC LENS AND CONTAINER PLATE

1 . Treatment container ( 1 ) for accommodating an ophthalmic lens ( 2 ), in particular a contact lens such as a hard or soft contact lens, or an intraocular lens, the treatment container ( 1 ) comprising

a bottom ( 3 ),

a side wall ( 4 ) surrounding the bottom ( 3 ) and together with the bottom ( 3 ) forming a cavity ( 5 ) for accommodating the ophthalmic lens ( 2 ),

a container opening ( 6 ) arranged opposite to the bottom ( 3 ), and

a fluid opening ( 7 ) arranged in the bottom ( 3 ) or in the side wall ( 4 ) of the treatment container ( 1 ), the fluid opening ( 7 ) being in fluid communication with the cavity ( 5 ),

the treatment container ( 1 ) further comprising

a fluid conveyance channel ( 8 ) and

a supply connector ( 9 ),

wherein the fluid conveyance channel ( 8 ) is connected to the fluid opening ( 7 ) so as to be in fluid communication with the fluid opening ( 7 ), and wherein the fluid conveyance channel ( 8 ) is further connected to the supply connector ( 9 ) so as to be in fluid communication with the supply connector ( 9 ), to allow for introducing a treatment liquid into the cavity ( 5 ) or for removing a treatment liquid from the cavity ( 5 ) through the supply connector ( 9 ), the conveyance channel ( 8 ) and the fluid opening ( 7 ).

2 . Treatment container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the bottom ( 3 ) that faces towards the cavity ( 5 ) is concavely shaped.

3 . Treatment container ( 1 ) according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,

wherein the treatment container ( 1 ) has a rim ( 10 ) at one end of the side wall ( 4 ) arranged at the container opening ( 6 ), the rim ( 10 ) being arranged in a plane and surrounding the container opening ( 6 ),

and wherein the fluid opening ( 7 ) is arranged, at least in part, in the bottom ( 3 ) of the container at a location in the cavity ( 5 ) which is arranged most distally from the plane in which the rim ( 10 ) surrounding the container opening ( 6 ) is arranged.

4 . Treatment container ( 1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a surface of the bottom ( 3 ) that faces towards the cavity ( 5 ) comprises a structure ( 9 ) facing the interior of the cavity ( 5 ), to allow for uniform wetting of the ophthalmic lens ( 2 ).

5 . Treatment container ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the structure comprises one or more grooves ( 11 ) arranged in the bottom surface, in particular four grooves arranged at 90° or eight grooves arranged at 45° relative to one another when viewed in a circumferential direction of the container, and meeting at an intersection ( 12 ) located centrally in the bottom surface.

6 . Treatment container ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the fluid opening ( 7 ) is connected, at least in part, to one of the one or more grooves ( 11 ) arranged in the bottom surface so as to be in fluid communication with the one of the one or more grooves ( 11 ), to allow for introduction and/or removal of the treatment liquid.

7 . Container plate ( 13 ) comprising a plurality of treatment containers ( 1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

8 . Container plate ( 13 ) according to claim 7 , wherein the supply connectors ( 9 ) of two or more treatment containers ( 1 ) of the plurality of treatment containers ( 1 ) together form a common supply connector ( 9 ), and wherein the fluid openings ( 7 ) of the two or more treatment containers ( 1 ) are in fluid communication with the common supply connector ( 9 ) via the conveyance channels ( 8 ) of the two or more treatment containers ( 1 ), for concurrently introducing a treatment liquid into or concurrently removing a treatment liquid from the two or more treatment containers ( 1 ) which are in fluid communication with the common supply connector ( 9 ).

9 . Container plate ( 13 ) according to claim 8 , wherein the common supply connector ( 9 ) is configured to receive a supply pipe, in particular a suction pipe ( 14 ) from a liquid aspirator.

10 . Container plate ( 13 ) according to claim 9 , wherein the container plate ( 13 ) has a plate bottom ( 15 ) and a plate top surface ( 16 ), and wherein each of the supply connectors ( 9 ) has a supply pipe receiving opening ( 17 ) which is arranged at the plate top surface ( 16 ) opposite to the plate bottom ( 15 ).

11 . Container plate ( 13 ) according to any one of claims 7 to 10 , wherein the plurality of treatment containers ( 1 ) are integrally formed with the container plate ( 13 ), so that the container plate ( 13 ) including the plurality of treatment containers ( 1 ) is made from one piece, thus forming a monolithic container plate.

12 . Container plate ( 13 ) according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of treatment containers ( 1 ), the liquid conveyance channels ( 8 ) and the supply connectors ( 9 ) are formed during injection molding of the monolithic container plate ( 13 ), by a deep drawing process or by milling a bulk plate.

13 . Container tray ( 18 ) comprising a container plate ( 13 ) according to any one of claims 7 to 12 , and a container plate frame ( 19 ) holding the container plate ( 13 ) and having fixtures adapted to cooperate with corresponding fixtures of a production facility.

14 . Method for treatment of an ophthalmic lens ( 2 ), in particular a contact lens such as a hard or soft contact lens, or an intraocular lens, with a treatment liquid, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a container plate ( 13 ) according to any one of claims 7 to 13 ,

introducing ophthalmic lenses ( 2 ) into the cavities ( 5 ) of the treatment containers ( 1 ) of the container plate ( 13 ),

filling the treatment containers ( 1 ) with a treatment liquid either through the container openings ( 6 ) or through the fluid openings ( 7 ),

removing the treatment liquid through the fluid openings ( 7 ), either after a predetermined time during which the ophthalmic lenses ( 2 ) are exposed to the treatment liquid or during filling the treatment containers ( 1 ) with the treatment liquid,

optionally repeating the steps of filling the treatment containers ( 1 ) with the treatment liquid and removing the treatment liquid in accordance with a predetermined treatment scheme to complete a treatment cycle, and

removing the ophthalmic lenses ( 2 ) from the cavities ( 5 ) of the treatment containers ( 1 ).

15 . Method according to claim 14 , wherein the treatment containers ( 1 ) are rinsed with a rinsing liquid between two subsequent treatment cycles.