US 11,745,452 B2
Modular production line for the production of ophthalmic lenses
Roger Biel, Aschaffenburg (DE); Karin Stoller, Frankfurt (DE); Daniel Kessler, Lützelhausen (DE); Burkhard Dietrich, Monheim (DE); and Jens Hof, Grosswallstadt (DE)
Assigned to Alcon Inc., Fribourg (CH)
Filed by Alcon Inc., Fribourg (CH)
Filed on Dec. 1, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/457,147.
Application 17/457,147 is a continuation of application No. 16/109,044, filed on Aug. 22, 2018, granted, now 11,215,844.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/549,552, filed on Aug. 24, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0082861 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B29D 11/00 (2006.01); G02C 7/02 (2006.01); G02C 7/04 (2006.01)
CPC B29D 11/00009 (2013.01) [B29D 11/00125 (2013.01); B29D 11/00259 (2013.01); G02C 7/024 (2013.01); G02C 7/04 (2013.01); B29D 11/00509 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Production line (PL) for the production of contact lenses, the production line comprising
a manufacturing module (MM) in which the contact lenses are manufactured,
an inspection module (IM) in which the contact lenses manufactured are inspected, and
a packaging module (PP) in which the ophthalmic lenses which have been identified by the inspection module (IM) as being acceptable are packed into primary packages,
wherein the manufacturing module (MM) comprises a plurality of manufacturing stations comprising a dosing station (320), a closing station (321), a forming station (322), a curing station (330), a mold opening station (340), a removal station (342), for manufacturing the contact lenses, with at least one of these manufacturing stations comprising a dosing station (320), a closing station (321), a forming station (322), and a curing station (330), being configured to apply a lens identification code to the respective contact lens, the lens identification code including information indicative of the type of the respective contact lens manufactured,
wherein the modular production line further comprises fixedly arranged transfer interfaces between individual modules (MM, IM, PP) for transferring the contact lenses from a respective preceding module of the at least three separate modules to a respective subsequent module of the at least three separate modules,
wherein either the inspection module (IM) or the packaging module (PP) includes a lens detection station configured to read the lens identification code applied to the respective contact lens and to detect the type of the contact lens from the lens identification code read from the respective contact lens in order to determine whether the type of contact lens detected actually is the type of contact lens which is expected to be detected by the lens detection station at that time.