Lens aligning and blocking apparatus

Claim 1

LENS ALIGNING AND BLOCKING APPARATUS COMPRISING A MOLD HAVING A BLOCK FORMING CAVITY THEREIN, SAID CAVITY HAVING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED OPEN ENDS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING A LENS BLANK AGAINST ONE OF SAID OPEN ENDS OF SAID CAVITY TO CLOSE SUCH END, ALIGNING MEANS REMOVABLY INSERTABLE INTO SAID CAVITY THROUGH THE END THEREOF OPPOSITE TO SAID CLOSED ONE END, SAID ALIGNING MEANS INCLUDING A PLUNGER OF GENERALLY ROD-LIKE CONFIGUATION ADAPTED FOR ENDWISE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LENS BLANK AND FORMED OF LIGHT-CONDUCTING MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY OPAQUE FIDUCIAL MARK AT THE LENS BLANK ENGAGING END THEREOF RELATIVE TO WHICH SAID LENS BLANK MAY BE ALIGNED IN PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID CAVITY WHEREBY, FOLLOWING SUCH ALIGNMENT OF SAID LENS BLANK AND SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL OF SAID ALIGNING MEANS FROM SAID CAVITY, A MOLDABLE MATERIAL MAY BE INTRODUCED INTO SAID CAVITY SO AS TO FORM A BLOCK ON SAID LENS BLANK TO PREALIGNED RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH.