US4143017A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process of producing soft contact lenses
Assignee: Hoya Lens Corp
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Filing: 1977-02-25
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Granted: 1979-03-06
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Expires: 1997-02-25
Abstract
Abstract A soft contact lens having a water content of 20 to 45% and a tensile strength of at least 500 g/mm 2 can be produced by pouring into a mold a composition comprising 70 to 90% by weight of an alkylene glycol monomethacrylate, 0 to 2% by weight of a polyfunctional monomer as a crosslinking agent, 0 to 5% by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule, 2 to 25% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester and 0 to 10% by weight of a vinyl monomer such as vinyl acetate, effecting polymerization of the composition, processing the resulting polymer into a lens, and then hydrating and swelling the lens thus obtained.
Inventors
- 👤 Niro Tarumi
- 👤 Makoto Tuchiya
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 15:13
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B1/00; G02B1/04; G02B1/041; G02B1/043; C; C08; C08F; C08F220/00; C08F220/02; C08F220/10; C08F220/26; C08F220/28; C08F220/282; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S526/00; Y10S526/93; Y10S526/936
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A soft contact lens swelled by hydration treatment having a water content of 20 to 45% and a tensile strength of at least 500 g/mm 2 and consisting of a copolymer of 70 to 90% by weight of an alkylene glycol monomethacrylate, 0 to 2% by weight of a polyfunctional monomer as a crosslinking agent, 0 to 5% by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule, 2 to 25% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester and 0 to 10% by weight of a vinyl monomer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A soft contact lens swelled by hydration treatment having a water content of 20 to 45% and a tensile strength of at least 500 g/mm 2 and consisting of a copolymer of 70 to 90% by weight of an alkylene glycol monomethacrylate, 0 to 2% by weight of a polyfunctional monomer as a crosslinking agent, 0 to 5% by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule, 2 to 25% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester and 0 to 10% by weight of a vinyl monomer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said alkylene glycol monomethacrylate is selected from the group consisting of monomethacrylates of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol of the formula, HO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H wherein n is 5 to 1000.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said polyfunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate of the formula, ##STR5## wherein n is 5 to 23, butylene glycol dimethacrylate, neopentyl glycol dimethacrylate, propylene glycol dimethacrylate and diethylene glycol bisallylcarbonate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and itaconic acid.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said methacrylic acid ester is selected from the group consisting of methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate and n-hexyl methacrylate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said vinyl monomer is vinyl acetate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 0.5% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 0.3% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 2% by weight of said vinyl monomer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 0.5% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer, at least 0.3% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid and at least 2% by weight of said vinyl monomer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 1% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer and at least 1.5% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A soft contact lens according to claim 1, wherein said copolymer comprises at least 5% by weight of said vinyl monomer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
112 words
A process for producing a soft contact lens which comprises pouring into a mold a composition comprising 70 to 90% by weight of an alkylene glycol monomethacrylate, 0 to 2% by weight of a polyfunctional monomer as a crosslinking agent, 0 to 5% by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule, 2 to 25% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester and 0 to 10% by weight of a vinyl monomer, raising the temperature of the composition from 35° C. to 110° C. continuously to effect polymerization, processing the resulting polymer into a lens, and then swelling the lens thus obtained by hydration treatment.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
112 words
A process for producing a soft contact lens which comprises pouring into a mold a composition comprising 70 to 90% by weight of an alkylene glycol monomethacrylate, 0 to 2% by weight of a polyfunctional monomer as a crosslinking agent, 0 to 5% by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one carboxyl group in its molecule, 2 to 25% by weight of a methacrylic acid ester and 0 to 10% by weight of a vinyl monomer, raising the temperature of the composition from 35° C. to 110° C. continuously to effect polymerization, processing the resulting polymer into a lens, and then swelling the lens thus obtained by hydration treatment.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein a radical polymerization catalyst is added to said composition.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to claim 14, wherein said radical polymerization catalyst is selected from the group consisting of benzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, bis-4-tert-butylcyclohexyl peroxydicarbonate, diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, and azobisisobutyronitrile.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
43 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said hydration treatment is carried out by immersing the resulting hard lens in normal saline solution containing an alkali metal salt at room temperature or with heating and then immersing in normal saline solution several times.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said hydration treatment is carried out by immersing the resulting hard lens in normal saline solution, immersing in normal saline solution containing an alkali metal salt, and then immersing in normal saline solution several times.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said hydration treatment is carried out by immersing the resulting hard lens in normal saline solution several times.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 16, wherein said alkali metal salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, lithium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate and potassium hydrogen carbonate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 17, wherein said alkali metal salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, lithium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate and potassium hydrogen carbonate.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 13.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said composition comprises at least 0.5% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 22.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said composition comprises at least 0.3% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 24.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said composition comprises at least 2% by weight of said vinyl monomer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 26.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
39 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said composition comprises at least 0.5% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer, at least 0.3% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid and at least 2% by weight of said vinyl monomer.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 28.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process according to claim 13, wherein said composition comprises at least 1% by weight of said polyfunctional monomer and at least 1.5% by weight of said unsaturated carboxylic acid.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
9 words
The product prepared by the process of claim 30.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1982-03-05 | 1982-09-04 | 1983-03-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1986-03-05 | 1986-09-04 | 1987-03-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1990-03-05 | 1990-09-04 | 1991-03-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |