Method and lens holder for tinting spectacle lenses

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for tinting a spectacle lens (60). The method comprises selectively performing a surface treatment on a preselected portion (62) of a surface of the spectacle lens, and providing a tinting solution (70) to the spectacle lens. Further, a lens holder (10) for tinting a spectacle lens (60) is provided, the lens holder comprising a receiving unit (20) adapted to hold the spectacle lens (60) at a predetermined position and a masking unit (30) adapted to mask a portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens when the spectacle lens is held at the predetermined position by the receiving unit (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the tinting of spectacle lenses. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for tinting a spectacle lens by selectively treating the surface of the spectacle lens, a tinted spectacle lens obtained by the method, and a lens holder for the method. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a tinting system including a lens holder, a corresponding computer program and computer-readable data, and a kit for performing the method. Background Art

[0002] Tinting of eyeglass lenses is desirable for many reasons, including medical and safety reasons. Due to the nature of the surface caused by the surface material itself or the coatings applied to the surface, simple surface printing often cannot produce tinting with the required quality, especially tinting with the desired resolution and durability.

[0003] Further, there is a need to effectively tint only selected portions of the surface of eyeglass lenses, such as patterns representing symbols, numbers, letters, simple shapes, etc. For sunglasses, solid tinted lenses are most commonly used, however, partial tinting or gradient tinting has become increasingly important in recent years, offering additional advantages.

[0004] Conventionally, selective tinting of eyeglass lenses has been achieved so far by designing and applying masking means (such as tapes or films) to cover the portions of the lens surface that are not desired to be tinted by immersing the eyeglass lens in a bath comprising a dye. However, this method has disadvantages in terms of reproducibility and uniformity.

[0005] In particular, the conventional method using an adhesive tape has the disadvantage that, during the immersion of the lens in the tinting bath, in particular when tinting on the curved surfaces of the spectacle lens (both the concave and convex sides), undesirable material penetrates under the masked part of the lens. Since the tape is applied to the lens manually, this poor applicability of the conventional method on the curved surfaces of the spectacle lens may be due to the wrinkles formed when the tape is applied to the surface. Further, wrinkles may easily form on the edges of the tape, since the shape of the tape that must be applied on the curved surface of the spectacle lens is mostly flat. In addition, the larger the part of the spectacle lens that needs to be masked, the worse the adhesion between the tape and the spectacle lens becomes. These wrinkles lead to water penetration and therefore to uneven tinting with blurred edges of the pattern, or ultimately to color spots. In particular, for spectacle lenses with a high curvature, it is difficult to obtain the desired tinting with good quality using conventional methods.

[0006] Further, conventional selective coloring methods can only provide limited coloring patterns. For example, the most common method for achieving coloring patterns is a die-cutting process, in which a mold is used to cut the tape on the die press to prepare the tape into the desired form. However, the die-cutting process does not allow the realization of patterns with small sizes or complex patterns, because the small-sized tape may be easily broken during the die-cutting or tape application step. In addition, the masking tape of small size may also be easy to be colored and infiltrated. In addition, since the step of applying the die-cut tape to the eyeglass lens is done manually, it is difficult to realize a tape with a shape that is not connected to the edge (side) of the lens, because it is not easy to accurately repeat the alignment of the tape to the exact same position of multiple lenses by using the hand. In this way, conventional methods are inefficient and even unsuitable for coloring selective, complex and / or small patterns on eyeglass lenses. US 4,991,849 about incorporating slits into golf glasses mentions masking the slit portion during the shading of golf glasses, but this also involves the same problem mentioned above. In addition, it fails to provide any specific masking method.

[0007] Finally, in most cases, the tinting of the tape requires first preparing a metal mold with which to mold the individual tapes to be applied to the respective spectacle lenses, after which the tapes are die-cut. Moreover, since the number of tapes required is as great as the number of spectacle lenses to be tinted, this is a cumbersome process and requires a high level of manual labor and skilled operators to align the tapes to the lenses. Further, the tapes must be disposed of after use. Moreover, even when producing prototypes of a single or only a few tinted lenses in the initial stages of lens development, it is necessary to already manufacture the metal molds with the associated costs and time.

[0008] In order to improve the coloring of ophthalmic lenses, US 9 677 222 B2 discloses a method for selectively coloring a substrate between different parts of the lens substrate surface by using two different surface materials. Here, a substrate having a first surface portion formed by a first material and a second surface portion formed by a second material is used, wherein the first material and the second material are different. The dye source penetrates only into the first surface portion having the first material by heating, and does not penetrate into the second surface having the second material. This utilizes the difference between the gelation temperature or softening temperature of the materials. However, since an additional step of film formation and fine adjustment of the heating temperature are required for the corresponding eyeglass lenses with different surfaces, there is still a need to improve the coloring process. Further, through the film forming process, it may not be easy to obtain high-quality coloring due to insufficient difference between the properties of the two surface materials.

[0009] There are also methods in which an ink receptor layer is applied in the form of a thin film on a lens substrate. JP 3075403 describes a method for producing tinted plastic lenses by applying a hardening coating to a spectacle lens and applying an aqueous ink solution containing disperse dyes to the hardening coating by means of an inkjet printer, heat treatment, and finally removal by washing and finally by a water-soluble polymer coating. WO 2006 / 079 564 A1 proposes a simplified method, which coats a substrate of an optical lens with a layer of an ink receptor material capable of forming a porous ink receptor film, evaporates the solvent present in the ink receptor material to form a porous film, applies the ink solution to the porous film using an inkjet so that the ink solution is absorbed into the porous film, heats the optical lens until the substrate obtains the desired coloring, and then removes the ink receptor film. Thus, for these methods, it is necessary to apply an auxiliary layer to the lens substrate. It is particularly difficult to obtain transparent coatings and thin film coatings without haze, and the application and adaptation of the auxiliary layer may have an adverse effect on the lens performance. In addition, the necessary additional process steps associated therewith may be cumbersome and inefficient.

[0010] EP 3 266 598 A1 appears to be the closest prior art and discloses a process for marking optical spectacles. In a first step, areas of the optical spectacles are treated with a laser beam in order to remove the surface coating in the detreated areas. The movement of the laser beam can be programmed to produce a pattern or elements of a pattern in order to draw on the spectacles. Afterwards, ink is deposited in the detreated areas in order to form an ink pattern, for example by inkjet printing. By this process, the surface coating that prevents the adhesion of the ink is locally removed in order to reach a layer of the ophthalmic lens that has properties that allow the ink to be retained. Disadvantageously, this method is applied to optical spectacles with further coatings, requires laser beam treatment, and is susceptible to damage due to insufficient adhesion of the ink.

[0011] Problem to be solved

[0012] Therefore, there is still a need for a new selective coloring method which is able to provide the desired coloring pattern in an industrially efficient and simple manner and with high quality.

[0013] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for selectively tinting an eyeglass lens, an improved tinted lens obtained by the method, an improved lens holder, and an improved tinting device. In addition, a tinting system including a lens holder, a corresponding computer program, computer readable data, and a kit for performing the method may also be provided.

[0014] The inventors have recognized the need for more complex and high-quality tinting in an easier to apply and reproducible manner. Accordingly, the present invention provides, on the one hand, high-quality tinted eyeglass lenses with cost efficiency and flexibility compared to tape tinting methods, and on the other hand, enables tinting in an easily applicable and reproducible manner and with high-quality tinting without compromising lens performance compared to methods using auxiliary film layers for tinting or additional treatments. Summary of the invention

[0015] Over the years, plasma treatment has been used for various applications, such as surface treatment, oxidation, polymer etching, etc. Depending on the type of target material, plasma conditions or the type of plasma used, plasma treatment can produce different effects. For example, in CN 105204180, plasma treatment is applied to eyeglass lenses to deposit a plasma layer on the surface of the eyeglass lenses, but still no practical application of the method is provided.

[0016] Based on the concept of tinting eyeglass lenses by finely adjusting the surface properties of eyeglass lenses using plasma treatment, the inventors have achieved the present invention which can solve the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0017] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for selectively tinting an eyeglass lens, the method comprising: (i) selectively plasma treating a preselected portion of a surface of the eyeglass lens, and (ii) providing a tinting solution to at least the portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens that was not treated with plasma.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lens holder suitable for tinting a spectacle lens, the lens holder comprising a receiving unit suitable for holding the spectacle lens at a predetermined position and a masking unit suitable for masking a portion of a surface of the spectacle lens when the spectacle lens is held at the predetermined position by the receiving unit.

[0019] A third aspect of the invention is the use of a lens holder according to the second aspect for selective tinting of an eyeglass lens, the lens holder being adapted to cover a portion of a surface of the eyeglass lens held by the lens holder during plasma treatment.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect, a system or apparatus for tinting is provided, wherein the system or apparatus comprises a lens holder according to the second aspect, an apparatus for plasma treatment, and a tinting bath having a tinting solution.

[0021] The fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention provide a computer program comprising instructions, which, when the program is executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, and a computer-readable data carrier or data signal comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the computer program can be stored on a computer-readable non-transitory data carrier. Therefore, any one of the method steps specified above can be performed by using a computer or a computer network, preferably by using a computer program. Specifically, the computer program can send instructions to a device suitable for processing plasma (such as a plasma treatment device), and the device performs plasma treatment accordingly. For example, the device can be programmed to perform plasma treatment at a preselected portion of an eyeglass lens. Further, the computer program can send instructions to a device suitable for providing a coloring solution (such as a coloring bath or a coloring chamber), and the device applies the coloring solution to the eyeglass lens according to the instructions.

[0022] A seventh aspect of the present invention also provides a kit comprising a lens holder according to the second aspect of the present invention and instructions for using the lens holder according to the method of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0023] The basic concept of the present invention is to provide a method for tinting an eyeglass lens having a surface by selectively subjecting a preselected portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens to a plasma treatment, such that the preselected portion exposed to the plasma treatment is not tinted in a subsequent tinting step, while the surface of the eyeglass lens not subjected to the plasma treatment is tinted. The inventors have discovered that the plasma treatment changes the surface properties of the eyeglass lens. By the plasma treatment, the exposed surface of the eyeglass lens is changed in a manner that inhibits tinting thereon with a tinting solution, thereby providing a highly selective application of the tinting solution to the surface of the eyeglass lens not subjected to the plasma treatment, while only a very thin area of ​​the preselected surface of the eyeglass lens is changed, such that the desired surface properties of the eyeglass lens are not substantially changed or damaged.

[0024] Throughout this specification, the following definitions apply:

[0025] A spectacle lens is an ophthalmic lens that is worn in front of the eyeball but does not contact the eyeball (DIN ISO 13666:2019, Section 3.5.2), wherein an ophthalmic lens is a lens intended for measuring, correcting and / or protecting the eye, or changing its appearance (DIN ISO 13666:2019, Section 3.5.1). Non-limiting examples of spectacle lenses include corrective spectacle lenses and non-corrective spectacle lenses (including single-vision lenses or multifocal lenses that may be segmented or non-segmented) and other elements for correcting, protecting or enhancing vision, magnifying lenses and protective lenses or visors, such as those distributed in glasses, binoculars, goggles and helmets. In particular, spectacle lenses are lenses designed to fit into spectacle frames to protect the eyes and / or correct vision, and may be non-corrective ophthalmic lenses (also called plano-focal or afocal lenses, for example for sunglasses, sports-specific glasses or for filtering out specific wavelengths) or corrective ophthalmic lenses. The corrective lens may be a single-focal lens, a bifocal lens, a trifocal lens or a progressive lens. Accordingly, in general, in the context of the present invention, the term "lens" or "lenses" refers to any of the above spectacle lenses.

[0026] The spectacle lens of the present invention is preferably a "spectacle lens substrate". The term "spectacle lens substrate" refers to a piece of optical material used in the manufacturing process of the spectacle lens, i.e. a precursor of the finished spectacle lens. A suitable precursor of the finished spectacle lens is, for example, a semi-finished lens blank, wherein the term "semi-finished lens blank" refers to a piece of optical material having one optically finished surface for making a spectacle lens (DIN ISO 13666:2019, Section 3.8.1). In any case, the spectacle lens substrate as used herein presents at least one surface without any coating, such as an AR (anti-reflective) coating or an HC (hard coating) coating, which surface is to be used in the method described herein.

[0027] The term "lens material" refers to a material used to manufacture spectacles. A spectacle lens may comprise or consist of a lens material. The term "surface" or "spectacle lens surface" refers to any layer of a three-dimensional spectacle lens that is in direct contact with the environment. The surface may be considered as the boundary of a three-dimensional spectacle lens. The surface of a spectacle lens substrate comprises its front surface, i.e. the front side; the side surfaces, i.e. the edges; and the back surface, i.e. the back side.

[0028] The term "masking" refers to a portion of a surface of a spectacle lens that covers, and thereby protects, the masked portion of the surface of the spectacle lens from contact with other substances or from the application of treatments.

[0029] The term "demasking" means taking off or removing a covering or substance from a surface of an eyeglass lens, thereby enabling the previously masked portion to be re-exposed to other substances or treatments.

[0030] The term "cover" means to place or place something on, over, or around an object in order to protect the object.

[0031] The term "preselected portion" refers to a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens which is determined to be non-tinted. The selection is made before applying the method. There may be at least one preselected portion in the method.

[0032] The term "portion (of the surface of the spectacle lens)" means a separate or distinct portion or sub-region of the whole (surface of the spectacle lens). The term "at least (towards) a portion" may refer to a portion or sub-region and / or the whole.

[0033] The term "tinting" refers to the process of providing a tint to the surface of a spectacle lens. A tinted spectacle lens is a spectacle lens for which at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., the human perceptible illumination spectrum (380nm-780nm) and / or other spectral ranges, such as the NIR (780nm-3000nm), UV-A (315nm-380nm) and UV-B (280nm-315nm) ranges) is attenuated due to the addition of a further substance (i.e., not by the polymer lens material itself). The amount of attenuation may be, for example, 6%-99%. In the case of attenuation within the human perceptible illumination spectrum, this may result in a light transmittance of, for example, 1%-94% in the tinted lens area as defined in DIN EN ISO8930-3:2013. The light transmittance may be further influenced by subsequently applied coatings, such as AR coatings or HC coatings. Typically, the tinting may be obtained by dipping or immersing the substrate in a tinting bath, i.e., a liquid dye solution. The colored substrate may exhibit a uniform coloration, ie, a colored area exhibits the same degree of transmission throughout the colored area, or the colored substrate may exhibit a coloration gradient, ie, the degree of transmission gradually changes within the colored area.

[0034] The term "tinting solution" is understood to mean a liquid comprising a colorant configured to tint an eyeglass lens. The tinting solution may include a dye, which is a color substance that gives the lens a specific tint or is used to change the tint of an eyeglass lens, and may optionally include a swelling agent, a buffering solution, a surfactant and / or a buffer. If desired, the tinting solution may be converted into a tinting vapor. The term "aqueous tinting solution" is a tinting solution in which the main solvent is water.

[0035] The term "selective tinting" means that the tinting is present only at certain desired portions of the surface of the spectacle lens, thereby presenting tinted and non-tinted surfaces, for example in the form of a pattern. In a similar context, the phrases "selectively plasma treated" or "selective plasma treatment" mean that the plasma treatment is applied only to certain desired (preselected) portions of the surface of the spectacle lens, while the remaining surface is not plasma treated.

[0036] The term "pattern" refers to any macroscopic element. For example, selective (local) colored parts of a spectacle lens, marks, gradients, numbers, letters of any type of graphics, graphic representations (such as dots, symbols, etc.) on a spectacle lens can be considered as patterns.

[0037] The term "gradient" is used in particular to describe the distribution of lens tinting intensity over the surface of a spectacle lens. In particular, the term "gradient tinting" is used to describe the chromaticity of a lens, more specifically a gradually varying tinting intensity over a lens, in a direction parallel to the surface of the spectacle lens, with increasing intensity in a first direction and decreasing intensity in an opposite direction. The term "boundary gradient tinting" is used to describe a gradient tinting at the boundary of a tinted surface and a non-tinted surface of a spectacle lens.

[0038] The term "plasma" is a particle cluster containing equal amounts of positive ions and electrons, free radicals and natural substances produced by exciting a gas in an electromagnetic or electric field. It is a state of matter in which ionized matter becomes highly conductive to the extent that long-range electric and magnetic fields dominate its behavior. Plasma contains a considerable portion of charged particles, i.e., ions and / or electrons. Plasma can be artificially generated by heating a neutral gas or subjecting a neutral gas to a strong electromagnetic field. The term "plasma treatment" or "performing a plasma treatment" refers to treating an object by plasma conditions using a plasma generation method. Artificial plasma can be generated by applying an electric field and / or a magnetic field through a gas. For example, the generation method can be, but is not limited to, a low-pressure discharge, such as a glow discharge plasma, a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), a cascade arc plasma source, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), a wave-heated plasma; or atmospheric pressure, such as an arc discharge, a corona discharge, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), a capacitor discharge, an atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD), a piezoelectric direct discharge plasma; or even an ion gun (oxygen, argon, etc.).

[0039] The term "receiving unit" defines a portion of a lens holder that is specifically configured to receive and hold one or more lenses. The receiving unit is configured to hold a spectacle lens in a predetermined position to achieve a desired tinting pattern at a desired portion of the surface of the spectacle lens. The receiving unit may include a subunit configured to be mounted on at least a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens. For example, the subunit may be a "ring-shaped mounting device", which is a subunit in the form of a ring, which is configured to be mounted on the upper periphery of the lens, and optionally on the outer (edge) periphery, adapted to the corresponding shape and surface profile (curvature) of the lens to be tinted. The ring-shaped mounting substantially matches the periphery of the spectacle lens. The receiving unit may include a device for holding the lens, preferably at least two devices for holding the lens in a predetermined position. However, any other configuration suitable for receiving and holding the lens may be defined as a receiving unit. The term "device for holding the lens" or "holding device" refers to any subunit that can hold the lens during plasma treatment, which is designed to fit the side (edge ​​shape, thickness) profile of the lens, such as a snap-fit ​​joint.

[0040] The term "masking device" is a structure that masks or covers at least a portion of the surface of the lens. Any structure that is suitable for masking or covering a portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens and protecting a portion of the surface of the eyeglass during plasma treatment can be defined as a masking device. For example, the masking device can be any type of tape (e.g., adhesive tape) that can be placed on the surface of the eyeglass lens and cover the surface of the eyeglass lens, any material suitable for covering the surface of the eyeglass lens (e.g., a masking agent, a stamp cover or a 3D printed cover, etc.). At the same time, the term "masking unit" in the present invention is specifically used to refer to one of the components of the lens holder according to the second aspect of the present invention. The masking unit is a component of the lens holder and masks the surface of the eyeglass lens during plasma treatment.

[0041] The term "opening" in the present invention refers to an open portion (e.g., a hole or an orifice) of a masking device or a masking unit, so that a portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens corresponding to the position of the opening of the lens holder is not covered and protected. The shape of the opening is not limited and can be selected in consideration of the desired tinting pattern.

[0042] The term "space protrusion" is a hollow portion of a masking unit of a lens holder, which extends above an average surface of the masking unit, thereby forming a space gap therebetween.

[0043] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the articles "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent.

[0044] A method for tinting an eyeglass lens having a surface according to a first aspect of the invention comprises: (i) selectively plasma treating preselected portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens, and (ii) providing a tinting solution to at least portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens that have not been plasma treated.

[0045] In the step of selectively plasma treating a preselected portion of the surface of the spectacle lens, plasma is applied only to the preselected portion. In the subsequent tinting step, the plasma-treated preselected portion of the surface of the spectacle lens will not be tinted, while the remaining portion of the surface of the spectacle lens that has not been plasma treated (i.e., the surface other than the preselected portion) will be tinted. The preselected portion will be determined depending on the desired tinting pattern, keeping in mind that the preselected portion will not be tinted, while the remaining portion of the surface of the spectacle lens will be tinted.

[0046] The plasma treatment may be performed on a surface of a spectacle lens having a surface, in particular a front surface, a side surface and / or a rear surface, without any coating, such as an AR (anti-reflective) coating or an HC (hard coating) coating. In this case, the spectacle lens is preferably a spectacle lens substrate. That is, the plasma treatment is performed on a surface of a spectacle lens without any additional lens coating or lens layer, which is required in the prior art (e.g. laser beam treatment) and makes the prior art process inefficient. The reduction in the number of coating layers reduces the investment in the coating machine at the initial stage. The durability of the lens is also improved due to the reduction of adhesion of the interface and the entire coating stack.

[0047] The plasma treatment is performed on the spectacle lens or on the surface of the spectacle lens, preferably on the surface of the spectacle lens surface, more preferably perpendicular to the center of the surface of the spectacle lens.

[0048] In the present invention, since the step of performing a plasma treatment (which results in different properties between the preselected portions of the surface that are plasma treated and the portions of the surface that are not plasma treated) is completed before the tinting solution is provided to the spectacle lens, there is no disadvantage of liquid infiltration (which results in non-uniform tinting) due to poor adhesion of the masking device caused by the penetration of the tinting solution under the masking device. Further, since the selective tinting is achieved by different properties of the corresponding portions of the surface of the spectacle lens, the tinting quality produced during the tinting step will be less affected by the masking itself (but by the plasma treatment conditions) compared to the prior art where the tinting quality depends on the adhesion or quality of the masking device.

[0049] In one embodiment, the step of selectively plasma treating a preselected portion of the surface of the spectacle lens comprises the steps of masking the portion of the surface of the spectacle lens other than the preselected portion before the plasma treatment and demasking the masked portion of the surface of the spectacle lens after the plasma treatment and before the tinting solution is provided to the spectacle lens. That is, the selective plasma treatment on the preselected portion will be achieved by masking the portion of the surface of the spectacle lens other than the preselected portion so that the masked portion is protected during the plasma treatment. The demasking step will be performed after the plasma treatment and before the tinting solution is provided to the spectacle lens.

[0050] In a further embodiment, a masking device may be used for masking. The masking device may be any configuration suitable for covering a portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens during plasma treatment and protecting it from plasma treatment. For example, the masking device may be any type of tape (e.g., adhesive tape) that can be placed on the lens surface and cover the lens surface, as well as any material suitable for covering the lens surface (e.g., a masking agent, a stamp cover, or a 3D printed cover, etc.). In this embodiment, during the step of performing plasma treatment, the masking device is placed on one or more portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens other than the preselected portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens. The masking device is removed in the de-masking step, and the tinting solution is then provided to the eyeglass lens.

[0051] In an exemplary embodiment, the masking device may be a lens holder according to the second aspect of the present invention, the lens holder comprising a receiving unit and a masking unit.

[0052] In this respect, the present invention is completely different from conventional tinting or masking methods using tapes or masking agents in that the masking tape or masking agent is adhered to the lens during the tinting step and is in contact with the tinting solution. Further, the present invention is also different from the laser beam treatment of EP 3 266 598 A1 in that the portion not to be tinted is exposed and the portion to be tinted is covered.

[0053] Spectacle lenses comprising any conventional and known material can be used for the present method. In a preferred embodiment, the spectacle lenses comprise polymer lens materials. Polymer lens materials that can be used in the context of the present invention are those conventionally used in optics and ophthalmology. Suitable lens materials are, for example, of the following types: polyamides, polycarbonates, polyimides, polysulfones, copolymers of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polycarbonates, polyolefins, polyurethanes and polythiourethanes. Specific examples of particularly suitable lens materials are polycarbonates or polyamides. When exposed to plasma treatment, the polymer undergoes crosslinking of polymer chains formed on the surface of the spectacle lens, thereby causing inhibition of coloration by the coloring solution at a subsequent stage. In this regard, it has been found that spectacle lenses comprising polyamides or polycarbonates as lens materials show the greatest difference between the plasma-treated surface and the untreated surface.

[0054] Plasma treatment is selectively performed at preselected portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens to inhibit coloration at the preselected portions. In one embodiment, the eyeglass lens is plasma treated while masked with a masking device or lens holder. Plasma treatment of material surfaces is a well-established technique for producing controlled surface modifications (Zhou et al., Investigation of surface properties of plasma-modified polyamide 6 and polyamide 6 / layered silicate nanocomposites, J Mater Sci (2011) 46:3084-3093; Poncin-Epaillard, Illustration of surface crosslinking of different polymers treated in argon plasma, Macromol. Chem. Phys. 198, 2439-2456 (1997)). The presence of species in the plasma (such as positive ions, electrons, free radicals and natural substances) induces changes in surface properties in the target material. In particular, in polymers, plasmas are known to induce the formation of free radicals in polymer chains and are therefore used to activate polymer surfaces by, for example, crosslinking, etching, activation, etc. The type of reaction that occurs on the surface may depend on the plasma conditions, the target material, the plasma source, etc. In a preferred embodiment of the method, for the subsequent step of providing a tinting solution, the intensity of the treated plasma should be sufficient to induce changes in the surface properties of the exposed (preselected) portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens. For example, in the case of a polymer eyeglass lens, the plasma should be able to induce crosslinking on the surface, resulting in physically tightening the exposed lens surface, thereby inhibiting the tinting solution from entering the exposed (preselected) portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens and causing the preselected portion to not be tinted. By crosslinking on the plasma-treated preselected portion of the surface of the polymer eyeglass lens, the preselected portion will be inhibited from tinting in the subsequent tinting step.

[0055] In order to achieve selective tinting with unique tinting patterns and high quality, the plasma conditions should be appropriately selected. Since different materials with different properties can be combined within the scope of the present invention, it is not possible to specify specific conditions that can be used for all possible lens materials and all possible plasma generation equipment. Nevertheless, the skilled person will be able to determine a suitable set of plasma conditions taking into account the following limitations.

[0056] In this regard, it is preferred that the DC current of the plasma may be from 50 mA to 1,000 mA, more preferably from 50 mA to 500 mA, and most preferably from 100 mA to 300 mA. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the DC voltage may be from 100 V to 10,000 V, more preferably from 100 V to 1,000 V. In another embodiment, the pressure during the plasma treatment may be from 0.001 Pa to 100 Pa, preferably from 0.001 Pa to 50 Pa, and more preferably from 0.001 Pa to 10 Pa. The pressure during the plasma may vary depending on the type of plasma generating equipment and / or the DC current or voltage of the plasma. Plasma conditions weaker than these ranges will not be able to achieve surface property changes that suppress coloring on the preselected portion and thus allow selective and independent coloring. On the other hand, excessively strong plasma conditions may cause damage or degradation of the lens properties of the preselected portion.

[0057] Preferably, the duration of the plasma treatment is about 10 minutes or less, preferably from 10 seconds to 5 minutes, because longer exposure to plasma may result in worse properties of the lens. However, the duration may vary depending on the type and / or intensity of the applied plasma (e.g., plasma current and plasma voltage). The plasma treatment can be performed by any conventionally used industrial device for generating plasma, as long as the device can provide the conditions described above.

[0058] Particularly preferred plasma generating devices are not limited thereto, but may be those using gas discharge. Preferably, the gas may be at least one selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO2), helium (He), xenon (Xe) and air, preferably oxygen (O), argon (Ar) and air. Although not specifically limited thereto, in one embodiment, glow discharge plasma may be used, which is a plasma formed by passing an electric current through a gas. In another embodiment, a more compact ion gun plasma may also be used.

[0059] After the plasma treatment is performed, at least the non-plasma treated surface of the spectacle lens is provided with a tinting solution. In one embodiment, the tinting solution may be provided to the entire surface of the lens, for example, by immersing the entire lens in a tinting bath comprising the tinting solution, etc. This is possible because the properties of the preselected portion of the surface of the lens selectively treated by plasma in the previous step will be changed, so that the tinting solution can no longer be applied to the preselected portion. In another embodiment, the tinting solution may be provided in such a way that a tinting gradient is obtained, for example, by immersing the spectacle lens in a tinting bath and gradually removing it from the bath, so that the longer a portion of the lens is exposed to tinting, the darker it becomes.

[0060] Any tinting solution suitable for tinting the spectacle lens can be used. For example, the tinting solution disclosed in US20070294841 A1, EP 2 966 484 B1 or US 5453100 A can be used and incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment, the tinting solution can be converted into a tinting vapor. The tinting solution provides selective tinting to portions of the surface of the spectacle lens that are not plasma treated due to selective plasma treatment or masking. The tinting solution cannot tint preselected portions of the surface of the spectacle lens that are exposed to the plasma and treated by the plasma. In the case of a spectacle lens comprising a polymer lens material, this is because of crosslinking caused by the plasma treatment on the surface of the polymer spectacle lens.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, the tinting solution is an aqueous tinting solution. It has been found that the aqueous tinting solution provides a more effective and independent selective tinting pattern on the surface of the eyeglass lens because the aqueous tinting solution has a relatively higher reactivity to the non-plasma treated portion of the surface compared to the plasma treated portion preselected portion of the surface. In a more preferred embodiment, the aqueous tinting solution can be used to tint a polymer eyeglass lens.

[0062] Further, the tinting solution comprises at least one dye. The dye should be suitable for tinting eyeglass lenses.

[0063] The tinting solution may further include a swelling agent (also referred to as an impregnation solvent). Typically, a swelling agent allows dye to enter the surface of the eyeglass lens to facilitate the dyeing process, however, after plasma treatment, the surface of the eyeglass lens undergoes a change in properties and renders the swelling agent ineffective. The swelling agent of the present invention selectively acts on the un-plasma-treated portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens by impregnating the surface of the eyeglass lens, and does not act on the pre-selected portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens that has been selectively plasma-treated. Therefore, the swelling agent further causes more obvious coloring on the un-plasma-treated portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens. The selected swelling agent may depend in part on the type of lens material. Exemplary agents include glycol ethers, such as dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPM), tripropylene glycol monoethyl ether (TPM) and propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PM); alcohols, such as ethylene glycol, aromatic alcohols, non-aromatic alcohols, etc.; and / or aromatic compounds, such as xylene, toluene, benzene, etc. It has been found that alcohols as swelling agents provide the most selective coloring after plasma treatment, more preferably aromatic alcohols, such as o-phenylphenol, benzyl alcohol. The effect is even more pronounced when these types of swelling agents are used in aqueous tinting solutions for tinting polymer ophthalmic lenses.

[0064] In another embodiment, the tinting solution may further include a mitigating solvent. When the swelling agent attacks the surface of the eyeglass lens and enables the dye to be impregnated, the mitigating solvent is blended with the swelling agent and acts as a diluent and wetting agent, and reduces the aggressiveness of the swelling agent. The mitigating solvent may be, for example, propylene glycol (PG), 1,4-butanediol, or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EB).

[0065] The molar ratio between the dye and the swelling agent is not limited, but may preferably vary between 0.01 mol% and 5.00 mol%, preferably between 0.05 mol% and 2.00 mol%.

[0066] In further embodiments, the tinting solution may further include a surfactant and / or a buffer to promote mixing of the solution and further improve the impregnation of the dye into the surface of the eyeglass lens. The surfactant is not limited thereto, but may include at least one selected from the group consisting of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, lignin sulfonates, fatty alcohol ethoxylates, and alkylphenol ethoxylates. The buffer may be used to reduce the aggressiveness of the tinting solution or to adjust the pH. Examples of the buffer may include at least one selected from the group consisting of citric acid and acetic acid.

[0067] With this method, the tinting solution and the pattern can be applied directly on the surface of the eyeglass lens. No auxiliary layers such as primer layers are required. Therefore, the method is easy to apply and cost-effective to implement.

[0068] The method of the present invention may further include a step of removing the tinting solution from the surface of the eyeglass lens. Thereafter, the method of the present invention may further include a coating step, such as AR coating or HC coating, mirror coating, photochromic coating, polarizing coating, top coating, etc.

[0069] The lens holder according to the second aspect of the present invention is intended to protect a portion of the surface of a spectacle lens from plasma treatment. The lens holder comprises a receiving unit adapted to hold the spectacle lens at a predetermined position and a masking unit adapted to mask a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens when the spectacle lens is held at the predetermined position by the receiving unit. The lens holder may be in any form as long as it can provide the desired function and may be manufactured by using any conventional method.

[0070] In a preferred embodiment, the lens holder can be manufactured by additive manufacturing (AM) (also known as 3D printing). This provides a high degree of flexibility in designing the lens holder without any restrictions, which in turn brings a high flexibility in the tinting pattern.

[0071] 3D printing is the layer-by-layer construction of three-dimensional objects with precise geometry from a CAD (computer-aided design) model or a digital 3D model. This manufacturing process is carried out directly on the basis of the computer internal data model from a material in an invisible (e.g., liquid, powder, etc.) or neutral form (ribbon, wire) with the aid of chemical and / or physical processes. Although these are one-shot forming methods, for special products, no special tools (e.g., molds) in which the corresponding geometry of the workpiece is stored are required. The current relevant technologies are taught by the VDI Statusreport AM 2014. An overview of current 3D printing methods is provided by 3druck.com / grundkurs-3d-drucker / teil-2-uebersicht-der-aktuellen-3d-druc kverfahren-462146 / , last visited on February 15, 2022.

[0072] The method of multi-jet forming, multi-jet fusion or polymer jet printing has been found to be particularly suitable. This method is described at the following URLs, retrieved on February 15, 2022, for example, URL de.wikipedia.org / wiki / Multi_Jet_Modeling, URL https: / / www.materialise.com / en / manufacturing / 3d-printing-technology / multi-jet-fusion, URL www.materialise.com / de / manufacturing / 3d-druck-technologien / polyjet, or URL www.stratasys.com / polyjet-technology. Alternatively, stereolithography (SLA; see https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Stereolithography), selective laser sintering (SLS; see https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Selective_laser_sintering), selective laser melting (SLM; https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Selective_laser_melting), or fused deposition modeling (FDM; https: / / de.wikipedia.org / wiki / Fused_Deposition_Modeling) may also be used. In a preferred embodiment, the 3D printing method may be multi-jet melting, which does not involve a laser and therefore provides higher throughput and very good surface quality.

[0073] By applying 3D printing when manufacturing the lens holder, further increased flexibility is provided for designing and testing the lens holder. Any tinting pattern including very complex and / or small patterns can be achieved without any technical difficulties.

[0074] All printable plastic materials can be used for the lens holder. Metals are generally avoided to reduce possible scratches on the lens. Plastic materials are particularly preferred because the lens holder is arranged on a spectacle lens without additional coatings such as AR (anti-reflective) coatings or HC (hard coating) coatings. More specifically, plastic materials that can be printed from powders using multi-jet melting are preferred due to their lower cost, higher printing throughput and the lack of need for supporting parts. In a preferred embodiment, the material of the lens holder can be polyamide or polyurethane because of its good thermal and mechanical resistance, low cost and compatibility with multi-jet melting, but is not limited thereto.

[0075] Due to its excellent durability, the lens holder of the invention can be used multiple times on multiple lenses and is reusable, in contrast to adhesive tapes for tinting. This means that the lens holder, after being detached from an eyeglass lens that has been subjected to plasma treatment, can be subjected to multiple cycles of plasma treatment. Thus, it will not be necessary to produce a number of lens holders corresponding to the number of lenses to be tinted, as is usually the case in tinting (where a corresponding number of masks must be produced) and in laser beam treatment (where each lens should be treated with a laser beam to obtain the desired pattern). With such a lens holder, the invention can provide cost-effective, environmentally friendly and efficient tinting.

[0076] The receiving unit of the lens holder is adapted to hold the spectacle lens at a predetermined position so that a desired pattern can be obtained at a desired position (a portion corresponding to the position of the masking unit) on the spectacle lens.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit and the shielding unit of the lens holder are connected to each other. By being connected to each other, the receiving unit and the shielding unit form the lens holder as a single unit. As will be explained below, this can be achieved by a connecting unit or a continuous surface between the shielding unit and the receiving unit.

[0078] In another exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit may include a subunit configured to be mounted on at least a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens. In a further embodiment, the subunit may be an annular mounting device that surrounds at least the upper peripheral surface of the lens. This annular mounting device may be designed to substantially match the upper periphery and / or the outer (side) periphery of the spectacle lens, which is mounted on the annular mounting device. The annular mounting device may be configured to provide rigidity and mechanical strength for the receiving unit for holding the spectacle lens by holding the outer periphery and / or the upper periphery of the spectacle lens. Since the peripheral portion of the spectacle lens covered by the annular mounting device will not be subjected to plasma treatment, this portion will be colored in a subsequent coloring step. Therefore, if necessary, the portion of the lens will be cut from the spectacle lens in an appropriate finishing step. In one embodiment, the width of the annular mounting device may be at most 15 mm, preferably between 1 mm and 10 mm. A width exceeding 15 mm would be impractical, and a width below 1 mm would compromise the mechanical strength of the lens holder.

[0079] The receiving unit may further comprise means for holding a spectacle lens, preferably at least two means for holding a lens, which are attachable to and detachable from the lens, or can be assembled with and detached from the lens. The means for holding a lens may be of any form, which can be attached to / assembled with the lens and then detached / detached from the lens, such that the lens holder does not move during the plasma treatment. In one embodiment, the holding means are configured so that they adapt to the corresponding thickness and edge profile of the spectacle lens to be tinted and secure the lens.

[0080] In an exemplary embodiment, the holding device can be a snap fit. A snap fit is an assembly method for attaching two corresponding parts so that they are interlocked together. In this case, the lens can be designed to have a corresponding part to be interlocked with the holding device. For example, in the case where the eyeglass lens is manufactured by injection molding and has a unique edge shape due to injection molding, the holding device can be configured to match the edge profile of the lens so that the holding device can hold the lens. In this embodiment, the holding device can also be used as a marking device for marking the alignment position of the lens holder. That is, by assembling the holding device to the corresponding position of the lens, the lens holder will be positioned and fixed to the lens according to the desired alignment with the lens, so that the portion that is not desired to be colored during plasma processing is exposed and the portion that is desired to be colored is not exposed, which in turn brings about a coloring pattern at a precise position.

[0081] The holding means can be positioned at an angle to each other, which ensures that the lens is fixed and secured during the plasma treatment. For example, the two means can be displaced at two symmetrical points of the annular mounting means, in other words 180° apart from each other, or between 90° and 180° apart from each other.

[0082] In one embodiment, the lens holder may further include at least one, preferably at least two, marking devices for marking the alignment position on the lens. In this case, the lens may also have markings at corresponding positions on the upper peripheral surface and / or the outer peripheral surface of the lens. Thereby, the lens holder can be easily aligned with the lens at the correct position, so as to accurately obtain the desired tinting pattern at the desired position. In one embodiment, in the case where the lens is manufactured by injection molding and has a unique edge shape due to injection molding, the marking device can be configured to match the edge profile of the lens so that the marking device can be fitted to the lens at the desired position.

[0083] The lens holder further includes a masking unit configured to mask a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens and to protect the portion of the surface of the spectacle lens during the plasma treatment. The masking unit is designed to be positioned at the portion of the surface of the spectacle lens that should receive the desired tinting. The masking unit may be designed in any desired shape, taking into account that only the masked portion of the surface of the spectacle lens is tinted later in the tinting step.

[0084] In one embodiment, the masking unit may be an independent unit positioned separately and independently from the receiving unit. The masking unit will be connected to the receiving unit by at least one connecting unit, which is configured to connect the masking unit and the receiving unit without contacting the lens. For example, the connecting unit may be in the form of a bridge, which is configured not to contact the lens but only to contact the receiving unit and the masking unit. With this construction, a highly flexible tinting pattern design may be provided. Even very small and / or complex patterns may be easily obtained with high-quality tinting. This solves the limitation of tinting with tinting patterns that are difficult to accurately achieve due to alignment difficulties and are not connected to the lens boundary. In one embodiment, the connecting unit may be on a holding device and / or an annular mounting device of a lens holder.

[0085] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the connecting unit is at most 10 mm, more preferably 0.1 mm to 5 mm, and most preferably 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. If the bridge unit is too thick, undesirable color gradations will be produced on the corresponding surface of the spectacle lens. In another embodiment, the height of the connecting unit from the surface of the spectacle lens may be at most 20 mm, more preferably 5 mm to 15 mm.

[0086] In another embodiment, the masking unit and the receiving unit form a single unit with a continuous surface. The masking unit is configured to cover a portion corresponding to a portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens to be tinted and includes at least one opening at a portion corresponding to a preselected portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens that is desired not to be tinted and to be subjected to the selective plasma treatment. The form of the opening may be any form and may be designed in consideration of the desired tinting pattern.

[0087] In a further embodiment, the lens holder may be adapted to provide a tinting pattern having a gradient tinting at the boundary between the tinted surface and the non-tinted surface, which is referred to hereinafter as boundary gradient tinting. To this end, the height between the portion of the masking unit and the surface of the spectacle lens at which the boundary gradient tinting is provided may be adjusted. The higher the height of the portion of the masking unit from the surface of the spectacle lens, the smoother the transition of the gradient of the resulting pattern. By providing a spatial protrusion in the masking unit, thereby creating a vertical space of space between the masking unit and the surface of the spectacle lens, the surface of the spectacle lens corresponding to the position of the spatial protrusion is subjected to a plasma treatment with an intensity adjusted, thereby causing boundary gradient tinting, i.e., gradient tinting at the boundary. In this regard, according to the lens holder of this embodiment, a spectacle lens having boundary gradient tinting may be obtained. Such a tinted spectacle lens may be obtained by any of the methods for selective tinting of spectacle lenses described above and the lens holder described in this regard. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] Further features, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0089] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for tinting an eyeglass lens having a surface by performing a selective plasma treatment according to a first aspect of the invention is shown.

[0090] Figure 2 A lens holder according to the second aspect of the present invention and a lens to be aligned with the lens holder are shown, the lens holder having only a receiving unit. For ease of understanding, the masking unit is omitted.

[0091] Figure 3A and Figure 3B A first exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder is shown, which comprises a receiving unit and a masking unit as a single unit for positive tinting.

[0092] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A second exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder is shown, which comprises the receiving unit, the masking unit and the connecting unit as separate units for negative tinting.

[0093] Figure 5A and Figure 5B A third exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder and a corresponding lens is shown, wherein the receiving unit comprises at least two marking units.

[0094] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B A fourth exemplary embodiment of the lens holder and a corresponding lens are shown, wherein the receiving unit comprises Figure 5A The marking units in the at least two marking units have different forms.

[0095] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B A fifth exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder for border gradient tinting and a lens with border gradient tinting is presented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for tinting according to a first aspect of the invention is shown. In a first step S202, a preselected portion of the surface of a spectacle lens is selected taking into account a desired tinting pattern. That is, a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens that is not desired to be tinted is selected as the preselected portion. In an embodiment where a portion of the surface of the spectacle lens is masked for selective plasma treatment, the spectacle lens (or lenses) is assembled / attached with a masking device or lens holder, wherein the masking device covers a portion (or portions) of the surface of the spectacle lens other than the preselected portion.

[0097] In a second step S204, preselected portions of the surface of the eyeglass lens are selectively treated by plasma. In embodiments using a masking step, the eyeglass lens assembled / attached with a masking device or lens holder is subjected to plasma treatment so that only preselected portions are exposed to the plasma.

[0098] In a third step S206, a tinting solution comprising a dye suitable for tinting the spectacle lens is provided. The lens is immersed (partially or entirely) in the tinting solution to obtain the desired tinting. In embodiments using a masking step or a masking device, the masking device will be removed from the lens before providing the tinting solution. That is, only the spectacle lens is immersed in the tinting solution.

[0099] This step may further include reciprocating the lens in and out of the tinting solution to achieve gradient tinting. Where selective gradient tinting is desired, if the lens is fully or partially immersed in the tinting solution, the lens is then at least partially removed from the tinting solution by an oscillating motion in and out of the tinting solution to achieve the desired gradation in hue and intensity.

[0100] In the fourth step S208, a spectacle lens having a desired tinting pattern is obtained.

[0101] After the fourth step S208, a step of removing the tinting solution from the surface of the spectacle lens and a final and optional coating step, such as AR coating or HC coating, are performed.

[0102] Figure 2 A lens holder 10 for tinting a spectacle lens 60 is shown, the lens holder being configured to protect the surface of the spectacle lens 60 during selective plasma treatment. The lens holder comprises a receiving unit 20 and a masking unit (not shown). Figure 2 , the masking unit is omitted to show the clear construction of the receiving unit. The lens holder 10 and the eyeglass lens 60 will be aligned on the surface to be tinted of the eyeglass lens 60 by the receiving unit 20 configured to hold the eyeglass lens 60 at a predetermined position, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As depicted. The lens holder 10 includes a receiving unit 20 and a masking unit (not shown). The receiving unit 20 may include an annular mounting device 21. The annular mounting device 21 is aligned to match the upper peripheral surface 61 of the lens 60. The thickness may be from 0.1 mm to 20 mm. The upper peripheral surface 61 of the lens 60 is a portion of the lens that can be cut or removed after tinting when not needed. After the lens holder 10 is disassembled from the eyeglass lens 60, the tinting solution 70 may be applied to at least a portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens 60.

[0103] Figure 3A A first exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder 10 is provided, wherein the lens holder 10 comprises: (i) a receiving unit 20 configured to hold a spectacle lens 60 in a predetermined position, the receiving unit comprising an annular mounting device 21 and at least two holding devices 22a, 22b; and (ii) a masking unit 30a. Here, the masking unit 30a and the receiving unit 20 are configured as a single unit with a continuous surface. The masking unit 30a comprises an opening 31a at which the corresponding surface of the spectacle lens will be exposed to the plasma treatment. Here, for simplicity, the opening 31a is depicted as a circular shape, but it can be easily understood from the details already provided that the opening 31a can be designed in a flexible manner. Thereby, in the tinting step, the same desired tinting pattern as the shape of the masking unit 30a minus the opening 31a will be obtained. The lens holder 10 provides positive tinting, wherein the portion 61 of the surface of the spectacle lens covered with the annular mounting device 21 and the portion 63 covered with the masking unit 30a are tinted in a subsequent tinting step. Here, for exemplary purposes, the receiving unit 10 comprises two holding devices 22a, 22b, which provide a fixed holding of the lens to protect the covered portion of the lens surface during the plasma treatment. The holding devices 22a, 22b are designed to cooperate with the edge contour of the lens.

[0104] Using 3D printing, a more flexible design of the lens holder 10 can be obtained, even with very small openings or openings with complex shapes. The number and / or shape of the openings can vary depending on the desired tinting pattern. The surface of the eyeglass lens 60 corresponding to the openings 31a will be exposed during the plasma treatment and will thus not be tinted in the subsequent tinting step. After the plasma treatment, the lens holder 10 is removed from the lens 60 and the tinting solution 70 is provided to the eyeglass lens 60. Thus, a lens 60 having a tinting pattern 61, 63 and a non-tinted surface 62 is obtained, such as Figure 3B shown.

[0105] Figure 4A A second exemplary embodiment of the present lens holder 10 is provided, wherein the lens holder 10 includes: (i) a receiving unit 20, which includes an annular mounting device 21 and at least two holding devices 22a, 22b; and (ii) a masking unit 30b, which is a unit positioned independently and separately from the receiving unit 20. The masking unit 30b is connected to the receiving unit 20 by at least one connecting unit 40a, 40b. The masking unit 30b can be connected to the annular mounting device 21 and / or the holding devices 22a, 22b. The connecting units 40a, 40b are configured not to contact or cover the lens surface, so that the lens surface below the connecting units 40a, 40b is subjected to plasma treatment and is therefore not colored in the subsequent coloring step. To this end, the thickness and height of the connecting units 40a, 40b can be adjusted as described in the relevant part above. The number and / or shape of the connecting units 40a, 40b may vary and may be selected to enable a secure connection between the receiving unit 20 and the masking unit 30b so that the masking unit 30b does not move during plasma processing to ensure a high quality coloring pattern. Figure 4A Only one masking unit 30b having a circular shape is provided, but it should be understood that this is for illustrative purposes. It can be easily understood that the number and / or shape of the masking units 30b (correspondingly, the number and / or shape of the connecting units as well) can be freely adjusted depending on the desired tinting pattern. The remaining portion will be the opening 31b of the lens holder 10. The portion of the surface of the eyeglass lens 62 corresponding to the opening 31b of the lens holder 10 will be subjected to plasma treatment and will therefore have a non-tinted surface 62, while the masked portions 61, 63 of the surface will not be subjected to plasma treatment and will therefore have tinted surfaces 61, 63. Thus, the present invention is able to provide positive tinting as well as Figure 4B Negative tinting shown. The tinted upper peripheral portion 61 of the lens can be cut away in a finishing step if desired.

[0106] Figure 5A and Figure 5B A third exemplary embodiment of the lens holder 10 according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment is provided, the lens holder further comprising at least one marking unit 50a, 50b configured to mark the alignment position of the lens holder 10 on the eyeglass lens. The marking units 50a, 50b are not limited to the embodiments depicted in the figures here, but may be in any form as long as they can help the precise alignment of the lens holder 10 on the lens 60 to provide the desired tinting pattern 63 at the desired position. In this embodiment, the lens 60 will also have portions 66a, 66b corresponding to the portions of the marking units 50a, 50b at the upper and / or outer peripheral surfaces of the lens 60. Thus, the lens holder 10 can be easily and accurately aligned with the lens 60 at the correct position, thereby accurately obtaining the desired tinting pattern at the desired position.

[0107] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B A fourth exemplary embodiment of a lens holder is shown, wherein the lens holder of the first or second embodiment further comprises marking units 50a', 50b', which are designed to match the edge contour of the eyeglass lens. For example, if the eyeglass lens is manufactured by injection molding, the lens may have a unique shape at the side edge, such as Figure 6B As shown, for example, a circular protrusion 66a' (left) and a square protrusion 66b' (right) are depicted for exemplary purposes. In this embodiment, the marking unit 50a', 50b' can be designed to match the existing edge contour 66a', 66b' of the lens, which is preferably designed using 3D printing. This has the advantage that no additional markings need to be provided for the lens, but the initial lens design can be used as is to align the marking unit 50a', 50b' (respectively the lens holder 10) at a precise position. In some cases, the marking unit 50a', 50b' can also be used as a holding unit, and in this case, a separate holding unit 22a, 22b may not be required.

[0108] Fig. 7A and Figure 7BA fifth exemplary embodiment of a unique lens holder 10 and a lens 60 having a boundary gradient tinting 64 produced using the lens holder 10 are shown. In this embodiment, the masking unit 30c may further include a spatial protrusion 32 adjacent to the opening 31c. Due to the spatial gap between the spatial protrusion 32 of the masking unit 30c and the surface of the eyeglass lens 60 or the average height of the surface of the masking unit 30c, the lens 60 may have a boundary gradient tinting 64 that includes a boundary with a smooth transition 64 of tinting intensity from a tinted surface 63 to a non-tinted surface 62. Depending on the height of the spatial protrusion 32 from the surface of the eyeglass lens 60, the tinting intensity and the degree of transition may vary. In contrast, the boundary of the tinted portion and the non-tinted portion produced using a lens holder 10 including masking units 30a, 30b without spatial protrusions 32 will have a sharp transition (without gradient) in tinting intensity from the tinted surface to the non-tinted surface.

[0109] like Figure 7B As shown, at the boundary 65 (on the left; between the colored surface 63 and the non-colored surface 62) which is completely covered by the masking unit 30, the transition of the tinting intensity will be sharp (without gradient), while at the boundary 64 (on the right; between the colored surface 63 and the non-colored surface 62) where the corresponding part of the lens holder 10 has a spatial gap between the spatial protrusion 32 and the surface of the eyeglass lens 60, the transition of the tinting intensity from the colored surface 63 to the non-colored surface 62 will be smooth.

Claims

1. A method for tinting a spectacle lens (60) having a surface, characterized by the following steps: - masking a portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens other than a preselected portion (62) of the surface of the spectacle lens prior to plasma treatment, - subjecting at least the preselected portion (62) to a plasma treatment to change the surface characteristics of the preselected portion (62) so as to inhibit the coloring solution (70) from entering the preselected portion (62), - after the plasma treatment and before providing the tinting solution (70), unmasking the masked portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens, and - providing the tinting solution (70) to at least the portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens which has not been treated by the plasma treatment.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The eyeglass lens (60) comprises a polymer lens material.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The plasma treatment is performed by means of a gas discharge.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coloring solution (70) is an aqueous coloring solution.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The masking of a portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens (60) other than the preselected portion (62) is performed by means of a lens holder (10) at a predetermined position, the lens holder comprising a receiving unit (20) configured to hold the spectacle lens (60) and a masking unit (30) for protecting the portion (63) of the surface of the spectacle lens (60) other than the preselected portion (62) during the plasma treatment.

6. A computer-readable data carrier or a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The step of performing plasma treatment is performed by an apparatus suitable for performing plasma treatment, and the step of providing a coloring solution is performed by an apparatus suitable for providing a coloring solution.

Images