Contact lenses and their manufacturing method
The contact lens manufacturing method uses a template with varying recess depths to embed color ink layers with different thicknesses and areas, enhancing visual contrast and three-dimensional effects beyond conventional methods.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022022564
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-09-17
- Filing Date
- 2022-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-21
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-02-17
AI Technical Summary
Conventional contact lens manufacturing methods are limited in creating visual contrast, gradation, and three-dimensional effects, primarily relying on size and color differences of colored ink elements.
The contact lens incorporates a color ink layer with multiple film thicknesses and areas, utilizing a template with recesses of varying depths to embed color ink elements with different densities, which are then molded with a transparent gel material to form a lens body, enhancing visual contrast and three-dimensional effects.
The method achieves improved visual contrast, gradation, and three-dimensional effects by embedding color ink layers with varied thicknesses and areas, resulting in better pattern presentation compared to conventional lenses.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present disclosure relates to contact lenses and methods of making the same. [Background technology]
[0002] In order to meet the needs of some users who do not like to wear traditional eyeglasses with frames, contact lenses have become a widely distributed product in the market at present. In recent years, contact lenses printed with different colors and patterns have also appeared one after another due to the strong demand for makeup and beauty. In the conventional contact lens manufacturing method in the industry, an operator who performs pattern transfer uses a template to press a transparent gel material (e.g., a transparent dry sheet that forms the lens part of the contact lens), so that the color ink attached to the template can be transferred to the transparent gel material, and a pattern is applied to the contact lens.
[0003] However, the conventional contact lens pattern can only show contrast or gradation by the size and color difference between some color ink elements. In addition, the prior art for contact lens pattern transfer also has limitations. Due to the above limitations, although the pattern can show pattern contrast by the diameter size and color difference of the color ink elements, it cannot further break through the visual contrast, hierarchy and three-dimensional effect of the pattern by other means.
[0004] Therefore, how to provide a contact lens and a manufacturing method thereof that can improve the visual contrast, gradation and three-dimensional effect of the contact lens pattern is one of the problems that the current industry is urgently trying to solve by investing development resources. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In view of this, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a contact lens and a manufacturing method thereof that can solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a contact lens includes a lens body and a color ink layer embedded in the lens body and having a plurality of different color ink film thicknesses, wherein the color ink layer contains a plurality of color ink elements including M types of areas, where M is a natural number greater than 1, and the color ink layer further includes a first color ink film thickness to a 1+nth color ink film thickness, where n is a natural number greater than 0, and the color ink film thicknesses and the M types of areas form a color ink density of M*(1+n) units, and the color ink density of M*(1+n) units forms a color pattern on the lens body.
[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the color ink film thickness is in the range of 4 micrometers to 316 micrometers.
[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the color ink elements include at least one first color ink element having a first diameter and at least one second color ink element having a second diameter.
[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first diameter and the second diameter are in the range of 0.03 millimeters to 14 millimeters.
[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the color ink layer includes a first sub-layer having a first color and a second sub-layer having a second color.
[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first sublayer has a plurality of first color ink film thicknesses, the second sublayer has at least one second color ink film thickness, and the color ink layer has at least one third color ink film thickness at an overlapping portion between the first sublayer and the second sublayer.
[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the color ink concentration in M*(1+n) units includes at least one color ink pigment.
[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a contact lens includes the steps of forming color ink layers, having a plurality of different color ink film thicknesses, in a lower mold; bonding the upper mold and the lower mold together; filling a transparent gel material between the upper mold and the lower mold so as to cover the color ink layers; and hardening the transparent gel material to become the lens body, thereby embedding the color ink layers in the lens body.
[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the method for manufacturing a contact lens further comprises a step of filling the lower mold with a transparent protective layer.
[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of filling the lower mold with the transparent protective layer is performed before the step of forming the color ink layer on the lower mold, thereby forming the color ink layer on the transparent protective layer.
[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the process of forming a color ink layer on the lower mold includes filling color ink into a plurality of recesses having different depths in a template, and transferring the filled color ink to the lower mold, so that the color ink forms a color ink layer on the lower mold.
[0017] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the process of forming a color ink layer on the lower mold includes filling a first color ink into a plurality of first recesses having different depths on a first template, transferring the filled first color ink to the lower mold, filling a second color ink into a plurality of second recesses having different depths on a second template, and transferring the filled second color ink to the lower mold, wherein the first color ink and the second color ink form a color ink layer on the lower mold.
[0018] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first color ink and the second color ink are different in color.
[0019] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first color ink and the second color ink form a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer of a color ink layer, respectively, the first sub-layer having a plurality of first color ink film thicknesses, the second sub-layer having at least one second color ink film thickness, and the color ink layer having at least one third color ink film thickness at an overlapping portion of the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer. Effect of the Invention
[0020] In short, in the contact lens and the manufacturing method thereof disclosed herein, by engraving a plurality of recesses of different depths on a single template, the effect of transferring color inks of different thicknesses to the lens body at one time is achieved. In addition, in the contact lens and the manufacturing method thereof disclosed herein, the thicknesses of the color inks and the areas of the color ink elements on the contact lens are different from each other, so that the pattern shown has better contrast, gradation and three-dimensional effect than the pattern of the commercially available contact lens.
[0021] The above is intended to describe the problems that the present invention aims to solve, the means for solving the problems, and the effects of the invention, and specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0022] The following description of the accompanying drawings will make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more comprehensible. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the production of a contact lens using an upper mold and a lower mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the production of a contact lens using an upper mold and a lower mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the production of a contact lens using an upper mold and a lower mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the production of a contact lens using an upper mold and a lower mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the production of a contact lens using an upper mold and a lower mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a contact lens according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a template according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating filling of color ink into recesses of a template according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating different ink thickness ink and base combinations according to one embodiment of the present disclosure that result in different visual color perception by the naked eye. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a contact lens according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a color ink layer including color ink elements according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first color ink element and a second color ink element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the drawings. For clarity, many actual details are described below. However, it should be understood that these actual details are not intended to limit the present disclosure. That is, in some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, these actual details are not necessarily required. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventional structures and elements are simply and diagrammatically shown in the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to represent the same or similar elements in all drawings.
[0024] The contact lens manufacturing method 600 of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
[0025] Please refer to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. It is a sequence schematic diagram showing the manufacturing of a contact lens 400 using an upper mold UM and a lower mold LM according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a flow diagram showing a manufacturing method 600 of a contact lens according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The manufacturing method 600 of a contact lens includes steps S601, S602, S603, S604 and S605. The operations of steps S601 to S605 will be described in detail below.
[0026] First, the following step S601 is carried out: Fill color ink C into a plurality of recesses having different depths on a template. Specifically, an operator can fill color ink C into the recesses of a template (not shown, for example, a steel plate) by equipment or tools (not shown, for example, oil brushes, ink nozzles, etc.) having a coating or ink ejection function. It should be noted that the depths of these recesses are indeed different from each other.
[0027] Next, the following step S602 is performed. The filled color ink C is transferred to the lower mold LM to form a color ink layer CL. Specifically, the operator may scrape off or extract the color ink C filled in the recesses on the surface of the transfer tool (not shown; for example, a rubber head), and then move the transfer tool with the color ink C attached thereto above the lower mold LM. Then, the operator operates the transfer tool with the color ink C attached thereto to press it against the lower mold LM. See FIG. 1. When the transfer tool is separated from the lower mold LM, the color ink C adheres to the lower mold LM, and the color ink C in the lower mold LM forms a color ink layer CL. As shown in FIG. 1, the color ink layer CL has a plurality of color ink film thicknesses T that are different from each other in thickness.
[0028] In some embodiments, the different thicknesses of the color ink film thickness T are substantially equivalent to different depths of the recesses in the template.
[0029] Next, the following step S603 is performed: The upper mold UM and the lower mold LM are coupled together. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the operator can operate the upper mold UM and press it against the lower mold LM so as to couple the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM.
[0030] Next, the following step S604 is performed. A transparent gel material TM is filled between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM so as to cover the color ink layer CL. Specifically, an operator can form a molten or liquid transparent gel material TM covering the color ink layer CL (see FIG. 3) between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM by, for example, the principle of injection molding. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the transparent gel material TM formed between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM is formed to have the outer shape of a contact lens. The above-mentioned method or means for forming the transparent gel material TM between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM is merely given as a simple explanation, and the present disclosure does not intend to be limited to the method or means for forming the transparent gel material TM between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM.
[0031] In some embodiments, the clear gel material™ is a silicone hydrogel. In some embodiments, the clear gel material™ is a HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel, although the disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the clear gel material™ can be any material capable of forming the lens portion of a contact lens.
[0032] Next, the following step S605 is performed. The transparent gel material TM is hardened to become a lens body LB, so that the color ink layer CL is embedded in the lens body LB. Specifically, after the transparent gel material TM is filled between the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM, the operator can carry out a hardening process on the transparent gel material TM, so as to harden the molten or liquid transparent gel material TM into a solid transparent gel material TM, which forms the lens body LB. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the upper mold UM is separated from the lower mold LM, the lens body LB still adheres to the lower mold LM, and the lens body LB and the color ink layer CL including the color ink C embedded therein form a contact lens 400.
[0033] By carrying out steps S601 to S605 of the contact lens manufacturing method 600, the contact lens 400 can be manufactured.
[0034] In some embodiments, the color ink layer CL may be formed by ejecting the color ink C directly onto the lower mold LM without requiring a template.
[0035] Please refer to Fig. 5. In some embodiments, after performing step S601, a transparent protective layer P may be filled into the lower mold LM, and then step S602 may be performed. In this way, specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, a color ink layer CL is formed on the transparent protective layer P, so that the transparent protective layer P provides protection for the color ink layer CL, and the contact lens 500 is manufactured.
[0036] In some embodiments, the transparent protective layer P may have a relatively large thickness such that the contact lens manufacturing method 600 forms a sandwich-structured (SW-structured) contact lens 500 in which at least the upper and lower sides of the color ink layer CL are covered by the lens body LB.
[0037] In some embodiments, the transparent protective layer P may have a relatively thin thickness such that the contact lens manufacturing method 600 results in a contact lens 500 having a TC structure in which at least the color ink layer CL is covered by the lens body LB both above and below the color ink layer CL.
[0038] In some embodiments, in steps S603 and S604, first the transparent gel material TM may be filled into the lower mold LM, the upper mold UM and the lower mold LM may be joined, and the transparent material TM may be pressed against each other, and then step S605 may be performed.
[0039] In summary, the present disclosure is not intended to be limiting with respect to the order of steps S601 to S605 and possible adjustments or variations thereof.
[0040] In some embodiments, the color ink film thickness T ranges from about 4 micrometers to about 316 micrometers. In some embodiments, a preferred range for the color ink film thickness T is between about 4 micrometers to about 40 micrometers. Or, in some embodiments, the color ink film thickness T ranges from about 5 micrometers to about 37 micrometers.
[0041] See Figure 7, which is a cross-sectional view of a template 700 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The present disclosure provides a template 700 having a surface 700a and having a first recess R1, a second recess R2, and a third recess R3 recessed from the surface 700a. In some embodiments, see Figure 8. In step S601, an operator can fill the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 of the template 700 with color ink C to form a color ink layer CL in a subsequent operation.
[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the first recess R1 has a first depth D1 and a first width W1, the second recess R2 has a second depth D2 and a second width W2, and the third recess R3 has a third depth D3 and a third width W3.
[0043] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the number of the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 is actually multiple, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the number of the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 may be one each, and the template 700 may have only a single recess (e.g., the first recess R1). In other words, the present disclosure does not intend to be limited to the number of the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3.
[0044] In some embodiments, the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 are recessed from the surface 700a of the template 700 by an engraving method using a laser (e.g., an excimer laser) engraving, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 may be formed by any engraving or etching method that recesses the surface 700a of the template 700, in other words, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the method of forming the first recess R1, the second recess R2, and the third recess R3 on the surface 700a of the template 700.
[0045] In some embodiments, the first depth D1, the second depth D2, and the third depth D3 may actually be different from each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first depth D1, the second depth D2, and the third depth D3 may each include two kinds of depths (e.g., the first depth D1 and the second depth D2 are the same, but the third depth D3 is different from the first depth D1 or the second depth D2). Although mentioned here merely as a simple explanation, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited thereto.
[0046] In some embodiments, the first depth D1, the second depth D2, and the third depth D3 are in a range of about 4 micrometers to about 316 micrometers. In some embodiments, the preferred range of the first depth D1, the second depth D2, and the third depth D3 is between about 4 micrometers to about 40 micrometers. Or, in some embodiments, the range of the first depth D1, the second depth D2, and the third depth D3 is between about 5 micrometers to about 37 micrometers.
[0047] It should be noted that the definition of depth is the distance extending from surface 700a away from surface 700a, as shown in FIG.
[0048] In a single-tone pattern design scheme, the depths of the recesses of the template 700 may be randomly combined and arranged, and the arrangement of the depths of the recesses of the template 700 may include "the recesses are shallow in the peripheral region of the template 700 and deep in the central region of the template 700" and "the recesses are deep in the peripheral region of the template 700 and deep in the central region of the template 700", or the different recess depths are randomly distributed and arranged to form different depths, which are useful for later forming the color ink layer CL on the lens body LB. Also, in the two-tone, three-tone or multi-tone pattern design scheme, the depths of the recesses of the template 700 may be arranged in a random combination, and the arrangement of the depths of the recesses of the template 700 may include "the recesses are shallow in the peripheral region of the template 700 and the recesses are deep in the central region of the template 700" and "the recesses are deep in the peripheral region of the template 700 and the recesses are shallow in the central region of the template 700", or the different recess depths are randomly stacked or distributed and arranged to form different depths from each other, which contributes to later forming the color ink layer CL on the lens body LB. The above are only examples, and the present disclosure is not intended to be limited thereto.
[0049] In some embodiments, the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 are indeed different from each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 all include two kinds of widths (e.g., the first width W1 and the second width W2 are the same, but the third width W3 is different from the first width W1 or the second width W2). Or, in some embodiments, the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 all may include one kind of width (e.g., the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 are all the same). Although listed here merely as a brief explanation, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited thereto.
[0050] In some embodiments, the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 range from about 0.03 millimeters to about 14 millimeters. In some embodiments, the preferred range of the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 is between about 0.04 millimeters to about 7.13 millimeters. Or, in some embodiments, the range of the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 is between about 0.07 millimeters to about 0.2 millimeters.
[0051] In some embodiments, particularly in embodiments in which the number of the first recesses R1, the second recesses R2, and the third recesses R3 are all multiple, the spacing between the first widths W1 of the first recesses R1 may be different from each other. Similarly, the spacing between the second widths W2 of the second recesses R2 may be different from each other, and the spacing between the third widths W3 of the third recesses R3 may also be different from each other.
[0052] In some embodiments, the number of the template 700 is one, as shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. It should be noted that the scope and spirit of the present disclosure is that the surface 700a of a single template 700 may have a plurality of recesses with at least different depths, so one template 700 is taken as an example in this embodiment. In a single-tone pattern design scheme, the recess depths of the single template 700 may be randomly combined and arranged, and the arrangement of the recess depths of the template 700 may include "the recess depth is shallow in the peripheral region of the template 700, and the recess depth is deep in the central region of the template 700" and "the recess depth is deep in the peripheral region of the template 700, and the recess depth is shallow in the central region of the template 700", or the different recess depths are randomly distributed and arranged to form different depths, which are useful for later forming the color ink layer CL on the lens body LB. In addition, in a two-tone, three-tone or multi-tone pattern design scheme, the recess depths of the template 700 of each tone may also be randomly combined and arranged, and the arrangement of the recess depths of the template 700 may include "the recess depth is shallow in the peripheral region of the template 700 and the recess depth is deep in the central region of the template 700" and "the recess depth is deep in the peripheral region of the template 700 and the recess depth is shallow in the central region of the template 700", or the different recess depths are randomly stacked or distributed and arranged to form different depths from each other, which are later contributed to forming the color ink layer CL on the lens body LB.
[0053] In some embodiments, for example, there is a template 700 having three recess depths, and a first pigment having a first tone can exhibit three different color ink densities (i.e., visually perceived colors) through the template 700, a second pigment having a second tone can also exhibit three different color ink densities (i.e., visually perceived colors) through the template 700, and a third pigment having a third tone can also exhibit three different color ink densities (i.e., visually perceived colors) through the template 700. Thus, the template 700 and the color patterns consisting of the first pigment, the second pigment, and the third pigment can exhibit 27 different color ink densities.
[0054] Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a schematic diagram showing that the combination of a first ink I1, a second ink I2 and a third ink I3, each having different ink thicknesses Ta, Tb, Tc, with a base B, allows the naked eye NE to perceive different visual colors A1, A2, A3.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 9, when the ink (e.g., color ink) is thick, it can block the color of the underlying layer, and the color of the underlying layer is less likely to show through, so that the color can be close to the original color of the ink. When the ink is thin, the color of the underlying layer can be significantly seen through, and the color can be close to the color of the underlying layer. For example, when a first ink I1 having an ink thickness Ta is located on a base B (e.g., the pupil of a wearer of the contact lens 400), the first ink I1 and the color showing through the base B are perceived by the naked eye NE (e.g., the naked eye NE of an observer different from the wearer of the contact lens 400) to be a first visual color A1, and since the ink thickness Ta is thick, the first visual color A1 is relatively close to the color of the first ink I1. When a third ink I3 having an ink thickness Tc is positioned on the base B, the third ink I3 and the color that shines through the base B are perceived by the naked eye NE as a third visual color A3, and since the ink thickness Tc is thin, the third visual color A3 is relatively close to the color of the base B. When a second ink I2 having an ink thickness Tb is positioned on the base B, the second ink I2 and the color that shines through the base B are perceived by the naked eye NE as a second visual color A2, and since the ink thickness Tb is between the ink thickness Ta and the ink thickness Tc, the second visual color A2 is a mixed color of the second ink I2 and the base B.
[0056] The structure of the contact lens 1000 and how to manufacture the contact lens 1000 by the contact lens manufacturing method 600 will be described in detail below.
[0057] Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a cross-sectional view of a contact lens 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The contact lens 1000 includes a lens body LB and a color ink layer CL. The color ink layer CL is embedded in the lens body LB. The color ink layer CL includes a first sub-layer SL1 and a second sub-layer SL2. The first sub-layer SL1 includes a first color ink C1 and has a first color. The second sub-layer SL2 includes a second color ink C2 and has a second color different from the first color. The first sub-layer SL1 has a plurality of first color ink thicknesses T1, the second sub-layer SL2 has at least one second color ink thickness T2, and the color ink layer CL has at least one third color ink thickness T3 at an overlapping portion between the first sub-layer SL1 and the second sub-layer SL2. In a single-tone pattern design scheme, the thicknesses of the color ink film thicknesses T may be randomly combined and arranged, and the arrangement of the color ink film thicknesses T may include "the color ink film thickness T is thin in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the color ink film thickness T is thick in the central region of the lens body LB" and "the color ink film thickness T is thick in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the color ink film thickness T is thin in the central region of the lens body LB", or the different color ink film thicknesses T are randomly distributed and arranged to form different color ink layers CL. In addition, in a two-color, three-color or multi-tone pattern design scheme, the thicknesses of the color ink film thicknesses T may be randomly combined and arranged, and the arrangement of the color ink film thicknesses T may include "the color ink film thickness T is thin in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the color ink film thickness T is thick in the central region of the lens body LB" and "the color ink film thickness T is thick in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the color ink film thickness T is thin in the central region of the lens body LB", or the different color ink film thicknesses T are randomly stacked or distributed and arranged to form different color ink layers CL.
[0058] Next, a method for manufacturing another contact lens 1000 using the contact lens manufacturing method 600 will be described.
[0059] First, the operator performs step S601 to fill a first template (not shown) with a plurality of recesses having different depths with a first color ink C1, and then performs step S602 to transfer the filled first color ink C1 to a lower mold LM. Then, the operator performs step S601 again to fill a second template (not shown) with a plurality of recesses having different depths with a second color ink C2, and then performs step S602 to transfer the filled second color ink C2 to the lower mold LM. The first color ink C1 and the second color ink C2 located in the lower mold LM form a color ink layer CL. Next, by performing steps S603, S604, and S605 in order, a contact lens 1000 such as that shown in FIG. 10 can be manufactured.
[0060] Please refer to FIG. 11, which is a front view showing a contact lens 400, a contact lens 500, or a contact lens 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 11, the color ink layer CL includes a plurality of color ink elements E. Please refer to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 8, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11 at the same time again. In the contact lens 400, a single color ink element E is composed of a color ink C filled in a single first recess R1, a second recess R2, or a third recess R3 (as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8). In the contact lens 1000, a single color ink element E is composed of a first color ink C1 filled in a single recess, a second color ink C2 filled in a single recess, or a first color ink C1 filled in a single recess and a second color ink C2 filled in a single recess that overlap each other (as shown in FIG. 10). In the present disclosure, the color ink element E may have an area. The area of the color ink element E is defined as the cross-sectional area of the color ink element E in the XY plane. In the present disclosure, the color ink element E may have a shape. The shape of the color ink element E is defined as the cross-sectional shape of the color ink element E in the XY plane. In a single-tone pattern design scheme, the size and area of the color ink element E may be randomly combined and arranged, and the color ink elements E of different sizes and areas may include "the size and area of the color ink element E is small in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the size and area of the color ink element E is large in the central region of the lens body LB" and "the size and area of the color ink element E is large in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the size and area of the color ink element E is small in the central region of the lens body LB", or the color ink elements E of different sizes, sizes, and areas are randomly distributed and arranged on the lens body LB to form a pattern.In addition, in the two-tone, three-tone or multi-tone pattern design scheme, the sizes and areas of the color ink elements E may be randomly combined and arranged, and the different sizes and areas of the color ink elements E may include "the size and area of the color ink element E is small in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the size and area of the color ink element E is large in the central region of the lens body LB" and "the size and area of the color ink element E is large in the peripheral region of the lens body LB, and the size and area of the color ink element E is small in the central region of the lens body LB", or the color ink elements E of different sizes, sizes and areas are randomly stacked or distributed and arranged on the lens body LB to form a pattern.
[0061] In some embodiments, the areas of the color ink elements E may differ from one another.
[0062] In some embodiments, the shape of the color ink element E may be a circle, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the shape of the color ink element E may be a geometric figure, such as a triangle, a square, or a polygon. Or, in some embodiments, the shape of the color ink element E may be an irregularly shaped figure. In other words, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited with respect to the shape of the color ink element E.
[0063] See Figure 12. In embodiments where the shape of the color ink element E is circular, the color ink element E includes at least one first color ink element E1 and at least one second color ink element E2. In some embodiments, the at least one first color ink element E1 has a first diameter DM1 and the at least one second color ink element E2 has a second diameter DM2.
[0064] In some embodiments, the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 are different from each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 can be the same.
[0065] In some embodiments, the range of the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 is between about 0.03 millimeters and about 14 millimeters. In some embodiments, the preferred range of the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 is between about 0.04 millimeters and about 7.13 millimeters. Or, in some embodiments, the range of the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 is between about 0.07 millimeters and about 0.2 millimeters.
[0066] In an embodiment in which the color ink element E is circular in shape, the first diameter DM1 and the second diameter DM2 are substantially equal to the width of the recess of the template 700.
[0067] The advantages of the contact lenses of the present disclosure are further explained below with examples.
[0068] For example, if the area of the color ink element E disclosed in the contact lens of the present disclosure is hypothesized to have M different sizes (dimensions), and the color ink film thickness T disclosed in the contact lens of the present disclosure is hypothesized to have 1+n different thicknesses (for example, a first color ink film thickness to a 1+n color ink film thickness, where n is a natural number greater than 0), the color pattern presented in the color ink layer CL of the contact lens of the present disclosure (the pattern is, for example, a front view showing a contact lens as shown in FIG. 11) can present M*(1+n) different combinations of changes in color ink density (i.e., the visual color concept as shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, the pattern of the contact lens of the present disclosure can present better contrast, gradation, and three-dimensional effect than the pattern of the contact lens of the prior art.
[0069] Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, more tones can be produced by forming the color ink film thickness T and the color ink element E using two or more types of template 700. For example, a template 700 having a distribution with three different recess depths and a color pattern consisting of a first pigment having a first tone, a second pigment having a second tone, and a third pigment having a third tone can produce more tones than the prior art.
[0070] Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a single pigment may be pre-mixed to a pigment having multiple tones and / or two or more types of templates 700 may be used to form the color ink film thickness T and the color ink element E, thereby providing a richer range of tones. For example, a template 700 having two different recess depths may be used to provide a multi-tone range (e.g., 4 to 7 tones). This allows the operator to achieve the effect of further reducing the manufacturing cost of the template 700 compared to the prior art when manufacturing contact lenses.
[0071] 666 In some embodiments, the contact lenses undergo the curing and hydration processes and have different dimensions, such as design dimensions, dry sheet dimensions and wet sheet dimensions. The differences between design dimensions, dry sheet dimensions and wet sheet dimensions are explained below.
[0072] Regarding the conversion from the design dimensions to the dry sheet dimensions, the values disclosed in the description and the patent application are the design dimensions. However, in the actual process, after the design dimensions are converted to the dry sheet dimensions, the curvature of the lower mold LM slightly affects the dry sheet dimensions. In some embodiments, the range of the curvature of the lower mold LM is between about 0.114 and about 0.118. Specifically, after the ink is printed on the lower mold LM, if the depth of the recess of the template 700 does not change, the above curvature affects the dimensions of the pattern on the dry sheet and the color ink film thickness T.
[0073] Regarding the conversion from dry sheet dimensions to wet sheet dimensions, the wet sheet dimensions are increased by about 1.12 to about 1.27 times the size after the hydration process of the pattern due to the expansion rate of 10% to 30%, after considering the tolerance value of the design specification, which is also the actual (pattern) distribution and size after the hydration process of the pattern on the wet sheet.
[0074] It should be noted that the directions X, Y, and Z shown in Figures 1 to 12 are coordinate axis directions. The directions X, Y, and Z are actually perpendicular to each other.
[0075] As can be clearly seen from the detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure above, in the contact lens and the manufacturing method thereof of the present disclosure, a single template can be engraved with a plurality of recesses of different depths to achieve the effect of transferring color inks with different thicknesses to the lens body at one time. In addition, in the contact lens and the manufacturing method thereof of the present disclosure, the thicknesses of the color inks and the areas of the color ink elements on the contact lens are different from each other, so that the patterns shown have better contrast, gradation and three-dimensional effect than those of commercially available contact lenses.
[0076] The above outlines the features of several embodiments, allowing those skilled in the art to better understand the aspects of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above content can be easily used as a basis for designing or modifying other variations to achieve the same purpose and / or advantages as the embodiments described herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. The above content should be understood as an example of the present disclosure, and its scope of protection should be based on the content specified in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]
[0077] 400,500,1000 Contact lenses 600 Contact lens manufacturing method 700 template 700a surface A1 First visual color A2 Secondary visual color A3 Third visual color B-Base C Color ink C1 1st color ink C2 Second color ink CL color ink layer D1 First Depth D2 Second Depth D3 Third Depth DM1 First Diameter DM2 Second Diameter E color ink element E1 First color ink element E2 Second color ink element I1 First Ink I2 Second Ink I3 The third ink LB lens body LM lower mold NE naked eye P transparent protective layer R1 First recess R2 Second recess R3 Third recess S601,S602,S603,S604,S605 Process SL1 First sublayer SL2 Second sub-layer T Color ink film thickness T1 1st color ink film thickness T2 Second color ink film thickness T3 3rd color ink film thickness Ta,Tb,Tc Ink thickness TM Transparent gel material UM upper mold W1 First width W2 Second width W3 Third width X,Y,Z direction
Claims
1. The lens body, a color ink layer having a plurality of different color ink film thicknesses embedded in the lens body; Equipped with the color ink layer includes a plurality of color ink elements including M types of areas defined as the cross-sectional area of the color ink elements in the XY plane, M being a natural number greater than 1, and the color ink layer further includes a first color ink film thickness to a first+n color ink film thickness, n being a natural number greater than 0, the color ink film thicknesses and the M types of areas form a color ink density of M*(1+n), and the M*(1+n) color ink density forms a color pattern on the lens body, the color ink film thickness is thinner in the peripheral region of the lens body and the color ink film thickness is thicker in the central region of the lens body, the color ink layer includes a first sub-layer having a first color and a second sub-layer having a second color; The first sub-layer has a plurality of first color ink film thicknesses, the second sub-layer has at least one second color ink film thickness, and the color ink layer has at least one third color ink in an overlapping portion between the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer. The film has a thickness A contact lens, wherein at least one of the color ink elements is formed by a first color ink overlaid with a second color ink.
2. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the color ink film thickness is in the range of 4 micrometers to 316 micrometers.
3. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the color ink elements include at least one first color ink element having a first diameter and at least one second color ink element having a second diameter.
4. The contact lens of claim 3 , wherein the first diameter and the second diameter are in the range of 0.03 millimeters to 14 millimeters.
5. The contact lens of claim 1 , wherein the color ink concentration in M*(1+n) units comprises at least one color ink pigment.
6. A step of forming color ink layers having a plurality of different color ink film thicknesses on a lower mold, wherein the step of forming the color ink layers on the lower mold includes filling a plurality of recesses having different depths on a template with color inks, the depth of the recesses being shallower in a peripheral region of the template and deeper in a central region of the template; a step of joining the upper mold and the lower mold; filling a transparent gel material between the upper mold and the lower mold so as to cover the color ink layer; curing the transparent gel material into a lens body, thereby embedding the colored ink layer into the lens body; Equipped with The step of forming the color ink layer on the lower mold comprises: filling a first color ink into a plurality of first recesses having different depths in a first template; Transferring the filled first color ink to the lower mold; filling a second color ink into a plurality of second recesses having different depths in a second template; transferring the filled second color ink to the lower mold; Including, The first color ink and the second color ink form the color ink layer on the lower mold. A method for manufacturing contact lenses.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising filling the lower mold with a transparent protective layer.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of filling the lower mold with the transparent protective layer is performed before the step of forming the color ink layer on the lower mold, thereby forming the color ink layer on the transparent protective layer.
9. The step of forming the color ink layer on the lower mold comprises: filling a plurality of recesses having different depths in a template with color ink; Transferring the filled color ink to the lower mold; Including, The method of claim 7 , wherein the color ink forms the color ink layer on the lower mold.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first color ink and the second color ink are different in color.
11. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first color ink and the second color ink form a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer of the color ink layer, respectively, the first sub-layer having a plurality of first color ink film thicknesses, the second sub-layer having at least one second color ink film thickness, and the color ink layer having at least one third color ink film thickness at an overlapping portion of the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer.
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