Apparatus for contour shaping and finish beveling edges of eyewear lenses
US5782590A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/30924
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A portable, rotary power tool includes a guide roller and a special designed cutter mounted to the spindle of the tool. The rotary tool is presented to a lens blank mounted to a lens defining pattern. The guide roller engages and follows the shape defining lens pattern while the special designed cutter contacts and removes material from the lens blank being contoured. The cutter may be square and include a further shape defining cutting surface thereon for providing a bevel to the lens edge. In a further embodiment, a rotary power tool similar to the above device, including the guide roller and cutter, is mounted to a support fixture. The fixture includes a pivoting arm assembly to which a lens blank and lens defining pattern are mounted. The pivot arm assembly is rotatable toward and away from the cutter carried by the rotary tool such that the cutter engages and removes material from the lens blank dependant upon the shape defined by the lens pattern. The pivot arm includes apparatus for rotating the lens blank about an axis while being contoured. The fixture may include a heating/cutting device for initial bulk shaping of the lens blank being contoured.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.