Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C11/00—Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00
  • A45C11/005—Contact lens cases
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/18—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient
  • B65D81/22—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents providing specific environment for contents, e.g. temperature above or below ambient in moist conditions or immersed in liquids
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2585/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D2585/54—Containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles of special shape not otherwise provided for
  • B65D2585/545—Contact lenses

Definitions

• the disclosure generally relates to disposable contact lens containers and more specifically to disposable contact lens containers that have a vapor lens hydration system that does not require the disposable contact lens to be immersed in or otherwise in contact with a liquid in the container.
• disposable contact lens containers A variety of disposable contact lens containers currently are known and available. Some of the disposable contact lens containers are used for shipping the disposable contact lenses to a desired recipient, such as consumer or optician. Other disposable contact lens containers are designed for use by the consumer. These latter containers permit the contact lens to be stored over periods of time, e.g. through the night, when the consumer is not wearing the contact lens.
• such containers typically include a well or a plurality of wells for receiving at least one contact lens as well as a sufficient amount of an aqueous liquid, such as saline solution, to submerge or immerse each contact lens in the saline solution to keep the lens hydrated.
• an aqueous liquid such as saline solution
• the well is enclosed by a cover that is sufficiently sealed to prevent loss of the saline solution.
• Using wells of saline -based solution also creates difficulty in locating and removing the contact lens from its container when a consumer is ready to apply the lens because the lens is hard to see in the solution, especially to persons with poor eyesight.
• the size of the well necessary to contain the liquid and contact lens, as well as the free-flowing motion of the liquid permits inadvertent reorientation of the contact lens while in the container.
• the contact lens may become inverted in the container, thereby inducing the consumer to apply the contact to his or her eye in an inverted or reverse orientation. This can lead to irritation of the eye and discomfort to the consumer.
• the soft material of the contact lenses can become folded which leads to added difficulty in applying the contact lens to an eye, and also can result in damage to the contact lens.
• a package includes a vapor impermeable material forming a sealed cavity.
• a hydrated, ready to use contact lens is disposed within the cavity.
• a quantity of a liquid is disposed within the cavity such that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid. This makes it easier for the user to see the contact lens when the package is opened, thereby facilitating easier removal of the contact lens from the package.
• a contact lens container or package in another embodiment, includes a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens.
• a vapor impermeable cover element that is movable between a closed position, cooperating with the base portion to define a sealed chamber, and an open position, allowing access to the cavity for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens, is disposed over an open portion of the vapor impermeable base.
• a liquid sequestering element is located within the cavity, the liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid for releasing a vapor into the cavity, the vapor released within the cavity hydrating, or maintaining hydration of, a hydrophilic contact lens deposited within the cavity. The liquid sequestering element confines the liquid to substantially prevent any loose liquid within the cavity.
• a contact lens container or package includes a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens.
• the base portion has a bottom wall, an upwardly extending side wall, and a flange extending about the side wall, the upwardly extending side wall defining an opening leading into the cavity.
• a vapor impermeable cover element is disposed over the opening, the vapor impermeable cover element being movable between a closed position cooperating with the base portion to define a sealed chamber and an open position allowing access to the cavity through the opening for depositing and removing a hydrophilic contact lens.
• a liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid for releasing a vapor is disposed within the cavity.
• the vapor released within the cavity forms a vapor hydration atmosphere that hydrates a hydrophilic contact lens deposited within the cavity and/or maintains the contact lens in a hydrated condition.
• the liquid sequestering element confines the liquid to substantially prevent any loose liquid from being located within the cavity.
• the liquid sequestering element is disposed at or near the bottom wall of the base portion.
• a method of making a package includes providing a vapor impermeable package material, forming a cavity in the vapor impermeable package material, placing a contact lens and a liquid in the cavity, and sealing the cavity containing the contact lens and the liquid.
• the liquid is placed in the cavity in such a manner that the contact lens is, at least in part, not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid when the package is opened, which facilitates removal of the contact lens.
• a method for packaging a hydrophilic contact lens without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid includes providing a vapor impermeable base portion defining a cavity for a hydrophilic contact lens, providing a liquid sequestering element containing a quantity of a liquid within the cavity, placing a hydrophilic contact lens to be hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid within the cavity, covering the vapor impermeable base portion with a vapor impermeable cover element, and waiting for a portion of the liquid in the liquid sequestering element to form a vapor hydration atmosphere.
• the hydrophilic contact lens is hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without complete immersion in or otherwise in full direct contact with a liquid by exposing the hydrophilic contact lens to a vapor atmosphere within the cavity.
• FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a contact lens container having a liquid sequestering element in a cavity of the container;
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens and a liquid sequestering chamber separated from the cavity by a liquid impermeable, vapor permeable barrier;
• FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens with a liquid impermeable, vapor permeable sachet being disposed in the cavity;
• FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of a contact lens container including a cavity for a contact lens with a toroidal liquid sequestering element being disposed in the cavity;
• FIG. 5 is a diagram of a method of manufacturing a contact lens container that includes a contact lens that is vapor hydrated.
• a contact lens package or container includes a cavity for containing a contact lens and a liquid sequestering element disposed in the cavity, or a liquid sequestering chamber, or a sachet with a vapor permeable barrier separating the liquid from the cavity.
• the contact lens in the cavity is hydrated, and/or maintained in a hydrated condition, by vapor hydration, rather than by liquid immersion or direct liquid contact as is common in the art.
• the contact lens container advantageously contains no free liquid in the cavity when a consumer opens the container to use the contact lens. As a result, the contact lens, when located in the disclosed container, is very easy to identify and capture for placement in the consumer' s eye because the contact lens is not immersed in liquid.
• the contact lens is hydrated by vapor hydration, far less liquid is required than in known contact lens containers.
• the claimed contact lens container requires approximately 90% less liquid than known contact lens containers to hydrate the contact lens. In some cases, only 20 microliters to 50 microliters of liquid are needed, as compared to known containers that regularly use more than 500 microliters of liquid. This reduction in liquid not only makes the contact lens easier to identify in the container, but also results in a substantial savings from a manufacturer's point of view because the manufacturer can eliminate 90% or more of the costs associated with the liquid.
• the disclosed contact lens container is lighter and is cleaner and neater than known contact lens containers from a consumer's perspective.
• an antimicrobial agent, or other water soluble compound may be added to the contact lens, to provide benefits of the antimicrobial agent, or other water soluble compound, to a user of the contact lens.
• Other water soluble compounds may include sodium chloride, or other salts, for example.
• Incorporating antimicrobial agents or other water soluble compounds onto the contact lens may include soaking the contact lens in an aqueous solution containing the desired compound and then transferring the contact lens, but not the remainder of the aqueous solution to the container (i.e., only the amount of aqueous solution carried on the surface of the lens, and the amount of aqueous solution diffused into the contact lens is actually transferred to the container).
• the liquid in the package e.g., the liquid contained in the liquid sequestering element
• the desired compound may also be rehydrated.
• a contact lens package or container 10 includes a body 12 formed of a vapor impermeable material.
• the base portion or body 12 includes a bottom wall 14 and at least one side wall 16.
• the side wall 16 may define a cavity 20 of virtually any cross-sectional shape, such as cylindrical, square, rectangular, polygonal, or oval.
• the side wall 16 is attached to, or integrally formed with, the bottom wall 14 and an opening 18 is formed at one end of the side wall 16, opposite the bottom wall 14.
• the side wall 16 and bottom wall 14 form a cavity 20 sized and shaped to receive a contact lens 22 and a liquid sequestering element 24 for sequestering liquid while allowing vapor to escape into the cavity 20.
• the liquid sequestering element 24 may be located proximate the bottom wall 14.
• a quantity of liquid is contained within the liquid sequestering element 24 such that the contact lens 22 is not immersed in, or otherwise in direct contact with, the liquid because the liquid sequestering element 24 prevents the liquid from being loose in the cavity 20.
• acceptable liquid sequestering element materials include wettable fabrics or foams and liquid wicking materials capable of retaining and/or confining the liquid while also being capable of releasing water vapor into the cavity 20.
• the liquid sequestering element 24 may include a film 26 that is highly permeable to water vapor while being impermeable to liquid water to further isolate the contact lens 22 from the liquid.
• the liquid sequestering element 24 may be formed from a hydrophilic foam, such as a fine cell hydrophilic polyurethane foam.
• a hydrophilic foam such as a fine cell hydrophilic polyurethane foam.
• a fine cell hydrophilic polyurethane foam is MediSponge® 30W foam, manufactured by Lendell Foams, St. Charles, MI.
• other foams or hydrophilic materials may be used as well as long as the hydrophilic material is capable of sequestering liquid water while allowing water vapor to escape into the cavity, and does not leave undesired residues on the contact lens 22.
• the liquid sequestering element 24 may be fixed to the bottom wall 14 by an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 28, at one or more locations to prevent the liquid sequestering element 24 from moving within the cavity 20.
• the contact lens 22 is supported on a substantially flat top surface 25 of the liquid sequestering element 24.
• An outer convex surface of the contact lens 22 i.e., the surface of the contact lens 22 that does not normally directly contact the eyeball of a user when in use
• the zone of tangency 27 is a very small area compared to the overall surface area of the outer convex surface of the contact lens 22. Because of this, transfer of water to the contact lens 22 by direct contact with liquid that is at the surface of the liquid sequestering element will be very limited. Instead, the contact lens 22 in this arrangement hydrates by means of vapor hydration.
• a cover element or cover film 30 may extend across the opening 18 to create a sealed chamber that contains both the contact lens 22 and the liquid sequestering element 24.
• the cover film may be movable between a closed position that cooperates with the body 12 to seal the cavity 20 and an open position allowing access to the cavity for removal of the contact lens 22.
• the cover film 30 may be formed of virtually any vapor and liquid impermeable material, such as a vapor and liquid impermeable foil or a vapor and liquid impermeable polymer material. Examples of vapor and liquid impermeable foil or polymer materials include aluminum foil, and water vapor barrier plastic films such as Clearfoil® Z, from Rollprint Packaging Products, Addison, IL.
• the cover film 30 may be attached to the body 12 with an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 29 forming a peelable heat seal. Alternatively, the foil may be covered over its entire inside surface with a heat sealable coating.
• the liquid sequestering element 24 may be partially filled with liquid water.
• the amount of water added to the liquid sequestering element 24 may be less than the liquid carrying capacity of the liquid sequestering element 24. More particularly, an amount of water of between approximately 20 microliters and approximately 50 microliters may be added to the liquid sequestering element 24.
• a volume of water in this range is sufficient to hydrate an unhydrated contact lens 22 through vapor hydration only.
• disposable contact lenses 22 are about 55% water by weight when hydrated. Because most disposable contact lenses 22 weigh between about 15 mg and about 25 mg, only about 20 to 30 mg of water is needed to hydrate an individual lens, which corresponds to approximately 20 to 30 microliters. This very small amount of water, while sufficient to hydrate a contact lens 22 through vapor hydration, is not nearly enough water to completely immerse or directly contact the entire surface of the contact lens 22.
• the contact lens 22 may be placed into the cavity 20. Thereafter, the opening 18 may be sealed with the cover film 30 to create a vapor sealed environment within the cavity 20. Over time, water vapor will leave the liquid sequestering element 24 and move into the atmosphere within the cavity 20 due to differences in relative humidity, forming a vapor hydration atmosphere within the cavity 20. Some of the water vapor that escapes into the cavity 20 will be absorbed by the hydrophilic contact lens 22. A temporary equilibrium will be established in which the amount of water vapor removed from the cavity 20 by the contact lens 22 will be replaced with an equal amount of water vapor leaving the liquid sequestering element 24.
• the temporary equilibrium will be very close to, but slightly less than, 100% relative humidity within the cavity 20.
• the contact lens 22 will become saturated and will no longer absorb water vapor from the cavity 20.
• water vapor will continue to leave the liquid sequestering element 24 until the atmosphere within the cavity 20 becomes saturated.
• water vapor will cease leaving the liquid sequestering element 24 and any liquid water left will remain in the liquid sequestering element 24 and separated from the contact lens 22.
• full hydration of a dehydrated contact lens 22 may take up to 30 days or more. Production to consumer purchase typically takes about 30 days in most cases. Therefore, the consumer receives a fully hydrated contact lens at purchase. In other cases, it may be desirable to store the produce for a determined amount of time before releasing the contact lens container 10 to a retailer in order to ensure complete hydration of the contact lens 22.
• the contact lens container 110 includes a body 112 having a bottom wall 114 and a side wall 116.
• the side wall may have an opening 118 disposed opposite the bottom wall 114.
• the opening 118 may be covered with a seal cover 130 to seal a cavity 120 formed between the side wall 116 and the bottom wall 114.
• the bottom wall 114 may include a recess 140 that forms a liquid well or a liquid sequestering chamber 142.
• a liquid impermeable, vapor permeable membrane or chamber cover 144 may extend across an open top 146 of the sequestering chamber 142.
• the chamber cover 144 desirably is inexpensive.
• Candidate materials for the chamber cover 144 include materials that are used in personal care products, such as disposable diapers, as the liquid impermeable, water vapor permeable outer cover.
• Exemplary materials include polyethylene films that are filled with calcium carbonate particles, and then stretched to create internal cavitation, and other polymer or metal foils.
• a liquid sequestering element 124 may be disposed within the sequestering chamber 142.
• the liquid sequestering element 124 may be made of a liquid wicking material that contains liquid water and releases water vapor. In other embodiments, the wicking element may be eliminated and an adequate amount of liquid may be freely placed within the sequestering chamber 142. In this embodiment, the sequestering chamber is itself a liquid sequestering element.
• the contact lens 122 remains separated from liquid in the sequestering chamber by the chamber cover 144. Water vapor moves from the sequestering chamber, through the chamber cover 144 and into the cavity 120 due to differences in relative humidity. The contact lens 122 then absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere in the cavity 120 as described above, until the contact lens 122 is saturated with water. Because the liquid water is physically located in a confined space that is separated from the contact lens 122, liquid in this embodiment has no danger of spilling out of the container 110 when a consumer captures the contact lens 122.
• the container 110 illustrated in Fig. 2 may be less costly to manufacture because the liquid sequestering element 124 may be eliminated.
• the opening 118 may be sealed by a cover film 130 that may be attached to the body 12 with adhesive 129 such as hot melt adhesive.
• the cover film 130 is attached to a flange 132 of the body 112.
• the flange 132 may extend outwardly, away from the side wall 116, forming a continuous flange 132 around the opening 118.
• FIGs. 3 and 4 illustrate yet other alternate embodiments of the container 210, 310, which may have a body 212, 312 formed of a vapor impermeable material.
• the body 212, 312 includes a bottom wall 214, 314 and at least one side wall 216, 316.
• the side wall 216, 316 may define a cavity 220, 320 of virtually any cross-sectional shape, such as cylindrical, square, rectangular, polygonal, oval, etc.
• the side wall 216, 316 is attached to the bottom wall 214, 314 and an opening 218, 318 is formed at one end of the side wall 216, 316, opposite the bottom wall 214, 314.
• the side wall 216, 316 and bottom wall 214, 314 form a cavity 220, 320 sized and shaped to receive a contact lens 222, 322 and a liquid sequestering element 224, 324 for sequestering liquid water while allowing water vapor to escape into the cavity.
• the liquid sequestering element 224, 324 takes the form a vapor permeable, liquid impermeable sachet, which confines liquid and prevents any liquid from being loose in the cavity 220, 320.
• the sachet is generally lenticular in shape, having convex outer walls.
• the sachet has a toroidal or donut shape that cradles the outer convex surface of the contact lens 22 in a central hole. .
• the sachet shape of Fig. 4 may help stabilize the contact lens 322 in the container 310 during movement of the container 310.
• the liquid sequestering element 224, 324 may be fixed to the bottom wall 214, 314 by an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 228, 328 at one or more locations to prevent the liquid sequestering element 224, 324 from moving within the cavity 220, 320.
• a cover film 230, 330 may extend across the opening 218, 318 to create a sealed chamber that contains both the contact lens 222, 322 and the liquid sequestering element 224, 324.
• the cover film 230, 330 may be formed of virtually any vapor impermeable material, such as a vapor impermeable foil.
• the cover film 230, 330 may be attached to the body 212, 312 with an adhesive, such as a hot melt adhesive 229, 329.
• a contact lens container is formed at 410.
• the contact lens container may have any number of the features or characteristics described above with reference to the containers illustrated in Figs. 1-4.
• a measured amount of liquid is added to the container at 412.
• a dehydrated or pre -hydrated hydrophilic contact lens is inserted into the container at 414.
• the container is sealed at 416.
• the hydrophilic contact lens is gradually vapor hydrated and/or maintained in a hydrated condition without full immersion in liquid, as described above, at 418.
• the order of steps 412 and 414 may be changed if desired.
• the liquid sequestering elements or liquid sequestering sachets may be colored to aid a consumer in identifying the contact lens.
• the contact lens container described herein is illustrated as having a single cavity for containing a single contact lens, one having ordinary skill in the art would be capable of forming a contact lens container having two separate cavities, each cavity being sized to receive an individual contact lens so that a user may store a pair of contact lenses in a single contact lens container.
• the container would include at least one liquid sequestering element, as described above.
• liquid as used herein is meant to encompass any contact lens liquid storage solution, such as saline solutions, other aqueous solutions, and solutions containing antimicrobial agents.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=47679057

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2013
  • 2013-01-24 EP EP13703236.3A patent/EP2817242A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-01-24 CA CA2865313A patent/CA2865313A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-01-24 WO PCT/US2013/022986 patent/WO2013126174A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2013-01-24 US US14/379,140 patent/US20150014187A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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