JP2003270592A - Spectacle lens and method for marking spectacle lens - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for putting marks to spectacle lenses, and a marking method for adding more detail information relating to the marked spectacle lenses with the sizes and appearance similar to those of the conventional hidden marks to the marks by imparting design characteristics thereto and the marked spectacle lenses. <P>SOLUTION: The hidden marks are formed by combining any one or more of characters, symbols and graphics minuter than the hidden marks with approximately the same sizes and approximately the same shapes as those of the conventional hidden marks. Such marks have the appearance similar to that of the conventional marks and can impart the detail information relating to the spectacle lenses to all of the spectacle lenses by imparting the design characteristics thereto. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for marking a mark on a spectacle lens and a marked spectacle lens, and a marking method for marking a mark by combining finer characters, symbols, figures, etc. It relates to a spectacle lens marked thereby.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various marks are marked on eyeglass lenses. For example, a mark for identifying a product in a manufacturing process, a mark used as a reference for alignment in framing processing for an eyeglass frame, a mark for identifying a manufacturer or a product type after shipping, and the like can be given. In particular, the mark used to identify the manufacturer is used not only for identification but also as a proof that the manufacturer guarantees the quality of the product.

[0003] These marks are engraved by using a needle made of a hard material such as diamond, a method of forming a mark by focusing laser light on the inside or the surface of a spectacle lens, and transferred from a molding die during molding. It is marked by a method such as (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3).

Among such marks, marks used for identification of manufacturer or product type after shipment, marks used as a reference for alignment at the time of framing the spectacle frame, and the like are incorporated in the spectacle frame. Since it remains on the surface of the spectacle lens even after being exposed, it is required that the appearance be as inconspicuous as possible. Therefore, it is common to use a simple mark in which a simple character is made into a figure by using one to several characters, and it is usually difficult to visually recognize and it is formed so that it can be identified by reflected light or transmitted light in a certain direction. (Hereinafter, in the present invention, such an appearance mark is referred to as a hidden mark).

Therefore, it is difficult to include detailed information in the hidden mark. For example, when one spectacle lens is damaged, even if it is desired to order the same specifications, the type of hard coat film or antireflection film Even such information could not be discriminated from the hidden mark, and it was difficult to reproduce it. As an invention that solves such a problem and enables detailed identification of products, Patent Document 4 discloses an identification code such as a manufacturing number using a laser on a bevel surface formed by edging. A method of marking is disclosed.

By the way, in recent years, due to its high fashionability, there is a tendency for younger generations to prefer colored spectacle lenses. In this way, there is a demand for products that have different specifications for each individual, that is, products that can be differentiated from others. However, in the spectacle lens, there are few parts that can be differentiated from others other than coloring, and for example, in the form of the above-mentioned hidden mark, manufacturers have tried to mark the brand mark. there were.

[0007]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-6-191159

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-99444

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-153698

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-146362

[0008]

However, the marking method disclosed in Patent Document 4 has two problems.

First, there is a difficulty in marking on the beveled surface. The spectacle frame selected by the customer and the spectacle lens manufactured based on the spectacle prescription of the customer have a wide variety of combinations, and the positions and shapes of the bevels are diverse, so compared to the case of marking on the spectacle lens surface. Therefore, it is not easy to align the laser with the marking object (spectacle lens). In addition, when the area of the bevel itself is small, there is a problem that the marking area cannot be sufficiently secured.

Secondly, there is a difference in the processing place where the edging is performed. Since the spectacle lens is put in a spectacle frame, a process called edging is performed. Normally, the beveled surface is formed during edging, but edging may be performed by a spectacle lens manufacturer or a retail store or a processing center owned by the retail store. That is, there is a problem that it is difficult to mark identification information on all the spectacle lenses.

On the other hand, in the case of marking a design mark according to the taste of the customer, simple graphics or characters can be used, but for example, detailed information of the person himself / herself is included and the appearance is not impaired. It was difficult to mark a highly designed mark.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is a marking capable of marking a large amount of information such as identification information while maintaining a design, with a look and size that are not much different from the conventional simple hidden mark. It is an object to provide a method and a marked spectacle lens obtained thereby.

[0013]

As a result of earnest efforts to achieve the above object, the present inventor has made a mark by combining characters, symbols, and figures finer than the size of the mark to form the mark. Was found to be effective. That is, a hidden mark that has been conventionally marked on a spectacle lens, and a substantially similar size and a substantially similar shape,
For example, by marking characters or symbols such as the manufacturer name of the spectacle lens, the manufacturing date, the identification information on the manufacturing,
It becomes possible to add more detailed identification information as compared with the conventional identification by the hidden mark.

Further, since the region that remains reliably after the framing is used, all the spectacle lenses can be reliably marked at the stage of shipment from the spectacle lens manufacturer. Of course, since the marking can be made inconspicuous as in the case of the conventional hidden mark, the visual field of the wearer is not hindered.

Further, unlike the conventional hidden mark, it is possible to mark a mark including personal information while having a design property with a density and a size that do not hinder the visual field of the wearer.

The present invention can be applied to a mark that can be clearly recognized, and if desired by the wearer, it is possible to mark a desired mark in an area that does not obstruct the field of vision.

Therefore, in the spectacle lens and the marking method of the spectacle lens according to the present invention, the invention according to claim 1 is
A spectacle lens having a mark, wherein the mark is formed by a combination of one or more of characters, symbols, and figures that are smaller than the mark.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the spectacle lens according to the first aspect, the mark is composed of a plurality of characters that are smaller than the mark, and the plurality of characters indicate identification information of the spectacle lens. A spectacle lens characterized by being provided.

The invention of claim 3 provides the spectacle lens according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mark is a hidden mark.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a marking method for marking a mark on a spectacle lens, wherein one or more characters, symbols or figures smaller than the mark are combined and marked, and the mark is marked. A marking method for a spectacle lens is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for marking a spectacle lens according to the fourth aspect, the mark is composed of a plurality of characters that are smaller than the mark, and the plurality of characters identify the spectacle lens. A marking method for a spectacle lens, which is characterized by indicating information.

The invention of claim 6 provides the method of marking an eyeglass lens according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the mark is a hidden mark.

The invention of claim 7 provides the marking method of the spectacle lens according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by marking with a laser.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking marking of a hidden mark on a plastic spectacle lens as an example.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are views showing an example of marked spectacle lenses according to the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 show progressive multifocal spectacle lenses, and FIG. 3 shows monofocal spectacles. The case of a lens is shown. In FIG. 1, a spectacle lens 1 is provided with a hidden mark 3 that serves as a frame reference based on a fitting point 2, a hidden mark 4 that indicates a manufacturer, and a hidden mark 5 that indicates a degree of addition of a customer. . In this example, the hidden mark 3 is provided in advance before the hidden mark 4 is marked, for example, by being transferred from the molding die. The hidden mark 4 is related to the present invention, and has, for example, the shape of the letter S in the present embodiment. Of course, the shape is not limited to this, and characters such as alphabets and numbers, deformed shapes thereof, and other symbols and figures may be used. FIG. 1 is only an example, and the arrangement and presence of the hidden mark 3, the hidden mark 4, and the hidden mark 5 are not limited to this.

FIG. 1 also shows a state in which the hidden mark 4 is enlarged. In this example, the hidden mark 4 includes three types of information of the manufacturer identification information 41, the manufacturing date 42, and the order number 43, and the contents can be confirmed by enlarging and displaying the marked part. . FIG. 2 shows an example in which the hidden mark 4 is in the form of a single line, and the wearer's name 44 is underlined below the hidden mark 3. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 3, instead of the manufacturing date 42, the product type and material such as the refractive index of the plastic material, the display of the ultraviolet ray blocking function, the type of the surface treatment film such as the hard coat film and the antireflection film are shown. Information 4
5 is marked. 1 and 2 and 3 are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these modes, and the progressive multifocal spectacle lens may be marked with the refractive index of the plastic material and the type of surface treatment. Further, it is also possible to obtain the information about the customer (name and initials shown in FIG. 2, desired date and words, etc.) together with the order, mark the manufactured spectacle lens 1 and ship it. Furthermore, if the material etc. of the spectacle lens 1 is clearly indicated, it is possible to properly dispose of it at the time of disposal. It should be noted that only the order number 43 may be marked so that detailed information corresponding to it, for example, the customer's spectacle prescription, coloring prescription, product type, etc. may be retrieved from the manufacturer's host computer. Moreover, if an automatic recognition code such as a two-dimensional code is used, more information can be added.

The hidden mark 3 may be marked on a glass base material or a plastic base material, or may be marked when a hard coat film or an antireflection film is formed thereon.

Examples of marking means include a method of engraving with a needle made of a hard material such as diamond and a method of using a laser.

In the case of the former method, fine marking can be stably obtained by keeping the tip sharp.

In the latter method, a laser having a wavelength that is appropriately absorbed by a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, a hard coat film, an antireflection film, etc. may be used. In particular, an ultraviolet laser with a short wavelength can be narrowed down to a beam diameter of about 30 μm and can be absorbed by plastic substrates, glass substrates, hard coat films, antireflection films, etc. Instantly evaporative decomposition of thin surface layers. Therefore, it is suitable for marking on the spectacle lens according to the present invention. As an ultraviolet laser, Y
Examples thereof include a UV laser obtained by wavelength-converting a fundamental laser beam emitted from a solid-state laser such as an AG laser, and an excimer laser used for semiconductor exposure. In addition, a laser having an infrared wavelength represented by a CO2 laser can be used because it is absorbed by a plastic substrate or a glass substrate, but the beam diameter becomes larger than that of an ultraviolet laser. Is preferred. In addition, if an ultrashort pulse laser (femtosecond laser) with a pulse width on the order of femtoseconds is used as a laser that oscillates the laser light in a pulse shape at a wavelength (visible range or visible range) that has a low absorption rate to the spectacle lens Fine processing is possible even at wavelengths close to the range. For example, 800 nm
Wavelengths in the vicinity have a higher transmittance through the spectacle lens and are hardly absorbed. However, if a femtosecond laser that can instantaneously apply a large amount of energy is used and the beam focus is narrowed down and processed, a spectacle lens can be marked even with a laser in such a wavelength band.

In the case of a hard material needle engraving method, NC
Depending on the control method, it is possible to obtain the desired marking by moving at least one of the needle and the spectacle lens. However, since the spectacle lens is composed of various curved surfaces, the position (height) of the needle tip must be changed according to the curved shape. For that purpose, the needle may be pushed out by spring pressure, air pressure, or the weight of the needle itself, and may be configured to move up and down according to the thickness of the spectacle lens (for example, height difference of about 30 mm). Of course, the position of the needle tip may be controlled according to the shape of the spectacle lens surface, or the position of the needle tip may be fixed and the position (height) of the spectacle lens side may be controlled.

In the case of marking with a laser, in addition to the method of moving at least one of the laser and the spectacle lens, the laser itself is scanned with a galvanometer mirror,
The desired marking may be obtained. A method of irradiating a spectacle lens with a laser through a mask or stencil prepared in advance may be used if the content to be marked is changed in units of a plurality of pieces instead of different information for each piece. In this case, an excimer laser suitable for batch processing of a large area can be used.

Even when a laser is used, if the laser is narrowed down at a predetermined focal length and marking is performed near the focal position, the focal position is almost on the surface of the spectacle lens in accordance with various surface shapes of the spectacle lens. Control to match. The position (height) control may be performed by controlling the position (height) of the spectacle lens or controlling the focus position on the laser side. Also, if the optical system is such that the focal length of the laser is adjusted to be long and a substantially constant beam diameter is obtained, or if the optical system is capable of obtaining a parallel beam, then strict position (height) control becomes unnecessary. .

As described above, by using the marking method of the present invention, for example, it is possible to mark more detailed information with the same size and appearance as the conventional hidden mark. Moreover, since it is possible to mark the area remaining after being framed in the spectacle frame, it is possible to mark the identification information even before the edging process, for all spectacle lenses shipped from the spectacle lens manufacturer, It becomes possible to add identification information. Further, it becomes possible to mark a design mark which reflects the customer's taste and includes the customer's desired information.

The present invention is not limited to the marking of hidden marks, but can also be used for clearly visible marks. For example, if the wearer wants it, it can be applied to a case where a desired design mark is marked on a region that does not obstruct the view. It can also be applied to a case where a mark that is not easily forged is marked in the area that is cut off after the frame is put in, for the purpose of guaranteeing the shipment from the manufacturer.

[0036]

As described above, according to the spectacle lens marking method of the present invention, more detailed information can be marked on the spectacle lens surface with the same appearance as the conventional hidden mark. This makes it easy to identify the manufacturing date and product specifications. By using such identification information, even if one of the eyeglass lenses is remanufactured when it is damaged, the customer's eyeglass lens specifications are easy to understand, so that it can be easily dealt with.

Further, it is possible to provide a spectacle lens having a high design property which suits individual tastes.

[0038]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a marked spectacle lens according to the present invention, showing a state in which a part of a hidden mark is enlarged.

FIG. 2 is a view showing another example of a marked spectacle lens according to the present invention, and is a view showing a state in which a part of a hidden mark is enlarged.

FIG. 3 is a view showing still another example of the marked spectacle lens according to the present invention, showing a state in which a part of the hidden mark is enlarged.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Eyeglass lens 2. Fitting point 3. Hidden mark that serves as a reference when setting the progressive multifocal lens frame 4. 4. Hidden mark marked by the present invention Hidden mark indicating addition of progressive multifocal lens 41. Manufacturer identification information 42. Manufacturing date 43. Order number 44. Information indicating the name of the customer 45. Information indicating product type and material

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A spectacle lens marked with a mark, wherein the mark is composed of a combination of one or more characters, symbols, or figures that are smaller than the mark. . 2. The spectacle lens according to claim 1, wherein the mark is composed of a plurality of characters smaller than the mark, and the plurality of characters indicate identification information of the spectacle lens. Eyeglass lens to do. 3. The spectacle lens according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mark is a hidden mark. 4. A marking method for marking a mark on a spectacle lens, which is any one of a character, a symbol and a figure smaller than the mark.
A method for marking a spectacle lens, which comprises marking one or more in combination to form the mark. 5. The spectacle lens marking method according to claim 4, wherein the mark is composed of a plurality of characters that are smaller than the mark, and the plurality of characters indicate identification information of the spectacle lens. A method for marking a spectacle lens, which is characterized in that 6. The method of marking an eyeglass lens according to claim 4, wherein the mark is a hidden mark. 7. The method of marking an eyeglass lens according to claim 4, wherein the mark is marked by a laser.