Patent Application
20250082080
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The disclosure relates to contact lens cleaning apparatuses and more particularly pertains to a new contact lens cleaning apparatus for cleaning contact lenses outside of a user's hands.
The prior art describes myriad contact lens cleaning apparatuses. However, there prior art fails to disclose such an apparatus which allows for rinsing of the contact lenses in fluid permeable containers while the containers move to distribute contact solution being poured over the contact lenses.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing and a pair of motors mounted in the housing. Each one of a pair of shafts is operatively coupled to an associated motor of the pair of motors. Each shaft of the pair of shafts extends away from the associated motor out of the housing and is rotatable about a central axis of the shaft. Each one of a pair of containers is mounted on a distal end of an associated shaft of the pair of shafts with respect to the associated motor. Each container defines an interior space in the container with a size such that the container is configured to contain an associated one of a pair of contact lenses. The containers are urged to rotate by the shafts when the shafts rotate. Each container is fluid permeable.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each container 20 comprises a first segment 28 and a second segment 30 configured into a clamshell arrangement wherein the first segment 28 is pivotably coupled to the second segment 30. Each container 20 of the pair of containers 20 is positionable in an open configuration 32 wherein the first segment 28 is pivoted away from the second segment 30 to access the interior space 22. A power supply 34 is mounted in the housing 12 and is electrically coupled to the pair of motors 14. The power supply 34 comprises a battery 36. A power switch 38 is operatively coupled to the pair of motors 14 and is mounted on an exterior 13 of the housing 12.
A pair of storage vessels 40 is mounted on the exterior 13 of the housing 12. Each storage vessel 40 defines a storage space 42 in the storage vessel 40. The storage space 42 has a size such that the storage vessel 40 is configured to contain an associated contact lens 52 of the pair of contact lenses 52. Each storage vessel 40 has an open top 44, and a pair of caps 46 are provided for removably covering the open top 44 of each storage vessel 40. Each cap 46 of the pair of caps 46 is removably coupled to an associated storage vessel 40 via internal threads 48 which engage external threads 50 of the associated storage vessel 40. The storage vessels 40 are integrally formed with the housing 12.
In use, the contact lenses 52 are inserted individually into the associated containers 20, and the containers 20 are closed. The motors 14 are operated via the power switch 38 to urge the containers 20 to rotate, and a lens cleaning solution 54 is poured over the containers 20. The lens cleaning solution 54 enters the containers 20 via the holes 24 to rinse the contact lenses 52, and the containers 20 distribute the lens cleaning solution 54 across the contact lenses 52. The spherical inner surface 26 of the containers 20 facilitates a smooth movement of the containers 20 with respect to the contact lenses 52 such that the containers 20 do not damage the contact lenses 52. The lens cleaning solution 54 then drains through the holes 24 of the containers 20. The contact lenses 52 may also be stored in the storage vessels 40.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
