Lens patent challenged by Ocuco

Software supplier Ocuco has asked the US Patent Office to re-examine a Carl Zeiss Vision patent 6,089,713, which, it says, laid claim to the invention of back-surface freeform progressive lenses.

Ocuco president Robert Shanbaum said the request was similar to one granted in July (News 19.07.13) examining Seiko’s Epson patent 6,019,470 and raised ‘substantial new questions’. Shanbaum added that back-side and dual-sided progressive lenses were anticipated in patents as far back as the 1930s and there were numerous defects in Zeiss’ patent.

A spokesperson for Zeiss said it would vigorously defend the challenge and added: ‘The validity of Carl Zeiss Vision’s US Patent 6,089,713 has already been thoroughly tested during the Zeiss-Signet Armorlite litigation in which the court and multiple juries found the patent was valid and enforceable over numerous invalidity contentions.’