This invention relates to a cleaning device, and more particularly to an electrolytic cleaning device. BACKGROUND

Contact lenses have a porous structure that is gas and water permeable so as to allow the wearer to wear comfortably. During use, impurities (such as cosmetics, tear proteins, bacteria, etc.) easily deposit on or within such a porous structure. Thus, contact lenses must be usually cleaned and sanitized to preserve the optical quality of the contact lenses and the good health of the wearer.

In a common cleaning technique, the fingers and the palm of the hand are used to rub and remove the impurities from the contact lenses by use of a cleaning solution. Such cleaning, however, can remove only the impurities on the surfaces of the contact lens but not those within the contact lens. Furthermore, the hand may scratch or otherwise harm the surfaces of the contact lenses.

Presently available devices for assisting in cleaning and disinfection of contact lenses include ultrasonic cleaning devices, heating type electromagnetic agitation cleaning devices, ultraviolet-light cleaning devices, and ozone cleaning devices. The ultrasonic cleaning devices may cause damage to the contact lenses due to vibration of the contact lenses, and cannot remove tear proteins from the contact lenses. Although the heating type electromagnetic agitation cleaning devices do not activate the contact lenses to vibrate, they also cannot remove tear proteins from the contact lenses. Furthermore, when heated, the contact lenses may be deformed. The ultraviolet-light cleaning devices and the ozone cleaning devices are used solely for disinfection and sanitization of the contact lenses. As such, these cleaning devices are ineffective in removing impurities from the contact lenses, and may cause damage to the contact lenses. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide an electrolytic cleaning device that can remove effectively impurities from contact lenses without causing damage to the contact lenses.

According to this invention, there is provided an electrolytic cleaning device adapted to receive a cleaning solution for removing impurities from an article, the electrolytic cleaning device including a cleaning seat made of an insulating material and having a bottom wall and a surrounding wall unit that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and that cooperates with the bottom wall to define a receiving chamber for receiving the cleaning solution, characterized by two spaced-apart conducting members disposed in the cleaning seat and in contact with the cleaning solution, and a power supply unit mounted to the cleaning seat and connected electrically to the conducting members for applying a voltage across the conducting members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

When the article is immersed within the cleaning solution, and when the voltage is applied across the conducting members, impurities are removed from the article by an electric current generated in the cleaning solution between the conducting members. These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of an electrolytic cleaning device according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment; Fig. 3 is a partly exploded perspective view illustrating a modified leaning seat and a modified top cover; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of an electrolytic cleaning device according to this invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRY-OUT OF INVENTION Before the present invention is described in greater detail in connection with the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that similar elements and structures are designated by like reference numerals throughout the entire disclosure.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the first preferred embodiment of an electrolytic cleaning device according to this invention is used to receive a cleaning solution 10 for removing impurities (such as cosmetics, tear proteins, bacteria, etc.) from a pair of contact lenses (not shown) having a porous structure. The electrolytic cleaning device includes a cleaning seat

1, two spaced-apart conducting members 2, a power supply unit 3, and a top cover 4.

The cleaning seat 1 is made of an insulating material, and has a bottom wall 11 and a surrounding wall unit 12 that extends upwardly from the bottom wall 11 to define a receiving chamber 13 for receiving the cleaning solution 10. In this embodiment, the surrounding wall unit 12 includes a surrounding wall 121 that extends upwardly from a periphery of the bottom wall 11, and a lens-confining wall 122 that extends upwardly from the bottom wall 11, that is gourd-shaped, and that is disposed inside the surrounding wall 121. The top cover 4 extends from a top end of the surrounding wall 121 along a line 41 for covering the receiving chamber 13, and is rotatable on the surrounding wall 121 to open the receiving chamber 13.

The cleaning seat 1 and the top cover 4 may be modified. For example, with particular reference to Fig. 3, a modified cleaning seat 1 includes a gourd-shaped bottom plate 11, and a surrounding wall unit 12 configured as a surrounding wall and extending upwardly from a periphery of the bottom wall 11, and a modified top cover 4 is disposed removably on the surrounding wall unit 12.

The conducting members 2 are disposed in the cleaning seat 1, exposed to the receiving chamber 13, and are in contact with the cleaning solution 10 for serving as an anode and a cathode, respectively. In this embodiment, the receiving chamber 13 is gourd-shaped, and has two generally circular lens-receiving portions 131 spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction (A) of the cleaning seat 1, and a connecting portion 132 connected between the lens-receiving portions 131. The power supply unit 3 is mounted to the cleaning seat 1, and is connected electrically to the conducting members 2 for applying a voltage across the conducting members 2. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 3 includes a circuit board 31, a switch 32, and an electrical cable 33. The circuit board 31 is disposed within the bottom wall 11 of the cleaning seat 1, and is connected electrically to the conducting members 2. The switch 32 is disposed on an outer surface of the cleaning seat 1, and is connected electrically to the circuit board 31. The switch 32 is operable to control electrical connection between the power supply unit 3 and the conducting members 2. The electrical cable 33 is connected electrically to the circuit board 31, and is provided with an electrical plug 34 adapted for electrical connection with an external power source (not shown). When the voltage is applied across the conducting members 2, impurities are removed from the contact lenses by an electric current generated in the cleaning solution 10 between the conducting members 2.

Fig. 4 shows the second preferred embodiment of an electrolytic cleaning device according to this invention, which is similar in construction to the first preferred embodiment except that the power supply unit 3 is configured as a battery set. In this embodiment, the battery set includes two batteries 34, which are disposed within a recess 110 in a bottom surface of the bottom wall 11 and which are covered by a bottom cover 111. The batteries 34 may be dry batteries, mercury batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium batteries, or carbon-hydrogen batteries. Alternatively, the battery set may include only one battery 34 or more than two batteries 34.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABLE

The electrolytic cleaning device of this invention has the following advantages:

(1) When the contact lenses are cleaned, they are kept intact. As such, damage to the contact lenses can be prevented.

(2) Since it is not necessary to heat the cleaning solution 10 during electrolytic cleaning of the contact lenses. Deformation of the contact lenses can be prevented. (3) The electric current can pass through small holes formed through the contact lenses. Thus, the impurities in the small holes in the contact lenses can be removed completely.