Appeal No. 1999-2674
Application No. 08/192,979
Each of independent claims 59 and 73 set forth a method
of reshaping an outside surface of a cornea of an eye
comprising, inter alia, engaging an outside surface of the eye
surrounding the cornea with a coupler structure that also
contacts the
outside surface of the cornea with a concave surface, with the
concave surface being transparent to infrared radiation,
passing infrared radiation through the concave surface of the
coupler and into the cornea in order to raise the temperature
of collagen tissue within the cornea sufficiently to shrink
the tissue without damaging an endothelium layer of the
cornea, and urging the concave surface of the coupler against
the outside surface of the cornea during or while infrared
radiation is passed therethrough.
The underlying disclosure describes a part of the coupler
10 as an annular suction ring 20 (Fig. 1; specification, pages
12 and 13) whose purpose is to attach the coupler to the eye
by use of vacuum to position and restrain the eye. In light
of this disclosure, we comprehend the recitation of the urging
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