The Schneider Macro Varon 4.5/85 CAS is a 12k high-end industrial line scan lens and one of the most popular float macro lenses on the used market. Float refers to the float ring that controls aberrations at different magnifications, 0.5x - 2.0x with this lens. CAS stands for Continuous Aberration Suppression; lens technology that reduces aberrations over the full magnification range.
On a recent patent search I stumbled upon German patent for the Macro Varon CAS lens, a nice find, then can you believe it, right afterwards I discovered an even more interesting patent. We found a second Macro Varon CAS patent assigned to one of Schneider’s main competitors, Qioptiq, for the same exact lens!
In fact Schneider’s Macro-Varon CAS patent is assigned to Qioptiq Photonics GmbH and Co KG until 2027 (An assignment of a patent, or patent application, is the transfer to another of a party’s entire ownership interest or a percentage of that party’s ownership interest). The first clue to how this is possible in the first couple lines of the original patent DE102007051620A1.
2007-10-26 Filing
Inventor: Witold Hackemer
Current Assignee: Jos Schneider Optische Werke GmbH
Witold Hackemer was an optical designer at Jos Schneider Optische Werke GmbH, and now Witold Hackemer is senior optical designer for Qioptiq.
2015-05-21 - Change of applicant/Patentee
Inventor: Witold Hackemer
Current Assignee: Qioptiq Photonics GmbH and Co KG
2027-10-27 - Anticipated expiration
We reached out to both assignee’s for comment. Schneider management had no comment but Schneider customer service (Germany) said they did not know anything about it, but after I supplied the patent number they said one patent is for Germany when Witold Hackemer worked for them as an optical designer, the new patent is for all of Europe. My management contact at Qioptiq told me CAS was invented by Witold Hackemer for an OEM customer in Korea for their Linos float lens. He was unaware of Schneider’s patent. Witold Hackemer is senior optical designer for Qioptiq Photonics GmbH.
More details from this patent will be covered here on the blog and also on the Macro Varon page here on Closeuphotography.com: https://www.closeuphotography.com/macro-varon