Patent ID: 7613388

Claim:
A discretely adjustable focusing lens comprising: a lens chamber defining a light path and having at least one lens face ( 105 , 155 ) arranged along that light path; a storage chamber that is fluidly connected with the lens chamber, such that the lens chamber and the storage chamber together form a closed system; a fluid system residing in said chambers and including a first fluid, having a first index of refraction, and a second fluid, having a second index of refraction that is different from the first index of refraction, said fluids furthermore being immiscible and exhibiting different forces of attraction to electric fields; and a fluid system switch comprising electrodes, operative to rearrange the fluid system between a first discrete state and second discrete state by means of electrostatic forces, wherein, in the first discrete state, the at least one lens face is substantially covered by the first fluid, and, in the second discrete state, the at least one lens face is substantially covered by the second fluid means for using electrostatic forces to move at least a portion of one of said first fluid and said second fluid from said lens chamber to said storage chamber.