US Patent 7268958 Holder and optical element

A holder and optical element device includes a holder having a substantially cylindrical interior shape and an optical element fitted in the holder along an inner surface of the holder. The holder may have a step on the inner surface thereof. This step has a surface that is inclined downward and inward from the interior surface of the holder. The optical element may have a convex optical surface section on a surface thereof and a flat surface section around the optical surface section, the flat surface section being disposed on the downward-inclined surface. The optical element is disposed on the inner surface of the holder in such a manner that the step is in contact with the peripheral surface of the optical element.