Medical Container Adaptor With Resilient Tongue Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical containers often face issues with proper connection to connectors, leading to leakage, ejection, or tilt due to under- or over-screwing, which compromises the reliability of fluid transfer during injection.
Innovation Solution
An adaptor with a proximal region featuring outer wings and an internal double or segmented thread, along with resilient tongues and a mechanical stop, provides tactile and audible feedback when the connector is securely attached, preventing under- or over-screwing and ensuring a reliable fluid path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connector is screwed tightly into the adaptor, then the connection reliability is improved, but the risk of over-screwing causing adaptor rotation or tilt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs tactile feedback through resilient tongues that deflect during screwing and provide audible feedback via clicks when the connector reaches the correct position. This feedback mechanism guides the user to achieve proper connection without over-screwing, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and operation control.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor is pre-configured with resilient tongues positioned to engage at specific rotation angles (e.g., 180 degrees). This preliminary arrangement ensures that the feedback mechanism is ready to guide the user before the screwing operation begins, preventing both under- and over-screwing issues.
2Reliability
If the connector is screwed with sufficient torque, then the connection security is improved, but the risk of under-screwing causing leakage or ejection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient tongues provide tactile resistance during screwing and generate audible clicks when engaged, giving real-time feedback to the user about the screwing progress. This allows precise determination of when the connector has reached the correct depth, eliminating both under- and over-screwing problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces precise mechanical measurement of screwing depth with a sensory-based system using resilient tongues that convert positional information into tactile and audible signals, making precision measurement unnecessary for achieving correct connection.
3Device complexity
If the adaptor uses a simple threaded connection, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to provide connection indication is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient tongues provide both tactile feedback through deflection resistance and audible feedback through clicks, conveying connection status information without requiring complex electronic or optical systems. This maintains simplicity while effectively communicating connection state to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient tongues act as intermediaries that translate the mechanical state of connector insertion into sensory signals (tactile resistance and audible clicks), providing information about connection status without adding significant complexity to the adaptor structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adaptor enhances user confidence by providing clear tactile and audible indications of secure connection, preventing leakage and ejection risks, and ensuring a reliable fluid transfer by defining a predetermined rotation angle and torque response.
Implementation Method 1
an indicator, such as a resilient tongue, configured to increase a resisting torque when the outer wing is screwed into the adaptor until the outer wing reaches a final position and to release the torque when the outer wing further moves beyond the final position
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
Figure 6~9
AI summary
The present invention relates to an adaptor (1) for connecting a medical container (100) to a connector (200) provided with outer wings, the adaptor (1) comprising an indicator (8) configured to increase the resisting torque as the outer wings are screwed into the adaptor (1) until they reach a predetermined rotation angle and to release said resisting torque when the outer wings are further screwed beyond said predetermined rotation angle. The invention also relates to a medical container having such an adaptor mounted onto its distal tip and to a method for manufacturing such an adaptor.