Allergy Test Device Touch Activator Pain Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Skin testing devices with sharp pointed ends cause discomfort and pain to patients due to penetration of the skin, which can be traumatic and disruptive during allergy testing.

Innovation Solution

A skin testing system with test heads featuring elongated spike members and a touch activator, where the touch activator is longer than the spikes, contacts the skin first to activate nerve tissue and block pain transmission, reducing discomfort and pain during testing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If sharp pointed ends are used to penetrate the skin for allergy testing, then meaningful allergy test results can be obtained, but patient discomfort and pain increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetest result accuracyVSAvoidpatient pain

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The touch activator makes contact with the skin before the spike members to activate nerve tissue and block pain transmission pathways in advance, preparing the patient's nervous system to reduce pain perception before the actual skin penetration occurs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The touch activator serves as an intermediary element that mediates between the testing device and the patient's pain receptors, activating nerve tissue to block pain signals before the spike members cause discomfort

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If touch activators are added to activate nerve tissue and block pain, then patient comfort improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient painVSAvoiddevice structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The touch activator is integrated into the same test head structure as the spike members, combining the pain-blocking function with the skin penetration function in a single unified device component rather than requiring separate devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 system effectively reduces pain and discomfort during skin testing by activating nerve cells that inhibit pain transmission, allowing for more comfortable and accurate allergy testing with minimal tissue trauma.

Implementation Method 1

the touch activator comes into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spike members, causing the touch activator to activate nerve tissue that blocks pain transmission resulting in a reduction of discomfort and/or pain during testing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGate control theory of pain:

Implementation Method 2

The elongated spike members have sharp ends configured to receive the test solution or potential allergen from a well, for example via capillary attraction, and to puncture a patient's skin to deliver the test solution or allergen

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCapillary attraction: Capillary Action

Data Source

PatentUS20230200719A1Allergy Testing Device and Method of Testing for Allergies

Publication Date: 2023.06.29 LINCOLN DIAGNOSTICS INC

AI summary

An allergy testing system comprises a skin test device having a grip portion for holding the device. One or more legs extend from the grip, and each leg is oriented to interact with a well containing a potential allergen. Each leg has a test head, and each test head has a plurality of elongated spike members. The elongated spike members have a sharp end configured to receive the potential allergen from a well and to puncture a patient's skin. In addition, each test head has a touch activator. The touch activator is longer than the plurality of elongated spike members, such that during an allergy test, the touch activator comes into contact with the skin prior to the elongated spike members, causing the touch activator to activate nerve tissue that blocks transmission of pain, resulting in a reduction of pain and/or discomfort during testing.