Beverage Mixing Module Sealing to Prevent Cross-Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage mixing systems fail to effectively prevent cross-contamination of pharmaceuticals and require extensive cleaning between uses, especially when handling nutraceutical beverages, which can include pharmaceuticals.
Innovation Solution
A beverage mixing system with a removable compounding module that isolates dry or liquid compounds from moving mechanical parts, allowing for physical separation and easy disposal, featuring a drive shaft that can impart translation and rotational motions to ensure thorough mixing without contaminating the mechanical structures, and a hermetically sealed interface to prevent leakage or external contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a blender or known beverage mixing system is used to mix nutraceutical beverages containing pharmaceuticals, then mixing function is achieved, but cross-contamination occurs and extensive cleaning is required between uses
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the beverage mixing system into two distinct segments: a reusable stationary base containing the motor and drive shaft, and a removable compounding module containing the beverage material. This segmentation allows the compounding module to be easily removed and replaced, eliminating the need to clean the stationary mechanical parts between uses, thus preventing cross-contamination while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the beverage material containment and mixing function into a separate removable compounding module that can be taken out and discarded after use. This extraction removes the source of contamination from the permanent mechanical structures, allowing the stationary base to remain clean and ready for the next use without extensive cleaning
2Reliability
If the compounding module is designed with built-in mixing elements and removable base, then physical isolation from mechanical parts is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the mixing elements directly into the compounding module structure, combining the containment function and mixing function into a single integrated unit. This merging eliminates the need for separate mixing components that would require assembly and disassembly, reducing operational complexity while maintaining effective physical isolation during the mixing process
Solution Approach 2:
The compounding module is designed as a disposable or limited-use component that can be discarded after a certain number of uses or when contaminated. This approach justifies the increased structural complexity by eliminating the need for cleaning and maintenance, as the entire module can be replaced rather than cleaned, maintaining reliability without requiring complex cleaning mechanisms
3Stability of the object's composition
If the drive shaft imparts translation and rotational motions to ensure thorough mixing, then mixing homogeneity is improved, but the risk of mechanical part contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the mixing process so that the drive shaft in the stationary base provides rotational motion while the compounding module, which contains the beverage material, provides translation motion through its removable design. This segmentation ensures that the mechanical drive shaft never contacts the beverage material, eliminating contamination risk while maintaining thorough mixing through coordinated motions
Solution Approach 2:
The compounding module acts as an intermediary between the drive shaft and the beverage material. The drive shaft rotates the compounding module without direct contact to the material inside, and the removable base allows translation motion. This intermediary mechanism achieves thorough mixing through combined rotational and translational motions while preventing contamination of mechanical parts
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 prevents cross-contamination and reduces maintenance by isolating moving mechanical parts from the compounding module's contents, allowing for single-handed, frustration-free insertion and removal of the module, and ensures thorough mixing without the need for extensive cleaning between uses.
Implementation Method 1
the drive shaft can be configured to impart a translation motion (e.g., up and down) to at least a portion of the compounding module relative to a beverage container or vessel
Implementation Method 2
the drive shaft can also be configured to impart a rotational motion (clockwise and/or anti-clockwise) to at least a portion of the compounding module
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage mixing system includes a housing, a sealing feature, a locking feature, and an agitator. The housing has an opening separating inner and outer surfaces and a boss that extends through the housing such that part of the outer surface forms an inner bore of the boss having a terminus pointing toward the opening. The agitator has a base, a shaft, and a mixing element coupled to the base such that the base, in cooperation with the sealing feature, circumferentially seals the opening of the housing to form a cavity defined by the inner surface. The shaft passes through the inner bore. The locking feature when engaged permits independent or simultaneous translational and rotational movement of the shaft while an area between the terminus of the boss and the shaft remains mechanically sealed during the movement against liquid or powder encroachment into a clean area of the inner bore.