Breakable Swab Applicator With Through-Hole Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional swab applicators face issues such as contamination during handling, tissue damage due to sharp grooves, and accidental breaking during insertion, leading to unsatisfactory specimen collection and potential false results.
Innovation Solution
A breakable swab applicator with a unique through hole design featuring two V-shaped sections connected by bent sections, providing two integral connection walls for controlled breaking, and a sampling cloth made of flexible, atraumatic material for painless and efficient specimen collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a break groove is provided on the swab rod to enable easy breaking, then the swab head can be separated without scissors, but the sharp edges of the groove may damage the tissue of the sampled organ
Solution Approach 1:
The break groove is segmented into two distinct grooves positioned at opposite sides of the swab rod, creating multiple breaking points that distribute the breaking force and reduce stress concentration at any single location, thereby enabling easy separation while minimizing tissue damage risk
Solution Approach 2:
The breaking mechanism is designed to occur at a specific distance from the swab head end, creating a controlled breaking zone that separates the breaking action from the tissue-contacting area, thus allowing easy separation without compromising tissue integrity
2Ease of operation
If the swab rod is made long enough to ensure secure hold during insertion and removal, then the grip area remains outside the bodily cavity, but the swab rod may accidentally break during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The swab rod exhibits different structural properties at different locations: the section near the swab head contains break grooves with reduced wall thickness for controlled breaking, while the grip area maintains full structural integrity and appropriate length for secure handling, creating localized quality variations that satisfy both gripping and reliability requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The swab rod is effectively segmented into functional zones: a breaking zone with grooves for controlled separation and an intact grip zone for secure handling, allowing the rod to be long enough for secure grip while preventing accidental breaking during insertion through strategic placement of weakening features
3Ease of operation
If conventional swab applicators are used with scissors to cut the swab head, then the swab head can be separated, but contamination of the test sample may occur by handling the swab applicator
Solution Approach 1:
The swab applicator performs its own separation function through the break grooves that enable the swab head to be detached from the rod by simple manual pressure or bending, eliminating the need for external tools like scissors and reducing handling steps that could introduce contamination
Solution Approach 2:
The breaking function is extracted from the operational sequence by pre-forming grooves in the swab rod, allowing the separation action to be performed independently without requiring scissors or other external instruments, thus minimizing contamination risk
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a swab applicator (1) for use with a sampling cloth (4) comprising a swab rod (2) and an elongated swab head (3) disposed at an end of the swab rod (2) and the swab rod and head are connected to one another at a breakable section (5) which comprises two connection walls (6) formed integrally with the swab rod (2) and head (3) and a through hole (7) extending transversally on the central longitudinal axis of the breakable section (5) and delimited by the connection walls (6), wherein each of the connection walls (6) has two lateral side faces that taper in the proximity of the breakable section (5) towards its central transverse axis resulting in a pre-determined minimum length and thickness of each of the two connection walls (6) proximally to the central transverse axis of the breakable section (5) such that the two connection walls (6) are strong enough to hold the swab rod (2) and swab head (3) together during normal use of the applicator (1) and breakable upon application of a breaking force to the swab rod (2).The invention also relates to a swab kit comprising the swab applicator (1) and the sampling cloth (4).