Double-Chamber Breast Milk Container for Contamination-Free Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breast milk storage containers are prone to contamination, require refrigeration, and lack a safe, durable, and versatile solution for cooling and maintaining breast milk at a safe temperature for extended periods without dilution, leading to waste and inconvenience in transport and feeding.
Innovation Solution
A double-chambered vessel with an inner and outer container, coupled by complementary connectors, allows direct pumping and cooling of breast milk, maintaining it at a safe temperature for several hours using a coolant in the outer chamber, and providing a reusable, insulated design for easy transport and feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If breast milk is stored in hard containers without refrigeration, then storage convenience is improved, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into separate compartments: a hard outer container for structural stability and a flexible inner bag for contamination-free storage. This segmentation allows each component to fulfill its specific function - the hard container provides protection and portability while the inner bag maintains sterility and prevents contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible inner storage bag is nested within the hard outer container. This nested configuration combines the advantages of both container types - the inner bag provides contamination protection while the outer hard container provides structural integrity and portability, creating a hybrid solution that eliminates the weaknesses of either component alone.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If breast milk is stored in flexible bags, then contamination protection is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the contamination protection function (inner flexible bag) from the structural stability function (outer hard container). By segmenting these functions into different components, each can optimize for its specific purpose without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible inner bag is placed within the rigid outer container, creating a nested structure where the inner bag provides contamination protection and the outer container provides structural stability. This nested configuration allows the weak inner bag to be supported by the strong outer container while maintaining its contamination barrier function.
3Device complexity
If breast milk is stored in single container, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature control capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into multiple temperature zones: a refrigerated compartment for cold storage and a warm compartment for temperature maintenance. This segmentation allows simultaneous temperature control of different portions of the same container, enabling both cooling and warming functions without requiring separate containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The single container system performs multiple functions: it provides structural protection, maintains sterility, offers refrigeration, provides warming capability, and enables portability. By making the container multi-functional through internal segmentation, the system avoids the complexity of multiple separate containers while delivering comprehensive temperature control and protection.
4Reliability
If breast milk is pumped into multiple small containers, then storage safety is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into multiple independent storage compartments that can be filled separately during pumping sessions. This allows the user to pump into multiple small compartments in one session, then seal and store them together as a single unit, maintaining safety while reducing the time required compared to managing multiple separate containers.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple small storage compartments are merged into a single integrated container system with unified sealing and portability features. This combining allows multiple small containers to be treated as one storage unit, reducing the time spent on sealing, transporting, and managing multiple separate containers while maintaining the safety benefits of small individual compartments.
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
Enables safe, contamination-free storage and transport of breast milk for extended periods, allowing for direct pumping into a reusable container that maintains temperature and reduces waste, enhancing convenience and health benefits for both the user and the child.
Implementation Method 1
depositing a cooling medium into an outer chamber of the outer container... at least a portion of the gap occupied by the cooling medium
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for handling and dispensing fluid are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method includes dispensing fluid into an inner chamber and inserting the inner container into an outer chamber of an outer container. The method can include dispensing a coolant into the outer chamber of the outer container and coupling an outer container coupler of the outer container to a first coupler of a connector such that the connector defines a gap between the inner container and the outer container. The method can include coupling a second coupler of the connector to a lid coupler of a lid, wherein the lid coupler has the same thread pitch as the inward-facing threads of the outer container coupler of the outer container. The method can include cooling the fluid to a chilled storage temperature and dispensing the fluid out of the inner chamber.