Cleaning kit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning kits for clean rooms and pharmaceutical facilities face issues with contamination, solvent safety, and packaging durability, particularly with pre-saturated wipers that degrade over time and point-of-use saturation systems that suffer from leakage and handling damage.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning kit with a pouch divided into two liquid-tight containers, where the second container has a baffle to prevent accidental rupture during shipping and a frangible seal that can be broken by user pressure, allowing controlled release of cleaning liquid into the first container with absorbent applicators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If pre-saturated wipers are stored for prolonged periods, then the wipers are ready for immediate use, but the wiper material degrades and releases more contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into separate components: wiper material and cleaning solution are stored in different compartments. The wiper remains dry and uncontaminated until use, while the solution is contained separately. This segmentation prevents the degradation that occurs when wiper material is in prolonged contact with cleaning solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning solution is prepared and contained in advance in a separate reservoir, ready for immediate application. The wiper is also prepared in advance as a separate dry component. When needed, the solution is applied to the wiper just before use, ensuring the wiper material does not degrade from prolonged exposure.
2Reliability
If cleaning fluid is stored in separate containers and applied manually, then the cleaning solution can be kept stable, but the amount of fluid used is difficult to control leading to waste or ineffective cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically controls the amount of cleaning solution applied to the wiper. The saturated reservoir is designed to transfer a controlled amount of solution to the wiper material, eliminating the need for manual measurement and application. This self-regulating mechanism prevents both waste and insufficient saturation.
Solution Approach 2:
A controlled transfer mechanism acts as an intermediary between the cleaning solution reservoir and the wiper. This intermediary component regulates the flow and amount of solution transferred, ensuring precise dosing without manual intervention.
3Strength
If the packaging is made durable to withstand shipping, then the container protects the contents during handling, but the container becomes difficult to open for use
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging has different structural properties in different locations: the outer container is durable and strong to withstand shipping, while specific localized areas have frangible (easily breakable) seals that allow simple opening. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between overall strength and ease of opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system is segmented into an outer durable container and an inner frangible seal layer. The outer container provides shipping protection, while the inner seal provides easy opening. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize for its specific function without compromising the other.
4Reliability
If a baffle is added to prevent accidental rupture during shipping, then the packaging durability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle is constructed from thin, flexible material that can be integrated into the existing packaging structure without adding significant complexity. The flexible nature of the baffle allows it to conform to the container shape and provide protection through its geometry rather than requiring thick, rigid structures.
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
This design reduces contamination, enhances user safety by controlled solvent release, and improves packaging durability during shipping and handling, while ensuring effective saturation of wipers without premature rupture.
Implementation Method 1
a baffle extending at least partially across the second container adapted to reduce accidental rupture caused by handling during shipping
Implementation Method 2
a frangible seal along at least a portion of the boundary between the first container and the second container, wherein the frangible seal is broken by the application of pressure by the user to the second container
Implementation Method 3
at least one absorbent applicator in the first container and adjacent to the second container whereby the release of cleaning liquid from the second container is applied to the applicators in the first container
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning kit. The cleaning kit includes a first liquid-tight container and a second liquid-tight container, the second liquid-tight container adapted to be ruptured by the application of pressure by a user to the second container. The second container includes a baffle extending at least partially across the second container adapted to reduce accidental rupture caused by handling during shipping and a frangible seal along at least a portion of the boundary between the first container and the second container. A cleaning liquid may be in the second container and there may be at least one absorbent applicator in the first container and adjacent to the second container whereby the release of cleaning liquid from the second container is applied to the applicators in the first container.