Contact Lens Package Clamping Tool for Stable Lid Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern contact lens packaging has become smaller and more difficult to open, especially for individuals with reduced dexterity or vision impairments, leading to issues such as lens ejection and solution spillage.
Innovation Solution
A dexterity tool with a top and bottom clamshell housing, featuring a movable and fixed jaw, a bowl, and a platform, designed to securely clamp the package and provide a larger surface area for grip, allowing easy lid removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If contact lens package size is reduced to save packaging materials, then packaging material usage decreases, but the package becomes more difficult to open
Solution Approach 1:
A dexterity tool with clamping jaws acts as an intermediary device between the user and the small contact lens package. The tool provides enhanced grip surfaces and mechanical leverage, enabling users to successfully open miniaturized packages that would otherwise be too difficult to manipulate directly.
Solution Approach 2:
The dexterity tool is divided into functional segments including clamping jaws, a hinge mechanism, and grip surfaces. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function: the jaws clamp the package, the hinge enables opening/closing motion, and the grip surfaces provide user control.
2Loss of substance
If package size is reduced, then material cost decreases, but control and stability during lid removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dexterity tool serves as a stable intermediary platform that holds the small contact lens package steady during lid removal. The clamping jaws secure the package while the larger tool structure provides the stability needed for controlled lid removal, preventing lens ejection and solution spillage.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool transitions from a two-dimensional grip surface to a three-dimensional clamping structure that surrounds and secures the package. This dimensional enhancement provides control in multiple directions, stabilizing the package during the lid removal process.
3Loss of substance
If package size is reduced, then environmental impact decreases, but usability for individuals with reduced dexterity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dexterity tool acts as a compensatory intermediary that makes up for reduced hand dexterity. The tool's larger size and mechanical advantages provide the necessary grip strength and control that users with limited dexterity cannot achieve with their hands alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The dexterity tool is designed as a universal device that can assist users with varying levels of dexterity, from those with mild hand weakness to those with significant impairments. The same tool structure provides scalable assistance across different user capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are several embodiments of a dexterity tool for opening a contact lens package to remove a contact lens inside. Some embodiments may have a housing which clamps down on the contact lens package to aid in the removal of the lid from the contact lens package. Some embodiments may also have a top clamshell housing with a movable jaw connected to the top clamshell housing and an opening in the top clamshell housing. Some embodiments may also include a bottom clamshell housing hingedly attached to the top clamshell housing so that the top housing hinges about a hinge axis relative to the bottom housing and further contains a bowl positioned within the bottom clamshell housing and a platform surrounding the bowl. A fixed jaw may be connected to the platform such that when the tool is placed in a closed position the contact lens package is sandwiched in between the movable jaw and the fixed jaw.