Contact Lens Fitting Set with Visual Indicators for Automated Replenishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for managing contact lens trial packs in eye care professional (ECP) facilities lack a user-friendly and efficient way to track available and unavailable trial packs of various brands, leading to potential stock depletion and customer preference issues due to manual ordering processes and human errors.
Innovation Solution
A modular fitting set assembly with visual indicators and a smartphone application that automatically detects the absence of contact lenses, allowing for real-time tracking and automated replenishment of trial packs, enabling a user-friendly image-based system for managing lens supplies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual tracking methods are used to monitor trial pack inventory, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to human error and memory failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service inventory monitoring where the visual indicators automatically reveal stock status without requiring active human intervention or complex electronic displays. The indicators self-activate when lenses are depleted, providing reliable tracking through passive visual cues rather than complex active systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses visual indicators that change their visible state (color or appearance) to signal inventory status. When trial packs are depleted, the indicators undergo a visible transformation to alert administrators, providing reliable stock tracking through simple color or visual changes rather than complex electronic displays.
2Reliability
If automated sensors and real-time tracking systems are implemented, then reliability improves, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces expensive automated sensors with simple, inexpensive visual indicators that can be easily replaced when depleted. These disposable-like indicators provide reliable stock monitoring without the high cost and complexity of electronic sensors, using simple visual elements that trigger replenishment actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the essential function of stock monitoring from complex automated systems and isolates it into simple visual indicators. By removing unnecessary electronic complexity and retaining only the core function of signaling stock status, the system achieves reliability without high device complexity or cost.
3Productivity
If administrators manually monitor and reorder trial packs, then device complexity remains low, but loss of time increases due to administrative tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides immediate visual feedback when trial packs are depleted through activated indicators. This feedback mechanism eliminates the need for administrators to manually check inventory levels, automatically signaling when replenishment is needed and reducing administrative time while maintaining low system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual indicators are pre-configured to automatically activate when stock is depleted, performing the alert function before administrators need to take action. This preliminary visual notification eliminates the need for active manual monitoring, reducing administrative time while maintaining simplicity.
4Reliability
If visual indicators are added to track lens availability, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the inventory tracking function into separate visual indicator units, one for each lens type or category. Each indicator independently monitors and signals its specific stock status, providing reliable tracking without requiring a complex integrated system. The segmentation allows simple, modular indicators rather than a complex unified system.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and techniques for identifying an absence of any contact fitting lens in an user-friendly manner for automated replenishment. The system includes an assembly stocked with fitting lenses of know types that are depletable from known compartment locations of the assembly. Further, depletion of a compartment through the natural course of fitting lens distribution to customers results in the automatic display of a visual indicator at the corresponding compartment location. Thus, an imaging application of the front of the assembly may be utilized to immediately ascertain lens types of the assembly which are depleted. As a result, the image may be used to facilitate automatic replenishment of such depleted fitting lenses.