Flexible Contraceptive Disc With Porous Reservoir and Tissue Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drug delivery devices, such as T-shaped IUDs, are large, rigid, expensive, difficult to insert and remove, and require medical assistance, making them uncomfortable and costly.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, implantable medicament delivery system with a porous silicon matrix and tissue attachment means, designed for insertion via a laparoscopy tube, allowing for easier insertion and removal, and featuring a controlled release mechanism for medicaments like progesterone or omega-3 fatty acids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid T-shaped plastic device is used, then the device can be held in the uterus by its shape, but it is large, expensive, difficult to insert and remove, and requires medical assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by replacing the rigid T-shaped plastic structure with a flexible, thin-film device that can be easily inserted and removed. The flexible material allows the device to conform to the insertion pathway while maintaining its functional shape once in position, eliminating the need for complex rigid structures and medical assistance for insertion/removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the device by transitioning from rigid plastic to flexible materials with appropriate mechanical properties. This parameter change allows the device to be both retained in position through its shape and easily inserted/removed due to its flexibility, resolving the contradiction between retention reliability and operational ease.
2Shape
If a rigid plastic device is used, then the device can maintain its shape, but it is expensive to manufacture and difficult to insert
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible thin-film materials that can be manufactured more easily and cheaply than rigid plastic devices. These materials can be formed into the required shape through simpler manufacturing processes while maintaining sufficient shape stability to function effectively, reducing both manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials that combine flexibility with shape-retaining properties. These composite structures provide the necessary shape stability without requiring expensive rigid plastic manufacturing processes, achieving both shape maintenance and cost-effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If a flexible device is used, then the device can be easily inserted and removed, but it must be small in size and foldable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nesting principle by designing the flexible device to fold into a compact, nested configuration for insertion. The device contains its functional components in a condensed, space-efficient arrangement that allows passage through narrow insertion pathways while maintaining full functionality once deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes dimensional transformation by designing the device to transition from a compact, folded state for insertion to an expanded, functional state once in position. This dimensional change allows the device to pass through narrow openings in a compressed form while providing full functionality when deployed, effectively resolving the size constraint.
4Ease of operation
If a flexible device is used, then the device can be curled for insertion, but it requires memory to return to original shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting materials with specific mechanical properties that provide shape memory capability. These materials can be deformed into a curled configuration for insertion and then automatically return to their original functional shape through elastic recovery, maintaining both insertion ease and compositional stability.
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
The system provides a comfortable, cost-effective, and efficient method for delivering medicaments within the peritoneal cavity, with a flexible design that can be easily inserted and removed, and offers controlled release over several months to years.
Implementation Method 1
a (e.g. outer) porous matrix, which is suitably porous to the medicament
Implementation Method 2
porous matrix, which is suitably porous to the medicament, preferably a silicon matrix
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A flexible implantable contraceptive disc device is disclosed which can be inserted inside the female body, such as inside the uterus, is disclosed. The circular device can be bent and inserted into a laparoscopy tube which allows it to be delivered to the appropriate location inside a female subject. The disc has three layers, a central core silicon reservoir containing the active ingredient, such as a contraceptive progesterone, which is sandwiched and encased by an upper and lower porous silicon casings. The casings are porous to the contraceptive, allowing controlled release over a prolonged period of time. The lower casing has a series of micro-hooks around the discs circumference, allowing the disc device to be attached to a desired tissue by rotating the disc such that the hooks engage with the tissue. Such a device is easier to insert, and to remove, than the rod-like rigid plastic T-shape IUDs which are considerably larger, also more expensive to manufacture.