Dental Floss Pick Storage Box with Gravity Interception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental floss pick dispensers with flip cover boxes are prone to accidental drops due to their large opening, leading to increased costs from complex structures in automatic pop-up designs.
Innovation Solution
A dental floss pick storage box with a guiding structure and interception mechanism that uses gravity to facilitate orderly pick removal, reducing the complexity and cost by employing a movable interception structure and avoidance gaps to prevent falls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flip cover box is used for storing dental floss picks, then the structure is simple and cost is low, but the large opening causes dental floss picks to fall to the ground accidentally
Solution Approach 1:
A movable interception structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the storage chamber and the opening. This structure includes an interception member that can move between a blocking position (preventing picks from falling) and a retracted position (allowing controlled removal). The interception member acts as a mediator that resolves the contradiction by providing safety without requiring a completely complex device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The interception structure is designed to be movable rather than fixed. The interception member can dynamically transition between blocking and non-blocking states, allowing the system to adapt between safety mode (preventing accidental drops) and usage mode (allowing controlled removal of picks). This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction between reliability and operational functionality.
2Ease of operation
If an automatic pop-up dental floss dispenser is used, then dental floss picks can be taken out one by one, but the press-type elastic member increases the cost and structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The interception structure is designed to be self-operating through gravity. When a dental floss pick is removed from the storage chamber, its weight automatically triggers the interception member to move to the blocking position, preventing subsequent picks from falling. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex press-type elastic members or automated pop-up mechanisms, significantly reducing structural complexity while maintaining controlled take-out functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex press-type elastic member mechanism is replaced with a simpler gravity-based mechanical system. Instead of using elastic forces and press members to control the pop-up action, the invention uses the natural gravity of the dental floss picks themselves to trigger the interception mechanism, substituting a complex mechanical system with a simpler gravitational field-based system.
3Reliability
If the opening of the flip cover box is made smaller to prevent falls, then reliability improves, but the ease of taking out dental floss picks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The opening is segmented into two functional zones: a control section where the interception member is positioned to regulate pick removal, and a passage section that allows selected picks to pass through. This segmentation allows the opening to simultaneously provide safety (through the interception member) and ease of operation (through the controlled passage), resolving the contradiction between reliability and usability.
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 solution effectively prevents dental floss picks from falling while simplifying the structure, reducing manufacturing costs and improving cost-effectiveness by utilizing gravity for pick removal, ensuring efficient and orderly dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
when the dental floss pick is taken out from the storage chamber, the dental floss pick slides relative to the box body due to gravity and approaches the opening until the dental floss pick is supported by the first interception structure
Data Source
AI summary
A dental floss pick storage box includes a box body, a guiding structure, and a first interception structure. The box body is provided with a storage chamber and an opening. The guiding structure is connected to the box body, configured to arrange dental floss picks in sequence along an extension direction of the guiding structure, and spaced apart from a side of the box body to form a first avoidance gap. The first interception structure is located on a slide-out path of the dental floss picks, and is movable relative to the box body. When the dental floss pick is taken out from the storage chamber, the dental floss pick slides relative to the box body and approaches the opening until the dental floss pick is supported by the first interception structure, and a part of the dental floss pick reaches out of the storage chamber along the opening.