Dental Pick Dispenser With Built-In Separation for One-at-a-Time Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental picks are cumbersome to separate and store due to their interconnected design, requiring time and effort to break apart and manage individually, and existing storage solutions are inefficient for handling and dispensing singular picks.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a container and dispenser that allows for simultaneous separation and storage of dental picks, using mechanisms like recessed blades or pressure to slice apart interconnected picks, enabling easy loading, separation, and one-at-a-time dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dental picks are manufactured as interconnected sheets, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but separation and storage becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning recessed blades within the container that automatically engage with the interconnected dental picks when the sheet is loaded. The blades are prepared in advance to slice through the connections, separating the picks individually as they are deposited into the container, thereby eliminating the need for manual separation later.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the recessed blades - that mediate between the interconnected dental pick sheet and the storage container. These blades act as a separating medium that automatically divides the connected picks into individual units during the loading process, resolving the contradiction between maintaining connected sheets for manufacturing efficiency and needing individual picks for storage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If dental picks are separated manually one at a time, then storage organization is improved, but user effort and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing the container with built-in recessed blades that automatically separate the dental picks as they are loaded. The system performs the separation function itself without requiring user intervention, thereby maintaining organized storage of individual picks while minimizing user effort and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed blades serve as an intermediary mechanism that automates the separation process. Instead of the user manually separating picks, the blades mediate this function by slicing through the connections between picks during loading, thereby achieving both storage organization and ease of operation.
3Quantity of substance
If bulk sheets are stored in containers, then storage capacity is improved, but dispensing individual picks becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the container with recessed blades that separate picks during the loading process. This preliminary separation ensures that when picks are dispensed, they come out individually and easily, thereby maintaining both bulk storage capacity and dispensing convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed blades act as an intermediary that transforms the bulk sheet structure into individually separable units during loading. This mediation allows the container to hold bulk quantities while enabling easy dispensing of single picks, as the blades have already created separation points during the loading phase.
4Device complexity
If all dental picks are separated at once, then storage simplicity is improved, but alignment and placement becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing the container to automatically align and place separated picks into individual compartments using the recessed blades and compartment structure. The system performs the alignment and placement functions automatically, thereby achieving storage simplicity while minimizing the time required for these operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the recessed blades and compartment structure to guide and align picks as they are separated and deposited. This preliminary configuration ensures that picks are automatically aligned and placed correctly during the separation process, eliminating the need for subsequent manual alignment and placement.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for separating, storing, and dispensing dental picks includes a container to receive a sheet of dental picks, wherein the sheet of dental picks includes multiple interconnected dental picks, a separating device to separate the sheet of dental picks into singular dental picks, and a dispensing device to dispense the singular dental picks, one at a time. A method for separating and dispensing dental picks includes obtaining a sheet of dental picks, wherein the sheet of dental picks includes multiple interconnected dental picks, loading the sheet of dental picks into a container, separating the sheet of dental picks into singular dental picks, and dispensing the singular dental picks one at a time.