Diaper Changing Shield Assembly to Contain Infant Waste During Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infants often urinate and/or defecate during diaper changes, leading to excessive cleaning and disruption of caregivers' sleep schedules, especially at night, due to the need to clean surrounding areas and launder fabrics.
Innovation Solution
A diaper changing shield assembly with arms that insert between the changing pad and the horizontal surface, a vertical shield frame, and a shield cover made of absorbent and waterproof materials to contain and prevent waste from spreading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional diaper changing pad is used without protection, then the changing process is simple and quick, but waste excreted by the infant soils surrounding areas requiring extensive cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shield assembly as an intermediary barrier between the infant and the surrounding environment. The shield includes a waterproof cover that extends beyond the changing pad edges, capturing waste before it can soil surrounding areas. This mediator structure resolves the contradiction by adding protection without significantly complicating the changing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield assembly is designed as a separate, removable component that can be attached to or removed from the changing pad. The waterproof cover is segmented to extend beyond the pad edges while maintaining ease of use. This segmentation allows the protection function to be added independently without redesigning the entire changing system.
2Loss of time
If protective barriers are added to prevent soiling, then cleaning requirements are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield utilizes a flexible waterproof cover made of thin film material that can be easily attached and removed. This thin film barrier effectively prevents soiling while maintaining simplicity in structure and ease of cleaning, as the cover can be quickly detached and washed without complex disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The waterproof cover is designed as an inexpensive, easily replaceable component. If soiled beyond cleaning, it can be quickly replaced with a fresh cover, minimizing cleaning time and effort while keeping the overall device complexity low.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield extends fully under the changing pad, then waste containment is maximized, but insertion and removal become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The shield assembly incorporates flexible arms with pivot joints that allow dynamic adjustment during insertion and removal. The arms can be elevated to clear the pad edges for easy insertion, then positioned to extend fully underneath for optimal waste containment. This dynamic mechanism resolves the contradiction between full extension for containment and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield arms are pre-positioned in an elevated state before use, clearing the changing pad edges. This preliminary positioning allows for easy insertion and removal by the caregiver, while the arms can subsequently be lowered to achieve full extension underneath the pad for effective waste containment during the changing process.
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
Effectively contains and contains diaper waste, reducing the need for extensive cleaning and protecting surrounding items from soiling.
Implementation Method 1
The shield cover may be made of an absorbent material configured to absorb the waste
Implementation Method 2
a waterproof material configured to prevent the waste from leaking downward
Data Source
AI summary
A shield assembly includes at least one arm, a shield frame, and a shield cover. In some embodiments, the at least one arm includes a pair of arms configured for insertion between a diaper changing pad and another surface, such as a diaper changing table. The shield frame is attached to the pair of arms and extends perpendicular thereto. The shield cover attaches over the shield frame and shields other items in a room such as carpets, walls, blinds, and clothing, from waste such as urine or liquid feces, which may be excreted by an infant during a diaper change on the diaper changing pad.