Disappearing Tooth Container with Hidden Prize Compartment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Parents face challenges in exchanging a child's lost tooth for a prize without waking the child, due to light sleepers, the small size of primary teeth, and the risk of forgetting to make the exchange late at night.

Innovation Solution

A container with a hidden compartment that stores a prize, allowing for the surreptitious exchange of a tooth or object, featuring a removable upper insert and a lower insert with a hollow concavity, secured by magnets or other fasteners, providing a locking mechanism and decorative ornaments to maintain the illusion of a secret exchange.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a child places their tooth under a pillow or on the bedside table, then the tooth is left in a location, but the tooth may be lost or disturbed during sleep cycles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetooth retentionVSAvoiddisturbance risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into an upper container component and a lower container component that can be separated. The lower container component includes a hollow concavity specifically designed to retain the tooth, while the upper component can be removed to access the prize compartment. This segmentation allows the tooth to be securely held in the concavity while the prize remains hidden in the upper compartment, preventing tooth loss and reducing disturbance risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The container design nests multiple functions within a single structure: the lower container component nests the tooth in its hollow concavity, while the upper container component nests the prize in its hidden compartment. When assembled, the container presents a unified appearance that conceals both the tooth retention function and the prize storage function, eliminating the need for separate locations and reducing disturbance risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If parents wait until late at night to make the exchange, then the child is more likely to be asleep, but the parent may forget or fall asleep before completing the process

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexchange completionVSAvoidtime management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The container is prepared in advance with the prize hidden in the upper container component's compartment. The tooth is placed in the lower container component's hollow concavity before the parent needs to make the exchange. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for the parent to remember to make the exchange later, as everything is already in place and ready for immediate retrieval.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The container design allows the parent to easily retrieve both the tooth and prize without requiring multiple trips or complex actions. By opening the upper container component, the parent can simultaneously access the prize compartment and the tooth in the lower component, making the exchange process simple and self-contained, thereby reducing the risk of forgetting or falling asleep.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If a container is designed with a hidden compartment for the prize, then the prize secrecy is maintained, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprize secrecyVSAvoidcontainer structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is segmented into an upper container component with a hidden compartment for the prize and a lower container component with a hollow concavity for the tooth. The segments are connected in a way that allows easy separation and reassembly. This segmentation provides the necessary hidden compartments for prize secrecy while using simple, easily manufacturable components that minimize overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The upper container component serves multiple functions: it acts as the outer container structure, provides the hidden compartment for the prize, and serves as the lid for the lower container component. The lower container component similarly serves as both the base structure and the tooth retention chamber. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate parts needed, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining prize secrecy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

Enables the exchange of a lost tooth for a prize without disturbing the child, ensuring the tooth's safety and the prize's secrecy, alleviating the need for repeated visits and reducing the risk of loss or forgetfulness.

Implementation Method 1

The hidden compartment may be held together via several hidden magnets or other types of fasteners

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMagnetism: Magnetism

Data Source

PatentUS12090016B2Disappearing tooth and object container

Publication Date: 2024.09.17 VAUGHN PARIS

AI summary

A disappearing tooth container is disclosed, including a container having an upper container component and a lower container component. The container is dimensioned to receive an item and a prize. An upper container insert is applied to the upper container component to form a hidden compartment to store the prize. A lower container insert is applied to the lower container component, the lower container insert includes a hollow concavity to retain the item to permit the surreptitious exchange of the item and the prize.