Handheld Medicine Dispenser Rigid Impacter Bridge Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable dosing and dispensing devices for chronic disease medications face challenges in maintaining accurate dosing due to the formation of bridges within funneled channels, which affects efficiency and requires larger devices to accommodate flexible walls for agitation, limiting their portability and usability outside hospital environments.
Innovation Solution
A handheld dosing and dispensing device with a rigid impacter connected to the storage chamber's wall, allowing for minimal space usage and efficient agitation of medicine units, combined with a removable cassette for easy refilling and secure storage, preventing unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a flexible wall is used to agitate tablets in the feed channel, then tablet agitation is achieved, but the device size increases due to the required outward flexing space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of allowing the agitation element to flex outward as in conventional designs, this invention inverts the approach by fixing the impacter rigidly to the chamber wall and having it deflect inward into the storage chamber. This reversal of the deflection direction eliminates the need for outward flexing space, thereby reducing overall device size while maintaining agitation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitation function is segmented from the flexible wall approach and implemented as a dedicated impacter element that can be rigidly mounted. This segmentation allows the impacter to be positioned and controlled independently, enabling efficient tablet agitation without requiring the entire feed channel structure to be flexible and space-consuming.
2Volume of moving object
If miniaturization is applied to create a portable dosing device, then portability is improved, but tablet bridge formation increases due to confined space
Solution Approach 1:
The impacter creates mechanical vibrations and impacts within the storage chamber that prevent tablets from forming stable bridges. By repeatedly striking the tablets and creating dynamic movement, the system maintains reliable dosing accuracy even in the miniaturized confined space where bridge formation would otherwise be problematic.
Solution Approach 2:
The impacter operates periodically to continuously disrupt potential bridge formations. This periodic action ensures that tablets remain in a state of controlled agitation, preventing the development of stable bridge structures that would compromise dosing reliability in the compact device geometry.
3Volume of moving object
If a rigid impacter fixed to the storage chamber wall is used, then device size is minimized by eliminating outward flexing space, but agitation effectiveness may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The impacter is pre-positioned and pre-loaded against the chamber wall, storing elastic potential energy. When released, this preliminary positioning enables a powerful impact action that effectively agitates tablets without requiring the impacter to flex outward beforehand, thus maintaining agitation efficiency within the compact device footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the impacter by utilizing rapid deflection and rebound mechanics. The impacter deflects inward with controlled force and rebounds, creating multiple impact cycles from a single actuation. This parameter optimization ensures effective tablet agitation is achieved despite the rigid mounting and limited travel distance.
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 device ensures accurate and efficient dispensing of variable doses, maximizing storage space while maintaining portability and safety, allowing for precise dosing regimens tailored to individual patient needs, and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Implementation Method 1
the strained impacter moves towards the interior of the storage chamber and impacts against the units of medicine
Data Source
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AI summary
A medicament for use in the treatment of a disease comprising administration on one to ten occasions daily using a hand held medicine dosing and dispensing device (10) comprising a housing (12) including a storage chamber (14) to store discrete units of medicine (16). The dispensing device (10) further includes a feed assembly (18) located between the storage chamber (14) and a dispenser (20) to feed individual units of medicine (16) from the storage chamber (14) to the dispenser (20). An impacter (22) is operably associated with the storage chamber (14) to agitate units of medicine (16) stored in the storage chamber (14). The impacter (22) includes a rigid element (24) fixedly connected at or towards one end (26) to a wall (28) of the storage chamber (14) and operably associated at or towards a second end (30) with an actuating mechanism (32) that deflects the second end (30) of the impacter (22) towards the wall (28) of the storage chamber (14) to strain the impacter (22) such that, when released, the strained impacter (22) moves towards the interior (34) of the storage chamber (14) and impacts against the units of medicine (16).