Dispensing Valve With Dual Biasing For Sterile Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing devices for fluid products, particularly in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, face challenges in maintaining a contamination-free environment due to bacterial entry and residue issues, despite having non-return valves to prevent air ingress.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing device with a dual-valve system where the first valve portion experiences a greater biasing force than the second, ensuring quicker closure and preventing residue and bacterial entry, featuring a flexible and rigid member configuration with varying stiffness, interference, and surface features to facilitate efficient dispensing and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a non-return valve is used to prevent air ingress, then air entry is prevented, but bacterial contamination can still occur through the dispensing opening
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing valve is divided into two distinct portions: a first valve portion closer to the container and a second valve portion closer to the dispensing end. This segmentation allows each portion to address specific contamination risks independently, with the first portion preventing backflow and the second portion preventing bacterial entry during dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different biasing forces are applied to different portions of the valve. The first valve portion experiences a greater biasing force than the second valve portion, creating localized sealing characteristics optimized for their respective functions: stronger sealing near the container and controlled sealing near the dispensing end.
2Ease of manufacture
If the flexible member has uniform stiffness throughout, then manufacturing is simplified, but the valve cannot achieve rapid closure in the first valve portion to prevent contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible member is designed with non-uniform stiffness: the first valve portion has greater stiffness than the second valve portion. This local variation in mechanical property enables the first portion to close rapidly for contamination prevention while the second portion maintains adequate flexibility for product flow, all within a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible member can be constructed using composite materials or material gradients that provide different stiffness levels in different regions. This allows the single flexible member to exhibit both rigid behavior in the first valve portion for rapid closure and flexible behavior in the second valve portion for controlled dispensing.
3Device complexity
If the valve maintains constant sealing force throughout, then structural simplicity is preserved, but residue accumulation occurs in the dispensing channel
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system creates different sealing forces at different locations: greater biasing force in the first valve portion and reduced biasing force in the second valve portion. This gradient in sealing force ensures thorough sealing near the container while maintaining a slight gap near the dispensing end to prevent product residue accumulation.
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 effectively prevents bacterial and residue contamination by ensuring rapid closure of the dispensing channel, maintaining a sterile condition and reducing residue accumulation, particularly beneficial in applications like ophthalmology where contamination can have severe consequences.
Implementation Method 1
a dispensing valve provided between the attachment end and the dispensing end and formed by a flexible member and a rigid member
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing a fluid product. The device includes a dispensing end; an attachment end; and a dispensing valve provided between the attachment end and the dispensing end and formed by a flexible member and a rigid member. The dispensing valve is actuatable between an open position in which a dispensing channel is formed between the flexible member and the rigid member, and a closed position in which the dispensing channel is closed. The dispensing valve includes a first valve portion and a second valve portion. The second valve portion is located closer to the dispensing end than the first valve portion. The dispensing valve is configured such that a greater biasing force is applied onto the rigid member by the flexible member in the first valve portion than in the second valve portion when the dispensing valve is in the closed position.