Double-Chamber Fluid Vessel for Portable Breast Milk Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breast milk storage containers are prone to contamination, require refrigeration, and are inconvenient for transport, leading to waste and inconvenience for caregivers.
Innovation Solution
A double-chambered vessel with an inner and outer container, where the inner container can be cooled by a coolant in the outer chamber, maintaining breast milk at a safe temperature for extended periods without dilution, allowing direct pumping and storage in a reusable, durable container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If breast milk is stored in soft plastic bags, then storage is portable and flexible, but the bags may tear, leak, open and become contaminated more easily
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into an inner collapsible bag for milk storage and an outer rigid protective container. The inner bag can collapse as milk is consumed, while the outer container provides structural protection and prevents contamination. This segmentation allows the system to combine the portability of soft bags with the protection of rigid containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner storage bag is nested within the outer protective container. The inner bag fits inside the outer container, allowing the flexible, portable inner bag to benefit from the protective, rigid outer container. This nesting arrangement enables the inner bag to collapse inward while remaining protected by the outer container structure.
2Reliability
If breast milk is stored in hard plastic containers, then contamination resistance is improved, but refrigeration is required and transport convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the protective function (outer rigid container) from the storage function (inner flexible bag). The outer container provides contamination resistance similar to hard plastic containers, while the inner collapsible bag maintains transport convenience by allowing the container to shrink as milk is consumed.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner bag is designed to be collapsible and dynamic, changing volume as milk is consumed. This dynamic characteristic allows the container to adapt its size, improving transport convenience while the outer rigid container maintains contamination resistance throughout the process.
3Ease of operation
If breast milk is stored without refrigeration, then portability is improved, but storage duration is limited to four hours
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares the milk storage environment in advance by providing an insulated outer container that can be pre-cooled with ice packs. This preliminary cooling action allows the milk to remain fresh for extended periods without active refrigeration, extending storage duration while maintaining portability.
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 safe, convenient, and efficient storage and transport of breast milk, reducing contamination risks and waste, and allowing for easy feeding without refrigeration for several hours.
Implementation Method 1
depositing a cooling medium into an outer chamber of an outer container, coupling the inner container to a second connector such that the inner chamber is enclosed, inserting the inner container into the outer chamber, and after coupling the inner container to the second connector, coupling the outer container to the second connector such that a gap is formed between the inner container and the outer container, at least a portion of the gap occupied by the cooling medium
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for handling and dispensing fluid are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method includes dispensing fluid into an inner chamber and inserting the inner container into an outer chamber of an outer container. The method can include dispensing a coolant into the outer chamber of the outer container and coupling an outer container coupler of the outer container to a first coupler of a connector such that the connector defines a gap between the inner container and the outer container. The method can include coupling a second coupler of the connector to a lid coupler of a lid, wherein the lid coupler has the same thread pitch as the inward-facing threads of the outer container coupler of the outer container. The method can include cooling the fluid to a chilled storage temperature and dispensing the fluid out of the inner chamber.