Double-Layer Foil Contact Lens Blister With Pull-Tab Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing contact lens packaging technologies face challenges in providing a robust and user-friendly mechanism for opening and retrieving unworn contact lenses from blister packages, often requiring users to dig into the bowl to remove the lens, which can be cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A contact lens blister package design featuring a double layer foil component with a seal and flap configuration that forms a pull tab, allowing easy opening and retrieval of the lens, along with a double-walled bowl for enhanced strength and a beach area for easy lens removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional single-layer foil seal is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the ease of opening and lens retrieval is poor requiring users to dig into the bowl
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into two functional segments: a fixed seal portion that remains attached to the bowl perimeter and a movable flap portion that can be pulled away. This segmentation allows the user to easily peel back the flap to access the lens while the seal maintains its sealing function, eliminating the need to dig into the bowl.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is configured to extend beyond the bowl perimeter in a dimensional extension, creating a pull tab that protrudes from the package. This additional dimensional element provides a convenient gripping point for users to initiate opening, transforming the opening action from a complex digging motion to a simple pull motion.
2Strength
If a single-walled foil body is used, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the structural strength and rigidity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The body is constructed as a composite structure with an inner foil layer forming the bowl and an outer foil layer providing reinforcement. These layers are joined together to create a double-walled construction that significantly enhances structural strength and rigidity while maintaining the flexibility and sealability characteristics of foil materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner bowl structure is nested within the outer reinforced shell, with the inner layer forming the functional bowl and the outer layer providing structural support. This nested configuration maximizes strength-to-weight ratio and provides additional protection while maintaining manufacturability through sequential forming processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A blister package for a contact lens is provided that includes a body and a seal, one or both of which is made up of a double layer foil component. The double layer foil component can be a seal component made of a sheet of material folded upon itself and defining a seal, a flap, and a fold. The seal and the flap intersect at the fold and the flap can be pulled away from the seal to form a pull tab useful to peel back the seal and open the bowl. The body can also, or instead, be made of a double layer foil component that forms at least the bowl such that the bottom of the bowl is double-walled. The double-walled bowl exhibits improved strength and can be provided with strengthening features such as ribs, ridges, channels, or grooves.