Ear Cleaning Device With Fiber Hooks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current ear cleaning devices, such as cotton swabs and other bulb-based devices, risk pushing ear wax further into the ear canal, potentially causing hearing issues or perforation of the eardrum.

Innovation Solution

An ear cleaning device with a rod featuring fiber hooks at one end, oriented to slide over ear wax in the canal and grasp it for removal, reducing the likelihood of pushing wax deeper and facilitating its extraction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If cotton swabs or bulb-based devices are used to clean ear wax, then the ear canal can be accessed for cleaning, but ear wax is pushed farther into the ear canal causing reduced sound perception or eardrum perforation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveear cleaning capabilityVSAvoidear wax impaction and eardrum perforation risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of pushing ear wax outward with a solid tip, the invention uses fiber hooks that catch and pull ear wax outward during withdrawal. The mechanism inverts the traditional approach by utilizing the withdrawal motion rather than the insertion motion to remove ear wax, thereby avoiding impaction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention employs a porous or fibrous tip structure instead of a solid bulb or cotton tip. This fibrous structure allows the tips to flex and conform to the ear canal while the individual fibers act as hooks to catch ear wax particles, enabling effective removal without pushing wax deeper into the canal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

2Ease of manufacture

If solid bulb tips are used for ear cleaning, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but grasping and removal of ear wax is ineffective

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice structure simplicityVSAvoidear wax removal efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The solid bulb tip is replaced with a fibrous or porous material structure that maintains structural simplicity for manufacturing while providing multiple fiber hooks that effectively grasp ear wax. The fibrous structure is easier to manufacture than precise mechanical hook structures while achieving superior ear wax removal through the natural hooking action of individual fibers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Data Source

PatentUS11219554B2Ear cleaning device

Publication Date: 2022.01.11 SILJKOVIC HAMLET

AI summary

An ear cleaning device (100) including a rod (102) configured to be held by a user and a plurality of fiber hooks (110) is disclosed. The rod includes a first end (104) and a second end (106) opposing the first end. The plurality of fiber hooks are disposed at the first end of the rod for insertion into the ear such that the fiber hooks are configured to grasp ear wax in the ear, and to hold the ear wax when the rod is removed out of the ear.