Endoscope Valve Container With Isolated Chambers

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing containers for storing endoscope valves during cleaning and disinfection reduce the effectiveness of the process due to the valves coming into contact with each other, leading to potential cross-contamination and inefficient cleaning.

Innovation Solution

A single-use container with isolated chambers and apertures for each valve, a secure attachment mechanism to prevent detachment, and a breakable design to ensure single-use, enhancing the cleaning process and preventing reuse.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If valves are stored together in a single chambered container during cleaning/disinfection, then the container maintains simplicity and keeps valves together for traceability, but the cleaning effectiveness is reduced due to valve-to-valve contact

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer simplicityVSAvoidcleaning effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into multiple separate chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) that are isolated from each other. Each chamber can hold individual valves or groups of valves that cannot contact each other during cleaning, thus maintaining cleaning effectiveness while still providing a unified container structure for traceability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If the container is made detachable for reuse, then the container can be used multiple times reducing waste, but the risk of accidental reattachment to different instruments increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer reusabilityVSAvoidattachment security

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The container is designed as a single-use disposable item. The attachment device includes a breakable component (breakable component) that ensures the container cannot be detached and reattached to a different instrument, preventing accidental reuse while maintaining attachment security during the intended single use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Area of stationary object

If the container is designed to be compact and flat-packed for storage, then storage space is reduced, but the structural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidcontainer structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is constructed from flexible material that can be folded into a compact flat-packed state for efficient storage. The flexible construction allows the multi-chamber structure to be collapsed into a thin profile while maintaining the integrity of the chamber divisions when deployed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS10058389B2Endoscope valve container

Publication Date: 2018.08.28 KEYMED (MEDICAL & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT) LTD

AI summary

A single use container (10, 40, 70) for holding a plurality of endoscope valves during a cleaning and disinfection procedure defines a plurality of chambers (34, 64, 84) which are isolated from each other and configured to receive a single valve such that a valve in one chamber cannot contact a valve in another chamber. A plurality of apertures (36, 58, 86) in each chamber allow fluid flow therethrough. A closure device (14, 44, 92) is operable to close each chamber (34, 64, 84). An attachment device (38, 68, 77) is configured for attaching the container (10, 40, 70) to an endoscope and to prevent detachment without breaking of the attachment device (38, 68, 77).