Photochemically Etched Skin Removal Blade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for removing dead skin, callouses, and corns often damage viable skin tissue due to abrasive or cutting mechanisms, lacking safety and effectiveness in providing a smooth surface post-treatment.
Innovation Solution
A manually operated blade-type device with a photochemically etched cutting surface, designed for bi-directional operation, featuring a carrier with a concave grip and a cap for protection, which channels away debris and provides a sharp, durable cutting edge formed by photochemical etching, ensuring minimal skin removal and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If abrasive devices such as sandpaper or emery boards are used to remove dead skin, then skin buildup is removed, but viable skin tissue is damaged and the surface becomes rough
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional abrasive mechanical systems with a photochemically etched blade system. The blade is formed by photochemical etching of a metal sheet, creating precise cutting edges that slice through dead skin without the random abrasion caused by sandpaper or emery boards. This substitution of mechanical abrasion with controlled photochemical cutting resolves the contradiction by enabling effective skin removal while preserving viable tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the blade surface through photochemical etching. This process creates a specific surface morphology with controlled sharpness and geometry, transforming the blade from a simple abrasive surface to a precision cutting tool. The etched parameters enable the blade to cut cleanly through callouses and corns without damaging underlying healthy skin, thus resolving the harm contradiction.
2Productivity
If blade type devices are used to cut away unwanted skin, then skin removal is effective, but deep cuts and damage to good skin occur
Solution Approach 1:
The photochemically etched blade exhibits local quality variations in its cutting edge geometry. Different regions of the blade surface have precisely controlled edge sharpness and angle, allowing selective cutting action. This local precision enables the blade to effectively remove hard skin buildup while the controlled edge geometry prevents deep cuts into healthy tissue, resolving the contradiction between removal efficiency and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanically formed blade edges (through punching or grinding) with photochemically etched edges. This substitution creates a more precise and controllable cutting action that reduces the risk of deep cuts and damage to viable skin, while maintaining effective skin removal capability.
3Productivity
If pierced metal devices are used to remove skin, then skin buildup is abraded away, but the device clogs with debris and requires frequent cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pierced metal sheet structure with a photochemically etched blade surface. The etching process creates a continuous, smooth cutting surface without holes or protrusions that could trap debris. This substitution eliminates the clogging problem inherent in pierced devices while maintaining effective skin removal capability, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The photochemical etching process fundamentally changes the surface parameters of the blade, creating a smooth, continuous cutting surface rather than a pierced or rough surface. This parameter change prevents debris accumulation and clogging, making the device easier to maintain while preserving skin removal effectiveness.
4Productivity
If chemicals are used to soften and dissolve skin buildup, then skin removal is achieved, but excess chemical use damages viable tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical dissolution methods with a mechanical cutting method using a photochemically etched blade. This substitution eliminates the harmful effects of chemical excess on viable tissue while maintaining effective skin buildup removal through precise mechanical cutting action.
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 safely and efficiently removes unsightly skin buildup while maintaining a smooth surface, reducing the risk of damage and clogging, and is easy to use and store, addressing the limitations of existing products.
Implementation Method 1
The cutting surface of the blade body is formed by a photochemical etching process
Data Source
AI summary
A device for the removal of unwanted excess skin from an area of the human body to be treated in which a carrier encases a planing blade. The blade body is formed from a blank and co planer uniform opposed cutting edges protrude upwardly in a uniform transition beyond the plane of the blank in order to contact the skin to be removed while the device is moved to and fro across the area of the skin to be treated.