Eye Cup Dropper Assembly for Precise Eye Drop Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eye drop dispensers struggle with accurate delivery, often miss the eye, contaminate the dispenser, and are difficult for users with hand tremors to use, leading to waste and potential infections.
Innovation Solution
An eye drop dispenser assembly featuring a nipple, cap, and integrated eye cup that aligns with the eye socket, preventing leakage and contamination, and facilitating easy use for users with tremors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing eye drop dispensers are used, then the dispenser structure is simple, but the delivery precision is poor and drops are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an eye cup as an intermediary component between the dispenser and the user's eye. The eye cup is positioned over the eye to catch and contain the eye drops, preventing them from missing the target. This intermediary structure significantly improves delivery precision and reduces waste of eye drops.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension by introducing the eye cup that extends beyond the traditional dispenser tip. The eye cup creates a three-dimensional containment space over the eye, allowing drops to be delivered into this controlled space rather than relying solely on precise tip-to-eye alignment, thereby improving delivery accuracy.
2Reliability
If existing eye drop dispensers are used, then the dispenser design is simple, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The eye cup serves as a barrier intermediary between the dispenser tip and the user's eye/face. By positioning the eye cup over the eye, it prevents direct contact between the dispenser tip and potential contamination sources (fingers, face, hair), thereby reducing contamination risk while adding minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the contamination prevention function from the dispenser tip itself and relocates it to the eye cup. The eye cup assumes the role of protecting the delivery system from contamination, allowing the dispenser tip to remain simple while achieving contamination prevention through the separate eye cup component.
3Ease of operation
If existing eye drop dispensers are used, then the dispenser is easy to manufacture, but usability for users with tremors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The eye cup provides a cushioning effect by creating a larger target area and containing space. For users with hand tremors, the eye cup compensates for delivery inaccuracies by catching drops that would otherwise miss the eye, thereby improving ease of operation without requiring complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The eye cup adds a spatial dimension that creates a larger effective target zone. Instead of requiring precise point-to-point delivery, the eye cup creates a volumetric containment space, making the dispensing process more forgiving of tremors and improving usability while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing.
4Productivity
If existing eye drop dispensers are used, then the dispenser structure is simple, but multiple attempts are required
Solution Approach 1:
The eye cup acts as an intermediary that ensures successful delivery on the first attempt by containing the eye drops over the eye. This eliminates the need for multiple attempts, thereby improving dispensing efficiency and reducing the time required for administration.
Solution Approach 2:
The eye cup is positioned in advance over the eye before dispensing begins. This preliminary positioning ensures that the target area is prepared and ready to receive the drops, allowing for successful first-attempt delivery and improving overall productivity while reducing time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispenser assembly includes a dispenser bottle having a nipple for dispensing a solution (e.g., eye drop solution, eye wash solution, eye lid cleaner and/or wash solution), and a cap removably couplable to the dispenser bottle over the nipple. An eye cup is fixedly coupled to the dispenser bottle around the nipple. The eye cup can be supported on or rest on the periphery of the eye socket to facilitate delivery of the solution onto or over a user's eye.