Fan-Shaped Brush Applicator for Tinea Unguium Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drug applicators for treating tinea unguium cause irritation and pain due to direct contact and pressure, especially when applying solutions between nails or on sensitive areas, and often result in liquid dripping or evaporation issues.
Innovation Solution
A drug applicator featuring a solution container with a columnar brush member formed by bundling synthetic fibers in a columnar shape, where the tip portion has a fan shape extending laterally and decreases in thickness towards the tip, reducing irritation and improving application precision between nails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a spray drug is used on an affected part, then the drug can be applied quickly, but injection pressure of the spray drug irritates the affected part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a brush as an intermediary tool between the drug container and the affected part. The brush absorbs and carries the liquid drug, eliminating direct high-pressure contact while maintaining application efficiency. This mediator resolves the contradiction by decoupling the rapid delivery function from the irritating pressure effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the spray mechanism (high-pressure mechanical system) with a brush application system (low-pressure mechanical system). This substitution maintains the ability to apply drug quickly while eliminating the harmful injection pressure that causes irritation.
2Ease of operation
If a one-push type container is used, then the drug can be discharged easily, but it is necessary to push the tip portion against the affected part by pressurizing the drug
Solution Approach 1:
The brush serves as a mediator that receives drug from the container without requiring direct pressure application to the affected part. The user simply needs to push the container, and the brush automatically transfers the drug, eliminating the need for direct pressure contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The one-push type container automatically discharges drug when pressed, and the brush automatically receives and applies the drug. The system performs the transfer operation self-service style, eliminating the need for the user to directly press the tip against the affected part.
3Measurement precision
If a brush is used to apply solution, then the solution can be applied precisely, but liquid dripping occurs when the brush is faced downward
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible brush structure where the bristles can flex and conform. This flexibility allows the brush to maintain contact with the affected part surface while preventing liquid from dripping off the tip, as the flexible structure adapts to the application surface geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the brush parameters including bristle length, density, and material properties to control liquid flow. By adjusting these parameters, the brush can precisely apply solution while preventing dripping when faced downward, resolving the contradiction between precision and dripping control.
4Ease of operation
If the tip of the brush is directly pushed against the affected part, then the solution can be applied, but the tip of the brush directly irritates the affected part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using softer, finer bristles at the brush tip compared to the rest of the brush body. This local variation in bristle properties reduces irritation at the contact point while maintaining sufficient application capability, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and irritation reduction.
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 applicator effectively applies medication with reduced irritation and minimal dripping, allowing for easier application of tinea unguium treatments between nails and on sensitive areas, while maintaining solution integrity and reducing evaporation.
Implementation Method 1
a columnar brush member formed by bundling synthetic fibers in a columnar shape
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide a solution applicator with which irritation on an affected part of a patient may be reduced even when a solution is used. According to the present invention, an applicator comprises a solution container which comprises an opening, and a columnar brush member formed by bundling synthetic fibers in a columnar shape. The columnar brush member is disposed at the opening of the solution container, a tip portion of the columnar brush member at an outside of the solution container has a fan shape expanding in a perpendicular lateral direction against a pillar axial lengthwise direction, and a thickness of the fan-shaped tip portion of the columnar brush member decreases in a perpendicular lengthwise direction against the pillar axial lengthwise direction toward the tip portion of the columnar brush member. The solution applicator of the present invention has the fan-shaped tip portion so that irritation on an affected part may be decreased and a liquid tinea unguium medicine may be applied to the affected part.