Finger-Cavity Wipe Design to Prevent Direct Surface Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wipes often require direct contact with the surface being cleaned, which can be unsanitary and inconvenient, especially in various applications like cosmetics, medical, and industrial uses, where avoiding contact is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A multipurpose wipe design featuring a shell with a downwardly tapered shape, a dome-shaped distal end, and an internal tab that allows users to grip the wipe with their thumb and finger, preventing direct contact with the surface while providing a secure grip for effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a traditional wipe design is used, then the wipe can be easily manufactured, but the user must have direct contact with the surface being cleaned which is unsanitary and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a finger receiving cavity as an intermediary structure between the user's finger and the wipe surface. The cavity allows the user's finger to extend into the wipe while maintaining a barrier that prevents direct contact with the cleaned surface, thus resolving the contradiction between sanitation and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The finger receiving cavity is nested within the wipe structure, creating a layered configuration where the cavity is embedded in the wipe material. This nested design allows the user's finger to be partially enclosed by the wipe while maintaining control, preventing direct surface contact while ensuring secure grip
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a wipe design with finger receiving cavity is used, then direct contact with surface is prevented, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The finger receiving cavity is formed as an integrated feature of the wipe's flexible structure rather than a separate rigid component. The cavity utilizes the natural flexibility and conformability of the wipe material to create the receiving space, maintaining sanitation benefits while minimizing structural complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If the wipe is made to accommodate different hand sizes, then versatility is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wipe structure utilizes parameters such as flexibility, elasticity, and material compliance to accommodate variations in hand size. Rather than creating multiple precision-engineered cavity sizes, the design allows the single cavity structure to adapt to different finger dimensions through material deformation and elastic response
Data Source
AI summary
A wipe is used with the thumb and at least one finger of one hand of a person. The wipe includes a shell which has a proximal end, a distal end, an outside surface, an inside surface, and an internal cavity. The shell is downwardly tapered from the proximal end to the distal end. The proximal end is open and includes a circular edge. The distal end is dome-shaped. The inside surface includes a ceiling at the distal end. A tab is connected to the ceiling, the tab projects toward the proximal end. The internal cavity is shaped and dimensioned to receive the thumb and at least one finger of the person with the tab disposed between the thumb and the at least one finger of the person.