Flavored Plastic Nasal Dispenser Odor Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Generic nasal dispensers for pharmaceutical liquids often have unpleasant odors due to the dispenser material and the liquid itself, which can be exacerbated by gamma irradiation, leading to an uncomfortable user experience.
Innovation Solution
The dispenser is made partially or fully from flavored plastic, using additives like aniseed, camphor, mint, and citrus aromas in the plastic components, such as the nasal olive, finger rest, and cap, to mask or replace these odors, ensuring a pleasant scent is perceived by the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the dispenser is made from standard plastic materials, then manufacturing cost and ease of production are improved, but unpleasant odors are generated from the dispenser material and gamma irradiation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the principle of converting harm into benefit by using gamma irradiation, which initially causes unpleasant odors, to also provide beneficial sterilization and preservation effects. The flavored plastic components mask the harmful odor while the irradiation provides the benefit of preservative-free liquid storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces flavorings as an intermediary substance that mediates between the unpleasant odor generated by the plastic and gamma irradiation, and the user's sensory experience. The flavorings act as a masking agent that eliminates the harmful odor effect while allowing the dispenser to function normally.
2Ease of operation
If flavorings are added to plastic components, then unpleasant odors are masked and user experience is improved, but complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the flavoring function with the structural plastic components by incorporating flavorings directly into the plastic material during manufacturing. This combination eliminates the need for separate flavoring application steps and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining plastic base materials with flavoring additives to create flavored plastics. This composite approach allows the plastic to simultaneously provide structural function and odor-masking function, simplifying manufacturing compared to applying flavorings as separate coatings or layers.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If flavored plastics are used in components contacting the liquid, then odor masking is maximized, but regulatory compliance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the material composition of different dispenser components based on their function and contact requirements. Flavored plastics are used in components that contact the user (nasal olive, cap, finger rest) for odor masking, while standard plastics are used in components that contact the liquid, ensuring regulatory compliance is maintained where required.
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 use of flavored plastics in the dispenser components significantly improves user experience by masking unpleasant odors, making the dispensing process more comfortable and reducing the need for aromatizing pharmaceutical liquids, while adhering to regulatory standards by limiting flavored parts' contact with the liquid.
Implementation Method 1
The flavorings added give the components made from the plastic modified in this way a pleasant smell
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The dispenser (10) has a bottle-like liquid reservoir (12) connected with a discharge opening (22) at a nose piece (20) by a conveying channel so that a discharge process is produced by operating the dispenser. The nose piece is introduced into a nostril of a user. A finger support (18), a cap (30), and the nose piece are made of an aromatized plastic. Aromatization takes place by aroma e.g. salvia aroma, which is based on aroma of plants. The finger support is displaceable for discharging a pharmaceutical liquid. The cap covers the discharge opening. The aroma is mint aroma, menthol aroma, eucalyptus aroma, honey aroma and fruit aroma.