Flexible Housing Blood Filter With Molded Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flexible housing filters for biological fluids, used in blood processing, face challenges in construction, performance, and manufacturability, particularly in maintaining effective filtration and handling without breakage.
Innovation Solution
A flexible housing filter assembly with a pair of outer housing walls made of materials like polyvinyl chloride, sealed together with outer and inner peripheral seals, capturing a filter medium with multiple layers for efficient leukoreduction, including a pre-filter, main filter, and post-filter elements, and optionally a molded frame to secure the filter medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If flexible housing walls are used instead of rigid housing, then the filter can withstand handling and centrifugation without breakage, but the structural strength and stability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible housing walls made of flexible material instead of traditional rigid housing structures. This allows the filter assembly to withstand handling and centrifugation forces without breaking while maintaining structural integrity through the flexibility of the material itself rather than complex rigid structures.
2Manufacturing precision
If peripheral seals are added to capture filter medium, then filtration effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity and steps are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing walls and peripheral seals into a single integrated flexible housing structure. The flexible housing walls are configured to directly capture and seal the filter medium without requiring separate peripheral seal components, thereby maintaining effective filtration while simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If multiple filter elements are integrated into a single assembly, then filtration performance is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the filtration function into multiple distinct filter elements (pre-filter element, main filter element, and post-filter element) that are arranged in sequence within the flexible housing. Each element performs a specific filtration function, and their integration into a single assembly enhances overall filtration performance while maintaining manageable complexity through functional segmentation.
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 filter assembly effectively removes leukocytes and other impurities from biological fluids, enhancing filtration performance and manufacturability while withstanding handling and centrifugation without breakage, improving the overall construction and usability of blood processing filters.
Implementation Method 1
Filters are widely used to accomplish leukoreduction in blood products today (e.g., filtration of leukocytes from whole blood, red cells, and/or platelet products)
Data Source
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AI summary
Flexible housing filters for filtration of fluids and methods of making such filters are disclosed. The filters include a molded frame with no peripheral seal that houses a filter medium.