Foldable Liquid Container for Glucose Testing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional liquid accommodating containers for infrequent use, such as those for glucose measuring systems, face issues with storage performance, complexity in uncapped bottle storage, and control solution deterioration when used at home, leading to inconvenience and increased costs due to excess solution provision.

Innovation Solution

A foldable liquid accommodating container design featuring a hermetically closed accommodating portion and a storage portion that can be coupled in a foldable state, utilizing capillary action to dispense the required amount of control solution, eliminating the need for screw caps and reducing solution waste.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Duration of action of stationary object

If a screw cap bottle is used to accommodate control solution for infrequent home testing, then the solution can be stored for extended periods, but the storage becomes complicated and the solution deteriorates when uncapped

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage periodVSAvoidstorage complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into a body portion and a cap portion that can be separated. The cap portion contains the control solution in a hermetically sealed state until use, at which point it is detached and applied directly to the test strip. This segmentation eliminates the need for repeated capping and uncapping operations, preventing solution deterioration while simplifying storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control solution is pre-loaded into the cap portion in a hermetically sealed state during manufacturing. The cap portion serves as both the storage container and the application device, eliminating the need for separate storage and application steps. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction by maintaining solution integrity during storage while enabling simple one-step application at the time of use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If a screw cap bottle is used for control solution, then the solution can be preserved, but opening and closing the cap causes inconvenience for users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesolution preservationVSAvoidcap operation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cap portion is designed as a disposable component that is attached to the body portion, used once to apply the control solution to the test strip, and then discarded. This eliminates the need for repeated capping and uncapping operations, preventing solution deterioration while simplifying storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Duration of action of stationary object

If excess control solution is provided in the bottle for home use, then the storage performance is maintained, but the cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage performanceVSAvoidsolution amount

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of stationary objectVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The container is designed to provide the exact amount of control solution needed for a single test application in the cap portion, rather than providing excess solution in the body portion. The cap portion is sized to contain only the necessary amount, eliminating waste while maintaining storage performance for the required duration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of providing the full amount of control solution needed for multiple tests in the bottle (which would cause waste and increased cost), the invention provides only the partial amount needed for a single test in the disposable cap portion. This resolves the contradiction by matching the solution quantity exactly to the home testing frequency requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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 design simplifies the spotting process, reduces storage complexity, minimizes solution waste, and lowers costs by providing only the necessary amount of control solution, making it suitable for home use while maintaining measurement accuracy.

Implementation Method 1

utilizing capillary action to dispense the required amount of control solution

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCapillary action: Capillary Action

Data Source

PatentUS10870108B2Liquid accommodating container

Publication Date: 2020.12.22 ARKRAY INC

AI summary

A liquid accommodating container includes an accommodating portion configured to accommodate, in a hermetically closed state, a liquid for testing a measuring apparatus, a storage portion configured to store the liquid, and a coupling portion configured to couple the accommodating portion and the storage portion in a state that one of the accommodating portion and the storage portion is foldable back to the other.