Frangible Medicament Tray with Sealed Compartments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medicament dispensing systems face issues such as manual handling of tablets, potential for incorrect medication administration, durability problems with paper and plastic trays, and environmental concerns related to sachet disposal, along with patient confidentiality and waste management challenges.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing system featuring an interconnected array of compartments with a frangible connection, a transparent tray and closure for easy identification, and a reusable cassette with indicating means to ensure correct orientation and secure storage, allowing for direct administration from sealed containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If medication is stored in compartmentalised trays with seals, then medication organisation and dosage accuracy are improved, but the complexity of removing and transferring tablets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into multiple compartments, each sealed individually. Each compartment can be opened independently by breaking its seal, allowing selective access to specific medications without disturbing others. This segmentation maintains dosage accuracy while simplifying the removal process through modular access.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed to be broken and removed entirely from the compartment opening, rather than requiring the entire tray to be opened. The seal acts as a removable barrier that can be extracted after breaking, allowing straightforward tablet removal without complex mechanisms.
2Reliability
If traditional seals are used to secure compartments, then medication protection is improved, but tablets can get stuck in the adhesive seal
Solution Approach 1:
The seal has different properties in different regions: the bonding region uses adhesive to securely seal the compartment, while the edge regions are designed to be breakable and non-sticky. This local differentiation ensures medication protection through strong sealing while preventing tablets from getting stuck during removal.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire seal non-sticky (which would compromise sealing), the invention inverts the approach by making only the removal-facing edges non-sticky while maintaining adhesive bonding in the sealing regions. This allows the seal to perform its protective function while enabling easy tablet extraction.
3Ease of manufacture
If paper trays are used for medication storage, then cost and environmental friendliness are improved, but the trays deteriorate over time due to usage
Solution Approach 1:
The paper tray is treated with coating materials that change its physical parameters, specifically increasing its mechanical strength and resistance to deterioration. This allows the paper tray to maintain its cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits while extending its usable lifespan through enhanced durability properties.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If plastic trays with sliding doors are used, then reusability and durability are improved, but the trays become bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the heavy sliding door mechanism from the tray design. Instead, a simple openable flap or cover is used, which can be made from lightweight materials. This maintains reusability and durability while eliminating the bulk and weight associated with complex sliding door structures.
5Measurement precision
If medication is transferred to medicine pots before administration, then dosage control is improved, but the number of handling steps and potential for errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compartment design merges the storage function with the administration function. The compartment itself serves as both the storage container and the dispensing unit, allowing medication to be taken directly from the compartment without requiring separate medicine pots. This maintains dosage control while eliminating unnecessary transfer steps and reducing error potential.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3
AI summary
A dispensing system for administration of medicaments during a medicament dosage regime and comprising: (i) a tray comprising an interconnected array of compartments, each compartment being dimensioned to accommodate therein a plurality of medicaments; and (ii) a closure for the compartments arranged so that the closure and the compartments form a series of sealed containers for holding medicaments; the compartments and the closure therefor being arranged so that each sealed container is frangible from the interconnected array so that a sealed container may be removed from the array.