Disposable Gasket-Filter Assembly for Sterile Seal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sterilization packaging systems face challenges with maintaining sterility due to potential breaches in seals, complex assemblies, and degradation of gaskets and locking mechanisms, which can lead to contamination during storage and transfer.
Innovation Solution
A sterilization packaging system featuring a sealing assembly with a gasket and filter material that provides a continuous sealing interface, eliminates the need for retention plates, and includes a sliding-lock mechanism with a tamper-proof tag to ensure proper sealing and prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a gasket is integrated into the reusable container lid, then the container can be reused multiple times, but the gasket experiences wear and tear leading to decreased sealing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the gasket from the reusable container lid, making the gasket a disposable component while keeping the container reusable. This segmentation allows the gasket to be replaced after each use, maintaining sealing performance without compromising container reusability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use, eliminating the wear and tear problem associated with reusable gaskets. This allows the container system to be reused multiple times while ensuring consistent sealing performance with each new disposable gasket.
2Reliability
If multiple retention plates and locking mechanisms are used to secure the gasket and filter, then the seal can be maintained, but the assembly becomes complex and parts are prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex retention plate and locking mechanism system, replacing it with a simple snap-fit design where the disposable gasket and filter assembly is retained by the container structure itself. This extraction of unnecessary components reduces complexity while maintaining seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket and filter are combined into a single integrated disposable assembly that is installed as one unit, eliminating the need for separate retention plates and locking mechanisms for each component. This merging simplifies the overall assembly while maintaining reliable sealing.
3Reliability
If the gasket is made compressible to ensure sealing, then the seal can accommodate minor imperfections, but the gasket degrades over time due to repeated compression
Solution Approach 1:
The compressible gasket is made disposable, allowing it to perform its compression-based sealing function optimally for each single use without the degradation that would result from repeated compression cycles. The fresh compressible material ensures consistent sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameter of the gasket from reusable to single-use, which allows the compressible material to maintain its elastic properties and sealing effectiveness for each use without the cumulative degradation that would occur with repeated compression and relaxation cycles.
4Reliability
If the container uses a complex latch mechanism to lock the lid, then the seal can be secured tightly, but the mechanism is prone to warping and breakage over time
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is designed so that the disposable gasket compensates for minor variations in latch mechanism performance, allowing the use of simpler, more durable latch designs that are less prone to warping and breakage while still maintaining reliable sealing through the fresh disposable gasket.
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 system ensures a consistent and reliable seal, reducing the risk of contamination and improving sterility maintenance by providing a visual indicator for proper closure and using durable components that withstand multiple sterilization cycles.
Implementation Method 1
the upper surface comprises indentations extending from the outer edge to the inner edge, wherein each indentation defines a channel to facilitate delivery of the sterilization agent
Implementation Method 2
A sterilization packaging system featuring a sealing assembly with a gasket and filter material that provides a continuous sealing interface
Implementation Method 3
a sheet of filter material extending from an inner edge of the gasket, wherein the gasket completely surrounds and partially overlaps the sheet of filter material
Data Source
AI summary
Sterilization packaging systems with features for sealing a volume against an ingress of contaminants are provided. Such features include a sealing assembly including a gasket and a sheet of filter material. The sealing assembly seals a lid to a seal rim of a base. The gasket has an upper surface, outer edge, and inner edge. The sheet of filter material extends from an inner edge of the gasket, and the gasket completely surrounds the sheet of filter material. The upper surface of the gasket comprises a plurality of indentations that define channels to facilitate delivery of a sterilization agent through the filter material. A sterilization assembly including a lid having a plurality of protrusions in its upper surface and a sliding-lock system for sealing and locking the lid to a container base is also provided.