Protective Glove with Colorimetric Lifetime Indicator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of protective gloves face challenges in accurately determining the remaining lifetime of the gloves, which can lead to inadequate protection, as the recommended service lifetime provided by manufacturers may not align with actual usage conditions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a liquid soluble colorimetric material with nanopores in the glove's plastic layers, which dissolves upon liquid permeation and diffuses back to the surface, changing color to indicate the remaining lifetime, providing a more accurate and user-friendly indication of the glove's service time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the manufacturer provides a recommended service lifetime, then the user has a reference for glove usage duration, but the indication may not be accurate for actual usage conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a colorimetric material that changes color in response to chemical exposure and time, providing a visual indication of the glove's remaining lifetime. The material transitions from an initial color to a changed color as the glove degrades, allowing users to assess glove condition without complex equipment or procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The colorimetric material acts as an intermediary between the glove's internal degradation state and the user's perception. It translates complex chemical permeation and material degradation processes into a simple, observable color change that accurately reflects the glove's remaining service life under specific usage conditions.
2Ease of operation
If the user manually tracks usage time, then they can monitor glove lifetime, but it is difficult to accurately determine remaining lifetime while using the gloves
Solution Approach 1:
The glove's colorimetric material performs the measurement function automatically without requiring user intervention. The material continuously monitors its own degradation state through chemical interactions with permeated substances and time exposure, then displays the remaining lifetime information through color change, eliminating the need for manual tracking while providing accurate real-time assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The colorimetric material provides continuous visual feedback about the glove's degradation state and remaining service life. As the glove is used and exposed to chemicals over time, the material's color progressively changes to reflect the current condition, giving users immediate feedback without requiring them to calculate or track usage time manually.
3Reliability
If the recommended service lifetime is conservative, then safety is improved, but productivity is reduced due to premature glove replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static, fixed service lifetime recommendation to a dynamic, condition-based indication system. The colorimetric material continuously adapts its color state based on actual chemical exposure and time conditions, allowing the effective service lifetime to be dynamically determined by real usage conditions rather than a conservative fixed value, thereby optimizing both safety and productivity.
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
This solution allows users to easily and accurately determine the remaining lifetime of the gloves, ensuring safety and matching the indication to the specific application conditions, potentially offering a more accurate assessment than manufacturer-provided recommendations.
Implementation Method 1
a first layer of a plastic material having nanopores, a liquid soluble colorimetric material formed on the first layer of the plastic material... upon being contacted by a liquid that has passed through the first layer of the plastic material by permeating through said nanopores
Implementation Method 2
the liquid soluble colorimetric material... is configured to provide an indicator of a remaining lifetime of the protective glove by dissolving upon being contacted by a liquid
Implementation Method 3
releasing, upon being dissolved, the colorant such that the colorant diffuses back through the first layer of the plastic material to an outer surface
Data Source
Figure 1A~2
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Figure 4
AI summary
Protective gloves (100, 200) with an indicator of a remaining lifetime are described herein. One device includes a first layer (102) )of a plastic material, a liquid soluble colorimetric material (104) formed on the first layer of the plastic material, wherein the liquid soluble colorimetric material includes a colorant and is configured to provide an indicator (112, 222) of a remaining lifetime of the protective glove, and a second layer (106) of the plastic material formed on the liquid soluble colorimetric material.