Helical Strut Vaginal Insert for Stress Incontinence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for stress urinary incontinence are often cumbersome, require medical prescription, and lack user-friendly, discreet options that provide extended comfort and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A vaginal insert device with a support portion, stabilizing portion, and fluid passageway, featuring a cylindrical shape with helically extending struts that change configuration for easy insertion, use, and removal, made from compilable resilient material, optionally with absorbent material for dual incontinence and tampon functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vaginal insert device is designed with a compressible resilient structure to provide urethral support, then the device can effectively compress the urethra to reduce involuntary urine flow, but the device becomes more complex in structure
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is divided into multiple struts (at least three struts) that can independently compress and expand. Each strut acts as a separate compressible element, allowing the overall structure to achieve effective urethral compression while maintaining relative simplicity through modular repetition of basic units.
Solution Approach 2:
The struts are designed to be dynamically compressible and expandable. During insertion, the struts compress to a smaller diameter, and upon insertion into the vaginal cavity, they automatically expand to their full size to provide urethral support. This dynamic behavior eliminates the need for complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
2Strength
If the support portion has struts that extend from distal end to proximal end to provide structural support, then the device gains strength and stability, but the insertion process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The struts are designed with dynamic compressibility, allowing them to be compressed to a smaller diameter during insertion and then automatically expand to their full supportive size once inserted into the vaginal cavity. This eliminates the need for complex mechanical expansion mechanisms while maintaining ease of insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the struts changes from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state during use. The resilient material allows the struts to transition between these states, providing structural strength when needed while maintaining ease of insertion when compressed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the device is made from compilable resilient material to allow compression and expansion, then the device becomes more versatile for insertion and use, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient material is designed to undergo controlled parameter changes in its physical state. The material's elasticity allows it to be compressed during insertion and then expand to a predetermined size during use, providing versatility without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances on the final dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes resilient material that combines the properties of flexibility and structural integrity. This composite material approach allows the struts to be compressed and expanded while maintaining sufficient structural strength, reducing the need for high-precision manufacturing of individual components.
4Ease of operation
If the support portion has a hollow interior section to reduce weight and improve comfort, then the device becomes more comfortable for extended wear, but the structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow interior is segmented by the presence of multiple struts (at least three struts) that are distributed throughout the support portion. These struts act as internal reinforcement elements that maintain structural integrity while the hollow spaces provide weight reduction and comfort during extended wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient material used in the support portion is designed to provide both structural integrity and comfort. The material's properties allow it to maintain strength despite the hollow interior configuration, creating a composite structure that balances these two requirements.
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 device provides effective urethral support, reducing involuntary urine flow by compressing the urethra and offering comfort and ease of use, with adjustable sizes for personalized fit and extended wear.
Implementation Method 1
The support portion has a plurality of struts that extend from the distal end to the proximal end. Desirably, the plurality of struts helically curve as the plurality of struts extend from the distal end to the proximal end. The largest circumference of the support portion has an insertion diameter when the plurality of struts are twisted together and an in-use diameter wherein the plurality of struts are extended outward into a convex position.
Data Source
AI summary
A vaginal insert device including a support portion, a stabilizing portion, a removal device, and at least one fluid passageway extending though the support portion is disclosed. The vaginal insert relaxes in the vagina to deliver outward compression force against the bladder neck via the anterior vaginal wall to assist prevention of urinary stress incontinence. The substantially cylindrical support portion has a distal end, a proximal end, and a hollow interior section with a plurality of struts extending from the distal end to the proximal end. Desirably, the plurality of struts helically curve as the plurality of struts extend from the distal end to the proximal end. The largest circumference of the support portion has an insertion diameter when the plurality of struts are twisted together and an in-use diameter wherein the plurality of struts are extended outward into a convex position larger than the insertion diameter.