Interlocking Vial Sleeve Apparatus for Modular Medication Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for managing multiple medical vials are cumbersome, lack flexibility, and increase the risk of vial confusion due to their bulkiness and rigid designs, which are not adaptable to varying numbers and types of vials.
Innovation Solution
The development of interlocking protective sleeves made from pliable materials like thermoplastic polyurethane or silicone, featuring a positive and negative feature coupling mechanism for secure chaining of vials, allowing for modular and customizable arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a larger carrying case or block with built-in compartments is used to house multiple vials, then protection and organization are improved, but the device becomes bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The protective system is divided into individual modular sleeves, each protecting a single vial. These sleeves can be used independently or combined with interlocking features to create multi-vial configurations, allowing users to carry only the number of protected vials they need without the bulk of a complete carrying case.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple protective sleeves can be nested or interlocked together to form a chain or cluster configuration. The interlocking feature allows sleeves to connect securely while maintaining a compact form factor, enabling protection of multiple vials without requiring a large external carrying case.
2Ease of operation
If all vials are stored in a single block, then organization is improved, but the risk of vial confusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each vial receives individual protection through its own dedicated sleeve, which maintains visual separation and unique identification. The modular design allows each sleeve to be independently accessed and identified, preventing confusion between different medications while still enabling organized storage through interlocking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
Each protective sleeve can be customized with specific identification features, colors, or labels tailored to the particular medication it protects. This localized customization enables quick visual differentiation between different vials without requiring a complex organizational system.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid storage block is used, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility in adapting to varying numbers and arrangements of vials is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The protective system transitions from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic modular configuration. Individual sleeves maintain their structural integrity through resilient materials, while the interlocking feature enables flexible reconfiguration to accommodate varying numbers of vials in different arrangements, adapting to changing user needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changes in the number of protected vials and their spatial arrangement by adding or removing individual sleeves from the interlocking configuration. The resilient material properties enable the structure to adapt its form while maintaining protective functionality throughout the reconfiguration process.
4Manufacturing precision
If compartments are designed for vials of a specific size or shape, then manufacturing precision is improved, but versatility for vials of different dimensions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Each protective sleeve is designed with adjustable parameters including size, shape, and material properties to accommodate different vial dimensions. The resilient material allows the sleeve to conform to various vial geometries while maintaining secure protection, eliminating the need for precision-matched rigid compartments for each vial type.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular sleeve design with interlocking features creates a universal protective system that can accommodate multiple vial sizes and shapes. Each sleeve functions as a universal protective unit that can be individually customized or standardized, allowing the same basic design to protect diverse medication containers without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective sleeve apparatus for multiple vial carriage, said apparatus comprising: a pliable enclosure (sleeve), wherein said sleeve is comprised of a first surface, second surface, and at least three side walls adjoining the first surface with the second surface to form the sleeve; at least one aperture disposed on at least one of the first and/or second surface of the sleeve, wherein said aperture is configured for an insertion or removal of the glass vial into the sleeve; and at least one means of interlocking the sleeve with at least a second sleeve, wherein the interlocking component is disposed on at least one of the side walls of either of the two sleeves, whereby the interlocked sleeves enable protective multiple vial carriage.