Disposable Lip Balm Cartridge Segmentation for Hygiene and Portability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing personal care product applicators, such as lip balm and lip gloss dispensers, are often too small to be easily carried, bulky for storage, and can become unsanitary over time, with existing solutions not allowing for efficient dispensing of the entire product quantity without waste.

Innovation Solution

A disposable cartridge system with a limited volume of personal care composition that can be loaded into a closable applicator container, featuring a rigid or resilient body with a top surface for application and means for secure releasable attachment, allowing for single-handed use and minimizing contact with the product to prevent contamination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the applicator container is made small for portability, then it becomes easy to lose or misplace

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveportabilityVSAvoidloss prevention

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The applicator system is divided into two segments: a reusable applicator container and a disposable cartridge. The cartridge can be removed and replaced, allowing the container to be kept secure while the consumable portion is easily replaceable. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by making the important permanent part (container) larger and more secure, while the temporary part (cartridge) remains small and portable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the applicator container is made bulky for storage stability, then it becomes difficult to store in small purses or pockets

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage stabilityVSAvoidstorage convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

By separating the applicator into a permanent container and a disposable cartridge, the design allows the container to be optimized for stability while the cartridge provides the necessary portability. The container can be larger and more stable, while only the smaller cartridge needs to be carried for actual use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cartridge is designed as a disposable component that can be easily replaced. This allows the main container to be more substantial and stable, while the disposable cartridge remains compact and easy to carry, resolving the contradiction between stability and portability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Duration of action of moving object

If the applicator allows repeated use over time, then it becomes unsanitary after several applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveusage durationVSAvoidsanitation

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cartridge is designed as a disposable component that is replaced after a limited number of uses or when the personal care composition is depleted. This eliminates sanitation issues by ensuring that the portion that contacts the user (the cartridge) is always fresh and can be discarded after use, while the container can be reused.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows for discarding the used cartridge and recovering/reusing the applicator container. This resolves the sanitation issue by ensuring that the contact portion is always new, while the non-contact container can be reused multiple times.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

4Loss of substance

If the personal care composition is dispensed from an internal container, then some product remains below the surface and cannot be applied

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct wasteVSAvoiddispensing mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The personal care composition is extracted from an internal container and placed directly on the top surface of the cartridge. This allows the entire quantity of product to be accessible and applicably on the surface, eliminating waste from product trapped inside. The complexity is reduced by eliminating the need for internal dispensing mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9950854B2Cartridge for an applicator container

Publication Date: 2018.04.24 MERANUS MARGARET SPICER

AI summary

A discardable cartridge having a limited quantity of a lip balm that is loaded into a closable applicator container, such as a piece of jewelry or a wearable accessory. The cartridge includes a rigid or resilient upper base having a convex or flat top surface upon which the lip balm is associated, and a volume of lip balm attached to the top surface of the base. The flat or convex top surface allows wiping the balm onto the lips single-handedly. The top surface of the cartridge can include a plurality of integrally-attached bristles, between which the lip balm is embedded, anchoring the lip balm to the cartridge, and providing the additional function of exfoliation.