Lip Balm Container With Integrated Dental Floss Dispenser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lip balm containers do not efficiently integrate a dental floss dispenser, making it inconvenient to access and use both products simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A lip balm container design featuring a tubular member with an aperture for dental floss access, a plunger system for lip balm dispensing, and a built-in dental floss cutting tool, allowing for simultaneous use and easy access to both products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional separate containers are used for lip balm and dental floss, then each product can be stored independently, but user convenience and hygiene are reduced due to the need to carry and access multiple containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a lip balm container and a dental floss dispenser into a single integrated unit. The lip balm container houses both the lip balm product and a dental floss dispenser mechanism, allowing users to carry and access both products simultaneously from one container, thereby improving convenience without requiring separate containers
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed to perform multiple functions: storing and dispensing lip balm, and simultaneously storing and dispensing dental floss. The integrated design allows the single container to serve as both a lip balm tube and a floss dispenser, eliminating the need for separate storage solutions
2Ease of operation
If dental floss is integrated into the lip balm container, then accessibility and hygiene are improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The dental floss dispenser is nested within the lip balm container structure. The floss dispenser mechanism is housed inside the outer container, with the floss spool positioned within the container body and accessible through a dedicated opening, creating a compact nested arrangement that maximizes space efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The container is segmented into distinct functional zones: the lip balm storage compartment and the dental floss dispenser compartment. Each segment has its own access mechanism - the lip balm can be accessed through the container opening while the floss is accessed through a separate designated opening, allowing independent access to each product
3Weight of moving object
If a single container is used for both products, then portability and hygiene are enhanced, but the volume and capacity of each individual product may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The compact nested design allows the floss dispenser to be housed within the container body without significantly increasing overall volume. The spool-mounted floss arrangement optimizes space utilization, enabling both products to fit within a portable-sized container while maintaining adequate quantities of each product
Solution Approach 2:
The floss is arranged on a spool that rotates within the container, utilizing rotational movement in a different dimension rather than linear extension. This allows the floss to be dispensed through a small opening without requiring large internal space, maintaining compact portability while providing sufficient floss length
Data Source
AI summary
A lip balm container is presented as a tubular member having a hollow interior with axial opposite proximal and distal ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal ends. The tubular member has a first chamber in the hollow interior adjacent the proximal end, a dental floss cutting tool adjacent to the distal end, and a second chamber in the hollow interior intermediate the first chamber and the distal end. The first chamber receives lip balm and exposes the lip balm from the proximal end. The second chamber receives a coil of dental floss with a center axis of the coil of dental floss being arranged perpendicular to the lip balm container longitudinal axis. An aperture communicates with the second chamber and allows the lead end of the dental floss to advance from the second chamber to the dental floss cutting tool.