Single-Body Medical Container with Integrated Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing preservative-free containers for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products are costly to produce due to complex packaging processes and high-cost dispensers, and may not be hermetically sealed, risking microbial contamination.
Innovation Solution
A container with a single-body design featuring a compressible hollow body, a dispensing valve, and a return valve with filtering means, made through plastic injection molding, which ensures sterility and reduces production complexity and costs by integrating the valve assembly and allowing for simpler packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If preservative-free containers are made by assembling different components with complex dispensers, then the product can be protected from microbial contamination after opening, but the production cost and retail price increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the dispenser components directly into the bottle structure during injection molding, merging the bottle and dispenser into a single integrated unit. This eliminates the need for separate assembly of multiple components while maintaining the hermetic seal and protection functions, thereby reducing production complexity and costs while preserving microbial contamination protection.
2Reliability
If complex dispensers are used to ensure sterility after opening, then product preservation is improved, but production costs and retail prices increase
Solution Approach 1:
The injection-molded integration allows the dispenser to be self-formed during the bottle manufacturing process itself, eliminating the need for separate dispenser production and assembly operations. The single-step manufacturing process inherently provides the hermetic seal and preservation functions without requiring additional costly components or assembly steps.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If assembled containers are used to provide protection functions, then microbial contamination is prevented, but hermetic isolation from the outside cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the bottle and dispenser into a single injection-molded unit, the patent eliminates the interfaces and joints between separate components that could compromise hermetic isolation. The integrated structure provides continuous hermetic sealing throughout, ensuring both microbial contamination protection and reliable hermetic isolation simultaneously.
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 container effectively protects fluid products from microbial contamination for a period after first use, maintains product sterility until opening, and reduces production and retail costs while offering a more attractive, compact packaging solution.
Implementation Method 1
at least one return valve (14) adapted to allow the one-way flow of air (15) into the chamber (3), wherein the return valve (14) itself comprises filtering means (16) adapted to filter the air (15) entering the chamber (3)
Data Source
AI summary
The container (1), particularly for medical products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food or the like, comprises:an hollow body (2) at least partly compressible defining a chamber (3) for containing a fluid product (4) and provided with a neck (5);a closure element (6) made in a single body piece with the hollow body (2) and provided with an attachment portion (7) which, in a packaging configuration, is associated with the hollow body (2) along a predefined breaking line (8) adapted to allow the separation of the closure element (6) from the hollow body (2) in a configuration of separation in which on the hollow body (2) is formed a dispensing opening (9) of the fluid product (4);a dispensing valve (13) adapted to allow the outflow of the fluid product (4) through the dispensing opening (9); anda return valve (14) adapted to allow the one-way flow of air (15) towards the chamber (3), wherein the return valve (14) comprises filtering means (16) adapted to filter the air (15) entering the chamber (3).