Medicine Storage Container Guide Passage Foaming Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medicine storage containers with rubber stoppers face issues where dissolving liquids can cause foaming when injected, leading to inaccurate metering and nonuniform concentration of liquid medicine.

Innovation Solution

A medicine storage container design featuring a partitioned body with guide passages that direct the injected liquid along the inner surface of a gradually decreasing diameter zone, preventing foaming by gentle liquid supply and ensuring uniform mixing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If dissolving liquid is injected directly into the vial container through the rubber stopper, then the medicine can be dissolved, but the liquid medicine foams and becomes nonuniform in concentration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedissolution processVSAvoidconcentration uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into a first space for receiving the dissolving liquid and a second space for storing the medicine, separated by a partition part. This segmentation prevents direct contact between the liquid and medicine, eliminating foaming while maintaining dissolution functionality through controlled liquid flow via guide passages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A guide passage acts as an intermediary structure between the first space and second space. It controls the liquid flow path, guiding the dissolving liquid to flow along the inner surface of the second space toward the medicine in a controlled manner, preventing direct impact and foaming while ensuring uniform dissolution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If dissolving liquid flows out of the injection needle with vigor, then the injection process is efficient, but the liquid medicine foams and metering becomes inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinjection speedVSAvoidmetering accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The guide passage is designed to cushion and control the liquid flow before it reaches the medicine. The passage geometry and positioning allow the liquid to flow gently along the inner surface, preventing violent impact and foaming that would compromise metering accuracy, while still enabling efficient injection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Ease of operation

If the container body is sealed with a rubber stopper, then the container is easy to operate, but the dissolving liquid causes foaming when injected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing mechanismVSAvoidfoaming
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The container body is segmented into distinct spaces (first space for liquid, second space for medicine) separated by a partition part. This maintains the sealing functionality of the rubber stopper while preventing the harmful foaming effect by physically separating the liquid injection path from the medicine storage area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide passage serves as an intermediary structure that allows the dissolving liquid to enter through the sealed rubber stopper while controlling its flow path. It guides the liquid along the inner surface of the second space, preventing direct impact with the medicine and thus eliminating foaming while preserving the ease of operation provided by the rubber stopper seal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 solution allows for accurate metering and uniform dissolution of medicines, preventing foaming and ensuring a consistent concentration of liquid medicine.

Implementation Method 1

the guide passage is so configured that the liquid guided to the inner surface is supplied to the medicine stored in the second space by flowing along the inner surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid flow along inner surface:

Data Source

PatentEP2671561B1Medicine storage container
Publication Date: 2017.06.28 TERUMO KK
  • EP2671561B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2671561B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2671561B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A liquid medicine storage container (1) has a container body (2) and a medicine (10) stored in the container body (2). The container body (2) includes a first space (21) provided on the distal end, into which a liquid is injected, a second space (23) provided more to the proximal end than the first space (21), for storing the medicine (10), and at least one guide passage (6) that communicates the first space (21) and the second space (23) and that guides a liquid (20) injected from the first space (21) to an inner surface (23a) of the second space (23). The container body is configured so that the liquid (20) guided to the inner surface (23a) is supplied to the medicine (10) by flowing along the inner surface (23a). A plurality of guide passages (6) is arranged with intervals therebetween along a circumferential direction of the container body (2).