Menstrual Product Dispenser With Segmented Refill Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing menstrual product dispensers fail to provide ergonomic access while maintaining hygiene standards, as they require bulk product handling and often lead to product accumulation and hygiene issues during use and supply.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser design with separate compartments for refills, allowing closed refills to be inserted and opened to provide single products at a time, featuring a gripping notch for easy access and a sloped base for product descent, ensuring only one product is accessible at a time and maintaining hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If menstrual products are provided in bulk in an open compartment, then free access and productivity are improved, but hygiene compliance deteriorates due to potential access to multiple products and handling of loose products
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is divided into a closed storage compartment and an open provision compartment, separating bulk storage from individual product access. This segmentation allows bulk storage while limiting user access to single products, resolving the contradiction between productivity and hygiene.
Solution Approach 2:
The provision compartment acts as an intermediary between the closed storage compartment and the user. It receives products from storage and presents them one at a time to users, preventing direct access to bulk products and maintaining hygiene while enabling free access.
2Quantity of substance
If dispensers are filled with loose products from the upper part, then product availability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to impractical handling of loose products
Solution Approach 1:
Products are pre-packaged in sealed units within the closed storage compartment before being transferred to the provision compartment. This preliminary packaging eliminates the need for handlers to manually manage loose products, improving ease of operation while maintaining product availability.
3Ease of operation
If multiple products are made accessible simultaneously, then user convenience is improved, but hygiene compliance deteriorates due to touching multiple products
Solution Approach 1:
The provision compartment is designed to present only the necessary amount (one product) to the user at a time, rather than making all products simultaneously accessible. This partial action maintains hygiene by limiting contact to a single product while still providing user convenience through easy access.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention proposes a menstrual product dispenser comprising a rear face intended for attaching the dispenser to a vertical support, two side faces and a front face, the invention being characterised in that it comprises: - at least one storage compartment suitable for receiving at least one container comprising a plurality of the menstrual products, referred to as the product refill, each refill comprising a plurality of menstrual products of the same type, - a base, which is rigidly connected to the rear face and the side faces, for retaining the at least one product refill in the dispenser, - at least one compartment for distributing at least one of the menstrual products, the at least one distribution compartment being rigidly connected to the base of the dispenser, and the dispenser being suitable for distributing one menstrual product of each type in the distribution compartment.