Modular Instrument Tray with Angled Rear Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical instruments, particularly those for ENT procedures, are often stored in an unorganized manner in containers, leading to inefficiencies in storage and access during surgeries due to insufficient mounts and features for optimal arrangement and presentation.
Innovation Solution
A modular instrument kit with a container and trays that include planar bases, angled rear walls, flanges, and instrument supports to allow trays to be seated upright or hung from a sidewall, enabling efficient organization and visibility of instruments, with instrument supports that retain and organize surgical instruments in a manner that maximizes storage efficiency and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If instruments are merely seated within the storage container on a bottom surface in an unorganized fashion, then the container structure is simple, but storage efficiency and accessibility are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple trays, each tray can be independently organized and configured. Each tray includes separate mounting surfaces and instrument supports that can be independently arranged to hold different instruments in organized fashion, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and efficient storage.
Solution Approach 2:
Instruments are arranged not only on the bottom surface but also on vertical walls and suspended from container walls using flanges. This multi-dimensional arrangement maximizes storage space utilization while maintaining container structural simplicity, improving storage efficiency without significantly increasing complexity.
2Ease of operation
If instruments are stored in an unorganized manner, then the container design is simple, but accessibility and visibility during surgery are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the container are equipped with different mounting features tailored to specific instrument types and access requirements. For example, certain trays have wall-mounted flanges for easy access instruments, while others have bottom-surface mounting for less frequently used items, optimizing accessibility without uniform complexity throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
Instruments are pre-organized on trays with specific mounting configurations before surgery. The trays are designed with predetermined instrument positions and mounting features that facilitate quick identification and access during surgical procedures, improving ease of operation without requiring complex real-time organization.
3Productivity
If trays lack sufficient mounts and features for optimal arrangement, then manufacturing is simpler, but storage efficiency and organization are maximized
Solution Approach 1:
The trays are designed with universal mounting features such as flanges that can be attached to various surfaces (bottom, walls) and configured in multiple orientations. These multi-functional components enable efficient organization of different instrument types using the same basic tray design, achieving storage efficiency without requiring complex custom-manufactured trays for each instrument type.
Data Source
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AI summary
A modular instrument kit configured to receive a plurality of instrument trays therein. At least one of the trays includes a planar base, a rear wall orientated at an angle relative to the base, a flange, and an instrument support configured to support a plurality of surgical instruments. The at least one tray is configured to be seated on a generally planar surface in a free-standing position to support the plurality of surgical instruments such that tips of the instruments extend upward so as to be readily viewable in an operating room. The at least one tray is configured to be hung from a generally vertical surface with the rear wall generally flush against a first surface of the generally vertical surface and the flange in contact with a second surface of the generally vertical surface that is opposite to the first surface.