Modular Medical Tray Segmentation for Sterilization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical trays used for storing and transporting medical equipment are often overly inclusive, leading to excessive inventory, inefficiencies, and increased costs due to the need for large, unwieldy trays that contain unnecessary items, which cannot be easily customized or separated after sterilization.

Innovation Solution

The development of adaptable medical trays composed of sterilizable components that can be coupled and decoupled without removing tops, allowing for customization and separation after sterilization, reducing excess equipment and improving logistical efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If medical trays include a large number of medical equipment pieces to ensure availability during procedures, then medical personnel have access to necessary equipment, but the trays become unwieldy and require excessive inventory maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailability of medical equipmentVSAvoidtray complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The medical tray system is divided into multiple separable component trays, each containing specific medical equipment for particular procedures. This segmentation allows the system to maintain comprehensive equipment availability while reducing individual tray complexity and enabling selective use of only needed components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The component trays are designed with universal coupling mechanisms that allow them to be combined in various configurations to create customized trays for different procedures. This multi-functionality enables a single set of component trays to serve multiple purposes across different medical procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If medical trays contain all necessary equipment for any procedure, then equipment availability is ensured, but excessive equipment cannot be used for other procedures and must be discarded or re-sterilized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment availabilityVSAvoidequipment waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the tray into separate component trays, each containing equipment for specific procedures, the system enables selective use of only the needed components. Used components can be easily separated and reused, reducing waste from unused equipment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The separable component design allows for efficient recovery and reuse of medical equipment. Components that were not used in a particular procedure can be easily separated, sterilized, and prepared for the next procedure, maximizing equipment utilization and minimizing waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Adaptability or versatility

If customizable trays allow medical personnel to construct specialized kits, then equipment selection is optimized, but assembly and sterilization preparation tasks become time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetray customizationVSAvoidpreparation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The component trays are pre-assembled with specific medical equipment configured for particular procedures before being stored. This preliminary action eliminates the need for medical personnel to perform assembly tasks during preparation time, while still allowing customization by selecting which pre-assembled components to use together.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Adaptability or versatility

If modular trays can be coupled together to create customized kits, then procedure-specific equipment selection is improved, but the trays cannot be separated after sterilization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetray customizationVSAvoidtray separability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling mechanism is designed to be dynamic rather than static - it securely joins component trays during transport and storage, but can be easily separated after sterilization without requiring top removal. This dynamic design maintains customization benefits while enabling operational flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11229497B2Adaptable medical tray

Publication Date: 2022.01.25 EXACTECH INC

AI summary

Adaptable medical trays are disclosed herein. An adaptable medical tray includes a first component medical tray having a plurality of walls, a bottom, and a removable top, the plurality of walls and the bottom arranged to form a cavity in the first component medical tray; and a second component medical tray removably coupled to the first component medical tray, the second component medical tray including a plurality of walls, a bottom, and a removable top, the plurality of walls and the bottom arranged to form a cavity in the second component medical tray. The first component medical tray and the second component medical tray are constructed of a sterilizable material and the first component medical tray is decouplable from the second component medical tray after a sterilization process without removing the removable tops from the cavities.