Needle-stick Resistant Material With Offset Plate Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercially available protective gloves often lack effective protection against needle sticks, particularly for professions at risk of accidental needle pricks, and existing solutions with needlestick protection compromise finger mobility and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A multi-layered material comprising a lower, intermediate, and upper layer with plates arranged in a tiling pattern and connected via distinct means, allowing offsetting to eliminate vertical paths and provide flexibility, resistance, and comfort, with local extra thickness on upper layer plates to block oblique needle penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If commercially available protective gloves are used, then protection against cuts and abrasion is provided, but protection against needlestick injuries is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The protective material is divided into multiple layers (at least three layers) with each layer containing plates arranged in a paving pattern. This segmentation creates a multi-barrier system where needles must penetrate through multiple discrete protective elements rather than a single continuous barrier, significantly enhancing needlestick protection while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a third dimension (thickness/depth) by stacking multiple layers of plates offset from each other. This creates a three-dimensional protective structure where gaps in one layer are covered by plates in adjacent layers, eliminating vertical pathways for needle penetration and adding depth to the protective mechanism.
2Reliability
If multi-layered plate structure is implemented, then needlestick protection is improved, but flexibility and dexterity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Each plate in the paving arrangement has a local excess thickness at its external periphery, creating localized protective protrusions. This local quality enhancement provides superior needle deflection capability at critical edge areas while the overall structure remains flexible enough to allow finger movement and dexterity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting means between plates is designed to provide flexibility, allowing the plate structure to dynamically adapt to finger movements and hand dexterity requirements. The connecting means maintains the clearance between plates while enabling the necessary flexibility for comfortable wear and operation.
3Ease of operation
If plates are arranged with gaps to provide flexibility, then ease of movement is improved, but vertical pathways for needle penetration are created
Solution Approach 1:
By stacking multiple layers of plates offset from each other in the third dimension (thickness direction), the invention eliminates vertical pathways for needle penetration. The offset arrangement ensures that gaps in one layer are covered by plates in adjacent layers, creating a staggered three-dimensional barrier that blocks all vertical penetration routes while maintaining horizontal flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is segmented into multiple discrete layers with plates arranged in paving patterns. This segmentation allows each layer to maintain flexibility through plate gaps while the collective multi-layer system eliminates continuous vertical pathways, as each layer's gaps are offset and covered by the next layer.
4Ease of manufacture
If uniform plate thickness is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but oblique needle penetration cannot be effectively blocked
Solution Approach 1:
Each plate incorporates a local excess thickness at its external periphery, creating localized protective protrusions. This non-uniform thickness distribution provides enhanced protection against oblique needle attacks, where the excess thickness acts as a barrier that needles must overcome at angled approaches, while the base plate thickness remains sufficient for standard penetration resistance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a material (100) comprising a superposition of at least three layers, a lower layer (200), at least one intermediate layer (300) and an upper layer (400). Each of the at least three layers (200, 300, 400) comprising: - a plurality of platelets (210, 310, 410) arranged in a juxtaposed manner to form a tiled arrangement with a clearance between said platelets, - a joining means (290, 390, 490) joining the platelets together. The at least three layers (200, 300, 400) are superposed with one another in such a way that the platelets of one layer are offset relative to the platelets of the other layers so as to eliminate all of the openings in the material (100). Each platelet (410) of the upper layer (400) has a local thickening (420) at an outer periphery of said platelet.