Nested Flexible Container for Sterile Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible disposable containers for sterile applications face challenges in maintaining high cleanliness levels during assembly, as any intervention, whether human or mechanical, can lead to contamination, compromising the quality of the casing, especially when adding access doors for input and output of products.
Innovation Solution
A flexible disposable container design featuring an inner bag housed within an outer bag, with access doors that minimize exposure to contamination risks, using different materials for each bag to optimize cleanliness and functionality, and a manufacturing process that maintains cleanliness by careful handling and welding to ensure sealing and mechanical protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If access doors are added to the container for input and output of products, then the functionality and ease of operation are improved, but the risk of contamination increases and cleanliness level deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where an inner bag is placed inside an outer bag, each with their own access doors. The inner bag contains the actual product while the outer bag provides a protective barrier. This nesting allows independent access to either bag through separate doors without compromising the integrity of the other, thus maintaining cleanliness while enabling operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is segmented into two independent chambers (inner bag and outer bag), each equipped with its own access door. This segmentation allows selective access to different compartments, enabling product input/output operations without exposing the entire container system to contamination risks. The separation ensures that opening one door does not compromise the sealed status of the other compartment.
2Device complexity
If the container is designed with a single chamber and door, then the device complexity is reduced, but the functionality for separate input and output operations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the inner bag within the outer bag, the patent achieves a compact multi-functional structure. The inner bag handles product containment while the outer bag provides additional functionality including a separate access door for input operations. This nested arrangement maintains relatively simple overall structure while enabling distinct input and output pathways through the different bags and their respective doors.
3Ease of manufacture
If the same material is used for both bags, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the ability to optimize specific functions for each bag is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different materials to different bags based on their specific functional requirements. The inner bag uses material optimized for product contact and containment, while the outer bag uses material suited for structural protection and barrier properties. This localized material selection allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized material types.
Solution Approach 2:
The container system employs composite construction with different materials for the inner and outer bags. This composite approach allows optimization of each layer for its specific purpose - the inner bag material for product compatibility and the outer bag material for mechanical protection and sterilization resistance - while maintaining overall system functionality and manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible transport container (1) includes an inner bag (10) formed by a flat casing closed at one end (12), the other end (13) of which is folded towards the first end. The inner bag is housed inside an outer bag (20) formed by a casing provided with a first access port (25) which extends through the two bags close to the closed end of the inner bag and a second access port (27) which only extends through the wall of the outer bag opposite a portion of the folded end of the inner bag.