Ostomy Bag Color Parameter Changes for Skin Tone Blending
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ostomy bags with a pink skin color fail to blend in with various skin tones, especially darker skin tones, making them visible under clothes, as they are not customizable to individual skin colors and appear clinical, leading to discomfort for users.
Innovation Solution
A human waste collection bag with a selected range of grayish colors (L*=60.0 to 80.0, a*=−1.5 to +2.0, b*=+1.5 to +9.0 in the CIE L*a*b* color code system) that reduces visibility under clothing, blending with both Caucasian and African skin tones, and can be tinted with warm or cold shades to match different skin hues, thereby minimizing contrast and appearance as a medical device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ostomy bag is made in pink skin color to match Caucasian skin tone, then it may blend in with light skin, but it creates a glaring contrast with darker skin tones and remains visible under clothes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the color parameter of the ostomy bag from traditional pink skin tone to a grayish color with specific CIE L*a*b* values (L*=60.0 to 80.0, a*=−1.5 to +2.0, b*=+1.5 to +9.0). This parameter change allows the bag to be less visible under light-colored and semi-transparent clothes while also reducing contrast with various skin tones, thereby resolving the contradiction between skin tone matching and visibility reduction.
2Ease of manufacture
If the ostomy bag is made in a single pink skin color, then manufacturing is simple, but it cannot adapt to different skin tones and appears clinical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a particular range of grayish color parameters (CIE L*a*b* values) that provides optimal blending with skin tones while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. This single-color solution within a defined parameter range achieves both ease of manufacture and adaptability to various skin tones, eliminating the need for multiple color options.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the ostomy bag uses traditional pink skin color, then it imitates skin appearance, but it remains clearly visible under light-colored and semi-transparent clothes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the color of the ostomy bag from pink skin tone to a grayish color within specific CIE L*a*b* parameters. This color change fundamentally alters how the bag interacts with light passing through clothes, making it substantially invisible under light-colored and semi-transparent garments while still providing an acceptable appearance against various skin tones.
Data Source
AI summary
A waste collection bag adapted for use by a person having a colostomy, an ileostomy, or a urostomy. The waste collection bag has a rear wall, a front wall on an opposite side of the waste collection bag from the rear wall, and a waste inlet formed in the rear wall of the waste collection bag. The waste inlet sized to fit around a stoma that has been formed through skin of the person. At least the front wall of the waste collection bag has a wall color characterized by a color value measured by a CMYK color code system, where the color value is in a range of: M from 0 to 15; Y from 0 to 10; and K from 10 to 25.