Pressurized Contact Lens Packaging for Clean Lens Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional contact lens packaging is cumbersome, messy, and unsanitary, often leading to contamination and mechanical stress on the lens due to direct handling, and requires excessive packaging solution.
Innovation Solution
A contact lens package that maintains a positive or vacuum pressure environment within the cavity to minimize packaging material and solution while ensuring lens protection, using flexible materials and a lens support to facilitate easy and sanitary handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional plastic bowl package with sufficient packaging solution is used, then the contact lens is adequately protected and hydrated during storage and transit, but the user experience becomes messy and cumbersome requiring multiple touches to fish the lens out
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is extracted from the bulk packaging solution and positioned on a hydrophobic surface within the package. This allows the lens to be accessed directly without fishing through solution, enabling clean transfer to the eye with minimal touching.
Solution Approach 2:
The package utilizes a flexible blister pack structure with a hydrophobic surface that allows the lens to be easily accessed and removed. The flexible nature enables the lens to be pushed toward the opening for direct pickup without manual fishing.
2Reliability
If a large plastic bowl is used to house the contact lens and sufficient packaging solution, then the lens remains submerged and protected, but the package size and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is extracted from the bulk packaging solution and positioned on a hydrophobic surface within the package. This allows the lens to be accessed directly without fishing through solution, enabling clean transfer to the eye with minimal touching.
Solution Approach 2:
The package utilizes a flexible blister pack structure with a hydrophobic surface that allows the lens to be easily accessed and removed. The flexible nature enables the lens to be pushed toward the opening for direct pickup without manual fishing.
3Reliability
If conventional packaging with a large bowl and sufficient solution is used, then the lens is well-protected, but the package becomes excessively large and environmentally unsustainable
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lens is extracted from the bulk packaging solution and positioned on a hydrophobic surface within the package. This allows the lens to be accessed directly without fishing through solution, enabling clean transfer to the eye with minimal touching.
Solution Approach 2:
The package utilizes a flexible blister pack structure with a hydrophobic surface that allows the lens to be easily accessed and removed. The flexible nature enables the lens to be pushed toward the opening for direct pickup without manual fishing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a sanitary, less messy, and more convenient handling process that reduces mechanical stress on the lens, maintaining lens integrity and hydration without excessive packaging material.
Implementation Method 1
a positive pressure environment may be maintained within the cavity when the package is in an unopened state
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum may be maintained within the cavity when the package is in an unopened state
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to improved contact lens packages and methods of use and manufacture/assembly. A contact lens package may include a cavity that houses a contact lens and packaging solution. In one aspect, an absolute pressure within the cavity may be greater than standard atmospheric pressure when the package is in an unopened state. In another aspect, an absolute pressure within the cavity may be less than standard atmospheric pressure when the package is in an unopened state.