Individually Sealed Reagent Cup Compartments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reagent cup devices compromise the shelf life of chemical reagents when multiple cups are stored together, as breaking the seal to access one cup exposes the others to degradation, and existing solutions do not allow for easy access without compromising the sealed condition of the remaining cups.
Innovation Solution
A reagent cup device with individually sealed compartments, each with two breakable seals at opposite ends, allowing for selective access and removal of reagent cups without compromising the seal of others, using a frame part with low moisture permeability materials and drying elements to maintain dryness and extend shelf life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple reagent cups are stored together in a single sealed holder, then easy access and compact storage are achieved, but breaking the seal to access one cup exposes the others to degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is divided into multiple individually sealed compartments, each containing a reagent cup. This segmentation allows each compartment to be sealed independently, so that accessing one reagent cup does not compromise the seal of other compartments, thereby maintaining the shelf life of chemical reagents in untouched compartments.
2Volume of stationary object
If a single seal covers multiple reagent cups, then compact storage is achieved, but accessing one cup requires breaking the seal and exposing all cups
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single common seal, each reagent cup compartment has its own individual seal. This allows the holder to maintain a compact form factor while ensuring that moisture or other harmful factors can only affect the specific compartment whose seal is broken, not all compartments simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Each compartment has localized sealing properties tailored to protect its specific reagent cup. The seal quality and characteristics can be optimized for each individual compartment, ensuring that moisture protection is applied locally where needed rather than uniformly across all cups.
3Reliability
If reagent cups are stored in individual sealed containers, then shelf life is maintained, but access to multiple cups is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individually sealed reagent cup compartments are merged into a single integrated holder assembly. This allows the user to access multiple reagent cups from one holder without needing to handle separate containers, maintaining convenience while preserving the individual sealing and shelf life of each reagent cup.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A reagent cup device (1) comprising a plurality of individually sealed reagent cup compartments (7), each holding a reagent cup (8) having an open end and an inner surface, at least part of which is coated with a chemical reagent. Each reagent cup compartment (7) is closed and has a first end covered by a first breakable seal (5) and a second end covered by a second breakable seal (10). Since the reagent cup compartments (7) are individually sealed by means of the breakable seals (5, 10), it is possible to gain access to the interior of a reagent cup compartment (7), and thereby to the reagent cup (8) held therein, without breaking the sealing of the remaining reagent cup compartments (7). Thereby degradation of the chemical reagent in the reagent cups (8) is reduced, and the expected lifetime of the reagent cups (8) is accordingly increased. The breakable seals (5, 10) may be provided with weakened zones in order to easier break the seals (5, 10) when access is desired.