Dispenser for disposable products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flossing products, such as flossers, are often difficult to store and access, leading to low motivation for consistent flossing due to their small size and lack of aesthetic appeal, resulting in them being misplaced and hard to retrieve.
Innovation Solution
A refillable dispenser with a housing and cover that features a multi-state actuator, allowing for stacked storage and ambidextrous use, making it easier to remove flossers one at a time while keeping them sanitary and accessible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If flossers are stored in small packages, then they are easy to carry, but they are difficult to locate and access
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser divides the storage into individual slots, with each slot holding a single flosser. This segmentation allows users to easily locate and access one flosser at a time from the bottom of the dispenser, eliminating the difficulty of searching through a bag of flossers while maintaining a compact footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser transitions from horizontal storage (bag) to vertical stacking (multi-level slots). By utilizing the vertical dimension, the dispenser maintains a small horizontal footprint while providing easy access to individual flossers through the multi-state actuator mechanism that exposes only the bottom-most flosser.
2Quantity of substance
If flossers are stored in bags, then they can hold multiple flossers, but they are not aesthetically pleasing and hard to retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing multiple flossers together in a bag, the dispenser segments them into individual slots. Each slot contains one flosser, and the multi-state actuator mechanism allows retrieval of one flosser at a time from the bottom, making retrieval easy while maintaining aesthetic appeal through organized storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser automatically presents the next flosser for retrieval after each use. When a flosser is removed from the bottom slot, the actuator mechanism automatically adjusts to expose the next flosser in sequence, eliminating the need for manual searching or digging through a bag.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a cover is added to protect flossers, then hygiene is improved, but access to flossers becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with multi-state functionality: it can be in a closed position to protect flossers from contamination, or an open position to allow access. The multi-state actuator mechanism dynamically transitions the cover between these states, maintaining hygiene when closed and enabling easy retrieval when opened to expose the bottom-most flosser.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover provides protection for the entire flosser storage area, but the actuator mechanism creates a localized opening only where needed for retrieval. This allows the cover to maintain hygiene for the majority of the stored flossers while providing targeted access to the bottom-most flosser without requiring full exposure of all flossers.
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 dispenser encourages frequent flossing by providing easy access and maintaining hygiene, making it more likely to be placed in visible areas, thus promoting consistent use.
Implementation Method 1
The multi-state actuator, in its compressed position, can allow the cover to substantially encompass the housing. By pushing the cover down, the user can activate the multi-state actuator and cause at least a portion of the actuator to extend, which pushes the cover up and causes a bottom portion of the housing to be exposed
Data Source
AI summary
A refillable dispenser including a housing and a cover. The housing can include an internal cavity, an activation mechanism cavity separate from the internal cavity, and a multi-state actuator structured to alternate between compressed and extended positions. The internal cavity can be structured and configured to house individual products in a stacked orientation, and the activation mechanism cavity can house the multi-state actuator. The cover can include an open bottom and can fit over and around the housing. By pushing the cover down, the user activates the multi-state actuator and causes it to extend, which pushes the cover up and causes a bottom portion of the housing to be exposed so that the user can remove one product at a time. The dispenser can be mirrored about a vertical or horizontal plane to allow it to dispense from either end, thereby making the dispenser ambidextrous.