Resealable Catheter Package with Peel Tab and Wetting Fluid Compartment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current catheter packages are not adequately designed for ease of use, particularly for users with reduced dexterity, and fail to ensure clean and efficient wetting of hydrophilic catheters without risk of spillage, while also being cost-effective and resealable.
Innovation Solution
A catheter assembly featuring a package with a perforation line creating a flap opening, sealed by a third sheet material with an adhesive for sterile closure and resealable after use, including a tab for easy peel opening and a separate wetting fluid compartment to prevent spillage, allowing for efficient handling and reinsertion of the catheter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the package uses a simple design for cost-effectiveness, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but ease of operation for users with reduced dexterity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The package is segmented into multiple functional components: a peelable flap portion with perforation lines for easy opening, a resealable portion with adhesive for closing, and a wetting fluid compartment separated from the catheter. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforation lines act as intermediaries that guide the opening process, providing a mechanical aid for users with reduced dexterity. The adhesive serves as an intermediary that enables easy resealing without requiring complex mechanisms, thus maintaining cost-effectiveness while improving ease of operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the package includes a separate wetting fluid compartment, then spillage risk is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The package is segmented into a catheter compartment and a separate wetting fluid compartment, with the wetting fluid contained in a breakable seal portion. This segmentation prevents spillage by isolating the liquid until activation, while the overall structure remains relatively simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The wetting fluid is pre-contained in a sealed compartment with a breakable seal. The seal is designed to break automatically or easily during the opening process, allowing the wetting fluid to be released in a controlled manner without spillage risk, thus preventing harmful effects before they can occur.
3Volume of moving object
If the package is made small for portability, then ease of carrying is improved, but ease of operation for users with reduced dexterity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The package is designed as a compact, small-sized unit that can be easily carried in a pocket or bag. Within this small volume, the opening mechanism is segmented into a flap portion with perforation lines that provide mechanical leverage, enabling users with reduced dexterity to open the package easily despite its small size.
Solution Approach 2:
The package has a generally compact, rounded rectangular shape that maximizes portability while providing sufficient internal volume for the catheter and wetting fluid. The curved or rounded corners and edges facilitate gripping and manipulation, improving ease of operation for users with reduced dexterity without increasing overall package size.
4Reliability
If the adhesive is made strong for sterile closure, then reliability is improved, but ease of repair (resealing) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive is applied locally to specific areas of the package flaps, particularly at the resealable portion. The adhesive strength is optimized for these local areas to maintain sterile closure reliability, while the overall resealing mechanism remains simple and easy to perform by users with reduced dexterity.
Solution Approach 2:
The package is designed as a single-use sterile barrier with an adhesive that provides reliable closure during use but is intended to be replaced rather than repeatedly repaired. However, the adhesive is formulated to allow easy initial sealing and temporary resealing if needed, balancing reliability with ease of operation for the intended use cycle.
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 enables easy, clean, and efficient wetting and handling of hydrophilic catheters, maintaining sterility and preventing liquid leakage, while being simple and cost-effective to produce, suitable for various types of catheters and coatings, and allowing for resealing after use.
Implementation Method 1
a third sheet material connected by means of an adhesive over said flap opening, wherein said adhesive is adapted to maintain a sterile closure of the package before use, and to be resealable after use
Implementation Method 2
a catheter having a hydrophilic surface coating, wherein the assembly also includes a wetting fluid for activation of the hydrophilic surface coating
Implementation Method 3
a wetting fluid for activation of the hydrophilic surface coating
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A catheter assembly is disclosed comprising a catheter, preferably having a hydrophilic surface coating; and a package accommodating said catheter. The package preferably also accommodates a wetting fluid. The package comprises: a first and a second sheet material connected around the edges; a perforation line extending along a non-closed loop in one of said sheet materials, said perforation line defining a flap opening; a third sheet material connected by means of an adhesive over said flap opening, wherein said third sheet material with a margin covers the entire flap opening. The adhesive is adapted to maintain a sterile closure of the package before use, and to be resealable after use. Further, the third sheet material forms a tab not provided with adhesive, said tab providing a grip portion for peel opening of the package.