Ribbed Menstrual Collection Device for Applicator-Assisted Full Opening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing menstrual collection devices are uncomfortable and challenging to insert manually, and when aided by an applicator, they often fail to fully open within the vaginal canal, leading to incomplete fluid capture.
Innovation Solution
A menstrual collection device with a frame comprising ribs and membranes that maintain structural rigidity, combined with an applicator featuring elastomeric projections, ensures the device fully opens within the vaginal canal without manual adjustment, using a plunger to translate forces for deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the collection device is made with thin sidewalls to be flexible and easy to insert, then ease of insertion is improved, but structural rigidity is worsened causing the device to deform and not maintain a fully open state
Solution Approach 1:
The collection device is divided into multiple ribs (first rib, second rib, third rib, fourth rib) that segment the sidewalls into thicker structural sections. These ribs provide internal support to maintain structural rigidity while the overall device remains flexible enough for insertion. The ribs create a segmented framework that prevents collapse and maintains the fully open state without requiring uniformly thick walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection device combines different material properties in its structure - using flexible materials for the overall device body to enable easy insertion, while incorporating rigid rib structures (thicker-walled sections) to provide structural support. This composite approach allows the device to exhibit both flexibility and rigidity in different regions, resolving the contradiction between ease of insertion and structural rigidity.
2Productivity
If the collection device is made fully open to capture all menstrual fluid, then fluid capture is improved, but insertion difficulty increases due to the device size and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The collection device is designed to be nested within the applicator during insertion. The applicator housing provides a confined space that accommodates the folded or compressed collection device, allowing it to be inserted in a compact form factor. Once inserted, the device expands to its full open configuration within the vaginal canal, maximizing fluid capture capacity while minimizing insertion difficulty through the nested insertion approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection device is pre-folded or pre-compressed into a compact configuration before insertion through the applicator. This preliminary action reduces the device size to facilitate easy insertion, and the device is designed to automatically expand to its full open state after insertion, ensuring complete fluid capture capacity is achieved without requiring manual expansion by the user.
3Device complexity
If manual insertion is used to avoid applicator complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but insertion comfort and completeness are worsened due to difficulty in proper placement and full opening
Solution Approach 1:
The applicator serves as an intermediary device between the user and the collection device. It provides a controlled mechanism for insertion that guides the collection device into proper placement within the vaginal canal. The applicator includes features such as a plunger and housing that facilitate comfortable insertion and ensure the collection device is properly positioned and fully opened, eliminating the difficulties of direct manual insertion while maintaining relative simplicity.
4Productivity
If the collection device is designed to be fully open within the vaginal canal, then fluid capture is improved, but the device requires greater structural rigidity that conflicts with the need for flexibility during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The collection device is designed with dynamic structural properties that allow it to transition between different states. During insertion, the device can be compressed or folded into a compact form, and after insertion, it automatically expands to its full open configuration to maximize fluid capture capacity. The ribs and flexible materials work together to enable this dynamic transformation, providing both adaptability during insertion and structural rigidity when deployed.
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 allows for easy insertion and complete opening of the collection device, enhancing fluid capture efficiency and user comfort by minimizing the need for manual adjustments during insertion.
Implementation Method 1
The tip can include a plurality of projections or flaps that extend in a curved manner from the sidewall toward an apex of the tip... the projections can be spaced from each other by gaps that extend into an opening at an end of each of the projections
Implementation Method 2
the ribs, sidewalls and/or base allow for a force applied to the collection device from the applicator to translate from the ribs, sidewalls and/or base to the rim of the collection device to ensure the cup fully opens and stays fully opened
Data Source
AI summary
A menstrual collection device, an applicator and a method of inserting a menstrual collection device within a vaginal canal. The menstrual collection device includes ribs and thin-walled panels or membranes that are recessed from, extend between and are formed integral to the ribs. The ribs and thin-walled panels or membrane allow for the menstrual collection device to hold its shape and collect fluid while still being able to be folded to reduce the surface area of the collection device and fit within the applicator. The applicator tip is flexible such that it allows for menstrual collection device to pass therethrough while still applying a force by to the menstrual collection device to aid in the opening of the collection device to a fully open state.