Rotatable Dental Unit Dose Package for Volatile Solvent Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental composition packaging fails to provide stable storage and efficient dispensing of low viscosity, volatile dental compositions like adhesives, as they require special and expensive packaging to prevent solvent loss and obstructs visual control during use.
Innovation Solution
A unit dose package with a rigid support member and a rotatable discharge conduit, made through two-component injection molding, which establishes and interrupts fluid flow communication between storage compartments and discharge orifices, using flexible composite films for sealing and compact design to allow direct visual control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If special packaging is used to prevent solvent loss, then storage stability is improved, but packaging cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system performs preliminary sealing actions through the rotatable cap that creates a hermetic seal before use. The cap is designed to pre-close the discharge conduit, preventing solvent loss in advance. This preliminary sealing action eliminates the need for expensive specialized packaging materials while maintaining storage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system uses its own structural components (the rotatable cap and discharge conduit) to provide the sealing function rather than relying on external expensive packaging materials. The cap self-activates to seal or open the conduit based on user rotation, making the packaging self-sufficient and cost-effective.
2Ease of operation
If a bulky pivot assembly is used for nozzle movement, then dispensing functionality is improved, but visual control is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge conduit is designed as a dynamic, rotatable component that can pivot between different positions. This dynamic structure allows the conduit to move into the practitioner's field of view when needed for visual control, rather than being permanently obstructive. The rotatable mechanism enables the conduit to adapt its position dynamically during the dental procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the pivot assembly from a bulky three-dimensional structure that obstructs vision to a streamlined rotational mechanism that operates in a different spatial dimension. The conduit rotates around a compact axis, allowing it to clear the visual path while maintaining dispensing functionality through angular movement rather than linear extension.
3Device complexity
If the discharge conduit is fixed, then structural simplicity is improved, but dispensing control is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge conduit transitions from a fixed to a rotatable configuration, introducing controlled movement to enable dispensing control. The rotation mechanism allows the practitioner to orient the conduit toward different areas of the dental cavity while maintaining relative structural simplicity through a single-degree-of-freedom rotational joint rather than complex multi-axis mechanisms.
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 package ensures stable storage of dental compositions with volatile solvents for two years and allows for convenient dispensing without the need for optical imaging systems, maintaining sealing properties and compactness.
Implementation Method 1
wherein the attachment of the discharge conduit (b) and the rigid support member (a) is provided by two-component injection molding
Implementation Method 2
whereby fluid flow communication between the discharge conduit and the one or more storage compartments may be established by rotating the discharge conduit around its longitudinal axis relative to the rigid support member from a first position to a second position
Implementation Method 3
wherein the one or more storage compartments are provided by flexible films made of composite material films, which are attached to the rigid support member
Data Source
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AI summary
A unit dose package for a dental composition, comprising: (a) a rigid support member having a proximal end and a distal end, the rigid support member supporting one or more storage compartments for the dental composition and providing fluid flow communication between the one or more storage compartments and one or more discharge orifices, wherein the one or more storage compartments each have a volume of 10 pi to 1000 pi, and (b) a discharge conduit having a longitudinal axis extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the discharge conduit being rotatably attached to the distal end of the rigid support member for rotation around its longitudinal axis, wherein the attachment of the discharge conduit (b) and the rigid support member (a) is provided by two-component injection molding; whereby fluid flow communication between the discharge conduit and the one or more storage compartments may be established by rotating the discharge conduit around its longitudinal axis relative to the rigid support member from a first position to a second position and whereby the fluid flow communication between the discharge conduit and the one or more storage compartments may be interrupted by rotating the discharge conduit around its longitudinal axis relative to the rigid support member from the second position to the first position, wherein the one or more storage compartments are provided by flexible films made of composite material films, which are attached to the rigid support member.