Segmented Container for Selective Patch Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current containers for substances like hair dyes do not provide a convenient means for patch testing without opening the full packaging, posing risks due to the mixing of potentially hazardous chemicals, and there is a need for a container that allows selective internal mixing and controlled release of contents for testing purposes.
Innovation Solution
A container with separate sealed compartments that includes a mixing volume with rupturable portions, allowing users to mix substances like hair colourant and developer within the container for patch testing, while maintaining the substances isolated until use, and featuring controlled release mechanisms to prevent exposure to air or each other.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users open full containers to test substances, then they can perform patch tests, but they expose themselves to harmful chemicals and risk adverse reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple sealed compartments, each containing different substances (e.g., colourant, developer, bleaching booster). Users can selectively open only the compartments needed for testing rather than opening the entire container, thereby reducing exposure to harmful chemicals while still enabling patch tests.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the testing function from the full container by providing separate sealed compartments that can be individually opened. This allows users to take out only the necessary amount of substances for testing without exposing themselves to the full contents of the container.
2Reliability
If users open full containers to test substances, then they can perform patch tests, but they waste product and incur higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into separate sealed compartments, allowing users to open only the specific compartments containing substances needed for testing. This prevents waste of the entire product contents and reduces costs by enabling testing with minimal product exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables partial action by allowing users to open only the necessary compartments for testing rather than the entire container. This partial access to the product contents eliminates the need to waste or pay for the full amount of product when only a small test sample is required.
3Stability of the object's composition
If substances are stored separately in multiple containers, then they remain stable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple separate storage functions into a single integrated container with multiple sealed compartments. Each compartment maintains the stability of individual substances through sealing, while the overall structure combines them in one unit, reducing the number of separate containers needed and simplifying the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The container employs a nested compartment structure where multiple sealed compartments are arranged within a single outer container. This nesting approach allows separate storage of multiple substances in one compact unit, maintaining stability while reducing device complexity compared to using multiple separate containers.
4Ease of operation
If users mix substances immediately, then they can use the product, but they cannot perform proper patch tests to check for adverse reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The container provides dynamic control over the mixing process through selectively openable sealed compartments. Users can choose to keep compartments sealed for stability, open individual compartments for patch testing, or open all compartments for full product use, thereby adapting the mixing state to the specific operational need.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables preliminary patch testing by allowing users to open only the necessary compartments containing colourant and developer before full product use. This preliminary action of selective opening allows safety testing to be performed in advance without committing to mixing all substances, ensuring user safety before full application.
Data Source
AI summary
A container (1) with separate sealed compartments for different substances. The container (1) comprises separate and relatively sealed first (A), second (B) and third (C) compartments. The first compartment (A) receives a first substance (such as colorant); the second compartment (B) receives a second substance (such as a developing solution); and the third compartment (C) defines a mixing volume for receiving the first and second substances from the first and second compartments. A rupturable portion adjoins the third compartment (C) and separates the first and second compartments (A, B), from the third compartment so that in use, when the a rupturable portion is ruptured substances from the first and second compartments (A, B) can pass to the third compartment (C). A passage (16) is provided in a wall of the third compartment (C) along an edge not shared with either of the first or second compartments. The passage (16) leads to a first opening that is opened by a first opening means (6) which when opened, permits controlled release of a user defined amount of the first and/or second substances; and the third compartment (C) has a second opening with a second opening means (66) which enables at least one of the sheets to be opened in order to access the third compartment (C) and remove first and/or second substances therefrom.