Self-Cleaning Tip With Vacuum Chamber For Sterile Drop Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging and dispensing devices for sterile or clean liquid products fail to prevent bacterial contamination at the nozzle tip due to residual drops, which remain after dispensing calibrated doses, despite efforts to re-aspirate or sterilize these residues.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates an additional chamber, either external or internal to the tip, with a metering chamber and non-return valves to prevent residual drops from forming by ensuring air is expelled before the product, and the chamber is designed to either suck up or blow the residual drop without mixing it with the product, maintaining sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional dispensing devices are used to dispense sterile liquid products, then the product inside the container remains clean or sterile, but residual drops form at the nozzle tip and become contaminated by outside air
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a vacuum or depression in the chamber before dispensing the calibrated drop. This pre-established negative pressure automatically draws back any residual drop that forms at the nozzle tip, preventing contamination before it can occur. The vacuum is prepared in advance and activates automatically upon completion of the dispensing action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through a system that detects the formation of a residual drop at the nozzle tip and automatically responds by activating the vacuum mechanism. The depression or vacuum acts as a feedback response that senses the presence of residual material and corrects it by sucking it back into the chamber, ensuring continuous sterility.
2Reliability
If re-aspiration of residual drops is attempted using depression from calibrated drop expulsion, then some residual drops are drawn back, but the depression is not always sufficient to overcome filter resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vacuum generation function from the main dispensing mechanism by introducing a separate, dedicated vacuum pump or depression-generating device. This independent system provides sufficient negative pressure to overcome the resistance of the sterilizing filter, ensuring reliable re-aspiration of residual drops without being limited by the pressure constraints of the original dispensing mechanism.
3Reliability
If bacteriological filters are placed in the product distribution circuit to sterilize residual drops, then filtration occurs, but the filter resistance prevents complete re-aspiration of the residual drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a vacuum or depression in the chamber before dispensing the calibrated drop. This pre-established negative pressure automatically draws back any residual drop that forms at the nozzle tip, preventing contamination before it can occur. The vacuum is prepared in advance and activates automatically upon completion of the dispensing action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through a system that detects the formation of a residual drop at the nozzle tip and automatically responds by activating the vacuum mechanism. The depression or vacuum acts as a feedback response that senses the presence of residual material and corrects it by sucking it back into the chamber, ensuring continuous sterility.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If metal inserts with bactericidal properties are placed in the tip to kill bacteria, then bacterial contamination is reduced, but metal molecules may be released into the preservative-free product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vacuum generation function from the main dispensing mechanism by introducing a separate, dedicated vacuum pump or depression-generating device. This independent system provides sufficient negative pressure to overcome the resistance of the sterilizing filter, ensuring reliable re-aspiration of residual drops without being limited by the pressure constraints of the original dispensing mechanism.
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
This design effectively prevents residual drops from contaminating the product by ensuring that only the product is dispensed, without any residual material remaining at the nozzle, thus maintaining the sterility of the product throughout its use.
Implementation Method 1
an additional chamber, either external or internal to the tip, with a metering chamber and non-return valves to prevent residual drops from forming by ensuring air is expelled before the product, and the chamber is designed to either suck up or blow the residual drop
Implementation Method 2
an additional chamber, either external or internal to the tip, with a metering chamber and non-return valves to prevent residual drops from forming
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for packaging and dispensing a generally liquid or viscous product, including a container (1) for containing the product (2) to be packaged and dispensed in the form of clean or sterile calibrated doses or drops (11) using a dispensing accessory including a tip, wherein the assembly of the container (1) and the accessory includes an additional flexible and deformable chamber (18) actuated simultaneously with the accessory and capable of either sucking the residual drop (12) at the end of said accessory after dispensing a calibrated dose or drop (11), or of blowing said calibrated dose or drop (11) without permitting the formation of a residual drop (12). The invention can be used for packaging and dispensing clean or sterile products, in particular doses or drops in the field of ophthalmology.