Self-standing synthetic resin ampule with guided breaking mechanism

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing synthetic resin ampules lack stability and ease of opening, making them difficult to handle and operate when standing by themselves.

Innovation Solution

A self-standing drug-filled synthetic resin ampule design featuring a tubular body with a breakable part between the tip and hollow part, guided pressing portions, and a bottom surface with extension portions to facilitate easy breaking and opening while maintaining stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If a synthetic resin ampule is designed to stand by itself, then stability is improved, but ease of opening operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestanding stabilityVSAvoidopening operation ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The ampule body is segmented into distinct functional parts: a stable base portion with bottom surface, a hollow body for drug storage, and a tip portion with pressing portions. This segmentation allows the base to provide stability while the tip portions facilitate easy opening operations without compromising overall stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Pressing portions are introduced as intermediary elements between the user's fingers and the breakable part. These pressing portions guide the breaking force and concentrate it on the breakable part, making the opening operation easier while the base maintains standing stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the ampule body is made with a breakable part for easy opening, then ease of operation is improved, but structural strength deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveopening easeVSAvoidstructural strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The breakable part is designed with locally reduced thickness or increased fragility only at the specific location where breaking is needed, while the rest of the ampule body maintains full structural strength. This allows easy opening at the breakable part without compromising the overall strength and integrity of the ampule body.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The breakable part is pre-formed with a structure that is ready to break when force is applied to the pressing portions. The breakable part may include pre-scored lines, reduced thickness sections, or other features that facilitate controlled breaking, eliminating the need for excessive force during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If pressing portions are added to guide breaking force, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebreaking operation easeVSAvoidampule structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pressing portions are merged with the tip portion of the ampule body, forming an integrated structure rather than separate components. This combining approach provides the guiding function for breaking force while avoiding the complexity of additional separate parts, maintaining simplicity in the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The tip portion serves multiple functions: it provides structural closure for the ampule body, contains the breakable part for opening, and includes pressing portions for guiding breaking force. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3398581B1Self-standing drug-filled synthetic resin ampule
Publication Date: 2022.08.10 TERUMO KK
  • EP3398581B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3398581B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3398581B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

A drug-filled synthetic resin ampule (1) has an ampule body (2) capable of standing by itself and a drug (6) accommodated inside the ampule body (2). The ampule body (2) has a tip part (3) positioned at an upper part thereof when the ampule body stands by itself, a hollow part (21) having a drug accommodation portion (23), and a breakable part (5) provided between a lower portion of the tip part (3) and an upper portion of the hollow part (21). The tip part (3) has pressing portions (31), (32) for guiding a pressing force applied thereto in a predetermined direction when an operation of breaking the breakable part (5) is performed. The hollow part (21) has a bottom surface part (4) for allowing the ampule body to stand by itself. The bottom surface part (4) has extension portions (41), (42) extended in predetermined directions (X-direction, Y-direction) in which the pressing force applied to the pressing portions (31), (32) is guided when an operation of pressing the pressing portions (31), (32) is performed to break the breakable part.