Smoking Case with Microcapsule Hand Care Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smokers often experience unpleasant hand hygiene issues due to the lingering smell and potential bacterial contamination from smoking articles, which can lead to bacterial infiltration through the oral region.
Innovation Solution
A smoking article case with a functional care zone on its outer surface, featuring microcapsules containing antibacterial materials like grapefruit extract, eucalyptus oil, and propolis, which provide hand care functions such as antibacterial, deodorizing, and perfuming properties when rubbed against the hand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If microcapsules containing functional materials are applied on the outer surface of the smoking article case, then hand care function is provided to the smoker, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The smoking article case is designed to provide multiple functions: storing smoking articles and providing hand care functions through microcapsules containing antibacterial, deodorizing, and perfuming materials. This multi-functional design allows a single device to serve both storage and hand care purposes, resolving the contradiction between adding adaptability and increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The microcapsules on the case surface automatically discharge functional materials when rubbed by the smoker's hand, providing self-service hand care without requiring additional active components or user intervention beyond the natural rubbing motion. This eliminates the need for complex mechanisms while delivering the hand care function.
2Ease of operation
If microcapsules with lower crushing strength are applied on the functional care zone, then the functional material is discharged more easily when rubbed, but the microcapsules may be accidentally crushed during normal use
Solution Approach 1:
The case surface is divided into a functional care zone with microcapsules of lower crushing strength for easy discharge and other regions with microcapsules of higher crushing strength for accidental protection. This spatial differentiation of microcapsule properties allows the system to provide both easy discharge functionality and reliability against accidental crushing.
3Loss of information
If ink is applied on the functional care zone to indicate information, then information can be conveyed to the smoker, but the ink may interfere with the discharge of functional material from microcapsules
Solution Approach 1:
The ink is applied as a thin film layer on the case surface that allows the microcapsules to rupture and discharge their functional materials through it. The thin film structure provides visual information while maintaining permeability to the discharged materials, eliminating interference between the ink layer and functional material discharge.
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 smoking article case effectively provides hand care functions by discharging functional materials from microcapsules, improving hygiene and conveying information through visual changes in ink color or density, while minimizing accidental crushing and offering comprehensive care zones for multifaceted hand care.
Implementation Method 1
By discharging a functional material when rubbed against a smoker's hand or finger area (that is, the functional material is discharged as the applied microcapsules are crushed)
Implementation Method 2
the microcapsules applied on the functional care zone may further contain a material that changes a color or color density of the ink
Data Source
AI summary
A smoking article case with a hand care function may be provided. The smoking article case according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a body portion in which an inner space for storing a smoking article is formed and a cover which is connected to the body portion, wherein a functional care zone may be formed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the body portion and an outer surface of the cover. Microcapsules containing a functional material are applied on the functional care zone, and as the microcapsules are crushed by a smoker's rubbing motion and the functional material is discharged from the crushed microcapsules, the hand care function may be provided to the smoker.