Snapback Card Implant Package Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional implant packaging methods, such as void-filling with foam and clamshell configurations, generate excessive waste, are difficult to open with surgical gloves, and prone to contamination, leading to potential delays in surgery if the sterile barrier is compromised.
Innovation Solution
A package design featuring first and second rigid members connected by a living hinge, with a flexible member and connector elements that secure the package in a packaged state, allowing easy opening and maintaining sterility, and an insert to secure medical devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If void-filling approach with foam and padding materials is used, then the implant is protected and stabilized within the package, but the package becomes bulky and generates considerable waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the void-filling foam and padding materials from the package design, retaining only the essential rigid container structure. This extraction eliminates the bulk waste-generating materials while preserving the protective function through the rigid container walls and bottom.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flexible sterile barrier layer that conforms to the implant shape without requiring bulky void-fillers. This thin flexible barrier provides both protection and sterility maintenance without the waste associated with foam materials.
2Reliability
If void-filling approach with foam is used, then the implant is cushioned and stabilized, but the implant becomes difficult to remove without premature exposure to biological material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the package into distinct functional layers: a rigid container for structural support, a flexible sterile barrier for contamination prevention, and an optional foam liner that can be easily removed. This segmentation allows the sterile barrier to be accessed without removing the entire package structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic opening mechanism where the flexible sterile barrier can be peeled or pulled away from the rigid container, allowing controlled access to the implant. This dynamic separation enables easy removal while maintaining sterility until the moment of opening.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual packaging processes are used, then the package can be assembled, but the process is prone to error and results in long packaging time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple packaging functions into a single integrated structure. The rigid container, sterile barrier, and sealing mechanism are designed to work together as one unit, reducing the number of separate assembly steps and minimizing manual intervention requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates pre-formed components and pre-assembled substructures that require minimal manipulation during final packaging. The rigid container and sterile barrier are designed to snap or lock into place automatically, reducing assembly time and error potential.
4Reliability
If conventional package sealing is used, then the sterile barrier is maintained, but once compromised the implant cannot be used and surgery may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a backup or redundant sterile sealing mechanism that can compensate for potential failures. The design includes features that prevent single-point failures from compromising the entire sterile barrier, ensuring continuous protection and avoiding surgery delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable sterile barrier that can be easily replaced if compromised. This single-use component ensures that even if the sterile seal is breached, the implant remains protected by an intact barrier, and the compromised barrier can be discarded without affecting the implant's usability.
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 design reduces waste, simplifies opening, and maintains sterility, preventing contamination and potential surgery delays by ensuring easy and secure packaging and unpackaging of medical implants.
Implementation Method 1
first and second members arranged in an unpackaged state and a packaged state... first and second members connected by a living hinge... rotating one of the first and second members about a living hinge coupling the first and second members to each other
Implementation Method 2
A connector having male and female elements can be formed on the distal side of the first member and the second side of the second member to assist in securing the package in the packaged state
Implementation Method 3
The flexible member can be lax when the product package is in the unpackaged state and taut in the packed state. The flexible member may be elastically deformed when the product package is in the packaged state
Data Source
AI summary
A product package includes a first member and a second member arrangeable in an unpackaged state and a packaged state. The package has a flexible member attached to the first and second members which assists in securing an implant to the first member. The flexible member is slack when the package is in the unpackaged state and is taut in the packaged state. The first member is coupled to the second member by a connector in the packaged state with the product secured between the first member and the flexible member. The flexible member is externally exposed when the package is in the packaged state. The package can also include an insert coupled to the first member to assist in securing the product in the package. The flexible member can have a pull tab forming a frangible connection with the flexible member to open the package. The flexible member may form a sterile barrier around the product.