Specimen Cup Holder with Translucent Illumination Panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic procedures in dark rooms often result in specimen loss and verification challenges due to the difficulty in visualizing minuscule tissue specimens collected using small instruments, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in specimen collection.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising two containers and a light source, where the top container holds specimen cups with translucent bottoms for diffuse illumination, allowing specimens to be easily viewed while minimizing light exposure to the surrounding environment, thereby aiding in specimen verification and collection during endoscopic procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If endoscopic procedures are conducted in dark rooms to enable clear viewing of endoscope images, then image visualization is improved, but specimen verification becomes difficult leading to specimen loss
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the illumination function from the main endoscopic procedure environment. A separate illuminated chamber with translucent walls is integrated into the specimen cup holder, allowing localized illumination for specimen verification without illuminating the entire procedure room. This enables technicians to verify specimens in a brightly lit micro-environment while the main room remains dark for endoscope image viewing.
Solution Approach 2:
The translucent panel acts as an intermediary that allows light to pass through from the illuminated chamber to the specimen cup area. This mediator enables specimen verification by transmitting light through the chamber walls, creating a visible path for observing specimens without requiring the entire room to be illuminated.
2Illumination intensity
If light sources are used to illuminate specimens for verification, then specimen visibility is improved, but light exposure to the surrounding environment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination is localized to specific regions within the specimen cup holder. The translucent chamber with its designated opening creates a localized illuminated zone that confines light to where it is needed for specimen verification. This local quality approach ensures high specimen visibility in the verification area while minimizing light spill into the surrounding dark procedure environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The illuminated verification chamber is nested within the larger specimen cup holder structure, which itself is positioned within the dark procedure room. This nested configuration allows the light-generating component to be contained within a larger dark environment, enabling specimen verification without exposing the entire surrounding environment to light.
3Productivity
If multiple specimen cups are held simultaneously for efficient collection, then productivity is improved, but verification of each specimen becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device adds a vertical dimension to specimen verification by stacking multiple specimen cups vertically within the holder. The translucent chamber provides illumination from above, allowing technicians to verify specimens in each cup by looking down through the translucent material. This vertical arrangement with top-down illumination through translucent walls enables efficient multi-cup verification without increasing horizontal space requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a first container having a floor and walls extending from the floor to an opening opposing the floor. The walls include opposing ledges at an interior of the first container. A second container has a first open end, sides, and a second end opposing the first open end. The second end has at least one hole adapted to receive a biopsy specimen cup. The first and second containers are made from opaque materials. A translucent panel has a notch in an edge thereof. The translucent panel is disposed on the ledges and spans the interior of the first container. The opening of the first container is sized to slidingly receive the second container wherein the first open end of the second container rests on the translucent panel. A light source is disposed in the first container between the translucent panel and the floor of the first container.