Sponge Disinfecting Tub with Fast-Drain Paddles and Stable Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sponge cleaning and disinfecting devices are not user-friendly, prone to tipping over, and result in spills when removing the sponge, with inadequate disinfectant solution drainage and messy clean-up.
Innovation Solution
An oval cylindrical tub with paddles and a disinfectant cartridge, featuring teardrop-shaped channels to reduce liquid retention, a heavy base for stability, and a mounting bracket with suction cups for secure attachment, along with a light-emitting diode for reminding disinfectant replacement, ensures efficient sponge cleaning and disinfecting with minimized spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the device uses a simple tub structure, then the device complexity is low, but the device tips over too easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the counterweight principle by adding a heavy base to the tub structure. The base weighs approximately 2-3 pounds and is attached to the bottom of the tub, providing downward force that counteracts the tipping moment when the device is pushed or when water shifts during operation. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural simplicity while significantly improving stability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the paddles have circular channels, then the manufacturing is simple, but the disinfectant solution drains slowly and causes spills
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the paddle channel cross-section from circular to teardrop-shaped. The teardrop channel has a rounded end facing the direction of water flow and a pointed end at the exit, creating asymmetric flow characteristics that accelerate disinfectant drainage. This geometric asymmetry reduces liquid retention in the channels while maintaining manufacturability through standard molding techniques.
3Power
If the paddles are pressed quickly into the tub, then the cleaning action is more vigorous, but the disinfectant solution splashes and spills
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by incorporating springs at the bottom of the tub that engage with the paddle tabs before the paddles reach the bottom. These springs provide progressive resistance as the paddles descend, cushioning the impact and controlling the descent speed. This prevents sudden stops that would cause liquid splashing while still allowing vigorous squeezing action, thereby resolving the contradiction between cleaning power and spill prevention.
4Device complexity
If the control box is placed inside the tub, then the device structure is simplified, but the disinfectant solution damages the electronic components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by introducing a waterproof barrier between the control box and the disinfectant solution. The control box is sealed with an IP65 or higher rating waterproof enclosure that allows it to be positioned inside the tub for structural simplicity while protecting the electronic components from water and chemical damage. This intermediary protective barrier resolves the contradiction by maintaining both simplicity and reliability.
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 improved device provides a stable, spill-reducing, and user-friendly method for cleaning and disinfecting sponges, ensuring effective disinfectant solution drainage and maintaining device stability, thus addressing the limitations of previous designs.
Implementation Method 1
As the user presses the paddles down, the pivot pin interacts with the compression grooves to cause the front paddle to move towards the rear paddle
Implementation Method 2
the side tabs of the rear paddle contact two springs in the bottom of the tub, slowing the descent of the paddles, which reduces splashing
Implementation Method 3
the walls of our channels are uneven. That is, in our improved device, the round part of the teardrop channel keeps the same shape from the inside of the paddle to its outside, but the point of the teardrop channel is larger at the outside of the paddle than at its inside. This uneven shape defeats the surface tension of liquids, allowing very little disinfectant solution to remain in the channels when the paddles are removed from the tub
Implementation Method 4
We put a small light-emitting diode on the top of the tub to remind the user to change the disinfectant
Data Source
AI summary
The device cleans and disinfects sponges. The device has a tub with a cavity of sufficient space to hold paddles for wringing a sponge, a cartridge for holding a slow-dissolving disinfectant, and a sponge. The cavity is filled with a disinfectant solution. The device can be mounted on the inside wall of a sink or cabinet with an included bracket or can be stood in a base on a countertop. The device includes a warning light programmed to remind the user when to change the slow-dissolving disinfectant. The user inserts a sponge between the paddles, inserts the paddles into the cavity, and squeezes the paddles together. The user then releases the paddles, causing the sponge to absorb the disinfectant solution. When the user removes the paddles, specially-designed fluid channels quickly drain the sponge.