Sterile Container Lid Projection Element Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sterile containers for surgical instruments often suffer from inadequate sealing, leading to unintended gas exchange between the interior and the atmosphere, which compromises sterilization results and handling safety.
Innovation Solution
The sterile container features projection elements on the side wall that reduce the risk of accidental lid detachment and enhance sealing by positioning the lid securely, while also widening the interior space for easier instrument handling and reducing the likelihood of instruments being knocked off or contaminated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lid is slipped over the side wall to close the sterile container, then the container can be easily closed, but the lid may accidentally detach due to operator contact, compromising the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The projection element protrudes from the side wall to contact the lid and prevent it from detaching. This preliminary protective structure counteracts the potential harmful action of the lid being accidentally knocked or detached by operator contact, maintaining the seal without interfering with the easy closing operation
Solution Approach 2:
The projection element acts as an intermediary between the side wall and the lid. It provides a contact point that secures the lid in position while allowing the lid to be slipped over the side wall easily. The projection element mediates between the need for easy operation and the need for reliable sealing
2Ease of operation
If gas exchange occurs through the gap between the free edge and the lid, then handling is easier, but sterilization result deteriorates due to unfiltered gas exchange
Solution Approach 1:
The projection element prevents the lid from detaching and creating an unintended gas exchange pathway. By maintaining the seal between the lid and free edge, it counteracts the potential harmful effect of unfiltered gas exchange while preserving the ease of handling during normal operation
3Reliability
If the side wall protrudes inward to create a narrower interior, then the lid is secured better, but instrument handling becomes difficult and instruments may be knocked off
Solution Approach 1:
The projection element is located locally on the side wall at a specific height, rather than the entire side wall protruding inward. This localized feature secures the lid while maintaining a sufficiently wide interior space for easy instrument handling and placement, avoiding the harmful effect of a narrowed container interior
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a sterile container for sterilization of surgical instruments, comprising a bottom wall, a side wall and a lid, which lid, in a closed position of the sterile container, engages with a lid edge over a free edge arranged on a side of the side wall facing away from the bottom wall. To make available a sterile container of this kind that has better handling and provides the best possible sterilization result, it is proposed, according to the invention, that the sterile container comprises at least one projecting element, which is arranged on the side wall between the bottom wall and the free edge and which, starting from the side wall, projects in the direction of an outside of the sterile container at least as far as the lid edge and is at a shorter distance from the bottom wall than is the lid edge, and wherein the side wall, in a wall area between the at least one projecting element and the free edge, does not protrude, in the direction of a centre of the sterile container, past the side wall in a wall area between the at least one projecting element and the bottom wall.