Sterile Packaging Tube With Constant Cross-Section for Large Implants
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current sterile packaging solutions for medical implants are inefficient in terms of shipping and inventory costs, generate waste, and are limited by manufacturing constraints, particularly for larger implants.
Innovation Solution
A sterile packaging container with a constant cross-sectional shape along its length, allowing for flexible manufacturing and efficient use of materials, featuring a container body, cover, and closure assembly that provide microbe-tight and gas-permeable seals, manufactured via extrusion or pultrusion without draft angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If injection molding process is used to create tubes with draft angles, then the tube can be removed from molding pieces, but the length of the tube is constrained by aspect ratio to correlate with larger diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be manufactured separately and then assembled together. This allows each segment to be molded with appropriate draft angles for easy removal, while the overall tube achieves the desired length by combining multiple segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating a long tube in a single molding operation constrained by aspect ratio, the invention transitions to assembling multiple shorter segments along the longitudinal axis. This dimensional approach bypasses the aspect ratio limitation while achieving the required tube length.
2Volume of moving object
If larger diameter tubes are manufactured to accommodate larger implants, then the implant size capacity increases, but the tube length must also increase proportionally due to aspect ratio constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be manufactured separately and then assembled together. This allows each segment to be molded with appropriate draft angles for easy removal, while the overall tube achieves the desired length by combining multiple segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple tube segments are nested or joined together to form a longer tube structure. The segments can be inserted sequentially or joined end-to-end, allowing the final assembly to accommodate larger implants while each individual segment maintains manufacturable dimensions.
3Reliability
If traditional disposable packaging is used, then sterility is maintained during storage and transport, but the packaging creates waste and is cumbersome to handle and open in the operating room
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging transitions from a static disposable structure to a dynamic reusable system. The sterilization container can be opened, closed, and resealed multiple times, allowing it to adapt to different operational needs in the operating room while maintaining sterility through controlled access.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the packaging after single use, the sterilization container is designed to be recovered and reused. The container body can be sterilized between uses and reused multiple times, reducing waste while maintaining the protective function.
4Ease of operation
If pressurized/vacuum vessels are used to hold individual implants, then handling and opening becomes easier, but transportation and storage become problematic due to sensitivity to temperature fluctuation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a simple, robust sterilization container made from materials that are not sensitive to temperature fluctuations. While the container may be disposed of after use, its simplicity and temperature insensitivity make it superior to complex pressurized/vacuum vessels that require temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The container design changes the physical parameters of the packaging system by using materials with appropriate thermal properties that resist temperature fluctuations. The container may include insulation layers or use materials with high thermal mass to maintain stable internal conditions.
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 solution enables cost-effective, waste-reducing packaging that maintains sterility and accommodates implants of varying sizes, reducing shipping costs and inventory while ensuring microbial barrier integrity.
Implementation Method 1
The tube includes at least a portion formed of, or covered by, a membrane that prevents the passage of bacteria but is permeable to gas
Implementation Method 2
manufactured via extrusion or pultrusion without draft angles
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure in one aspect provides a sterile packaging container comprising a container body with a cross-sectional shape that is constant along the majority of the longitudinal axis, a cover and a closure assembly that inhibits the passage of microbial contaminants. The container is configured such that the interior of the container can be sterilized. The sterile packaging container described herein allows one to manufacture a sterile packaging tube exercising the smallest possible volume.