Stool Sample Collection Device with Foldable Base and Filter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting and storing stool samples for fecal microbiota transplantation are not hygienic and efficient, leading to potential contamination and imbalance in intestinal flora during antibiotic treatment, particularly for Clostridioides difficile infections.
Innovation Solution
A device with a hollow base body and collection bag designed to collect stool samples hygienically, featuring a foldable cardboard base for stability, fastening tabs for secure attachment to a toilet, and a filter system to separate liquids and microorganisms, ensuring safe storage and processing of the sample.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a device is designed to collect stool samples hygienically, then the reliability of sample collection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional components: a base body for structural support and positioning, a collection bag for receiving the stool sample, and fastening means for secure attachment to the toilet. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall hygiene and reducing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection bag acts as an intermediary element between the stool sample and the external environment. It provides a hygienic barrier that prevents direct contact between the sample and the user or surrounding surfaces, while still allowing the sample to be collected efficiently. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by enabling hygiene without requiring complex sealing mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If the base body is made foldable from cardboard, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the strength of the structure may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is constructed from cardboard, a composite material consisting of layered paper pulp bonded together. This composite structure provides sufficient strength and dimensional stability for the application while maintaining ease of manufacture through folding and assembly. The layered construction of cardboard naturally resists deformation under the expected loads during stool sample collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The base body is designed as a foldable structure that is pre-formed from a flat blank through predetermined fold lines. This preliminary action of creating fold lines and creases during manufacturing allows the base body to be assembled simply by folding, reducing manufacturing complexity while ensuring the structure maintains its shape and stability during use.
3Reliability
If fastening means are added to attach to toilet, then the reliability of positioning is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening means are integrated directly into the base body structure rather than being separate components. The fastening tabs are formed as extensions of the base body itself, allowing them to be attached to the toilet while the base body provides structural support. This merging of functions reduces the total number of components and simplifies the overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening tabs utilize the flexibility of the cardboard material to conform to the toilet surface and maintain secure attachment. The thin, flexible nature of the cardboard allows the fastening means to adapt to slight variations in toilet geometry while maintaining reliable positioning, without requiring rigid or complex fastening mechanisms.
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
Enables easy, hygienic collection and storage of stool samples, reducing the risk of contamination and facilitating the transfer of beneficial microorganisms, thereby supporting the restoration of a healthy intestinal flora.
Implementation Method 1
A base body with a certain dimensional stability forms a through opening between an upper end face and a lower end face, so that the stool sample falls through the base body into the collection bag due to gravity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention comprises a device for collecting a stool sample from a living being, in particular a human being, comprising a hollow base body having a circumferential wall and being open at its upper and lower end faces, and a collection bag open at its top, which forms a receiving space for a stool sample and is attached to the base body in such a way that a stool sample emerging from the bottom of the base body can be received in the collection bag.