Swab Pouch Rolling for Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current swab handling technologies fail to ensure the integrity of clinical samples and protect healthcare professionals from contamination, as external surfaces of swab containers often become contaminated during sample collection and lack effective cleansing mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A swab with a pouch-like envelope that can be rolled up and features a flexible design with a swabbing portion, allowing for easy sampling and storage, along with a case that can be sealed to prevent contamination and exposure, using chemical or physical sealing means such as adhesives or Velcro.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional swab container is used during sample collection, then the sampling process is simple, but the external surfaces become contaminated and expose healthcare professionals to biological material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible pouch-like envelope that completely encloses the swabbing portion. This flexible shell structure allows the swab to be manipulated easily while maintaining complete containment of the biological material, preventing contamination of external surfaces during the sampling process
Solution Approach 2:
The swabbing portion is nested within the pouch-like envelope, which itself is contained within a rigid case. This nested structure provides multiple layers of protection, allowing simple handling at each level while progressively reducing exposure risk to the external environment
2Adaptability or versatility
If the swab container is passed from hand to hand during collection, then collaboration is facilitated, but contamination spreads to multiple surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The envelope is nested within a rigid case that serves as the external interface for hand-to-hand transfer. This allows the container to be easily passed between personnel while the nested envelope structure remains sealed, containing any contamination within the inner pouch and preventing spread to external surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid case acts as an intermediary between the contaminated swabbing portion and the external environment. It provides a clean external surface for handling and transfer, while the nested envelope structure mediates the containment of biological material, preventing direct contact between handlers and contaminants
3Ease of operation
If the swabbing portion is exposed during storage, then access is convenient, but sample integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The swabbing portion remains nested within the sealed pouch-like envelope during storage, which is itself stored within the rigid case. This nested configuration maintains sample integrity by preventing contamination while allowing convenient access - the case can be opened for storage retrieval without compromising the sealed envelope containing the sample
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a rigid protective case is used, then protection from contamination is improved, but handling flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible envelope is nested within the rigid protective case. The inner flexible pouch provides contamination protection through its sealed structure, while the outer rigid case provides mechanical protection and maintains overall shape. This nested arrangement allows the flexible inner structure to provide protection without sacrificing the handling advantages of a rigid outer container
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses, inter alia, swab, kit and a case, disclose a swab as defined above, administrable either or both into and onto a sample in a method comprising steps of providing the pouch-like envelope (1) with the opening (2), the inner surface (1i) and the at least one external surface (1e) with the at last one swabbing portion; inserting a handle into the swabbing portion; applying the swabbing portion either or both onto and into the substance; in-out rolling up the envelope so that the external portion hereto applied either or both onto and into the substance is position within the envelope; wherein at least one of the following s held true: the envelope characterized as a sleeve-like or sock-like elongated member having a main longitudinal axis, configured to be in-out rolled-up along the main longitudinal axis; and the envelope characterized as flexible pouch-like envelope, further characterized by being width-wise squeezable along an axis perpendicular to the main longitudinal axis thereby tightly encapsulated within at least two external case's walls. The present invention discloses a method for both sampling a substance and storing the same, characterized by steps: providing a pouch-like envelope (1), configured to be in-out rolled-up having an opening (2); the pouch comprises an inner surface (1i); and at least one external surface (1e) with at last one swabbing portion (3); the envelope either or both (a) characterized as a sleeve-like or sock-like elongated member having a main longitudinal axis, configured to be in-out rolled-up along the main longitudinal axis; and (b) flexible pouch-like envelope, characterized by being width-wise squeezable along an axis perpendicular to the main longitudinal axis thereby tightly encapsulated within two case's walls; inserting a handle into the swabbing portion; applying the swabbing portion either or both onto and into the substance; in-out rolling up the envelope so that the external portion hereto applied either or both onto and into the substance is position within the envelope; wherein at least one of the following is held true: the envelope characterized as a sleeve-like or sock-like elongated member having a main longitudinal axis, configured to be in-out rolled-up along the main longitudinal axis; and the envelope characterized as flexible pouch-like envelope, further characterized by being width-wise squeezable along an axis perpendicular to the main longitudinal axis thereby tightly encapsulated within at least two external case's walls.