Syringe Filter With Rotatable Valve Bypass Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current syringe filters require frequent replacement and reattachment during the filtration process, leading to inefficiencies and increased risk of contamination when filtering large volumes of liquid, as users must draw and filter in separate steps and cannot ensure consistent quality of syringe-filter combinations.
Innovation Solution
A syringe with a built-in rotatable valve that allows liquid to bypass the filter during drawing and pass through the filter during expulsion, enabling continuous filtration without filter removal or replacement, using a housing with a plunger, inlet, outlet, and a rotatable valve member that switches between positions to control the filtration path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate syringe and filter are used, then the filter can be easily replaced, but the user cannot control the quality of the syringe-filter combination and leachables may enter the filtrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the syringe and filter into a single integrated device where the filter is permanently attached to the syringe housing. This merging ensures that only approved syringe-filter combinations are used, preventing leachables and maintaining consistent filtration quality, while eliminating the need for separate filter replacement steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated syringe-filter device serves multiple functions: it acts as both a syringe for drawing liquid and a filter for separating particles. The rotatable valve member adds another function by controlling liquid flow paths, allowing the device to perform both filtration and flow direction control within a single unified system.
2Productivity
If the filter is permanently attached to the syringe, then the syringe-filter combination quality is controlled, but the filter cannot be easily replaced when filtering large volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rotatable valve member that dynamically changes the liquid flow path. During the drawing phase, the valve directs liquid to bypass the filter for rapid sample uptake. During the expulsion phase, the valve redirects liquid through the filter for filtration. This dynamic switching allows the system to achieve both high productivity during drawing and effective filtration during expulsion without requiring filter replacement.
3Loss of time
If the user must remove and reattach the filter for each filtration step, then the filter can be reused, but the process is time-consuming and increases contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated syringe-filter device with rotatable valve enables continuous operation without interruption. The valve allows liquid to bypass the filter during drawing and automatically redirects it through the filter during expulsion, maintaining continuous filtration action throughout the entire process without requiring filter removal or reattachment, thereby eliminating contamination risks associated with repeated connections.
4Quantity of substance
If a large volume of liquid is filtered using a small syringe, then the syringe capacity is not exceeded, but multiple filter replacements are required
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable valve member enables the system to dynamically switch between drawing mode (bypassing the filter for rapid liquid uptake) and filtration mode (directing liquid through the filter). This allows the user to quickly draw large volumes into the syringe and then efficiently filter them in subsequent expulsion steps, achieving both high quantity handling and maintained filtration efficiency without repeated filter replacements.
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 continuous filtration of large volumes without filter changes, ensuring consistent quality and reducing contamination risks, while allowing manufacturers to control the syringe-filter combination for optimized output quality at a low cost.
Implementation Method 1
a rotatable valve member being rotatable between a first position and a second position; wherein rotation of the valve member to the first position permits liquid that is drawn through the inlet into the housing by pulling the plunger to bypass the filter, and rotation of the valve member to the second position forces liquid that is expelled from the inside of the housing by pushing the plunger to pass through the filter and out of the outlet
Implementation Method 2
Filtration is a common method of separating larger particles in solution from smaller ones. Filters, filtrations devices and filtration methods are used in a wide range of biological and chemical applications for the separation or purification of various moieties
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a syringe for filtering a liquid comprising: a housing with a plunger slidable therein; an inlet for taking in liquid from a liquid source into the housing; an outlet for expelling liquid from the inside of the housing; a filter; and a rotatable valve member being rotatable between a first position and a second position; wherein rotation of the valve member to the first position permits liquid that is drawn through the inlet into the housing by pulling the plunger to bypass the filter, and rotation of the valve member to the second position forces liquid that is expelled from the inside of the housing by pushing the plunger to pass through the filter and out of the outlet.