Telescoping Pessary Ring with Elastic Snap Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-surgical treatments for feminine pelvic organ prolapse, such as pessaries, lack effective mechanisms for adjustable support and easy deployment within the vagina, often requiring complex insertion methods and materials that may not provide consistent relief across various prolapse conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring an adjustably flexible, planar ring with a telescoping locking mechanism and a padded cover, equipped with a removal string and applicator for easy insertion and deployment, allowing the device to transition between expanded and reduced profile states for optimal support and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pessary is designed to be inserted into the vagina to treat pelvic organ prolapse, then it provides support for the prolapsed organs, but it lacks adjustable support mechanisms and easy deployment capability
Solution Approach 1:
The pessary incorporates a dynamic telescoping mechanism that allows the device to change its size and shape. The telescoping elements can extend to provide adjustable support for different prolapse conditions and collapse to a compact form for easy insertion and removal, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes parameter changes through its telescoping structure, which can adjust its length and diameter to match different patient anatomies and prolapse severities. This allows a single device to provide customized support without requiring multiple sizes, while maintaining easy insertion through its collapsible design
2Reliability
If a pessary is designed to provide consistent relief for various prolapse conditions, then it needs adjustable support mechanisms, but this increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The pessary is divided into multiple telescoping segments that can independently adjust their length. This segmentation allows the device to provide consistent relief for various prolapse conditions by adjusting the extension of individual segments, while keeping each segment relatively simple in design
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping elements are nested within each other, with smaller elements contained within larger ones. This nesting arrangement provides a compact structure that reduces device complexity when collapsed, while allowing for extended configurations that provide adjustable support when deployed
3Ease of operation
If a pessary is designed with easy insertion and removal, then it requires simple deployment mechanisms, but this may compromise the stability and support capability
Solution Approach 1:
The pessary incorporates a self-locking telescoping mechanism that automatically maintains its expanded stable state once deployed, requiring no continuous external force. For removal, a simple pull on the removal string triggers the unlocking mechanism, allowing easy extraction without compromising stability during use
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed with a preliminary locked state for insertion that transitions to a stable expanded state upon deployment. The telescoping elements are pre-configured to lock into place automatically when extended, providing stable support without requiring complex deployment 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
The device provides effective support for pelvic organ prolapse by maintaining a stable expanded state within the vagina, facilitating easy insertion and removal, and accommodating various prolapse conditions with adjustable flexibility and comfort features.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic diamond shaped snap
Data Source
AI summary
A device sized and shaped for alleviating organ prolapse when inserted into a vagina, comprising: (a) an adjustably flexible, substantially planar ring; (b) a telescoping locking mechanism extending in a central axis, but within the plane of the ring, from a first side of the ring to a second side of the ring, comprising, (i) a first element extending from a side of the ring including an elastic diamond shaped snap, and, (ii) a second element extending from a second side of the ring, opposite the first element, including at least one window configured as a counterpart to the snap, wherein the device is configured to be in an expanded, treatment rendering state when the snap is released into the window and a reduced profile state when the snap is not in the window.