Disposable Tissue Tray with Undercut Pins for Radiographic Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for marking and transporting tissue samples are inadequate, as they can impair diagnosis with visible markings, pose injury risks with sharp steel cannulas, and require time-consuming cleaning and disinfection of expensive trays, while also limiting x-ray imaging and formaldehyde storage capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A tray with a two-layer design featuring a cover layer and support body with undercut alignment pins that lock securely, allowing for radiographic imaging without shadows, and made from low-cost, disposable materials for single-use applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If steel cannulas are used to mark tissue samples, then orientation marking is achieved, but injury risk and infection risk increase due to sharp tips
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses disposable plastic alignment pins instead of reusable steel cannulas. These pins are inexpensive, single-use items that eliminate the need for sterilization and reduce injury risk from sharp tips. The pins are pushed through the tissue sample and held in place by the tray structure, providing orientation marking without the harmful effects of metal cannulas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical steel cannula system with a plastic pin system that relies on friction and structural support rather than sharp piercing. The alignment pins have blunt tips that are pushed through the tissue and held by the tray's layered structure, substituting the sharp mechanical cutting action with a softer, safer insertion method.
2Loss of information
If steel cannulas are used to mark tissue samples, then orientation marking is achieved, but the markings are visible on x-ray images and can impair diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses plastic alignment pins that are radiologically invisible or have minimal impact on x-ray images, unlike metal cannulas that create visible artifacts. The pins can be colored for visual orientation marking while remaining transparent to x-rays, thus providing orientation information without interfering with diagnostic imaging.
3Productivity
If a tray is designed for multiple uses with clamping mechanism, then reusability is achieved, but cleaning and disinfection time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable trays with integrated alignment pins that are discarded after single use. This eliminates the need for cleaning and disinfection of complex clamping mechanisms, as each tray is used once and then disposed of, saving significant time and resources that would otherwise be spent on sterilization processes.
4Stability of the object's composition
If tissue sample is clamped between two panels, then secure fixation is achieved, but x-ray imaging in vertical direction is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the tray into multiple layers with alignment pins passing through them, rather than using a single clamping structure. This segmented approach allows the tissue sample to be fixed securely while leaving the vertical path clear for x-ray imaging. The alignment pins provide fixation without creating a barrier to radiographic examination.
5Stability of the object's composition
If tissue sample is clamped between two panels, then secure fixation is achieved, but formaldehyde storage is limited due to insufficient contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a layered tray structure with alignment pins that secure the tissue sample without completely enclosing it. This segmentation allows formaldehyde to contact the tissue sample from multiple directions, ensuring adequate penetration for fixation while maintaining secure positioning of the sample during storage and transport.
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement for the transport and/or safekeeping of a human or animal tissue sample comprising a tablet and one or more alignment pins; each pin having a tip to pierce the cover of the tablet; the tablet designed with at least two layers that include a cover layer and a support member; and at least one alignment pin with a tip that is undercut in the direction of piercing so that it locks against the inside of the cover layer, counteracted by a lower piercing resistance of the support member in the area the piercing point. Upon piercing the cover layer, the tablet and/or the respective alignment pin limit the piercing depth of the alignment pin forming a locking event. The arrangement is designed to preserve orientation information and allow for unobscured imaging of the sample.