Toy Blaster Ammunition Bittering Agent Ingestion Deterrent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Toy blaster ammunition made from expandable materials like superabsorbent polymers or hydrogels poses a health risk due to ingestion by children, causing intestinal damage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a non-toxic bittering agent, such as denatonium benzoate, into the ammunition formulation to deter ingestion by providing an unpleasant taste, thereby reducing the likelihood of swallowing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If expandable ammunition made from superabsorbent polymers or hydrogels is used in toy blasters, then the ammunition provides safe and fun play experience, but it poses health risk when ingested by children causing intestinal damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by incorporating a bittering agent into the ammunition formulation before use. This creates a preemptive deterrent that activates when a child attempts to ingest the ammunition, causing an unpleasant taste that prevents swallowing. The bittering agent is mixed into the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel matrix, ensuring immediate activation upon contact with saliva, thereby preventing the harmful effect of intestinal damage while preserving the play experience.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a bittering agent is added to the ammunition formulation, then ingestion is deterred by unpleasant taste, but the ammunition formulation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical composition parameters of the ammunition formulation. Specifically, it incorporates a bittering agent at a controlled concentration range (0.01% to 5% by weight) within the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel matrix. This parameter adjustment achieves the desired deterrent effect while maintaining the fundamental structure and function of the ammunition, avoiding excessive complexity by working within established formulation parameters rather than introducing entirely new systems.
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 bittering agent effectively deters children from ingesting the ammunition, as they spit it out upon tasting, reducing the risk of intestinal damage and ensuring the ammunition's safety for accidental mouth contact.
Implementation Method 1
These items may contain superabsorbent polymers that can expand many times their original size after exposure to water
Implementation Method 2
When ingested at 10 ppm by a human, denatonium benzoate may have an extremely bitter, unpleasant taste
Data Source
AI summary
Ammunition for a toy blaster may be infused with or otherwise contain a bittering agent, such as denatonium benzoate. Addition of denatonium benzoate to ammunition formulations may reduce the likelihood that the ammunition may be ingested by children. Ammunition may be formed of a superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel. By introducing a non-toxic bittering agent into the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel that may form the ammunition, it may be more likely that children may spit out the ammunition instead of swallowing the ammunition. Denatonium benzoate may comprise approximately 50 parts per billion of the superabsorbent polymer or hydrogel, but may comprise approximately 1 to 100 ppb. When used in these low concentrations, the ammunition may be safe for a child to put in his/her mouth, but given the taste of denatonium benzoate, its inclusion as part of the ammunition formulation may act as an aversive agent.