Urinary Collection Receptacle Tear-Control Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional urinary collection bags risk users tearing through the handle seal when creating a spout for emptying urine, leading to potential bag dropping or spillage.
Innovation Solution
The bags incorporate a tear-starting formation positioned between the port and handle seal, allowing for a linear tear that avoids the handle seal, and may include tear-stopping formations or reinforcing materials to provide visual and haptic feedback for controlled tearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional urinary collection bag without tear-control features is used, then the bag is simple to manufacture and use, but the user risks tearing through the handle seal when creating a spout, causing the bag to drop or spill
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a tear line and tear-stopping feature during manufacturing. The tear line is pre-marked on the bag body, and the tear-stopping feature (such as a reinforced section or structural barrier) is pre-positioned near the handle seal. This allows the user to easily create a controlled spout along the predetermined path without risking damage to the handle seal, as the tear will naturally stop at the pre-designed stopping point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element - the tear-stopping feature - that acts as a mediator between the user's tearing action and the handle seal. This feature intercepts the tear propagation before it can reach the handle seal, protecting it from damage. The tear-stopping feature may be a reinforced section, a structural barrier, or a design element that naturally halts tear progression, serving as a protective intermediary without requiring complex active mechanisms.
2Reliability
If tear-stopping features are added to prevent handle seal damage, then handle seal integrity is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the tear-control features at specific locations rather than reinforcing the entire bag structure. The tear line is pre-defined only in the necessary path from the spout creation point to the tear-stopping feature. The tear-stopping feature itself is localized near the handle seal area, providing protection only where needed. This localized approach minimizes additional manufacturing complexity while effectively protecting the handle seal integrity.
3Reliability
If the bag material is made more resistant to tearing, then handle seal protection is improved, but the ease of creating a spout is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a differentiated structure where the bag body material along the tear line path remains relatively easy to tear, while the handle seal area and tear-stopping feature use more resistant materials or structural designs. This allows users to easily create a spout by tearing along the predefined path through the softer bag material, while the tear naturally stops at the more resistant tear-stopping feature, protecting the handle seal without requiring excessive force from the user.
Data Source
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AI summary
A urinary collection receptacle (10,50,650) with a handle seal (22,52,654) defining a handle opening is provided with one or more tear-controlling features to prevent a user from tearing through the handle seal when creating a spout to empty urine. The receptacle is be configured to require a user to create a generally linear tear (30) that extends from one edge (16) of the bag to the opposite edge (18) without passing through the handle seal. Alternatively a tear-stopping formation (62) is positioned adjacent to the handle seal to terminate a fear propagating toward the handle seal. Alternatively, a tear-starting formation (652) is positioned adjacent to the handle seal to direct a tear away from the handle seal. Such a receptacle further includes a frangible region that can be broken to dissociate a torn portion of the receptacle from the remainder of the receptacle.