Vaginal Shield Splash Guard with Pivoting Foldable Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing splash guard devices fail to effectively protect the vaginal opening from toilet contaminants, which can lead to infections due to inadequate design and size, allowing contaminated water to splash onto sensitive areas during defecation or urination.
Innovation Solution
A splash guard device with an elongated handle and a pivotally attached splash guard, designed to be positioned over the vagina, featuring specific dimensions and shapes to prevent fluid splashes, including a wide and long splash guard with a convex lower surface and oblong upper surface, allowing for easy folding and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing splash guard devices are used, then they provide some protection, but they fail to effectively protect the vaginal opening due to inadequate design and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by specifying precise dimensional parameters for the splash guard (width greater than 1.5 inches, length greater than 3 inches) to ensure adequate coverage of the vaginal opening. This resolves the contradiction by adjusting the size parameters to achieve effective protection while maintaining a relatively simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The splash guard features a convex lower surface and an oblong upper surface with specific curvature characteristics. This curved geometry is designed to conform to the anatomical shape of the vaginal opening, improving protection effectiveness by ensuring proper positioning and coverage, while the curvature itself is achieved through straightforward manufacturing processes.
2Area of stationary object
If a larger splash guard is used to improve coverage, then protection is enhanced, but the device becomes more difficult to store and handle
Solution Approach 1:
The splash guard is designed with a pivot connection to the handle, allowing it to move between a deployed position (providing coverage) and a folded position (for storage). This dynamic configuration enables the device to achieve large coverage area when in use while maintaining ease of storage when collapsed, resolving the contradiction between coverage area and storage convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into distinct components: a handle and a splash guard portion connected by a pivot joint. This segmentation allows the splash guard to be independently positioned and folded relative to the handle, enabling both adequate coverage area during use and compact storage when not in use.
3Reliability
If the splash guard dimensions are increased to prevent splashing, then protection effectiveness improves, but the device becomes less portable
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot connection enables the splash guard to dynamically adjust its position and fold compactly against the handle when not in use. This dynamic mechanism allows the device to maintain adequate dimensions (width >1.5 inches, length >3 inches) for effective splash prevention while collapsing to a compact form factor for easy portability and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The splash guard can be folded or nested against the handle when not in use, creating a compact configuration that is easy to carry and store. When deployed, the splash guard extends to provide the necessary coverage area for splash prevention, thus resolving the contradiction between size for protection and compactness for portability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vaginal shield assembly includes an elongated handle that has a first end and a second end. A splash guard is attached to the second end. The splash guard has a width greater than 1.5 inches and a length greater than 3 inches. The splash guard is configured to be positioned over a vagina to prevent fluids from splashing on or adjacent to the vagina when a user of the assembly is using a toilet.