Laryngeal Mask Vent Clip Curved Grip Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laryngeal mask vent clips often become dislodged during sterilization, transport, or handling, rendering the entire laryngeal mask unsuitable for use if inadvertently dislodged before patient use.
Innovation Solution
A vent clip with a body portion, exterior housing interface portion, and a finger designed to engage the movable stem of the inflation valve, providing a larger gripping surface to securely maintain the valve in an open position, ensuring attachment throughout sterilization and handling processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a vent clip with small gripping surfaces is used to hold the inflation valve stem, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates as the vent clip becomes dislodged during sterilization, transport, or handling
Solution Approach 1:
The vent clip incorporates a curved band element that wraps around a portion of the inflation valve housing, providing a larger contact area through curvature. This curved geometry naturally conforms to the cylindrical shape of the valve housing, increasing friction and mechanical interlocking without adding complex components.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent clip transitions from a flat, two-dimensional structure to a three-dimensional configuration by extending the gripping surface along the longitudinal axis of the inflation valve. This dimensional extension allows the gripping surface to contact a greater portion of the valve housing surface area, dramatically improving attachment reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If a vent clip with a simple flat projection is used to hold the stem, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability worsens as the flat projection cannot securely maintain the stem position during handling
Solution Approach 1:
The vent clip incorporates a resilient or flexible finger element that can dynamically adapt to the stem position. This flexible element maintains constant contact pressure on the stem, automatically compensating for minor position variations and ensuring reliable stem engagement throughout the product lifecycle.
3Device complexity
If the gripping surface contacts only a small portion of the exterior housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the loss of time increases due to potential dislodgement requiring reattachment or disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The curved band gripping surface wraps around the inflation valve housing, creating multiple contact points distributed along the curved interface. This curvature-based design distributes mechanical stress across a larger area, preventing localized failure and dislodgement that would require time-consuming reattachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A laryngeal mask includes an airway conduit, and a mask connected to the airway conduit, the mask that includes an inflatable portion. An inflation lumen is coupled to the inflatable portion of the mask as well as an inflation valve. The inflation valve includes an exterior housing that has an exit aperture and a stem that is movable between an open position and a closed position. A vent clip is removably coupled to the inflation valve and includes a body portion, an exterior housing interface portion extending from the body portion and a finger extending from the body portion. The exterior housing interface portion includes a gripping surface which is formed to contact at least an approximately 90 degree portion of the inflation valve exterior housing and the finger maintains the inflation valve in an open position.