Vented Dispensing Device Pressure Equilibrium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ambulatory insulin infusion devices are bulky, costly, and require frequent replacement, interfering with patients' daily activities and incurring high expenses due to their large size, weight, and need for frequent disposal of entire units, including expensive electronics.
Innovation Solution
A vented, miniature, portable fluid dispensing device with a two-part configuration, where the reusable part contains electronics and the disposable part includes a fluid reservoir and power source, featuring a selectively permeable membrane to allow gas transfer while maintaining water tightness, enabling continuous and discrete fluid delivery, pressure equilibrium, and audible notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional ambulatory insulin infusion devices are used, then fluid delivery function is provided, but device size and weight become large, interfering with patients' daily activities
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate parts: a reusable pump unit containing electronics and a disposable reservoir unit containing fluid and power source. This segmentation allows the heavy disposable components to be replaced frequently without replacing the expensive reusable electronics, reducing overall device weight and improving patient convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a disposable reservoir unit that contains both the fluid reservoir and power source. This disposable unit is replaced frequently (every few days) while the reusable pump unit with expensive electronics is retained. This approach reduces the weight and cost burden on patients who would otherwise need to carry or wear the entire device continuously.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional ambulatory insulin infusion devices are used, then fluid delivery function is provided, but manufacturing cost and disposal cost become high due to frequent replacement of entire units
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into reusable and disposable parts, the expensive electronic components are isolated in the reusable pump unit that is not discarded. Only the cheaper disposable reservoir unit is replaced, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and preventing waste of expensive electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables recovery and reuse of the expensive pump unit with electronics, while only the disposable reservoir unit is discarded. This selective discarding approach recovers valuable components and reduces both manufacturing and disposal costs.
3Reliability
If the device housing is made water tight, then protection from liquid damage is provided, but gas transfer required for battery operation and pressure equilibrium is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a flexible waterproof membrane that acts as a selective barrier. This membrane allows gas molecules to pass through while blocking liquid water, enabling both pressure equilibrium and battery operation while maintaining water tightness for protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The waterproof membrane contains microscopic pores that are permeable to gas molecules but impermeable to liquid water. This porous structure enables gas transfer for pressure equilibrium and battery function while maintaining reliable liquid protection.
4Ease of operation
If the device is made compact and skin-securable, then patient convenience is improved, but the entire device must be discarded frequently including expensive electronics
Solution Approach 1:
The compact skin-securable device is segmented into a reusable pump unit with electronics and a disposable reservoir unit. This allows the convenient compact form factor to be maintained while eliminating the need to discard expensive electronics frequently, as only the disposable reservoir unit is replaced every few days.
Solution Approach 2:
The reusable pump unit serves multiple uses across different disposable reservoir units, extending its operational life and preventing frequent disposal of expensive electronics while maintaining the compact convenient form factor.
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 solution provides a compact, cost-effective, and user-friendly device that maintains pressure equilibrium, allows for continuous fluid delivery, and reduces waste by separating reusable and disposable components, enhancing patient convenience and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
featuring a selectively permeable membrane to allow gas transfer while maintaining water tightness
Implementation Method 2
one or more vents configured to, for example, direct air to, among other things, balance pressure differences between the pressure within and outside its interior
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a fluid dispensing device that includes at least one reservoir to hold the therapeutic fluid, at least one other unit requiring communication with ambient air, at least partly, to operate, and at least one housing defining an interior to retain the at least one reservoir and the at least one other unit. The at least one housing has at least one vent port formed on one or more of its walls. The at least one vent port is adapted to direct or communicate air to maintain pressure equilibrium between the air pressure in the interior of the at least one housing and the ambient air pressure outside the at least one housing, and provide communication with the ambient air to the at least one other unit requiring air to enable operation of the at least one other unit.