Wet-on-Demand Substrate Dispenser with Contact-Activated Valve Tips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pre-moistened substrates such as wipes and towelettes often experience dry-out due to evaporation of moistening solutions, especially in low-use scenarios, resulting in insufficiently moistened or completely dry wipes when needed.
Innovation Solution
A wet-on-demand dispenser system that includes a housing, a container for holding a fluid, wetting tips with movable valve members, and a roll holder, where the valve members are activated upon contact with the substrate to dispense fluid, ensuring consistent moisture levels by controlling fluid flow and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pre-moistened substrates are stored in a container with moistening solution, then the substrates can be easily moistened when needed, but the moistening solution evaporates over time causing dry-out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the moistening function from a bulk liquid reservoir and implements it through individual wetting tips that dispense moisture only when a substrate contacts them. This eliminates the need for a large container of moistening solution that would otherwise evaporate over time, while still providing easy moistening on demand.
Solution Approach 2:
The wetting tips are pre-positioned and pre-filled with moistening solution in a controlled manner, ready to dispense moisture immediately when needed. The substrates are pre-configured to contact the wetting tips at the appropriate location, ensuring consistent moistening without requiring a large reservoir that would evaporate.
2Productivity
If the entire roll of substrate is pre-moistened, then the substrates are ready to use immediately, but the moistening solution evaporates causing dry-out in low-use scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly pre-moistening the entire roll of substrate, the patent applies moisture locally only at the point where the substrate contacts the wetting tips. This localized approach ensures that substrates are moistened exactly when and where needed, preventing evaporation-related dry-out while maintaining ready-to-use availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate itself activates the moistening process by contacting the wetting tips during dispensing. This self-service mechanism ensures that moisture is applied automatically when needed without requiring pre-moistening of the entire roll, eliminating evaporation issues while maintaining productivity.
3Quantity of substance
If a large container of moistening solution is used, then sufficient moisture is available for multiple uses, but evaporation causes the solution to become insufficient over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the moistening solution into multiple small reservoirs within individual wetting tips rather than using one large container. This segmentation dramatically reduces the surface area exposed to air, minimizing evaporation losses while still providing sufficient moisture availability across multiple uses through the distributed tips.
Solution Approach 2:
The wetting tips are designed to dispense moisture continuously as substrates pass by, ensuring that the moistening function is always available when needed. This continuous action eliminates the need for large storage containers that would otherwise be subject to evaporation, as moisture is dispensed on-demand through the segmented tip system.
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 system effectively maintains the moisture level of substrates by dispensing fluid only when needed, preventing dry-out and ensuring the substrates remain adequately wetted, enhancing user experience and product usability.
Implementation Method 1
one or more wetting tips in fluid communication with the container. Each of the one or more wetting tips has a movable valve member
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments wet-on-demand dispensers are disclosed herein. An exemplary dispenser for dispensing wet-on-demand substrates includes a housing, a container for holding a fluid, one or more wetting tips in fluid communication with the container. Each of the one or more wetting tips has a movable valve member. The exemplary dispenser further includes a holder for holding a roll of substrate and the movable valve members are moved as a function of contact with the substrate.