Therapeutic Wrap Kink-Resistant Zone Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Therapeutic wraps face challenges with kinking when applied to complex anatomical shapes, leading to inconsistent heat transfer, increased backpressure, and reduced fluid flow, which compromises patient comfort and treatment effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A therapy wrap with a kink-resistant zone featuring a pattern of spot welds and a discrete reinforcement member, strategically positioned to increase tensile bending strength and maintain fluid flow, even when conformed to complex body parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the wrap is made more conformable to complex anatomical shapes, then the wrap can be applied to more body parts, but the material collapses and bunches causing kinking in the bladder
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies reinforcement members selectively in specific high-kink-risk zones (such as outer flaps and regions with tight radius curves) rather than uniformly throughout the entire wrap. This localized reinforcement maintains conformability in non-critical areas while providing kink resistance where anatomical geometry demands it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines flexible wrap materials with stiffer reinforcement members (such as rigid or semi-rigid battens, strips, or structural elements) to create a composite structure. This composite construction allows the wrap to maintain flexibility for conformability while the reinforcement members provide structural support to prevent kinking in critical zones.
2Reliability
If the material rigidity is increased to reduce kinking, then kink resistance improves, but conformability of the wrap deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap uses different material properties in different locations: flexible material in areas requiring conformability and rigid reinforcement members in areas requiring kink resistance. This spatial variation in material quality resolves the contradiction between overall flexibility and localized structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining materials with contrasting mechanical properties (flexible base material plus rigid reinforcement), the patent achieves a structure that exhibits both conformability (from the flexible material) and kink resistance (from the rigid reinforcement) simultaneously.
3Stability of the object's composition
If spot welds are added to reduce ballooning, then fluid pathway stability improves, but the number of kink failures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces or eliminates spot welds specifically in high-kink-risk zones while maintaining them in areas where fluid pathway stability is critical and kinking is less likely. This selective modification of weld distribution addresses both competing requirements in their respective appropriate locations.
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 effectively reduces the risk of kinking, ensuring consistent heat transfer and patient comfort by maintaining fluid flow and tensile strength, particularly in kink-prone regions, thus improving the overall performance of the wrap.
Implementation Method 1
A kink-resistant zone is defined by a pattern of spot welds and a discrete reinforcement member positioned in the kink-resistant zone to increase tensile bending strength
Implementation Method 2
a flexible fluid bladder for containing a heat exchange medium... providing heating or cooling to an anatomical body part
Data Source
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AI summary
A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.