Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology to Transfer Disposable Monitoring Lock Patent for RMB 200,000
Recently, Union Hospital affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The hospital intends to transfer“Disposable Monitoring Lock”The relevant patents were assigned to Beijing Yingxiang Weiye Technology Development Co., Ltd. for use, with a total transfer amount of RMBRMB 200,000, the inventor of this patented technology isZhou Rongchao and his team。
The assignee of this patent isBeijing Yingxiang Weiye Technology Development Co., Ltd., is a comprehensive enterprise focused on the fields of scientific research and technical services. Based on the track of multi-field integrated development, with the core positioning of "deepening diversified services, empowering industries, and adhering to compliant operations," it is committed to the collaborative development and market cultivation of multiple business segments, including technical services, conference services, organizing exhibitions and displays, sales of various products and import/export businesses, organization of cultural and artistic exchanges, and educational consulting.
The patents proposed for transfer in this instance areA Novel Latch Product for Moist Heat Sterilization Scenarios Involving Medical-Grade Rigid Containers (e.g., Sterilization Cases), with a core design that integrates single-use locking protection and visual monitoring of sterilization status, representing an innovative application in the field of single-use lock technology. It is primarily used for rigid sterilization containers in medical settings such as hospitals, enabling temporary container sealing, sterilization status monitoring, and tamper-evident transport during moist heat sterilization processes, thereby ensuring the sterilization efficacy and usage safety of medical devices and other items.
Medical sterilization containers (such as sterilization cases) serve as the core carriers for instrument disinfection and transport in healthcare institutions like hospitals. Their locking safety and the traceability of sterilization status are directly linked to medical quality and patient safety. In clinical workflows, sterilized instruments must be transported via sealed containers to settings such as operating rooms and examination rooms, where the locking mechanism needs to achieve“Single-use, tamper-evident, easy-to-unlock”core requirements, while also providing an intuitive indication of whether the container has undergone compliant sterilization, thereby serving as a critical basis for ensuring the safety of instrument use.
The locking and monitoring of such containers are integrated throughout the entire process of sterilization, transportation, and storage. For instance, after surgical instruments undergo high-pressure moist heat sterilization, the containers must be sealed with latches to prevent opening and contamination during transit. The Sterile Supply Department must verify through indicators whether the containers have completed the sterilization cycle, thereby preventing substandard instruments from entering clinical use. The tamper-evident performance of the latches and the sterilization monitoring functions serve as critical barriers to maintaining the sterile status of instruments and mitigating medical risks, representing a core component of standardized management in healthcare processes.
Traditional disposable locking mechanisms currently on the market have significant technical flaws, leading to dual pain points for the industry.
On the one hand, traditional latches lack a true unidirectional locking mechanism. Some products can be repeatedly opened and reconnected after engagement, making it difficult to detect unauthorized opening of the container. This poses significant medical safety risks. If sterilized instruments are tampered with and contaminated during transport, and the latch is used to disguise the seal as intact, it could lead to serious consequences such as postoperative infections.
Meanwhile, traditional lock-and-lanyard systems have fixed lengths, making them incompatible with sterilization containers of varying specifications and resulting in poor versatility. Furthermore, the single-form tag design is susceptible to replacement, further compromising sealing reliability.
On the other hand, traditional latches provide only basic locking functions and completely lack the capability to monitor sterilization status. In clinical practice, staff must rely on additional sterilization indicator cards, labels, and other methods to verify whether sterilization standards have been met. This not only increases operational workflows and management costs but also carries the risk of omitted indicator cards, detached or confused labels, thereby compromising the accurate traceability of sterilization status. Furthermore, some latches feature complex unlocking mechanisms that require tools for operation, which hinders clinical workflow efficiency. They also lack anti-accidental activation designs, making them susceptible to unintended unlocking due to collisions during transport, which compromises the container’s seal integrity.
These issues have led healthcare institutions to face challenges in the management of sterilization containers“Unreliable tamper-evidence, difficulty in confirming sterilization status, and poor operational compatibility”...multiple dilemmas, urgently requiring a novel locking product that integrates single-use locking, visual sterilization monitoring, and user-friendly operation to address industry pain points.
Addressing industry pain points such as the unreliable tamper-proofing of traditional medical locks, the difficulty in tracing sterilization status, and poor operational adaptability, the “Disposable Monitoring Lock”"Irreversible Locking + Visual Monitoring"As the core innovation,Through structural integration design and functional integration upgrades, a full-process solution featuring “secure locking + status visibility + convenient operation” has been established.Provides a more efficient and reliable option for medical sterile management.
The core technological breakthrough of this product lies inUnidirectional Locking StructureThe innovative design eliminates the tampering risk associated with the re-openable nature of traditional latches. Due to the lack of an effective one-way locking mechanism, traditional latches can be reopened after engagement and disguised as sealed, posing hidden risks to medical safety.
This disposable monitoring buckle is designed to“Unidirectional Snap-Fit Suture + Barbed Limiting Socket”The precise engagement achieves an irreversible, single-time locking mechanism: the locking cord consists of a series of consecutively connected conical or trapezoidal engagement protrusions, with a pointed tip at the end to facilitate guided insertion. The insertion hole is equipped with at least one set of barb-like limiting protrusions, which allow the locking cord to be inserted only in the forward direction and securely locked, preventing reverse extraction. Meanwhile, the locking cord is made of high-flexibility soft plastic material, enabling flexible adaptation to sterilization containers of various specifications. The locking length can be flexibly adjusted by varying the insertion depth, thereby resolving the issues of fixed strap length and poor universality associated with traditional locking straps.
To unlock, external force must be applied along the “V”-shaped groove or perforated line of the breakable connection to fracture and damage it. The integrity of the locking mechanism allows for visual determination of whether the container has been tampered with, thereby structurally ensuring the reliability of the seal.
Secondly,The integrated design of color-changing indicators enables visual monitoring of sterilization status., breaking through the functional limitation of traditional latches that only provide single-point locking. The latch body is made of a color-changing indicator tag capable of withstanding high temperatures up to 180°C. Its surface can be coated with thermochromic chemical reagents or other color-changing coatings, enabling precise monitoring of key parameters such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and time during moist heat sterilization. When these parameters meet the sterilization standards, the coating undergoes a chemical reaction resulting in a distinct color change. This allows staff to visually confirm whether the container has undergone compliant sterilization without the need for additional verification using indicator cards.
Meanwhile, the label surface includes designated fields for recording the sealing time, expiration date, and responsible personnel, enabling traceable management of the sterilization process and avoiding issues such as detachment and confusion associated with traditional labels. This integrated “locking + monitoring” design not only streamlines medical workflows and reduces management costs but also prevents unsterilized instruments from entering clinical use at the source, providing dual protection for patient safety.
To further enhance clinical applicability, the product incorporates user-friendly designs that prioritize convenience and prevent accidental activation. The breakable connector is made of rigid plastic, with a cross-sectional dimension larger than that of the locking cord. This design ensures robust connection strength while reducing unlocking difficulty through symmetrically arranged breakage grooves—allowing for rapid, tool-free, one-handed breaking along the grooves to achieve efficient unlocking.
Meanwhile, the surface of the breakable connection is covered with a peelable film, which effectively protects the fracture groove from accidental breakage due to collision or inadvertent contact, ensuring sealing stability during transportation. The tag is designed with a rectangular structure, with a length ranging from 3 to 10 cm; the breakable connection measures 0.5–1.5 cm in length, and the locking cord ranges from 5 to 30 cm in length. These multiple size specifications can accommodate different types of rigid sterilization containers. The one-way locking component is arranged along the side edge of the tag, with an outer diameter greater than the tag thickness, ensuring sufficient structural strength after perforation and preventing damage during long-term use. The overall device features a simple and compact structure; sealing is achieved by simply inserting the tip of the locking cord into the insertion hole during locking. This process requires no professional training, significantly improving the operational efficiency of medical staff.
As a core consumable in the medical sterile management system, medical security seals are closely tied to technological iterations driven by hospital infection control and the need for safe instrument transport. With domestic and international healthcare institutions raising their requirements for traceability of sterile processes and tamper-evident reliability, traditional single-function seals can no longer meet the demands of end-to-end management, and the industry is gradually focusing“Functional Integration + Operational Optimization”In terms of technological upgrade directions, enterprises both domestically and internationally are actively investing in the research and development of related products, driving the transformation of medical locks from “simple locking” to an integrated “locking + monitoring” solution.
In the international market,Teleflex with its Hem-o-lok® series of ligation clipsAs a core product, it holds a significant share in the surgical ligation clip market. Its classic model, the 544240 Ligation Lock, is crafted from high-toughness polymer material and features a unique unidirectional locking structure that achieves irreversible fixation through a snap-fit closure. It is suitable for the ligation and temporary fixation of blood vessels and tissues during surgery. With a diameter of only 4.8 mm and a length of 12.7 mm, its compact size accommodates the narrow operative fields of minimally invasive surgeries. To address diverse surgical scenarios, the series offers multiple specifications, including micro models for delicate procedures and heavy-duty models for larger blood vessels. Some products undergo special surface treatment to reduce the risk of tissue adhesion. Its core advantages lie in strong locking stability and the ability to withstand certain tensile loads. Furthermore, the material is compatible with high-temperature sterilization processes, meeting the requirements for repeated sterilization of surgical instruments. However, it does not integrate sterilization status monitoring functions, as its primary application scenario focuses on intraoperative ligation rather than postoperative container sealing and monitoring.
As the core product line in Teleflex’s surgical ligation portfolio, the Hem-o-lok® series has completed the entire process from technological R&D to commercialization. It continues to meet clinical needs through product iterations and is currently in the stage of large-scale mass production and global clinical adoption.
Yuanchuang Medical Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.Actively deploying in the technical field related to medical locks, with a focus on innovating locking structures for surgical instruments. Its granted"Invention Patent for 'Surgical Instrument with Universal Locking Structure'", a ball-locking ring device and a strap-type locking mechanism were designed. The trigger drives the motion of the connecting block to tighten and release the strap, thereby achieving rapid locking and unlocking of the distal tool’s orientation. This structure significantly enhances the stability and efficiency of instrument manipulation during surgical procedures.
The product has been granted patent rights and transformed into a commercial product. It is currently in the stage of implementing patented technologies, scaling up associated products for mass production, and entering clinical application.