Tools – Receptacle closure remover – Levering or prying type
Patent
1988-08-29
1989-08-22
Parker, Roscoe V.
Tools
Receptacle closure remover
Levering or prying type
B67B 700
Patent
active
048585025
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to openers for closed containers such as microcentrifuge tubes, and a method of opening a closed container such as a microcentrifuge tube.
Microcentrifuge tubes are small plastic tubes, generally capable of holding 0.4-1.7 cm.sup.3 liquid. They are used widely in biotechnology laboratories for handling radioactively labelled chemicals, and as vessels for storing biochemicals, or for performing biochemical reactions. They have tightly fitting lids with a lip, an example of which is shown in the figures. Generally they are opened by pressing upward on the lip, using a thumb or a conventional beer bottle opener.
This invention features a microcentrifuge tube opener, and method of using the opener, adapted to open a microcentrifuge tube.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a microcentrifuge tube opener adapted to open a closed container such as a microcentrifuge tube, which microcentrifuge tube comprises a container with an opening, and a lid for the container. The lid has a lip projection extending past the outer perimeter of the opening, when the lid is placed above the opening, and a downwardly extending annular portion shaped to sealing fit inside the opening. The opener comprises a base, having a recess shaped to accept the lip projection, comprising a lower projection below and adjacent to the recess, and an upper projection above and adjacent the recess. The lower projection is positioned to engage the lip, and the upper projection is positioned to engage the lid. The lid can be moved from the container by positioning the lip in the recess and causing the lower projection to apply pressure to the lip away from the cup and, at the same time causing the upper projection to apply pressure to the lid at a position distant from the lip in a direction toward the container.
Another aspect of the present invention features a closed container opener adapted to open a closed container such as a microcentrifuge tube comprising a container with a top opening and a lid to seal the opening, the lid comprising a generally circular portion shaped to cover the opening and a lip projecting away from the circular portion, the opener comprising:
a head having a recess, the recess having a upper surface and a lower surface, the surfaces being spaced from each other a distance to allow the lip to be engagingly received therebetween,
whereby the lid can be removed from the container opening by engaging the lip in the recess and controlling the upward pressure applied to the lip.
In preferred embodiments, the opener comprises a handle attached to the base.
It is preferred that the base cannot touch the annular portion of the lid when the lid is removed from the container and positioned in the recess.
Preferably, the upper projection extends further from the handle than the lower projection, and, preferably, the longitudinal axis of the handle lies at an acute angle to the plane of the lower surface.
Preferably the lip projection projects from the lid a distance greater than the distance the recess extends into the base.
A further aspect of the present invention comprises a method of opening a closed container such as a microcentrifuge tube comprising using an opener as described above, which method comprises the steps of: positioning the lip in the recess, causing the lower projection to apply pressure to the lip away from the container and, at the same time causing the upper projection to apply pressure to the tube at a position distant from the lip in a direction towards the container.
The opener of this invention permits the ready opening and closing of microcentrifuge tubes even when they have tightly fitting lids. It is important when using these tubes that the inner portion of the lid not be touched by anything which is non-sterile since the enzymes or other chemicals which are commonly present in such tubes are sensitive to contaminating agents (e.g. RNAases and proteases) present on either human fingers or articles touched by humans. In addition, some microcentrifug
REFERENCES:
patent: 807380 (1905-12-01), Hicks
Automatic Test-Tube-Stopper Remover, National Technical Information Service, O.E.B. Doc. Lit., Oct. 19, 1981.
"Cap-Lok Key" Advertisement by Robbins Scientific Corporation.
Laboratory Products Catalogue, Kew Scientific, Inc. for "Stopper Popper" (1982).
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