Special receptacle or package – For plural rodlike articles
Patent
1992-07-07
1994-05-03
Sewell, Paul T.
Special receptacle or package
For plural rodlike articles
206562, 206569, 422 64, 422102, B65D 8520, B01L 906
Patent
active
053079337
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns a device for packaging and distributing sterile objects.
The sterile objects which require specific conditions for packaging and distribution notably include injection needles for syringes and conical and elongated tips used for transferring determined volumes of liquid substances used in biological and/or medical applications.
For biotechnological studies and medical diagnostics, it is frequently required to transfer known volumes of liquid from one test-tube to another under sterile conditions. This makes it obligatory to use sterile objects made for one-time use. These objects are adapted to an apparatus such as an automatic pipette which comprises a movable piston driving a volume of air sufficient to aspirate a volume of liquid equivalent to the volume of air displaced by the moving piston. It is obvious that, to conserve the sterile conditions, the objects must be manipulated with certain precautions. At present, the tips are supplied by specialized companies in flexible bags made of a synthetic material or in boxes containing supports, these tips being arranged so that their larger diameter is directly accessible from above.
This packaging presents as a major drawback the fact that upon opening the box, or the bag, to permit removal of one tip, all tips come in contact with ambient air or, in some cases, with operator's fingers which compromises the sterility of these tips. If the sterile conditions are not maintained then these tips must be washed and autoclaved again prior to each use. Even if these operations are effected after each withdrawal of tips, the remaining tips are deteriorate if they are subjected to several successive cycles of autoclaving.
It is also necessary to envisage a particular packaging using the same criteria as those required in the medical discipline for electronic chips and integrated circuits which are now currently used in the manufacture of computer components.
In consequence, the present invention proposes to overcome the disadvantages of earlier devices by presenting a device which allows conservation of sterile or clean conditions for the packaged objects even if these are withdrawn regularly at shorter or longer interval of time.
This aim is met by the device according to the invention characterized in that it comprises a sterile and autoclavable case, a support provided to hold said objects, a movable selector provided to render free access to at least one object and means to ensure a hermetic closure of the case.
According to a form of realization in which the case is substantially cylindrical, the support comprised a plate with holes in which said objects are deposited, the movable selector is rotatable around a central axis passing through the centre of the support and comprises at least one hole placed in such a way that it can be brought to coincide with all of the objects deposited in the holes on the support plate, and the means to ensure a hermetic closure of the case comprises at least one closing plate movable around said axis and in which at least one opening is provided which can be brought to coincide with the hole in the selector.
Preferably, the support plate comprises holes arranged in circles concentric to the central axis, the selector comprises as many holes as the support plate comprises concentric circles, and the closing plate comprises a radial slit whose length corresponds to at least the distance between the concentric circle of the smallest diameter and that of the largest diameter.
According to this embodiment, the central axis is hollow and comprises at least one opening at the external extremity designed to be connected with a vacuum pump, and at least one opening located inside the case. This opening inside the case may be located below the closing plate.
According to another particularly advantageous embodiment, the device comprises a case provided with cavities to house the objects, a movable sector designed to give access to at least one object and a closing plate to ensure a hermetic closure of this case.
A
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Guignet Jean-Daniel
Modak Sohan
Patterson M. D.
Sewell Paul T.
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