Tools – Receptacle closure remover – Power- – vacuum- – or fluid pressure-operated
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-11-27
Hail, III, Joseph J. (Department: 3723)
Tools
Receptacle closure remover
Power-, vacuum-, or fluid pressure-operated
C081S003330
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321619
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-152471, filed May 31, 1999 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an opener for automatically pulling a stopper out of an opening of a specimen container such as a test tube containing blood.
As one conventional device of this type, there is an opener so constituted that a stopper is simply pulled up vertically from a specimen container in a specific position on a transfer lane.
However, the conventional opener has the following problem. Since the stopper is simply pulled up vertically, the pull-up operation becomes difficult and requires a long time depending on the inserting pressure of the stopper against the specimen container and the materials (e.g., rubber, plastic, cork) therefore.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an opener for a specimen container which is capable of quickly and accurately pulling a stopper out of a specimen container, regardless of the inserting pressure of the stopper against the specimen container, the materials for the stopper, or the like.
In order to attain the above object, the opener of the present invention has the following principal features. The other features will be clarified later in the Detailed Description of the Invention.
An opener for a specimen container according to one aspect of the present invention, comprises:
a first chuck mechanism placed in a specific position of a transfer lane for transferring the specimen container, for chucking and fixing the specimen container which is transferred to the specific position and whose opening is stopped with a stopper;
a second chuck mechanism for chucking the stopper, which stops the opening of the specimen container chucked and fixed by the first chuck mechanism, from two directions perpendicular to an axis of the specimen container;
a rotation driving mechanism for rotating the second chuck mechanism around the axis of the specimen container; and
a pull-out mechanism for moving the second chuck mechanism away from the opening of the specimen container along the axis of the specimen container in synchronization with a rotating operation of the rotation driving mechanism.
In the opener described above, the rotation driving mechanism includes forward/backward rotation control means for rotating the second chuck mechanism forward and backward such that the stopper turns forward first, then backward, and forward again in a single pull-out step, and the pull-out mechanism includes lifting/lowering control means for lifting and lowering the second chuck mechanism such that the stopper is lifted first, then lowered, and lifted again in a single pull-out step.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4876926 (1989-10-01), Muszak
patent: 5255574 (1993-10-01), Wuerschum
patent: 5826409 (1998-10-01), Slepicka
patent: 6142039 (2000-11-01), Herring, Sr.
Hail III Joseph J.
Thomas David B.
Volpe and Koenig P.C.
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