Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Apparatus – Bioreactor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-29
2003-08-12
Beisner, William H. (Department: 1744)
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Apparatus
Bioreactor
C435S303300, C422S130000, C366S214000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06605463
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mount for container, that is chiefly designed for treatment in a rolling cabinet or in a chamber having rolling devices.
2. Background Description
The invention relates to a mount for at least one container used in implementation of a treatment during which the container is turned or rolled. The container in question can be any vessel, e.g., a flask, a rolling flask, a sealed reagent tube, or the like.
The invention particularly relates to a mount for the treatment of rolling flasks, cell cultures, or reaction vessels, but also of bioreactors, in a rolling cabinet or a space with rolling devices.
Known to the prior art are rolling flasks that are specially provided for insertion into so-called rolling cabinets, in which the rolling flasks are continuously kept in motion by being rolled, while certain external conditions are maintained. In this way, the contents of the rolling flask are kept in continuous rolling motion. In general, the rolling cabinet can be adjusted for temperature, so that the container interior being treated can be kept at a constant temperature, e.g., a physiological temperature.
In a rolling cabinet the inserted flask is rotated around its longitudinal axis. With this kind of rolling motion, therefore, it is not possible to distribute or mix the contents of the flask or container in a truly uniform manner. This applies particularly to reactors such as bioreactors, since here the mixing can be rendered additionally difficult by installed components.
The invention is therefore based on the problem of providing a device with the aid of which containers, flasks, reactors, and the like that are to be treated in a rolling cabinet can be rotated in more than one spatial direction, while making it possible for reactors with supply connections to be simultaneously supplied by these connections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve this problem the invention provides for a mount for at least one container used to implement a treatment in which the container is turned or rolled, which mount
has at least one seat for the container, and whose external shape is either
cylindrical, with the primary longitudinal axis of the seat(s) resting at an angle to the axis of the cylinder, or is
ball-shaped or spherical.
This mount for the seat and mounting of at least one reactor, particularly a bioreactor, that exhibits power connections will ideally include a reservoir and a line system for supplying the one or more reactors with at least one liquid or gaseous medium, while the line system will open into couplings that are adapted to the supply connections of the reactor and are positioned at the corresponding seat. Also possible are a plurality of reservoirs and line systems that are separately assigned to the individual reactors.
As an alternative, the problem is solved with a mount for at least one reactor exhibiting power supplies, in implementation of a treatment involving rotating or rolling the reactor, which mount
has at least one seat for at least one reactor
and includes a reservoir and a line system for supplying the one or more reactors with at least one liquid or gaseous medium, while the line system opens into couplings that are adapted to the supply connections of the reactor and are positioned on the corresponding seat, and which mount either
has an external shape that permits rolling or
is suspended in turning fashion in a frame and is provided with, or are attached to, a rotating drive.
The container or reactor can be secured inside the seat(s) with suitable means for attachment, or can be merely inserted or plugged in, in which case the frictional force will provide a secure mount.
In an alternative design of the mount, the external shape that permits rolling will preferably be cylindrical, spherical, or ball-like. If the outer shape of the mount is cylindrical, it is particularly advantageous if the primary longitudinal axis of the seat lies at an angle to the rotating axis of the rolling mount. The seat is then advantageously positioned in such a way that the inserted container rests at a diagonal to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder around which the rotating cabinet turns. In this way the rotating motion exercised on the container will be reinforced with a swinging motion from one end of the inserted container to other as soon as the container in the mount is rolled in a rolling cabinet.
Different angles between 0 and 90° can be used between the seat, and thus the inserted container, and the (primary) rolling axis of the rolling mount.
The mount can also be non-uniform in design, as long as it is capable of rolling. If the mount is spherical or ball-shaped, a random motion between various spatial axes will arise in the rolling cabinet. The random motion can be further supported by projecting knobs applied on the outside on the ball-shaped mount. In place of guide nubs, other kinds of contouring can be used, regardless of the shape of the mount. In the case of a cylindrical mount, eccentric rings 122, for example, can be applied around the cylinder jacket, as shown in FIG.
6
.
For the seat of a flask, e.g., a conventional rolling flask, the seat of the mount will ideally be tube-shaped. The seat can also have any other shape, which will then ideally be adjusted to the external shape of the container or reactor being received.
In one and the same mount, a plurality of seats can be provided for the insertion of a number of containers or reactors.
The mount is used to rotate a rolling container, such as a rolling flask, with a greater degree of freedom than that provided by rotation around its longitudinal axis, or in order to permit a container that is not a rolling one, e.g., a box-shaped container, to be treated in a rolling cabinet. The mount is also used to allow a reactor provided with supply connections to be supplied without difficulty within a rolling cabinet or a rotating apparatus.
In a particular elaboration of the invention, the mount is provided with a device for heating or cooling the containers or reactors, or for controlling their temperature with a thermostat. The specialist can design these heating devices in a known manner. For example, heating wires or cooling coils can be positioned inside the mount, particularly around the seats for the container or the reactors, in order to heat or cool the seats, or to control their temperature with a thermostat. For thermostat control, at least one temperature sensor is also necessary; it can also be housed, along with the corresponding energy supply, inside the mount.
If the mount is equipped with a reservoir and a line system for supplying a reactor via coupling connections, a preferred embodiment provides a pump for circulating the fluid medium inside the line system. If a plurality of reactors are housed in a mount, a number of reservoirs and line systems, including pumps, can also be provided.
In a further elaboration of the invention, at least one energy supply component—e.g., in the form of a battery—can be included per mount for any heating, pumping, or rotating operations performed inside the mount.
The mount can consists of any suitable material, e.g., glass, plastic, metal, or a combination thereof
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patent: 2 002 8
Beisner William H.
Whitham Curtis & Christofferson, PC
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