Supports: racks – Special article – Receptacle support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-18
2003-03-18
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Receptacle support
C422S091000, C422S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533133
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The invention herein is a test tube rack with the improved inserting structure, more especially a test tube inserting structure for a test tube rack. As the test tube is being put into the inserting holes, the height of the test tube placed gently will be higher than that of the test tube depressed gently at the tube opening to make the bottom of the test tube push through the holding hole to fall into the receiving cup. Therefore, by the different heights of the test tubes on the same try, the selecting, temporary storing or the screening and distinguishing of the test tubes can be conducted.
2) Description of the Prior Art
During the process of medical inspections, various bi-chemical operations or experiments, many test tubes will be examined. Therefore, the test tubes need to be placed individually to stand on the specific test tube rack for achieving the purpose of resuming, placing or arranging.
However, the conventional structure of the test tube rack, as shown in
FIG. 1
, consists of a metal mesh basket (
10
) with basket openings (
11
) on the top; every mesh opening (
12
,
13
) can hold one test tube (
20
,
21
). The examiner can select and pick up the test tubes to complete the examination for all the test tubes one after the other. During the examination, if the examiner can step by step and randomly inspect the test tubes consecutively, it is easy to distinguish which test tube (
20
,
21
) is under examination, which one is still waiting for examination, which ones passed the examination and which ones didn't. However, during the operation, the operator often comes across unexpected situations such as receiving a phone call or being asked by the colleagues to discuss cases. Thus the procedure of examination is interrupted. Then, as the examiner returns to examine the test tubes, he may easily forget which test tube (
20
,
21
) he was working on since the test tubes (
20
,
21
) stand in the same basket, belong to the same group, with the same type, examining purpose and height tend to get confused. Without initial and special distinguishing for the examined and unexamined test tubes, or without consistent order for randomly picking up, the confusing situation can't be prevented.
Therefore, in operation, the examiner usually uses two metal mesh baskets (
10
) for conducting the tests. One basket for test tubes to be examined and the other for placing the examined ones to obviously separate the latter from the former so as to allow the examiner to return after leaving temporarily from the job and clearly distinguish the test. However, using this method, two metal mesh baskets (
10
) are always required, which not only becomes troublesome for preparation, but also inconvenient since for occasions requiring the carrying of the test tube rack to other medical treating locations or bio-chemical inspecting stations for doing short-noticed examination of lesser quantities, for easy carrying, usually only one metal mesh basket will be taken. Therefore, the original habit of examining two distinguishable baskets will be broken and not be substantially maintained. In order to distinguish the test tubes (
20
,
21
) of the examined, the unexamined, the passed or not, the examiner may leave some of the available mesh openings (
12
,
13
) empty so as to use the gaps for distinguishing and separating the test tubes (
20
,
21
) in the basket into two groups of the examined and unexamined groups or the passed or not groups. Although this method can separate the test tubes (
20
,
21
) in the same basket, the available positions in the basket will be sacrificed and also reduce the number of examinable test tubes (
20
,
21
) inside every basket and fail to achieve the examination quantity that each basket in every group is supposed to have.
In view of the mentioned various shortcomings of the conventional rack structure for the test tubes, the inventor of the invention herein researched enthusiastically for the improvement, after going through the process full of hardship in making innovation, finally culminated in the invention herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the invention herein is a test tube rack with improved inserting structure having, between the transversely superposed tray bodies, a flexible sheet with holding holes for the bodies of the inserted test tubes. The flexible sheet is made of flexible material having holding holes in the shapes of starlike radiation with the diameters a little smaller than that of the bottom of the test tubes and are capable of supporting the test tubes and the weight of the liquid inside the test tubes. After being put into the inserting holes, the heights of the bodies of test tubes placed gently will be higher than that of the test tubes being depressed gently on the tube openings and pushed through the holding holes into the receiving cups. Therefore, by the different heights of the test tubes placed in the same tray, the test tubes under examination can be selected, temporarily stored, screened or distinguished.
Another objective of the invention herein is to have narrow seams or grooves, mounted downwards on the two side walls adjacent to the side rims of the superposed top tray and bottom tray set, for marking labels to be conveniently inserted to indicate the examination items, dates, etc. of the test tubes in that tray so as to eliminate the use of glue or stapler for pasting or hanging labeled notes on the test tube rack.
To enable a further understanding of the detail structure and principles of the application of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3142385 (1964-07-01), Kahlenberg
patent: 3375934 (1968-04-01), Bates
patent: 3643812 (1972-02-01), Mander et al.
patent: 3709429 (1973-01-01), McKenzie et al.
patent: 4124122 (1978-11-01), Emmitt
patent: 4963493 (1990-10-01), Daftsios
patent: 5080232 (1992-01-01), Leoncavallo et al.
patent: 5133939 (1992-07-01), Mahe
patent: 5725109 (1998-03-01), Moulton et al.
patent: 5993745 (1999-11-01), Laska
patent: 5996818 (1999-12-01), Boje et al.
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
Troxell Law Office PLLC
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