Patent ID: 7273750
Filing Date: 2007-09-25
Classification: C12M

Abstract:
1. Biological culture growth and observation device comprising a cup-shaped tray for containing or receiving a growth medium for said biological culture and a cap which matches said tray and which can be snapped on and off said tray, wherein said cap and tray are provided with means to snap on/off said cap on/off inner walls of said tray and in that said cup-shaped tray comprises walls having a first circumferential edge on which a removable seal can be fixed to cover the surface of said first circumferential edge and said cap which is snapped on said tray before the first use of the device, and a second circumferential outwardly extending edge at a lower level than the level of said first circumferential edge, and wherein said cap has a corresponding circumferential outwardly extending edge which is vertically aligned with said second outwardly extending circumferential edge when said cap is snapped on said tray, and wherein said device further comprises at least one locking unit having a first element located on the inner wall of said tray collaborating with at least one second element located on at least one outer surface of at least one locking member extending in a perpendicular or nearly perpendicular direction out of the surface covered by said cap, wherein said cap has two in-molded or in-formed cavities on said covering surface of said cap in such a way that one cavity or recess may receive the thumb of a user's hand whereas the other cavity or recess may receive the index finger and/or another finger of the same hand, thereby allowing said cap to be snapped on/off said tray with only one hand thanks to said at least one locking unit placed at said cavities or recesses, the snapping-off comprising the disengaging of said first and second elements of the locking units, said disengaging being realized by a flexion of the cap and the cup-shaped tray, said flexion moving said first and second elements of said locking units away from each other, said device further comprising a growth medium chamber for containing said growth medium and first and second chambers spaced from one another for receiving respective ones of said two in-molded or in-formed cavities on said covering surface of said cap.