Patent ID: 6878346
Filing Date: 2005-04-12
Classification: B01L,G01N

Abstract:
1. A serum transfer cup that is optionally supportable on either of two blood collection tubes of the same axial height but of different inside diameter and different outside diameter, wherein a first blood collection tube has a first inside diameter, and a second blood collection tube has a second inside diameter of smaller magnitude that the first inside diameter, said serum transfer cup comprising, a) a hollow tubular member with an axis, an open end and a generally tubular wall concentric to said axis, an external annular support flange on the tubular wall below the open end, said annular support flange having a flange top surface and a predetermined flange thickness, an enlarged annular collar portion adjacent and below the annular support flange and having a collar diameter of smaller diametrical magnitude than the first inside diameter to permit recession of the enlarged annular collar portion in the first blood collection tube, and a tubular section below the enlarged annular collar portion that is of smaller outside diametrical magnitude than the first and second inside diameters of the first and second blood collection tubes to permit recession of the tubular section in the first and second blood collection tubes, b) the external annular support flange having an outside flange diameter of greater magnitude than the outside diameter of the second blood collection tube and at least the same diameter as the outside diameter of the first blood collection tube, to permit seating of said annular support flange on the first. blood collection tube, said flange top surface being at a first uniquely identifiable axial distance below the open end of the serum transfer cup to permit ultrasonic identification of the serum transfer cup based on ultrasonic measurement information that identifies the first distinctively identifiable axial distance, and to permit ultrasonic identification of a nested combination of a first blood collection tube and serum transfer cup wherein the annular support flange of the serum transfer cup is seated on the first blood collection tube with the enlarged annular collar portion and the tubular section recessed in the first blood collection tube, the ultrasonic identification of the nested combination of the first blood collection tube and the serum transfer cup being based on ultrasonic measurement information that identifies the first distinctively identifiable axial distance to identify the serum transfer cup, and ultrasonic measurement information of the distance of the flange top surface on the first blood collection tube from an ultrasonic signal transmitter, c) the enlarged annular collar portion having an outside collar diameter of larger diametrical magnitude than the second inside diameter of the second blood collection tube to permit seating of a collar bottom surface of said enlarged collar portion on the second blood collection tube, said enlarged collar portion extending a second uniquely identifiable axial distance below the flange top surface to the collar bottom surface to permit ultrasonic identification of a nested combination of a second blood collection tube and serum transfer cup wherein the collar bottom surface is seated on the second blood collection tube with the tubular section recessed in the second blood collection tube, the ultrasonic identification of the nested combination of the second blood collection tube and the serum transfer cup being based on ultrasonic measurement information that identifies the first distinctively identifiable axial distance to identify the serum transfer cup, and ultrasonic measurement information of the distance of the flange top surface on the second blood collection tube from the ultrasonic signal transmitter.