Abstract:
A pipette tip orienting apparatus includes a hopper adapted for receiving one or more pipette tips. A first alignment comb is inserted thorugh the hopper for orienting pipette tips inside the hopper. A second alignment comb is inserted through the hopper for orienting the pipette tips for delivery to a pipette tip rack. The first and second alignment combs are positioned perpendicular to one another through the hopper. Pipette tips are delivered to wells in a pipette tip rack by removing the alignment combs sequentially from the hopper.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This application relates generally to an apparatus for organizing and dispensing scientific tools, and, more particularly, it relates to sorting and organizing pipette tips. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A significant number of pipette tips are used daily in a clinical laboratory. Each pipette tip is used once and then discarded to avoid contamination. Pipette tips generally are positioned for use on the laboratory bench top in racks. Pipette tip racks have rows and columns of wells, each well adapted for receiving a pipette tip. Pipette tips are tapered along their length, and the tips must be placed in the rack wells narrow tip end first. 
         [0003]    Refilling pipette tip racks with pipette tips by hand can be a burdensome and time-consuming task. To expedite the process and to ease the burden on laboratory staff, products are offered in which pipette tips come pre-configured in rows and columns corresponding to the rows and columns in the pipette tip rack being used. To refill the rack, an entire lot of pipette tips can be lowered into the wells simultaneously. While more convenient for the laboratory staff, these pre-configured and packaged pipette tips are significantly more expensive than unconfigured pipette tips purchased in bulk, at least in part due to the packaging cost and materials. 
         [0004]    The alternative to preconfigured pipette tips is to purchase the pipette tips in bulk at a lower price. The bulk pipette tips often come in large plastic bags that contain hundreds or thousands of pipette tips. While purchasing pipette tips in bulk provides an up-front savings, the result is an increased workload for the laboratory staff because the pipette tips must be loaded into the pipette tip rack manually one at a time. It is not uncommon for laboratory personnel to expend an hour a day refilling pipette tip racks. Thus, there is a need in the industry for an efficient means for loading pipette tips that have been purchased in bulk and that are delivered in large quantity bags into pipette tip racks. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The present invention solves the foregoing problems by providing a hopper adapted for receiving a plurality of bulk pipette tips with no regard for pipette tip orientation, and first and second alignment combs for orienting and positioning the pipette tips to correspond to the wells in a pipette tip rack. 
         [0006]    A first aspect of the invention is an apparatus including a (i) hopper adapted for receiving one or more pipette tips, the hopper having a top opening and a bottom opening, wherein the top opening is larger than the bottom opening and the bottom opening is adapted to fit a pipette tip rack into which the pipette tips are to be placed; a first row of openings in a first side of the hopper; and a second row of openings in a second side of the hopper, wherein the first row of openings is positioned on the hopper above the second row of openings, and further wherein the first and second row of openings are positioned on adjacent sides of the hopper; (ii) a first alignment comb including a handle and a plurality of teeth extending from the handle, the teeth having a shape that corresponds to openings in the first row of openings in the first side of the hopper; wherein the first alignment comb is slidably positioned through the hopper for orienting pipette tips inside the hopper; and (iii) a second alignment comb including a handle and a plurality of teeth extending from the handle, the teeth having a shape that corresponds to openings in the second row of openings in the second side of the hopper; wherein the second alignment comb is slidably positioned through the hopper for orienting pipette tips inside the hopper; and further wherein the first alignment comb and second alignment comb are inserted through the hopper perpendicular to one another. 
         [0007]    A second aspect of the invention is an apparatus including a hopper adapted for receiving one or more pipette tips; a first alignment comb slidably positioned through the hopper for orienting pipette tips inside the hopper; and a second alignment comb slidably positioned through the hopper for orienting pipette tips inside the hopper, wherein the first alignment comb and second alignment comb are inserted through the hopper perpendicular to one another. 
         [0008]    A third aspect of the invention is a method for filling a pipette tip rack including (i) inserting a first alignment comb through a first horizontal row of openings in a hopper adapted for receiving a plurality of pipette tips; (ii) pouring a plurality of pipette tips into a top opening in the hopper; (iii) agitating the hopper to begin orienting the pipette tips; (iv) inserting a second alignment comb through a second horizontal row of openings in the hopper; (v) positioning the hopper over a pipette tip rack into which the pipette tips are to be positioned, such that each of the pipette tips is aligned with an opening in the pipette tip rack; and (vi) removing the first alignment comb and the second alignment comb from the hopper. 
         [0009]    A feature of the invention is the use of an alignment comb with trough-shaped teeth to orient pipette tips in a hopper. 
         [0010]    Another feature of the invention is the use of a second alignment comb that is inserted through the hopper perpendicular to the first alignment comb, and which forces the pipette tips into a grid pattern corresponding to the wells of a pipette tip rack. 
         [0011]    Another feature of the invention is that the entire hopper, which contains the pipette tips aligned with the first and second alignment combs, can be positioned over the wells of an empty pipette tip rack and the combs can be removed to allow the tips to drop into the rack wells. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hopper and first and second alignment combs positioned over a pipette tip rack; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of first and second alignment combs positioned relative to a hopper and a pipette tip rack; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of an embodiment of a hopper and an alignment comb positioned over a pipette tip rack. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Referring generally to  FIG. 1 , there is shown one of many exemplary embodiments of an apparatus  100  for orienting pipette tips of the present invention. The apparatus  100  comprises a hopper  102 , a first alignment comb  104 , and a second alignment comb  106 . The apparatus  100  can be used on a laboratory bench top to orient and align bulk pipette tips and then to transfer the pipette tips to a single empty well rack  190 , e.g., a 96-well rack. For purposes of this invention, the terms “well rack,” “pipette rack,” and “pipette tip rack” can be used interchangeably and are intended to mean the same thing, namely, a rack in which pipette tips are stored for later use. 
         [0016]    The hopper  102  has a top opening  108  and a bottom opening  110 . The top opening  108  optionally but preferably is generally rectangular-shaped and has a perimeter greater than the perimeter of the bottom opening  110 , which also optionally but preferably is generally rectangular-shaped. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom opening  110  of the hopper  102  is shaped and sized to correspond to the shape and size of a pipette rack  190  into which the pipette tips are to be transferred through the apparatus  100  of the present invention. In one of many alternative embodiments of the invention, the hopper  100  can include an adapter or other means for adjusting the effective size of the bottom opening  110  of the hopper  102 , so the apparatus  100  can be used with well racks  190  of different sizes. 
         [0017]    The hopper  102  includes two rows of horizontal openings that correspond to teeth in the first and second alignment combs  104 ,  106 . A first horizontal row of openings  114  extends across a first side  116  of the hopper  102  and is adapted to receive teeth from the first alignment comb  104 . The openings  114  optionally but preferably are triangular in shape, and the first horizontal row of openings  114  is higher on the hopper  102  than a second horizontal row of openings  118 . The second horizontal row of openings  118  extends across a second side  120  of the hopper  102  and is adapted to receive teeth from the second alignment comb  106 . The openings  118  optionally but preferably are circular in shape, and the second row of openings  118  is lower on the hopper  102  than the first horizontal row of openings  114 . The first side  116  of the hopper  102  and second side  120  of the hopper  102  optionally but preferably are adjacent to one another, such that the second alignment comb  106  is positioned perpendicular to the first alignment comb  104 . 
         [0018]    The first alignment comb  104  optionally but preferably has a handle  122 , a retention member  124 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  126  extending from the retention member  124 . Each of the plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  126  optionally but preferably has a triangular cross-section shape that corresponds to an opening  114  in the hopper  102 . The number of teeth  126 , as well as their width and the space between them, in the first alignment comb  104  can be adjusted depending on the size and number of pipette tip openings in the pipette tip rack. 
         [0019]    Similarly, the second alignment comb  106  optionally but preferably has a handle  128 , a retention member  130 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  134  extending from the retention member  130 . Each of the plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  134  optionally but preferably has a circular cross-section shape that corresponds to an opening  118  in the hopper  102 . The number of teeth  134 , as well as their width and the space between them, in the second alignment comb  106  can be adjusted depending on the size and number of pipette tip openings in the pipette tip rack. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hopper  102  can be positioned with its opening  108  above a pipette tip rack  190  into which oriented pipette tips can be inserted. The first alignment comb  104  having a handle  122 , a retention member  124 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  126  can be inserted through a first horizontal row of openings  114  (see  FIG. 1 ) in the hopper  102 . A second alignment comb  106  having a handle  128 , retention member  130 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  134  can be inserted through a second horizontal row of openings  118  (see  FIG. 1 ). The first alignment comb  104  and second alignment comb  106  are positioned perpendicular to one another. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first alignment comb  104  is inserted through the hopper  102  above the second alignment comb  106 , and the second alignment comb  106  is inserted perpendicular to the first alignment comb  104 . 
         [0022]    In operation, a first alignment comb  104  having a handle  122 , a retention member  124 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  126  extending from the retention member  124  is inserted through a first horizontal row of openings  114  in a hopper  102 . Each of the plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  126  optionally but preferably has a triangular cross-section shape that corresponds to an opening  114  in the hopper  102 . The number of teeth  126 , as well as their width and the space between them, in the first alignment comb  104  can be adjusted depending on the size and number of pipette tip openings in the pipette tip rack. The hopper  102  has a top opening  108  and a bottom opening  110 . The top opening  108  optionally but preferably is generally rectangular-shaped and has a perimeter greater than the perimeter of the bottom opening  110 , which also optionally but preferably is generally rectangular-shaped. The bottom opening  110  of the hopper  102  is shaped and sized to correspond to the shape and size of a pipette rack  190  into which the pipette tips are to be transferred through the apparatus  100  of the present invention. 
         [0023]    A plurality of pipette tips is poured through the top opening  108  into the hopper  102  from a bag of bulk pipette tips. The orientation of the pipette tips is random when the pipette tips are first poured into the hopper  102 . The hopper  102  is gently agitated by hand to begin orienting the tips. The apparatus  100  also can include an alternative automatic agitating member to begin orienting the pipette tips. A second alignment comb  106  having a handle  128 , a retention member  130 , and a plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  134  extending from the retention member  130 , is inserted through a second horizontal row of openings  118  in the hopper  102  perpendicular to the first alignment comb  104 . Each of the plurality of elongated trough-shaped teeth  134  optionally but preferably has a circular cross-section shape that corresponds to an opening  118  in the hopper  102 . The number of teeth  134 , as well as their width and the space between them, in the second alignment comb  106  can be adjusted depending on the size and number of pipette tip openings in the pipette tip rack. The second alignment comb  106  forces the pipette tips into the same configuration as the wells of the empty pipette tip rack  190 . The bottom opening  110  of the hopper  102  is positioned above a pipette tip rack  190 , and the aligned pipette tips are lowered over the wells of the empty rack  180 . The two alignment combs  104 ,  106  are removed sequentially to release the pipette tips into the pipette tip rack  190 . 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0024]    While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.