CONTAINER

Abstract: The invention concerns pointed pipette receptacles and their manufacture. The pointed receptacle has a tubelike pointed jacket with a top end for mounting the receptacle by pushing it on the pipette jet and with a bottom end for drawing fluid into the receptacle by using the pipette. The receptacle consists of at least two different materials (1, 2.2). This makes it possible, for example, in the receptacle to let a code indicate some characteristic or to make various components of different materials, for example, to increase its sealing, emptying or durability properties.

Description: CONTAINER . FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to laboratory technology and concerns pointed pipette receptacles and their manufacture. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pointed plastic receptacles into which the fluid to be pipetted is drawn have been used by laboratories for a long time in pipettes. This is known already at least in the printed German patent specification 1090449 (date of appli¬ cation 3.5.1957) . In the present day there are receptacles by tens of different manufacturers on the market. All known pointed receptacles are always made of one material. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that a plastic-based pointed recep¬ tacle for pipettes can be made of several materials and that several advantages of various kinds may be achieved in this way. Some plastic is also preferably used as additional material, though it may also be some other material, such as, for example, metal, glass or rubber. The intended scope of protection is defined exactly in the appended claims. The invention and some advantageous embodiments of the same are described in greater detail in the following. In the drawings Figure 1 shows a pointed receptacle; - Figure 2 is an enlarged top end view of the pointed receptacle of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top end view of another pointed receptacle; Figure 4 is a bottom end view of a pointed receptacle; Figure 5 is a top end view of a third pointed receptacle; - Figure 6 shows a fourth pointed receptacle. The pointed receptacle according to Figures 1 and 2 is made of two materials in such a way that the main part of the receptacle consists of some conventional material 1 , such as colourless polypropene, and the top end of the receptacle is provided with a collar made of another material 2.1. The collar may be made of a plastic which is harder or more inflexible than the main part, whereby it will press the mouth tightly against the bottom point of the pipette when the receptacle is pushed into this. The collar may also be only differently coloured than the remaining part of the receptacle, whereby the coloured collar may indicate some characteristic of the receptacle, such as size, material, sterility etc. The receptacle according to Figure 3 is provided inside at its top end with a collar, which is of a softer material 2.2 than the main part 1 of the receptacle. The collar functions as a seal against the bottom point surface of the pipette. The receptacle according to Figure 4 is provided inside at the bottom end with a collar 2.3, which is of a strongly fluid-repellent material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene. The remaining part is made of some conventional material. The fluid-repellent bottom end of the receptacle promotes as complete emptying of the receptacle as possible. The entire inside surface may also be coated with some special plastic or, for example, with metal. In this way e.g. chemical resistance or some other desired property may be obtained. In the receptacle according to Figure 5 the entire top end of the receptacle is of another material 2.4 than the re¬ maining part. The top end material may be softer, for example, to promote sealing. It may be only of a different colour to form a code. For example, rings of different colours can be made at suitable intervals over the whole length of the point to indicate different volumes. The receptacle according to Figure 6 has an outer recep¬ tacle l.l and inside this there is a well-like cover 2.5 mounted on radial ribs 3. A magnet 4 is moved inside the cover. A fluid containing magnetic particles is drawn into the outer receptacle. The magnet pulls the particles to the surface of the cover, whereby the fluid free of particles can be removed. Another fluid is drawn into the receptacle and the magnet is moved upwards, whereby the particles are re¬ leased. To make the separation of particles more efficient. the receptacle 1.1 and the cover 2.5 are of different materials. For example, the cover may be of a suitable paramagnetic material which makes the field more powerful. The main part of the receptacle is made of a suitable polyalkene, such as polypropene or polyethylene. The other material may also be a suitable polyalkene with the desired hardness, flexibility or other property. In principle, the receptacle can be made by joining to¬ gether various components of the receptacle made of different materials. However, it is preferable to use such an injection moulding technique which allows direct manufacture of plastic pieces consisting of several materials. The receptacles can also be made by first making the whole receptacle of a suitable material, the characteristics of which can be changed by after-treatment. This method is especially suitable when making such receptacles which have a component of some harder plastic. Irradiation (for example, irradiation with electrons) is a particularly suitable hardening after-treatment. For example, the receptacle according to Figure 5, which has a top end made of a harder material, can be made of some plastic which is hardened by irradiation. In the irradiation process harden-ing of the bottom part is then prevented, for example, by protecting it with a lead jacket.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Pointed pipette receptacle having a tubelike plastic jacket with an open top end to mount the receptacle by pushing it into the pipette jet and with an open bottom end to draw a fluid into the receptacle by using the pipette, characterized in that the receptacle consists of at least two different materials (1, 2) . 2. Receptacle as defined in claim 1, characterized in that it consists of two materials. 3. Receptacle as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a jacket made of a first material (1) and a collar of another material (2.1) on the outer surface of the top end of the jacket. 4. Receptacle as defined in claim 3, characterized in that the collar is of a differently coloured material (2.1) than the jacket. 5. Receptacle as defined in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the collar is of a harder material (2.1) than the jacket. 6. Receptacle as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a jacket made of a first material (1) and a collar of another material (2.2) on the inner surface of the top end of the jacket. 7. Receptacle as defined in claim 6, characterized in that the collar is of a softer or more flexible material (2.2) than the jacket. 8. Receptacle as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a jacket of a first material (1) and this has a top end of another material (2.3). 9. Receptacle as defined in claim 8, characterized in that the top end is of a softer or more flexible material than the jacket. 10. Receptacle as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has an outer receptacle of a first material (1.1) and a cover (2.5) inside it of another material (2.5) . 11. A method of making a pointed pipette receptacle, which has a tubelike plastic jacket with a top end for mounting the receptacle by pushing it into the pipette jet and with a bottom end for drawing fluid into the receptacle by using the pipette, characterized in that the receptacle is made of no less than two different materials (1, 2 ) . 12. Method as defined in claim 11, characterized in that the receptacle components of different materials are made separately and they are then joined together. 13. Method as defined in claim 11, characterized in that the receptacle is made all at one go by moulding from different materials. 14. Method as defined in claim 11, characterized in that the whole receptacle is first made of one material, the properties of which can be changed through after-treatment, and any desired component of the receptacle is then after- treated. 15. Method as defined in claim 14, characterized in that the whole receptacle is first made of a material which can be hardened by after-treatment. 16. Method as defined in claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the receptacle is made of a material the properties of which can be changed by irradiation.

Inventors: JAERVIMAEKI KARI, JAERVIMAEKI, KARI
Applicants: JAERVIMAEKI KARI, LABSYSTEMS OY, JAERVIMAEKI, KARI
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B01L3
IPC codes: B01L3, B65D83