Abstract:
A plunger stroke pipette for replaceable pipette points with a seat for the detachable mounting of a pipette point, a plunger, a cylinder in which the plunger is movably arranged, a Connection channel connecting the cylinder with an opening in the seat, a driving equipment, coupled to the plunger for displacing the plunger in the cylinder, an upper stopper and a lower stopper and at least one counter-stopper of the driving equipment and/or the plunger for limiting the stroke of the plunger, a holder, holding the lower stopper, an overstroke spring between the upper stopper and the holder, an adjustment equipment for adjusting the position of the holder with respect to the cylinder, and an indicating equipment for indicating the position of the holder.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention is related to a plunger stroke pipette for replaceable pipette points.  
         [0004]     Plunger stroke pipettes serve for dosing liquids. They take up a certain volume of a sample liquid in a pipette point. As a disposable article, the pipette point is normally realised from plastic material. After one dosing, the pipette point can be replaced through a new pipette point. Thus, contamination of the plunger stroke pipette and carry-over of sample liquid is avoided.  
         [0005]     For the aspiration of sample liquid into and the ejection of sample liquid from the pipette point, the plunger stroke pipette has a cylinder with a plunger, which is shiftable therein. Via a connection channel, the cylinder is connected with openings in a seat for detachable mounting of a pipette point. The plunger is coupled to a driving equipment, which serves for the displacement of the plunger in the cylinder. The plunger is shiftable in the cylinder between an upper and a lower stopper. Upon displacement, the plunger moves an air column, through which liquid is aspirated into the pipette point or ejected from it, respectively. In the beginning of the aspiration of air into the cylinder, the counter-stopper is situated on the lower stopper. In the beginning of the displacement of air from the cylinder, the counter-stopper fits closely to the upper stopper. The amount of liquid which is taken up or discharged, respectively, depends of the stroke of the plunger.  
         [0006]     The stroke volume of the plunger does not exactly correspond to the amount of liquid which is taken up and discharged. As the air column lengthens somewhat through the weight of the liquid, the stroke volume exceeds the liquid volume. In particular, the difference between stroke volume and liquid volume depends from the density and the viscosity of the liquid, the temperature, the air pressure and from wetting effects. It is known to adjust the position of the upper stopper for the calibration of plunger stroke pipettes to a certain dosing volume.  
         [0007]     In fixed volume pipettes, the distance between upper and lower stopper is constant. A fixed volume pipette with an upper stopper in the form of a threaded sleeve which is adjustable by means of a calibration tool is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,698, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The sleeve-like calibration part has a scale on its outer side, which is visible from the outside through a transparent reading window.  
         [0008]     In plunger stroke pipettes with adjustable dosing volume, the position of the upper stopper is changeable. Adjustable plunger stroke pipettes have an adjustable spindle for changing the position of the upper stopper. The difference of the stroke volume from the dosing volume can be different in the adjustment range of dosable liquid volumina. Plunger stroke pipettes are known in which the indicating equipments can be uncoupled from the adjustment equipments for the upper stopper for the purpose of calibration. DE 43 35 863 C1 (the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) discloses such a plunger stroke pipette with uncouplable gearwheels between indicating equipments and adjustment equipments. In order to uncouple, a control lever which projects to the outside through an opening of the pipette casing has to be actuated.  
         [0009]     In the known plunger stroke pipettes, a manufacturer&#39;s calibration is performed by the pipette manufacturer under standard conditions. In this, bi-distilled water of a temperature of 20 to  25  ° C. and an air pressure of  1013  mbar is used. If the user wants to pipette at conditions different from these, (an other liquid than bi-distilled water, e.g.), he has to change the manufacturer&#39;s calibration. The change of the manufacturer&#39;s calibration mostly necessitates sumptuous use of tools. Finding the manufacturer&#39;s calibration again necessitates sumptuous gravimetric measurements.  
         [0010]     Departing from this, the present invention is based on the objective to provide a plunger stroke pipette which facilitates change of manufacturer&#39;s calibration and finding manufacturer&#39;s calibration again for the user.  
         [0011]     Advantageous embodiments of the plunger stroke pipette are indicated in the subclaims.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The plunger stroke pipette for replaceable pipette points according to the present invention comprises a seat for the detachable mounting of a pipette point, a plunger, a cylinder, in which the plunger is movably arranged, a connection channel, connecting the cylinder with an opening in the seat, a driving equipment, coupled to the plunger for displacing the plunger in the cylinder, an upper stopper and a lower stopper and at least one counter-stopper of the driving equipment and/or the plunger for limiting the stroke of the plunger, a holder, holding the lower stopper, an overstroke spring between the upper stopper and the holder, an adjustment equipment for adjusting the position of the holder with respect to the cylinder, and an indicating equipment for indicating the position of the holder.  
         [0013]     In the plunger stroke pipette according to the invention, the user can perform a calibration, when a liquid is to be dosed which has another density or viscosity than the liquid upon which the manufacturer&#39;s calibration is based, or when it is to be operated at a different temperature or air pressure, for instance. This user&#39;s calibration is performed by only shifting the lower stopper. Thus, the position adjustment of the upper stopper performed at the manufacturer&#39;s calibration is not changed. The indicating equipment shows the respective position of the holder which holds the stopper. Thus, the position of the lower stopper which it took at the manufacturer&#39;s calibration can be found again at any time. This makes it possible for the user to find the manufacturer&#39;s calibration again without sumptuous gravimetric measurement and without additional tools. By doing so, the plunger stroke pipette corresponds again to the condition at the distribution with respect to calibration. The adjustment equipment for adjusting the position of the holder, and with this also of the lower stopper, can be realised such that it can be operated easily and without the use of tools. As a consequence, the calibration by the user can be performed in a particularly simple manner. Embodiments in which the upper stopper is definitively set at a time by the manufacturer as well as embodiments which have an adjustable upper stopper which enables subsequent correction of the manufacturer&#39;s calibration are included. Examination and correction of the manufacturer&#39;s calibration can optionally be performed in a conventional manner by setting the position of the upper stopper.  
         [0014]     According to one embodiment, the pipette has a pull-back spring, which charges the plunger or the driving equipment in the direction of the abutment of the counter-stopper on the upper stopper. Through this, the plunger is brought into a defined initial position, departing from which a dosing operation can be begun. This embodiment is particularly advantageous with manually operated plunger stroke pipettes, which have a manually operatable driving equipment. In electronic pipettes, which have an electric driving equipment, the initial positioning takes place by an electronic control, so that a pull-back spring can be omitted. The present invention is related to manually operated and to electronic plunger stroke pipettes as well.  
         [0015]     According to one embodiment, the driving equipment comprises a lifting rod, displaceable in a guiding, which is connected or couplable with the plunger at the one end and which is connected with an operation button on the other end. This embodiment is related to manually operatable plunger stroke pipettes in particular. The lifting rod is connected with the plunger, e.g. by being realised in one piece with it or screwed on at it or by being otherwise fixedly connected with it. In another embodiment, it can be coupled with the plunger by closely fitting to a front side of the plunger and being kept in abutment by the pull-back spring. This is particularly advantageous in plunger stroke pipettes with an upper part comprising the driving equipment and a lower part, comprising the cylinder and the plunger and being detachable from the former. In an electronic pipette, for instance, the plunger is movable by a motor-driven spindle.  
         [0016]     According to one embodiment, the counter-stopper is a bead on the perimeter of the lifting rod. The bead can circulate completely or partially on the perimeter of the lifting rod.  
         [0017]     According to one embodiment, the lower stopper is disc-shaped and the lifting rod is guided through a central clearance hole of the lower stopper. The part of the lifting rod which is guided through is connected with the plunger or couplable with it. According to a further embodiment, the lower stopper is dome shaped on the side facing the counter-stopper. According to a further embodiment, which assists the centering of the lifting rod or the stopper, the lower stopper has a sleeve shaped joined piece on the side opposite to the counter-stopper, through which the clearance hole runs through.  
         [0018]     According to a further embodiment, the holder has the form of a pot which has a central bottom hole in the bottom, through which the lifting rod is guided through, the lower stopper is shiftably arranged in the holder, the holder has a brim on its opening, projecting towards the inside and overlapping the stopper, and the overstroke spring is arranged in the holder and props up on the bottom at the one end and on the lower side of the stopper at the other end. Thus, lower stopper, overstroke spring and holder can be advantageously integrated into one single assembly part.  
         [0019]     The lower stopper props up on the holder via an overstroke spring, in order to perform an overstroke for blowing off residual liquid from the pipette point when liquid is discharged from the pipette point. The user or the control electronics of an electronic pipette, respectively, recognises the reaching of the lower stopper by the increased resistance at the beginning of the deformation of the overstroke spring. Before the aspiration of liquid into the pipette point, the driving equipment is only operated so far until the counter-stopper reaches the lower stopper. Upon ejection of the liquid from the pipette point, the counter-stopper is pressed against the lower stopper by means of the driving equipment, so that the overstroke spring deflects and residual liquid is ejected from the pipette point.  
         [0020]     According to one embodiment, the overstroke spring and/or the pull-back spring is/are a helical spring.  
         [0021]     According to one embodiment, the adjustment equipments have an outside thread on the holder and an interior thread, co-operating therewith and being stationary with respect to the cylinder. Outside thread and interior thread serve as adjustment threads for the positioning of the holder with respect to the cylinder. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in the realisation of the holder in the form of a pot.  
         [0022]     In principle, it is possible to adjust the position of the lower stopper by screwing of the holder in the adjustment thread. For example, after opening a casing of the plunger stroke pipette, the holder is screwed manually or with the aid of a tool, respectively, in order to do this.  
         [0023]     According to one embodiment, the adjustment equipments have an actuating drive, co-operating with the holder. The actuating drive facilitates the adjustment of the upper stopper, optionally without opening the pipette casing.  
         [0024]     According to one embodiment, the actuating drive has a calibration lever, connected with the holder, and/or an actuating gear, coupled with the holder. By means of a calibration lever or an actuating gear, respectively, a holder is screwable in an interior thread, for instance. The calibration lever can be manually operated, for instance. According to one embodiment, the calibration lever is the pointer of the indicating equipment at the same time, and a scale of the indicating equipment, stationary with respect to the cylinder, is assigned to the swivelling range of the calibration lever. For example, the calibration lever is guided out of a casing of the plunger stroke pipette through a slit, so that it can be operated from the outside. According to a further embodiment, the calibration lever bears a curved screen on the end side, which covers a slit in a casing which is stationary with respect to the cylinder, to which a scale on the outer perimeter of the casing is assigned. The screen prevents dirt from penetrating into the casing through the slit.  
         [0025]     The actuating gear can be realised in different ways. In principle, all the kinds of gears come into consideration, gearwheel gears in particular. According to one embodiment, the actuating gear has a driven gearwheel on the perimeter of the holder and a driving gearwheel, engaging therewith and being manually operatable. According to a further embodiment, the driving gearwheel of the actuating gear has an operation section, projecting out of a casing, or is assigned to a casing opening, through which it is operatable from the outside. According to a further embodiment, the holder has a scale of the indicating equipment on its envelope, to which a mark of the indicating equipment is assigned, which is stationary with respect to the cylinder. According to a further embodiment, the scale is visible through a casing opening of a casing which has a mark on the casing opening or which permits only the set scale value to be seen from the outside. .  
         [0026]     According to one embodiment, the actuating gear is a spur wheel gear and/or a conical wheel gear.  
         [0027]     The invention is related to fixed volume pipettes as well as to plunger stroke pipettes with adjustable dosing volume. According to one embodiment, a plunger stroke pipette with adjustable dosing volume has a spindle, screwable in a spindle nut which is stationary with respect to the cylinder, the lower front side of which forms the upper stopper, which has a passage channel through which the lifting rod is guided through and in which the spindle is rotationally coupled with a volume adjustment equipment.  
         [0028]     The adjustment of the volume can be realised in different ways. In principle, it is possible to readjust the spindle manually and to provide it with a manually-operated actuation element for this purpose, for instance. According to one embodiment, the volume adjustment equipment has an adjustment sleeve, accommodating coaxially the spindle and being rotatably mounted, which has axial grooves in the inside into which a driving tenon engages which is splinedly connected with the spindle. According to a further embodiment, the adjustment sleeve is coupled with a numerator for indicating the volume adjustment via a gear.  
         [0029]     According to a further embodiment, there is an equipment for uncoupling of two gear elements of the gear between adjustment sleeve and numerator. When the gear is uncoupled, the upper stopper is shiftable by operating the adjustment sleeve, in order to perform a manufacturer&#39;s calibration. After setting the upper stopper, adjustment sleeve and numerator are coupled again. According to one embodiment, the gear has a set of gearwheels, which engages with a gearwheel on the perimeter of the adjustment sleeve and with a gearwheel on the initial roller of the numerator and is shiftable along an axis by means of the equipment for uncoupling, at least one gearwheel being uncoupled in doing so. This embodiment results in minimizing the numerator jump, i.e. the shifting of the numerator which takes place upon coupling in because of the overlap of the gearwheels of driving sleeve and numerator. Through this, calibration errors are minimized.  
         [0030]     According to a further embodiment, plunger, seat, cylinder, connection channel, driving equipment, stoppers, holder, overstroke spring, adjustment equipment and indicating equipment are arranged in or on a casing.  
         [0031]     According to a further embodiment, the pipette is a hand-held pipette. Finally, the pipette is a manually operated pipette according to one embodiment. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0032]     In the following, the present invention is explained in more detail by means of the attached drawings of examples of realisation. In the drawings show:  
         [0033]      FIG. 1 a  manually operated hand-held pipette in a side view;  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  the same hand-held pipette after the manufacturer&#39;s calibration has been performed, in a longitudinal section.  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  the same hand-held pipette after the user&#39;s calibration has been performed, in a longitudinal section.  
         [0036]      FIG. 4  adjustment sleeve and numerator with the gear coupling the same, in a perspective side view;  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  the overstroke system with a front wheel gear, in a perspective side view;  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  the upper part of a casing of a plunger stroke pipette with an overstroke system according to  FIG. 5 , in a perspective side view;  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  the overstroke system with a conical wheel gear, in a perspective side view;  
         [0040]      FIG. 8  the upper part of a casing of a plunger stroke pipette with an overstroke system according to  FIG. 7 , in a perspective side view. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0041]     While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein a specific preferred embodiment of the invention. This description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment illustrated  
         [0042]     According to  FIG. 1  to  3 , a pipette  1  according to the invention has a casing  2  with an upper part  3  of the casing and a lower part  4  of the casing.  
         [0043]     The lower part  4  of the casing comprises a cylinder  5  and a slightly conical joined piece  6 , which has a seat  7  for putting up a pipette point on its end. The cylinder  5  is connected with an opening  9  in the centre of the seat  7  via a connection channel  8 .  
         [0044]     Further, the lower part  4  of the casing comprises a plunger  10 , which is guided into the cylinder  5  via a sealing system  11 .  
         [0045]     The upper part  3  of the casing contains a lifting rod  12 , the lower end of which is connected with the plunger  10  via a coupling  13 . On the upside, the lifting rod  12  bears an operation button  14 .  
         [0046]     The lifting rod  12  is guided trough a spindle  15 , which is arranged in the upper part  3  of the casing. On the exterior, the spindle  15  has an external thread, which is screwable into an interior thread of a lifting body  16 , which is fixed in the upper part  3  of the casing. Thus, the lifting body  16  forms a spindle nut.  
         [0047]     The lower front side of the spindle  15  forms an upper stopper  17  for an annular bead  18  on the perimeter of the lifting rod  12 .  
         [0048]     On its upper end, the spindle  15  is splinedly connected with a driving tenon  19 . By means of radially projecting ribs  20 , the driving tenon  19  engages into axial grooves of an adjustment sleeve  21 . The adjustment sleeve  21  is arranged concentric to the spindle  15  and is rotatably mounted between lifting body  16  and upper part  3  of the casing. With an upper operation end having a fluting  22  on its perimeter on the topside, the adjustment sleeve  21  projects out from the upper part  3  of the casing.  
         [0049]     At the bottom, the adjustment sleeve has a gearwheel  23  on its perimeter. Further, there is a numerator  24  with an additional gearwheel  25  on an initial roller. The little number gearwheels of the numerator  25  are visible from the exterior of the upper part  3  of the casing through a window  26 , which has a transparent cover  27 .  
         [0050]     In  FIG. 4 , details of the coupling of the adjustment sleeve  21  with the numerator  24  are shown. According to this, a set of gearwheels  29  is mounted on an axis  29 . The set of gearwheels  29  is connected with an adjustment trunk  30 , which is shiftable on the axis  28 . A helical spring  31 , guided on the axis  28 , presses against the set of gearwheels  29 , so that the set of gearwheels  29  presses the adjustment trunk  30  against a ring  32 , which seats on the axis  28 .  
         [0051]     By inserting the blade of a screwdriver into a notch  33  on the outer side of the adjustment trunk  30  and dislocating against the action of the helical spring  31 , the set of gearwheels  29  with its gearwheels  34 ,  35  can be lifted off from the gearwheel  23  of the adjustment sleeve  21  and the gearwheel  25  on the initial roller of the numerator  24 .  
         [0052]     In the upper edge region of the upper part  3  of the casing, a throwing off button  36  seats on a throwing off rod  37  alongside the adjustment sleeve  21 . The throwing off rod  37  runs parallel to the lifting rod  12  through the upper part  3  of the casing. Its lower end is connected with a lateral joined piece  38  of a throwing off sleeve  39 , which is movably arranged on the conical joined piece  6 .  
         [0053]     The upper part  3  of the casing has a window  40 , through which the notch  33  of the adjustment trunk  30  can be accessed from the outside.  
         [0054]     Below the lifting body  16 , a pot shaped holder  41  is arranged in the upper part  3  of the casing. The holder has  41  has an external thread, which is screwably arranged in an interior thread of a support  42 , which is fixed with respect to the casing.  
         [0055]     The holder  41  contains a disc shaped lower stopper  43 , which is held below an upper edge  44  of the holder  41 , which is bent towards the inside. An overstroke spring  45 , which props up on the bottom of the holder  41 , presses the lower stopper  43  against the edge  44 .  
         [0056]     The lifting rod  12  is guided through central passages of the lower stopper  43 , through the overstroke spring  45  and a central passage in the bottom of the holder  41 .  
         [0057]     A radially projecting calibration lever  46  is connected with the perimeter of the holder  41 , which stands out from the upper part  3  of the casing through a slit  47 . The calibration lever  46  is laterally connected with a screen  48 , which prevents dust from penetrating into the slit  47  from the outside. On one side of the slit, the upper part  3  of the casing has a scale  49  to which the calibration lever  46  is assigned in the manner of a pointer.  
         [0058]     The plunger  10  is movable in the cylinder  5  by pressing down the operation button  14  against the action of a pull-back spring, the stroke of the plunger being defined by the distance of the upper stopper  17  from the lower stopper  43 , between which the counter stopper  18  is movable. When the counter stopper  18  reaches the lower stopper  43 , an overstroke is possible in addition, until the overstroke spring  45  runs “on the trunk”.  
         [0059]     For the manufacturer&#39;s calibration, the calibration lever  46  is set on the catching zero point of the scale  49 . The manufacturer&#39;s calibration is performed when the numerator  24  is uncoupled from the adjustment sleeve  21 . In doing so, the numerator  24  is readjusted until its indication corresponds to the set dosing volume. This first possibility of calibration serves for the permanent calibration ex works and in the servicing case.  
         [0060]     The second possibility of calibration serves for the temporary recalibration of the pipette to different media and environmental conditions (density, vapour pressure, temperature and so on). For this purpose, the overstroke system is shifted by actuation of the calibration lever  46 . When the holder  41  is lifted, this means a reduction of volume. When it is lowered, the dosing volume is increased. If the user wants to return to the manufacturer&#39;s calibration from the calibration which he has performed himself, he only has to rotate back the calibration lever into its caught initial position.  
         [0061]     In the following, further actuating gears for screwing on the holder in the casing are shown:  
         [0062]     According to  FIG. 1 , a driven gearwheel  50  sits on the perimeter of the holder  41 ′, which is rotationally fixed with the same by axial grooves on its inner perimeter and by radially projecting ribs on the outer perimeter of the holder  41 ′. The driven gearwheel  50  engages with a driving gearwheel  51 , which is operatable from the outside through a further slit  52  of the upper part  3  of the casing according to  FIG. 6 . The holder  41 ′ is screwed into the support  42  in the upper part  3  of the casing. On the perimeter, it has a scale  53 , which is visible through a casing opening  54  of the upper part  3  of the casing. There it is possible to read the scale  53  on a mark  55  on the outer side of the upper part  3  of the casing.  
         [0063]     According to  FIG. 7 , the driven gearwheel  50 ′ of the holder  41 ″ is a part of a conical wheel gear  56 . The driving gearwheel  52 ′ of the conical wheel gear  56  is connected with a joined part  57  for a tool. According to  FIG. 8 , the same is operatable from the outside by inserting a tool through an additional casing opening  58  in the upper part  3  of the casing. Even in this embodiment, the setting of the user&#39;s calibration can be read by observing a scale  53  on the perimeter of the holder  50 ′ through an opening in the casingtr 5 .  
         [0064]     The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art. All these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to”. Those familiar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the claims.  
         [0065]     Further, the particular features presented in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other possible combination of the features of the dependent claims. For instance, for purposes of claim publication, any dependent claim which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction (e.g. each claim depending directly from claim  1  should be alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). In jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted, the following dependent claims should each be also taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependency from a prior antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in such dependent claim below.  
         [0066]     This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.