Abstract:
A support stand for test tubes and more particularly to an easy to manufacture and economical test tube stand which facilitates handling of test tubes and samples contained therein in a field environment, particularly in a rugged field environment where the test tubes and samples are subject to significant movement and instability for example on a boat or truck during procurement and initial analysis of the sample.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 61/473,255 filed Apr. 8, 2011 and entitled Test Tube Support Apparatus (Attorney Docket No. HICALE P01AUSPR), which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a support stand for test tubes and more particularly to an easy to manufacture and economical test tube stand which facilitates handling of test tubes and samples contained therein in a field environment, particularly in a rugged field environment where the test tubes and samples are subject to significant movement and instability for example on a boat or truck during procurement and initial analysis of the sample. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Test tube holders, supports and trays are conventionally known and used throughout the scientific, medical and academic community for holding test tubes necessary for collection and testing of solids, gasses and fluids. Almost any material for that matter can be sampled and maintained in a test tube for research, collection and testing. Test tubes themselves are generally made of glass and are substantially fragile and, unlike other lab equipment such as a beaker or Erlenmeyer flask, cannot generally stand or support themselves on their own accord. Generally, a test tube holder or support is provided in a lab environment to hold the test tubes and there are numerous types of test tube holders and supports depending on the specific test tube and analysis being done. 
         [0004]    Test tube holders and supports are manufactured from many different materials such as plastic, metal or wood, and sometimes even cardboard. The known test tube supports are generally feasible and useful only in a lab environment where equipment and the surrounding environment is substantially stable and planar, i.e. horizontal surfaces such as heavy lab tables and counters are available to support them. However when scientists and engineers are in a field environment, on boats in particular, and also on moving vehicles such as trucks the handling and storage of such test tubes is not so easily accomplished. Furthermore, many of these test tubes supports and holders are expensive and difficult to manufacture and are not conducive by their structure and arrangement to storage or transportation on moving vehicles such as boats and trucks. 
         [0005]    Up until now test tube supports have been fabricated generally in either one or two pieces by molding, metal stamping, machining etc. These devices exist in a variety of configurations for instance with a upper support portion having a bore slightly larger than the test tube diameter for maintaining the test tube in a desired vertical position, and a lower support portion which maintains the test tube in desired horizontal position. The lower support portion generally includes a floor for supporting a base or bottom of the test tube and the lower support portion is itself supported usually directly in a lab on a lab desk or countertop. The bore is sized for accommodating differing test tube diameters, and can vary widely to accommodate various sizes of such test tube which are generally cylindrical in structure. 
         [0006]    A disadvantage of prior art test tube holders is that they are not particularly stable, and that the combined centers of gravity of the stand and test tube are positioned substantially spaced from the base of the holder so that the stand and test tube can be easily knocked over. Moreover the known manufacturing methods are relatively complex for such a simple device and this leads to significant costs which cannot be as easily absorbed by research laboratories and academic facilities which rely on public and private funding for their research. The difficulty with such prior art devices from both a structural and manufacturing standpoint is for example shown with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,818 to Boje et al., where the storage rack disclosed therein is in fact hollow and comprised of a number of different pieces including a two-piece housing 12 supporting a number of stacked plates 38-46, best shown in FIGS. 2-4 of Boje et al. Storage and support devices such as this also fail to provide for ample viewing of the specimen in the test tube where the specimen is below the top of the support device. This is of particular importance with respect to the researcher or student being able to see the reaction, specimen or whatever is inside the test tube. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved test tube holder for storage of specimen test tubes. 
         [0008]    It is another object to provide a test tube holder which has a cavity for receiving and retaining specimen test tubes and an additional bore which facilitates visualization of the specimen inside the test tube. 
         [0009]    A further object of the present invention is to define a testing or support holder which is substantially solid except for the receiving cavity and the viewing aperture permitting viewing of 360° of the specimen near the bottom of the test tube while maintaining a center of gravity closer to the base of the holder than the top surface. 
         [0010]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a test tube support rack where the viewing aperture and the receiving cavity are substantially the same size as the test tube to be supported therein and the center of gravity of the support rack is adjacent the base of the support rack. 
         [0011]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of simply manufacturing a testing support rack which is inexpensive, economical and yet provides for support and viewing of the specimen in the test tube on an unstable, moving vehicle. 
         [0012]    The present invention is directed to a test tube support for supporting at least a test tube comprising a substantially solid housing comprising a support cavity and a viewing aperture; and wherein the support cavity is formed partially through the block extending from a top surface of the housing to a point spaced from a bottom surface of the housing and the viewing aperture extending from one of a front face of the housing through to a back face of the housing and intersecting in a substantially perpendicular manner with the support cavity. 
         [0013]    The present invention is further directed to a method of making a test tube support comprising the steps of providing a substantially solid housing for receiving the test tube by forming a support cavity and a viewing aperture in the housing wherein the support cavity is formed partially through the block extending from a top surface of the housing to a point spaced from a bottom surface of the housing and the viewing aperture extending from one of a front face of the housing through to a back face of the housing and intersecting in a substantially perpendicular manner with the support cavity. 
         [0014]    These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the appended claims and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein: 
           [0016]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  is a perspective view of a testing support rack of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation of view of the testing support rack of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a top planner view of view of the testing support rack of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is bottom planner view of the testing support rack of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  is a perspective view of the test tube support rack of the present invention supporting a test tube within the support aperture; and 
           [0021]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  is a perspective view of the test tube support rack of the present invention for supporting a plurality of test tubes. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    Referring now to the drawings in which similar corresponding parts are identified with the same reference and more particularly to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the test tube holder  10  of the present invention is designated by a housing  12  for supporting at least a single test tube  14  of a predetermined diameter. It is to be appreciated that the housing  12  could support a plurality of test tubes as well even test tubes having the same or different diameters. Besides test tubes, it is to be appreciated that housing  12  can support vials (not shown) in a similar manner as well. Vials are understood in the art to have a flat bottom and a threaded or snap-on cap, whereas test tubes have rounded bottoms and are usually sealed with a plug. The dimensions and structure of the test tube holder  10  are of significant importance here, where as shown in the present embodiment, the housing  12  is substantially rectangular, although other potential shapes such as a square, or circular could also be used. The housing  10  is provided with a planar base  16  which defines the basic shape of the holder  10  shown here as rectangular. It is important that substantially all of the surface area of the planar base  16  be in contact with the support surface S upon which the housing  12  is supported. This creates an important frictional contact between the base and the support surface S so that the housing  12  does not easily slide or tip over relative to the support surface. 
         [0023]    The housing  12  is generally a substantially solid structure and further as shown in the present embodiment of  FIGS. 1-4  having a front face  18  and a back face  20  along with two opposing side faces  22 ,  24 . The front and back face  18 ,  20  have a length l and a height h, and the side faces  22 ,  24  define a width w and the same height h of the test tube holder  10 . It is again important that the lower most edge  26  of the housing  12  as defined by the length l and width w be essentially co-planar with the base  16  of the housing  10  and substantially parallel along the entire length l and width w with the support surface S supporting the test tube holder  10 . This structure provides for the contiguous lower most edge  26  of the housing  12  essentially in constant contact with the support surface S and thus resistant to tipping over, i.e. becoming inadvertently non-coplanar with the support surface S upon which the test tube holder  10  is placed. 
         [0024]    The housing  12  has a top surface  28  which is substantially coplanar with the bottom surface  30 , and generally spaced a distance defined by the height h from the bottom surface  30 . This coplanar structure provides for a uniform and consistent mass distribution throughout the entirety of the housing  12  which again improves the stability of the housing  12  on any support surface S upon which the housing  12  rests. The only portion or portions of the housing  12  which are not substantially solid are the one or more support cavities  32  and the viewing aperture  34  formed in the housing  12 . It is to be appreciated that the volume(s) defined by the support cavity  32  and the viewing aperture  34  are substantially smaller than the respective volume of the solid portions of the housing  12  which lends a substantial mass and weight to the test tube holder  10  to facilitate stability of the device. 
         [0025]    The support cavity  32  is shown clearly in  FIG. 1B  showing the cavity extending only partially, i.e. not completely through the housing. The terminus  36  of the cavity is well below the centerline C of the housing  12  and spaced from the bottom surface  30  so that the test tube  14  can be supported and protected within the support cavity  32 . A drain hole  38  can be formed from the terminus of the cavity  32  through to the bottom surface  30  to facilitate drainage of any fluid that might enter or be splashed into the cavity  32 . The drain hole  38  would have a substantially smaller diameter than the cavity  32  so that the test tube  14  does not go past the terminus of the cavity  36  and only excess fluid can drain out. The drain hole  38  can even be offset from the central axis Y of the cavity  32  so that where a test tube  14  having a rounded base is used, the drain hole  38  is not blocked by the base of the test tube  14 . Alternatively, the drain hole  38  could be used to define a passage for a securing screw to secure the housing to support surface. 
         [0026]    The viewing aperture  34  extends entirely through the housing  12  and intersects substantially perpendicularly with the support cavity  32 . The viewing aperture  34  is defined about a viewing aperture axis X as seen in  FIG. 2  which intersects with the support cavity axis Y so that the passages are generally centrally aligned which facilities viewing of a significant portion of the test tube  14  and its contents when it is inserted in the support cavity  32 . The viewing aperture  34  may be the same or different diameter then the support cavity  32 , but is preferably at least the same diameter as the cavity  32  so that the entire width of the test tube  14  facing the aperture  34 , and all the contents therein, can be clearly seen in the viewing aperture  34  and also that light entering the viewing aperture  34  is provided directly onto the entire width of the test tube  14  in the viewing aperture  34 . A viewing aperture  34  that has a larger diameter than the cavity  32  is also contemplated so that more indirect light, in a 360 degree manner, around the test tube  14  provides for better viewing the test tube  14  and sample therein even though there is no direct aperture, light or viewing available of the portion of the test tube  14  which is not facing the aperture  34 . 
         [0027]    Another important aspect of the present invention is that there is defined by the above discussed structure a continuous substantially cylindrical sidewall surface  40  extending from the terminus of the cavity  36  all the way to the top surface  28  of the housing  12 . This continuous sidewall surface  40  provides support and protection along a radial portion of the entire length of the test tube  14  situated in the cavity  32 . This continuous surface ensures that with the exception of the viewing aperture portion, the test tube  14  is protected along the entire length it is inserted in the support cavity  32  and that no edges other than that defined by the aperture  32  can impact the sidewall  42  of the test tube  14  in the event that a force or shock is applied to the housing  12 . 
         [0028]    In one embodiment, any volume of the housing  12  outside of the viewing aperture  34 , support cavity  32  and the drain hole  38  is solid material so that the mass of the housing  12 , even with the addition of a test tube  14  and sample is maintained immediately adjacent the support surface S on which the housing  12  is situated to improve both frictional resistance between the support surface S and the housing  12  as well as a low center of gravity of the housing and test tubes  14  to prevent lateral and vertical forces from tipping the housing  12  and test tubes  14  over. 
         [0029]    It is also to be appreciated that the nature of the disclosed embodiment being a substantially rectangular block facilitates a highly cost effective process for manufacturing of the housing  12 . The housing  12  can be made from a block of stock lumber, plastic, metal or other material which is often formed, cut, shipped and sold in rectangular and square cross-section. Cylindrical dowels with a round cross-section are also generally a stock lumber and available in other materials as well. The ability to use stock off-the-shelf material is critical to the employment, use and cost of the present invention. A piece of lumber, for example a 2×4, having a rectangular approx. 2 inch×4 inch cross-section facilitates any number of such blocks for housings, of any desired length, being efficiently manufactured by a single cutting operation. Each block would require at most only a single cut from the stock lumber, and a plurality P of blocks can even be cut from a stock piece of lumber where the number of cuts to form P blocks is actually P−1 cuts. This is because there is always a remainder of the stock material as it is sequentially cut that can be used as a block to manufacture a housing  12  where proper measurement is made. For instance, a 4 ft. piece stock material can be cut into eight (8) 6″ blocks with 7 cuts. This of course is a significant time, cost and energy savings in any manufacturing process which can lower the final cost of the end product to the consumer. It should be appreciated that the formation of the viewing aperture  34 , support cavity  32  as well as the drain hole  38  described below, could be formed in the stock material prior to the cutting and separation of the stock material into individual housings  12  or blocks. 
         [0030]    The housing  12  is then formed from the block cut from the stock material by forming the viewing aperture  34 , the support cavity  32  and, if needed, the drain hole  38 . In order to support a test tube  14  the support cavity  32  is drilled about an axis Y from the top surface  28  of the housing  12  and extending through the housing  12  towards the bottom surface  30 , but does not communicate entirely through the housing  12 , and the terminus  36  is formed prior to the drill reaching the bottom surface  30 . The drain hole  38  which might extend from the terminus  36  of the support cavity  32  through to the bottom surface  30  may be formed simultaneously with the same drill, or by another drill apparatus and may or may not be formed co-linear with the support cavity  32  but may be formed in any manner through the bottom surface  30 . 
         [0031]    The viewing aperture  34  is drilled or otherwise formed entirely through the housing  12  from the front face  18  of the housing  12  to the back face  20  of the housing  12  along the viewing aperture axis X so that the aperture communicates with and traverses the supporting cavity. The viewing aperture  34  intersects the support cavity  32  substantially perpendicularly so that the respective axes intersect at 90 degrees, and the aperture  34  extends entirely between the front and back face  18 ,  20  allowing light to pass all the way through the aperture  34 . It is to be appreciated that generally these diameters of the aperture  34  and cavity  32  may be roughly the same however they may of course be of differently sized as well. In general the respective axes of the support cavity  32  and viewing aperture  34  are perpendicularly aligned and intersecting along a longitudinal axis of the housing  12 . 
         [0032]    It is also to be appreciated that the viewing aperture  34 , support cavity  32  and drain hole  38  may be formed in either order, or even substantially simultaneously and formed by known material removal techniques such as by drilling, lasers, burning, punching or other known material removal apparatus and methods. The support cavity  32  is formed centrally, i.e. evenly spaced between the front and back faces  18 ,  20  of the housing  12  so that the moment arm of the housing  12  having a test tube  14  therein about the front and back face  18 ,  20  is the same, essentially requiring an equal minimum tipping force to knock the housing  12  and test tube  14  over either the front face  18  or the back face  20 . On the other hand, the viewing aperture  34  need not be formed with the viewing aperture axis X aligned at the centerline of the front face  18  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The viewing aperture  34  may be formed anywhere along the height h of the front and back faces  18 ,  20  so that a sample or reaction within a desired part of the test tube  14  can be observed. It may also be that more than one viewing aperture  34  is formed for each supporting cavity  32  and that a viewing aperture  34  may also intersect with the top surface  28  of the housing  12 . 
         [0033]    It is to be appreciated that a single housing may contain a plurality of support cavities formed therein and a plurality of respective intersecting viewing apertures so that a number of test tubes and samples may be placed side-by-side. As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , a test tube holder  44  may be formed with a plurality of viewing apertures  34  and support cavities  32  formed in the housing  12 . A first set of support cavities  46  may be of a larger diameter D than a second set of support cavities  48  having a smaller diameter d to support test tubes  50 ,  52  of different sizes. The housing  12  may be formed with a single drain channel  50  formed within the housing  12  below the terminus of each of the support cavities  36 . The drain channel  50  terminating at a drain hole  52  on a side surface of the housing  12 . A connecting channel  54  smaller than the diameter of the support cavity  32  may be formed to connect each support cavity  32  to the drain channel  50 . Alternatively, the drain channel  50  may be drilled directly through a first or second side face  22 ,  24  and through each support cavity  32 . As shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , a test tube holder  54  may be formed with each support cavity  32  appropriately labeled  56  or having a label holder (not shown) to easily identify the contents or collection time of the test tube sample. 
         [0034]    In this manner a sturdy, durable and stable test tube holder is quickly and inexpensively manufactured in a single block of material. This same process could be used to form a round test tube holder having a single cylindrical outer wall and a top and bottom surface with one or more support cavities depending from the top surface. No matter what shape the housing takes, with this these several simple and efficient manufacturing steps and materials a complete stable test tube holder for use in a field environment is now prepared. 
         [0035]    The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.