Patent Publication Number: US-2023152188-A1

Title: Test device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a test device. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional several inspections need inspectors and professional devices. Nowadays, the rapid test device has been widely circulated in the market for an urgent condition, so that users can test themselves with the rapid test device. The sample specimens can be saliva or other liquid for the rapid test device. 
     Methods of transferring fluid sample to the cassette of the conventional rapid cassette device includes a sample dropping method, a squeezing method of using a device with a volcano-shaped opening, a method of using an injection molded test device, and a method of using squeezing machine. The sample dropping method is to drop the sample into the cassette, so the sample is easy to splash. Thus, it has a high infection risk. The squeezing method of using a device with a volcano-shaped opening is perpendicularly squeezed the swab with saliva sample into the opening of the cassette. The saliva sample is easy to splash during squeezing the swab. Thus, it has a high infection risk. The method of using an injection molded test device has a saliva collection sponge and a test cassette, and the saliva collection sponge and the cassette are integrally formed of one piece. Thus, the hand of the operation is close to the saliva collection sponge during operation, so as to cause a high infection risk. In the method of using an injection molded test device, the test cassette need to be disposed within the testing machine after the test cassette has collected the saliva sample. The machine squeezing method is operated by the testing machine, so that it has disadvantages includes a large machine size, a high machine cost, and inconvenient operation. 
     The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a test device which prevents the sample from splashing when the sample collection member is deformed and squeezed out of the sample, so as to reduce an infection risk of the user. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, a test device is provided, including: a test member, including a receiving portion and a first connection portion, the receiving portion including a receiving room and a wall portion defining the receiving room; a moving member, inserted into the receiving room, being rotatable and movable in an axial direction relative to the test member, including a second connection portion, the second connection portion connected with the first connection portion, one of the first connection portion and the second connection portion including at least one spiral guiding slot, the other one of the first connection portion and the second connection portion including at least one protruding structure, the at least one protruding structure slidably engaged within the at least one spiral guiding slot; and a sample collection member, made of deformed absorbent material, connected with the moving member and disposed within the receiving room; wherein when the moving member is rotated relatively to the test member, the at least one protruding structure is moved along the at least one spiral guiding slot to move the sample collection member to rotatably axially squeeze the wall portion. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a stereogram of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a breakdown drawing of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    is another breakdown drawing of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  4    is a partial cross-sectional breakdown view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  5    is a partial cross-sectional view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of  FIG.  5   , taken along a line A-A; and 
         FIG.  7    is a drawing showing preferred embodiment of the present invention in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS.  1  to  7    for a preferable embodiment of the present invention. A test device  1  of the present invention includes a test member  10 , a moving member  20  and a sample collection member  30 . 
     The test member  10  includes a receiving portion  11  and a first connection portion  12 . The receiving portion  11  includes a receiving room  13  and a wall portion  14  defining the receiving room  13 . The moving member  20  is inserted into the receiving room  13 , and the moving member  20  is rotatable and movable in an axial direction A relative to the test member  10 . The moving member  20  includes a second connection portion  21  connected with the first connection portion  12 . One of the first connection portion  12  and the second connection portion  21  includes at least one spiral guiding slot  22 , and the other of the first connection portion  12  and the second connection portion  21  includes at least one protruding structure  121 . The at least one protruding structure  121  is slidably engaged within the at least one spiral guiding slot  22 . The spiral guiding slot  22  may be extended helically about an axis of the moving member  20  or extended obliquely in the axial direction A. The sample collection member  30  is made of deformed absorbent material, such as a sponge, a swab, and other absorbent material. The sample collection member  30  absorbs a sample, such as saliva sample and other fluid sample. The sample collection member  30  is connected with the moving member  20  and is disposed within the receiving room. Wherein when moving member  20  is rotated relatively to the test member  10 , the at least one protruding structure  121  is moved along the at least one spiral guiding slot  22  to move the sample collection member  30  to rotatably axially squeeze the wall portion  14 . In this embodiment, the at least one protruding structure  121  includes a plurality of protruding structures  121 , and the at least one spiral guiding slot  22  includes a plurality of spiral guiding slots  22 . In other embodiment, one of the protruding structure and the spiral guiding slot is a male thread, the other of the protruding structure and the spiral guiding slot is a female thread screwed to the male thread. Thus, the moving member  20  can be axially moved and rotated by a hand, so as to move the sample collection member  30  to rotatably squeeze the wall portion  14  in the axial direction A or in a radial direction and deform. Moreover, when the sample is deformed and squeezed out of the sample, it can prevent the sample from splashing, so as to reduce an infection risk of the user. 
     Each of the at least one spiral guiding slot  22  includes an opening end portion  221 , a spiral section  222  extending helically about an axis of the moving member  20  and a restricting section  223 . The opening end portion  221  is connected with an end of the spiral section  222 , and the opening end portion  221  is axially opened. The restricting section  223  is transversely communicated with the spiral section  222 . Each of the plurality of protruding structures  121  can be disengaged from one of the plurality of spiral guiding slot  22  by passing through the opening end portion  221  in the axial direction A. It is to be noted that, when the protruding structure  121  is engaged within the restricting section  223 , the moving member  20  is positioned. Thus, the sample collection member  30  can be prevented from being pushed toward a notch of the receiving room  13  when the sample collection member  30  is squeezed the wall portion  14 . 
     The moving member  20  includes an insertion portion  23  and a cover portion  24 . The cover portion  24  is connected with the insertion portion  23 . An outer diameter of the cover portion  24  is greater than an outer diameter of the insertion portion  23 . The sample collection member  30  is disposed on the insertion portion  23 . The insertion portion  23  is inserted within the receiving room  13 , and the cover portion  24  is covered the notch  131  of the receiving room  13 , so as to prevent the sample from splashing out of the receiving room  13 . 
     The receiving room  13  includes a tapered groove  132 , the tapered groove  132  is gradually tapered in the axial direction A, the sample collection member  30  is disposed within the tapered groove  132 . The receiving room  13  has the notch  131 , and the wall portion  14  includes a bottom surface  141 . The bottom surface  141  is disposed on a side of the receiving room  13  which is opposite to the notch  131 , and the tapered groove  132  is gradually tapered toward the bottom surface  141 . The sample collection member  30  abuts against the wall portion  14  and is gradually increased squeeze and deformation when the sample collection member  30  is moved toward the bottom surface  141 . Thus, the sample collection member  30  can be squeezed out of a lot of sample by instantly squeezing. Preferably, the receiving room  13  further includes a wide groove  133  and a shoulder portion  134 , the wide groove  133  is communicated with the tapered groove  132 , the shoulder portion  134  is defined between the wide groove  133  and the tapered groove  132 . The moving member  20  includes a wide section  25  and a connection section  26 , and an outer diameter of the connection section  26  is less than an outer diameter of the wide section  25 . The wide section  25  is connected between the cover portion  24  and the connection section  26 . The outer diameter of the wide section  25  is less than an outer diameter of the cover portion  24 , and the second connection portion  21  is disposed on a circumference surface of the wide section  25 . The wide section  25  is inserted within the wide groove  133 , the sample collection member  30  is connected with the connection section  26 , the wide section  25  is blockable by the shoulder portion  134  in the axial direction A, so as to block the wide section  25  to move toward the tapered groove  132 . 
     The test member  10  includes a test cassette  15  and a container  16 . The test cassette  15  includes a collection portion  17 , and a detection portion  18  and a fluid guiding portion  19 . The fluid guiding portion  19  is disposed between the collection portion  17  and the detection portion  18 . The collection portion  17  includes a chamber  171 . The detection portion  18  includes at least one concave groove  181 . The fluid guiding portion  19  includes at least one flow passage  191  communicated with the receiving room  131  and the at least one concave groove  181 . Specifically, test strips or test reagent can be disposed within the at least one concave groove  181  to receive or absorbent the sample that is flowed from the fluid guiding portion  19 , so as to provides a testing result, but not limited. The container  16  is disposed within the chamber  171 , the container  16  includes the receiving portion  11  and the at least one via hole  161 , and each of the at least one via hole  161  is communicated between the receiving room  13  and the at least one flow passage  191 . The wall portion  14  includes a circumference wall  142 , the sample collection member  30  is radially squeezed the circumference wall  142 , the circumference wall  142  extends around the axis of the moving member  20 , and each of the at least one via hole  161  is disposed through the circumference wall  142  and is opened radially. The circumference wall  142  is substantially circular-shaped, so that a fluid sample squeezed from the sample collection member  30  can be guided to each via hole  161 . 
     In this embodiment, each of the at least one flow passage  191  includes a first opening  192  and a second opening  193  which is opposite to the first opening  192 . The first opening  192  is communicated with the second opening  193 , the at least one via hole  161  corresponds to the first opening  192 , and the concave groove  181  corresponds to and is communicated with the second opening  193 , so that the fluid sample squeezed from the sample collection member  30  can be directly flowed into the first opening  192 . 
     The container  16  is disassembly assembled to the test cassette  15 . In this embodiment, the container  16  has at least one engagement structure which is disengageably engaged with at least one through hole of the test cassette  15 , so that the container can be exchanged. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.