Patent Publication Number: US-2013228596-A1

Title: Dispenser

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention relates to blood and other dispensers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various dispensers have been designed to transfer blood and other liquids from a stoppered test tube to a slide. Most dispensers have some kind of a base and a cannula extending outwardly therefrom. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,697,522 and 5,344,666, both incorporated herein by this reference, disclose bases with a plurality of stabilizing legs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,583, also incorporated herein by this reference, discloses a different design with a skirt about the cannula which is supported by a solid disk. See also the Helena Laboratory Corp&#39;s. “H-Pette” products. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Due to alleged patent coverage of existing dispensers, an alternative source for dispensers is desirable. In the invention, a dispenser is provided with a single stabilizing rim which is easier to engage in order to push the cannula into the stopper. 
     The invention features, in one aspect, a dispenser comprising a base including a stabilizing rim, a hub, spokes attached to the rim and extending inwardly to the hub supporting it with respect to the rim, and a cannula supported by the hub. 
     In some embodiments, the rim is ring shaped, each spoke extends upwardly and then inwardly to a side wall of the hub, the hub is ring shaped, the cannula is supported in the hub, and the hub includes a lower inwardly tapered dispensing tip in communication with the cannula. The cannula can be all plastic or may be in two sections, one plastic and one metal. 
     In one example, the dispensing tip is rounded, and is spaced from the terminal edge of the rim. Typically, the base, rim, spokes, hub, and cannula are integral and made of plastic. There may be three spaced spokes, the cannula may be tapered, the cannula may have a tapered channel therein, and the cannula may have a sharpened distal end. 
     A molded plastic, unitary dispenser in accordance with an example of the invention typically includes a base with a stabilizing ring shaped rim, a ring shaped hub inside the rim and including a lower dispensing tip, spokes attached to the rim and extending inwardly to the hub, and a cannula supported by the hub. 
     In one version, a dispenser comprises a base including a stabilizing rim, a hub, means for supporting the hub with respect to the rim, and a cannula supported by the hub. In one preferred embodiment, the means for supporting the hub include spokes attached to the rim and extending inwardly to the hub. 
     The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is schematic three dimensional front view showing an example of a dispenser in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic side view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional front view of the dispenser shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing the dispenser of  FIGS. 1-3  being used in connected with a stoppered test tube; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic three dimensional front view of another example of a dispenser in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer. 
       FIGS. 1-3  depict an example of a dispenser  10  including base  12  with stabilizing rim  14  typically ring shaped as shown. Ring shaped hub  16  is supported with respect to rim  14  by means for supporting such as equally spaced spokes  18   a ,  18   b , and  18   c . In this example, the spokes rise upwardly from the top surface  20  of rim  14  and extend inwardly to side wall  24  of hub  16  as shown supporting hub  16  within and slightly above rim  14 . Cannula  22  is supported in hub  16  and is preferably tapered as shown in  FIG. 3  but with a uniform wall thickness forming tapered channel  26  therein. The distal end of cannula  22  is sharpened as shown at  28  in  FIGS. 1-2 . This design results in a cannula which is easier to insert into a stopper and which produces a drop of liquid at dispensing tip  30 . 
     Hub  16  preferably includes lower, inwardly tapered, rounded dispensing tip  30  spaced 0.058 inches above terminal edge surface  34  of rim  14 . Preferably, all these components are integral and the dispenser  10  is injected molded from clear plastic material such as acrylic (e.g., Acrylite M30, Evonik Industries). Rim  14  may be 0.490 inches in diameter and cannula  22  may be 0.853 inches tall. The outer diameter of cannula  22  may be 0.057 inches at the sharpened tip and 0.085 inches at the intersection with base  12 . Clear plastic is used so medical personnel can see when a blood drop is present in the device. 
     The depending feet of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,344,666 and 5,697,522 are avoided since they may irritate the user&#39;s thumb when the cannula is pushed into a stoppered vial. In contrast, broad rim  14  in the example shown is comfortable against the thumb as the cannula is driven into stopper  53  in test tube  50  as shown in  FIG. 4 . At the same time, hollow circular rim  14  stabilizes these components when placed on a table, slide, diagnostic card, or the like. And, rim  14  allows liquid, e.g., blood, to be dispensed without smearing. 
     In  FIG. 5 , cannula portion  23  is a metal tube press or friction fit into plastic canulla portion  22 ′. Cannula portion  23  may be 0.5″ long and have an interior diameter of 0.020 inches. Larger interior diameters may be desirable, e.g., 0.030 inches. The result, in any embodiment, typically features an ergonomic, robust design. 
     Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments. 
     In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended. 
     Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.