Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7435389?dq=7493558
Timestamp: 2017-08-24 08:11:42
Document Index: 320435089

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART® 1000', 'Application No. 00930691', 'Application No. 00930691', 'Application No. 00930691', 'Application No. 04024555', 'Application No. 48468', 'Application No. 48468']

Patent US7435389 - Sealed collection device having striated cap - Google Patents
A cap comprising a generally conical wall positioned beneath an opening in the cap and having a plurality of striations formed therein to facilitate penetration of the cap by a fluid transfer device....http://www.google.com/patents/US7435389?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7435389 - Sealed collection device having striated cap
Publication number US7435389 B2
Application number US 10/758,304
Also published as US6716396, US6723289, US6806094, US7276383, US7309469, US7648680, US7708951, US7795036, US7927549, US8038967, US8206662, US8211710, US8334145, US8535621, US8573072, US20010039058, US20010041336, US20030207463, US20040105786, US20040151634, US20040152205, US20050059161, US20080047371, US20080110846, US20080118988, US20080118989, US20080134808, US20080152545, US20080245163, US20080274514, US20080305010, US20090301230, US20100203547, US20110236888
Publication number 10758304, 758304, US 7435389 B2, US 7435389B2, US-B2-7435389, US7435389 B2, US7435389B2
Inventors Bruce W. Anderson, Nick M. Carter, Mordi I. Iheme, Shirley J. Johnson, Daniel L. Kacian, P. Light II James, Gus G. Tseo
Patent Citations (100), Non-Patent Citations (16), Referenced by (30), Classifications (26), Legal Events (5)
Sealed collection device having striated cap
US 7435389 B2
13. The cap of claim 1, wherein the inner wall is conically shaped and has an angle of from about 25° to about 65° relative to the longitudinal axis of the cap.
Inclusion of a wick 90 not only helps to retard the movement of an aerosol from the vessel 50 to the environment, it can also be constructed to perform a wiping action on the outside of a fluid transfer device as the fluid transfer device is being removed from the vessel 50 and cap 20A-C. In a preferred mode, the wick 90 functions to draw fluids away from the outside of the fluid transfer device by means of capillary action. As used herein, however, the term “wick” refers to a material which performs a wiping function to remove fluids present on the outside of a fluid transfer device and/or an absorbing function to hold fluids removed from the outside of a fluid transfer device. Examples of wick 90 materials which may be used with the cap 20A-C of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pile fabrics, sponges, foams (with or without a surface skin), felts, sliver knits, GORE-TEX® fabrics, spandex, and other materials, both natural and synthetic. These materials may also be mechanically or chemically treated to further improve the intended functions of the wick 90. For example, napping may be used to increase the surface area and, therefore, the fluid holding capacity of a wick 90. The material of the wick 90 might also be pre-treated with a wetting agent, such as a surfactant, to lower the surface tension of a fluid present on an outer surface of a fluid transfer device. An acrylic binder might be used, for example, to actually bind the wetting agent to the wick 90 material.
If the fluid transfer device does not have a uniform diameter, as is the case with most standard air displacement pipette tips, then the wick 90 is preferably made of a resilient material whose original shape is restored or substantially restored as the fluid transfer device is being removed from the collection device 10. Thus, materials such as pile fabric, sponges, foams and spandex are preferred because of their ability to rebound rapidly after exposure to compressive forces. Pile fabric is a particularly preferred wick 90 material, an example of which includes a ⅜ inch (9.53 mm) pile fabric of acrylic construction which is available from Roller Fabrics of Milwaukee, Wis. as Part No. ASW112. Other acceptable pile fabrics are made of acrylic and polyester materials, range in size from ¼ inches (6.35 mm) to 5/16 inches (7.95 mm) and are available from Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. of LeFrance, S.C. as Part Nos. 0446, 0439 and 0433. The wick 90 material is preferably inert with respect to a fluid sample contained within the vessel 50.
As exemplified in FIG. 5, the cap 20A-C of the present invention is designed to include a conical inner wall 33 which tapers inwardly from the aperture which is defined by the inner circumference 25 of the annular top wall 22, (see FIG. 2), to an apex 34 located substantially at the longitudinal axis 30 of the cap. (The apex 34 may have a rounded or concave configuration and need not have the pointed shape shown in the figures.) The shape of the conical inner wall 33 aids in guiding the fluid transfer device to the apex 34 in the conical inner wall 33 where the fluid transfer device 70 will penetrate the cap 20A-C, as shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, the angle of the conical inner wall 33 should be chosen so that penetration of the apex 34 by the tip 71 of the fluid transfer device 70 is not substantially impeded. Thus, the angle of the conical inner wall 33, with respect to the longitudinal axis 30, is preferably about 25° to about 65°, more preferably about 35° to about 55°, and most preferably about 45°±5°. Ideally, the conical inner wall 33 has a single angle with respect to the longitudinal axis 30.
Ideally, the pipette tip 70A-C is a conventional single-piece, plastic pipette tip modified to include the lower ribs 151A-C, 152A-C during manufacture using any well-known injection molding procedure. An example of acceptable pipette tip, prior to any of the modifications described herein, is an ART® 1000 μl pipette tip available from Molecular BioProducts of San Diego, Calif. as Cat. No. 904-011. This particular pipette tip is especially preferred for applications where carryover contamination is a concern, since it includes a filter (not shown) located at a position within an interior chamber 154 of the pipette tip 70A-C, (see FIG. 18), which functions to block or impede the passage of potentially contaminating liquids or aerosols generated during pipetting. Other acceptable pipette tips which can be modified as described herein include the MβP® BioRobotix™ 1000 μl pipette tip available from Molecular BioProducts as Cat. No. 905-252 or 905-262. While the preferred number of lower ribs 151A-C, 152A-C is three, the precise number selected should be determined, at least in part, by the type of resin or combination of resins used to manufacture the pipette tip 70A-C, as well as the expected force needed to pierce a penetrable cap 20A-C or other surface material when puncturing is an intended use of the pipette tip 70A-C. Where a softer material is chosen for manufacturing the pipette tip 70A-C, or more force will be required to pierce a surface, it may be desirable to increase the number of lower ribs 151A-C, 152A-C on the pipette tip 70A-C.
The preferred distal termini 162A, 163A of the lower ribs 151A, 152A, as shown in FIG. 12, are flush with and partially define the bottom surface 158A at the distal end of the pipette tip 70A. Thus, when the pipette tip 70A has a beveled tip 71A, as depicted in FIGS. 10-12, the distal terminus 162A, 163A of each of the lower ribs 151A, 152A will share the same angle as the beveled tip with respect to the longitudinal axis 72 shown in FIG. 10. In the preferred pipette tip 70A, this angle is about 30° to about 60°, more preferably about 35° to about 55°, and most preferably 45°±5°. However, it is not a requirement of the present invention that the distal termini 162A, 163A be flush with and partially define the bottom surface 158A of the pipette tip 70A. For example, FIGS. 14 and 16 highlight an alternative configuration where the distal terminus 162B of the rib structure 151B tapers away from (rather than forms) a point 155B of the beveled tip 156B, thus creating more of a wedge-like shape to the point 155B of the pipette tip 70B. As FIGS. 14-16 show, the lower ribs 151B, 152B can also be positioned so that the surfaces of the distal termini 162B, 163B are not co-extensive with the bottom surface 158B at the distal end of the pipette tip 70B, but are instead formed at a point longitudinally above the bottom surface 158B. (While only the smaller of the lower ribs 152B is actually depicted in this manner in FIGS. 14-16, the distal terminus 162B of the larger of the lower ribs 151B could likewise be positioned above the bottom surface 158B.) Decreasing the surface area of the bottom surface 158B, in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 16, could be advantageous if it is desirable to minimize fluid droplet formation at the distal end of the pipette tip 70B due to surface tension.
To further facilitate penetration of the cap 20A-D, the fluid transfer devices 70A-F of the present invention preferably include a beveled tip 71A-D, as shown in FIGS. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20-22. When a beveled tip 71A-D is employed, the distal end of the fluid transfer device 70A-F (e.g., fluid-transporting needle or pipette made of a resin) preferably has an angle of about 30° to about 60° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fluid transfer device 70A-F (the longitudinal axis for the fluid transfer devices of the present invention is the same as the longitudinal axis 72 shown for the fluid transfer device 70 depicted in FIG. 7). Most preferably, the angle of the beveled tip 71A-D is about 45°±5° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fluid transfer device 70A-E. However, a beveled tip of any angle that improves the penetrability of a cap is desirable, provided the integrity of the fluid transfer device is not compromised when the tip penetrates the cap, thereby affecting the ability of the fluid transfer device to predictably and reliably dispense or draw fluids.
In order to be useful, the fluid transfer devices of the present invention should be constructed so that their proximal ends can be securely engaged by a probe associated with an automated or manually operated fluid transfer apparatus. A fluid transfer apparatus is a device which facilitates the movement of fluids into or out of a fluid transfer device, such as a pipette tip. An example of an automated fluid transfer apparatus is a GENESIS Series Robotic Sample Processor available from TECAN AG of Hombrechtikan, Switzerland, and an example of a manually operated fluid transfer apparatus is the Pipet-Plus® Latch-Mode™ Pipette available from the Rainin Instrument Company of Emeryville, Calif.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the approximate dimensions of the cap 20E depicted in FIGS. 28-30 are those specified infra in the Examples section. Additionally, the cap 20E of this preferred embodiment includes eight ribs 184, each rib extending outwardly from the approximate center of one of the pie-shaped sections 26 of the conical inner wall 33 and having a longitudinal orientation. For this preferred embodiment, a proximal end of each rib 184 slopes outwardly from a point about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) from the outer circumference 38 of the conical inner wall 33 at an angle of about 10° with respect to the inner surface 36 of the conical inner wall 33, for a total distance of about 0.06 inches (1.52 mm). This proximal slope is built into the ribs 184 to prevent obstructing the downward movement of a misaligned fluid transfer device which comes into contact with one of the ribs during a fluid transfer operation. At the distal end of the slope, each rib 184 has a generally parallel orientation with respect to the outer surface 37 of the conical inner wall and extends for a distance of about 0.09 inches (2.29 mm) before sloping inwardly toward the inner surface 36 of the conical inner wall 33 for a distance of about 0.015 inches (0.381 mm) at the distal end of each rib 184. Based on this configuration, the greatest thickness of these preferred ribs 184 is about 0.01 inches (0.254 mm), as measured outwardly at a right angle from the inner surface 36 of the conical inner wall 33. Moreover, each rib 184 terminates at the distal end about 0.07 inches (1.78 mm) from the axis of symmetry 30, measuring at a right angle to the axis of symmetry. The width of these preferred ribs 184 is about 0.015 inches (0.381 mm).
All caps 20A-C used in this test were made of HDPE and had a substantially uniform thickness of between about 0.0109 inches (0.277 mm) and about 0.0140 inches (0.356 mm), except in the region of the striations 35. The depth of the conical inner wall 33 of the cap 20A-C was about 0.29 inches (7.37 mm) as measured along the longitudinal axis 30 of the cap from the plane of the outer circumference 38 of the conical inner wall 33 to the apex 34 of the same. The diameter of the outer circumference 38 of the conical inner wall 33 was about 0.565 inches (14.35 mm). With all caps 20A-C tested, the conical inner wall 33 had a single angle of about 35° or about 45° from the longitudinal axis 30.
The caps 20A-C were threadingly secured to a vessel 50 measuring approximately 13 mm×82 mm and made of polypropylene. In order to stabilize the collection devices 10 prior to penetration with the force gauge, each collection device was secured in an aluminum block having a hole bored therein for receiving and stably holding the vessel 50 component of the collection device. The precise method chosen for positioning a collection device 10 under the force gauge is not critical, provided the collection device is secured in a vertical position under the force gauge, as judged by the longitudinal axis 30.
In evaluating the force required to penetrate a cap 20A-C, the vessel 50 with attached cap was first centered under the force gauge with a Genesis series 1000 μl Tecan-Tip pipette tip force-fitted onto a 2 inch (50.8 mm) extension located at the base of the force gauge. The pipette tips were either blunt-ended or beveled with an angle of about 45° at their distal ends. A cap 20A-C was considered to be centered when the pipette tip was located above the apex 34 of the conical inner wall 33 of the cap. Absolute centering was not essential since the shape of the conical inner wall 33 of the cap 20A-C naturally directed the pipette tip to the apex 34 of the conical inner wall 33 of the cap. Since the pipette tip moved at a constant rate of 11.25 inches (285.75 mm)/minute, the initial height of the pipette tip above the cap 20A-C was not critical, provided there was some clearance between the cap and the pipette tip. For testing purposes, however, the pipette tip was generally positioned at least about 0.2 inches (5.08 mm) above the upper surface 24, 24A of the annular top wall 22, 22A and permitted to penetrate up to 2.8 inches (71.12 mm) into the vessel 50, thereby avoiding actual contact with the inner surface 61 of the bottom wall 60 of the vessel. The penetration force required was measured in pounds force, and for all cap 20A-C tested the penetration force was less than about 6.5 pounds force (28.91 N). With fully-striated cap 20A-C and beveled pipette tips, the penetration force was generally less than about 4.0 pounds force (17.79 N), and in some cases the penetration force required was about 3.6 pounds force (16.01 N) or less.
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U.S. Classification 422/501
International Classification B01L99/00, B01L3/14, B01L3/02, G01N35/10
Cooperative Classification Y10T436/25, B01L2200/141, B01L2300/046, Y10T436/2575, B01L2200/0684, Y10T436/25125, B01L2300/044, B01L3/0275, B01L2300/069, B01L2300/042, B01L2200/026, B01L3/50825, B01L2300/047, Y10T436/25375, B01L2300/0609, B01L2300/048, G01N35/1079, B01L3/5029
European Classification B01L3/50825, G01N35/10P, B01L3/02E