Source: http://www.allindianpatents.com/patents/205587-a-straw-for-the-conservation-of-small-quantities-of-substances-in-particular-biological-substances
Timestamp: 2018-06-22 13:00:56
Document Index: 582217472

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 31', 'art 33', 'art 32', 'art 31', 'art 33', 'art 33', 'art 33']

Indian Patents. 205587:A STRAW FOR THE CONSERVATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF SUBSTANCES IN PARTICULAR BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES
A STRAW FOR THE CONSERVATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF SUBSTANCES IN PARTICULAR BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES
A straw (1) for the conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological substances, comprising a segment of tube (2) provided inside one end with a stopper including gel powder chosen from the group comprising alginates and polyvinyl alcohol, characterized in that from approximately 10% to approximately 50% of the gel powder is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material chosen from the group comprising glass, PVC, diatoms and perlites, said stopper (3) thus comprising a mixture (4) of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
[See Section 10] RULE 13
"A STRAW FOR THE CONSERVATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF SUBSTANCES, IN PARTICULAR BIOLOGICAL g^K" SUBSTANCES "
IMV TECHNOLOGIES, a French company of 10, rue Georges Clemenceau, 61300 L'Aigle, France,
2 6 APR 2002
The present invention relates to a straw for the conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological substances.
This type of ' straw, which is known as . a "French straw", was disclosed for the first time in French patent No. 995 878.
Straws manufactured in accordance with the above patent and used until now have a three-part stopper consisting of two plugs of a fibrous substance with a powder between them that on contact with a liquid is converted into an impermeable gel or paste adhering to the wall of the tube to create a sealed stopper.
Straws with a three-part stopper developed and marketed by the applicant are entirely satisfactory. Nevertheless, some absorption of the liquid contained in the straw has been noted, although it is very slight, of the order of 7%.
One solution to the above problem that has been proposed is* to replace the three-part stopper with a metal or rigid plastics material ball. This solution has not proved satisfactory because, although absorption of the liquid contained in the straw has been eliminated, new and unacceptable difficulties have arisen, the stopper no longer providing a liquid seal.
The patent FR-A-2 753 367 proposes a straw including a three-part stopper comprising a hydrogel powder between two plugs, namely an external plug and an internal plug,, said straw being characterized in that the length of the external plug is at least twice the length of the internal plug. According to the above patent, absorption of the liquid contained in the straw is only very slightly reduced compared to that observed in a
straw fitted with a standard three-part stopper.
An object of the present invention is to provide a straw fitted with a stoppe that absorbs only a small quantity of a liquid contained in the straw. To be more precise, an object of the invention is to provide a straw fitted with a stopper that absorbs a quantity of a liquid contained therein at most equal to approximately 4%.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description.
In accordance with the above object, the present invention provides a straw for the conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological substances, comprising a segment of tube provided inside one end with a stopper including gel powder, characterized in that a proportion of the gel powder is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material, said stopper thus comprising a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The gel powder is converted on contact with a liquid into an impermeable gel or paste adhering to the wall of the tube to create a sealed stopper.
The gel powder can be alginate or polyvinyl alcohol, for example.
In accordance with the invention, a proportion of the gel powder is replaced with the dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The nonabsorbent material can be glass, PVC, diatoms, perlites, etc., for example.
The nonabsorbent material must be dispersed.
The particle size of the nonabsorbent material must be close to that of the gel powder.
The particle size of the gel powder used is easy for the person skilled in the art to determine from the nature of said gel powder.
The nonabsorbent material takes the form of balls,
The balls have an average diameter from approximately 50 µm to approximately 300 µm, for example.
The nonabsorbent material can equally take the form of small flakes or fragments.
In accordance with the invention, from approximately 10% to approximately 50% of the gel powder is replaced with the dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In accordance with the invention, the straw can be fitted with a three-part or one-piece stopper.
The three-part stopper comprises an external part that is not in direct contact with the liquid contained in the straw and an internal part that is in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, with an intermediate part containing the gel powder between them.
The three parts may be substantially the same length or different lengths.
In a first embodiment, the straw is fitted with a standard three-part stopper. The stopper comprises two fibrous substance plugs with a gel powder between them. In accordance with the invention, a proportion of the gel powder of the stopper is replaced with the dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In this first embodiment, the external part is made of a standard fibrous substance and the internal part is made of a standard fibrous substance.
The external and internal parts can take the form of a braid.
The intermediate part comprises a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In the first embodiment, the straw for the conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological substances, comprises a segment of tube provided inside one end with a stopper comprising an external part and an internal part with an intermediate
part including the gel powder between them. It is characterized in that the intermediate part comprises a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the stopper of the straw according to the invention is a three-part stopper and comprises a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath.
In a first instance of this second embodiment, the three-part stopper comprises an external part comprising a fibrous substance braid, an internal part comprising a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath, and an intermediate part comprising gel powder a proportion of which, in accordance with the invention, is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In other words, in the first and second embodiments, the intermediate part comprises a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In a second instance of the second embodiment, the three-part stopper comprises an external part comprising a fibrous substance braid, an internal part comprising a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath, said core incorporating a bore, and an intermediate part comprising gel powder a proportion of which, in accordance with the invention, is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
Once again, the intermediate part comprises a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In a third instance of the second embodiment, the three-part stopper comprises an external part comprising a fibrous substance braid, an internal part comprising a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments
constituting a sheath, said core including a central braid, and an intermediate part comprising gel powder a proportion of which, in accordance with the invention, is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The intermediate part therefore comprises a mixture of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In a third embodiment of the invention, the stopper is a one-piece stopper.
In a first instance of the third embodiment, the one-piece stopper comprises a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath impregnated with a gel powder a proportion of which, in accordance with the invention, is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In a second instance of the third embodiment, the one-piece stopper comprises a thermoplastics material core sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath and comprising a central braid impregnated with gel powder a proportion of which, in accordance with the invention, is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
In the case of a three-part stopper, the total
length of the stopper is from approximately 7 mm to
approximately 14 mm.
The length of the external part is from approximately 3 mmto approximately 14 mm.
The length of the internal part is from approximately 2 mm to approximately 5 mm.
The length of the intermediate part is from approximately 1.5 mm to approximately 5 mm.
The quantity of gel powder that must be incorporated into the stopper of the straw before the implementation of the invention depends on the type of stopper and is known to the person skilled in the art.
In all cases, in accordance with the invention, a proportion of the gel powder must be replaced with
dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The proportion of gel powder replaced .with dispersed nonabsorbent material is from approximately 10% ' to-approximately 50% and depends on the type of .stopper. .The person skilled in the art will in each case easily be able to determine the proportion of gel powder to be replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material to obtain a straw with a sealed stopper and reduced absorption of
The straw of the invention provides a good seal and very little absorption of the liquid contained therein, of the order of 4% and even less.
According to the present invention there is provided a straw for the
conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological
substances, comprising a segment of tube provided inside one end with a
stopper including gel powder chosen from the group comprising alginates
and polyvinyl alcohol, characterized in that from approximately 10% to
approximately 50% of the gel powder is replaced with, dispersed
lonabsorbent material chosen from the group comprising glass, PVC,
liatoms and perlites, said stopper thus comprising a mixture of gel powder
und dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The invention will be described m more detail but in a nonlimiting manner with reference. to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-	figure 1 is a partial view of a first embodiment of a straw of the invention,
-	figure 2 is a partial view of a first ins'tance of a second embodiment of a straw of the invention,
-	figure 3 is a partial view of a second instance of the second embodiment of a straw of the invention,
-	figure -4 is a partial view of a third instance of the second embodiment of a straw of the invention,
-	figure 5 is a partial view of a first instance of a third embodiment of a straw of the invention,
-	figure 6 is a partial view of a first instance of the third embodiment of a straw of the invention.
Referring to figure 1, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part' stopper 3.
The external part 31, which is not in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, is a fihrous substance braid.-
The internal part 33, which is in - contact with the liquid contained in the straw, is a fibrous substance
The intermediate part 32 comprises a mixture 4 of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
Referring to figure 2, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part stopper 3.
The external part 31, which is not in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, is a fibrous substance braid.
The internal part 33, which is in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, comprises a thermoplastics material core 53 sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath 63.
Referring to figure 3, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part stopper 3.
The internal part 33, which is in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, comprises a thermoplastics material core 53 sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath 63. The core 53 includes a bore 73.
Referring to figure 4, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part stopper 3.
The internal part 33, which is in contact with the liquid contained in the straw, comprises a thermoplastics
material core 53 sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath 63. The core 53 includes a central braid 83.
Referring to figure 5, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part stopper 3.
The stopper 3 comprises a thermoplastics material core 50 sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath 60. The filaments of the sheath 60 are impregnated with a mixture 4 of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
Referring to figure 6, the straw 1 comprises a segment of tube 2 fitted at one end with a three-part stopper 3.
The stopper 3 comprises a thermoplastics material core 50 sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath 60 comprising a central braid 80 of synthetic filaments impregnated with a mixture 4 of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
The person skilled in the art will understand that although the invention is described and illustrated with respect to particular embodiments, many variants thereof can be envisaged that remain within the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.
1.	A straw (1) for the conservation of small quantities of substances, in particular biological substances, comprising a segment of tube (2) provided inside one end with a stopper including gel powder chosen from the group comprising alginates and polyvinyl alcohol, characterized in that from approximately 10% to approximately 50% of the gel powder is replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material chosen from the group comprising glass, PVC, diatoms and perlites, said stopper (3) thus comprising a mixture (4) of gel powder and dispersed nonabsorbent material.
2.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nonabsorbent material takes the form of balls.
3.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the average diameter of the balls is from approximately 50µm to approximately 300 µm, for example.
4.	A straw (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper
(3) is a three-part stopper comprising an external part (31) that is not
in direct contact with the liquid contained in said straw (1) and an
internal part (33) that is not in direct contact with the liquid contained
in said straw (1) and an internal part (33) that is in contact with the
liquid contained in said straw (1), with between them an intermediate
part (32) containing the gel powder.
5.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the stopper (3) is a three-part stopper (3) comprising a fibrous substance external part (31) and a fibrous substance internal part (33) with an intermediate part (32) between them comprising a mixture (4) of gel powder and dispersed non-absorbent material.
6.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the stopper (3) comprises an external part (31) comprising a fibrous substance braid (83), an internal part (33) comprising a thermoplastics material core (53) sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath (63), and an intermediate part (32) comprising gel powder a proportion of which has been replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
7.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the three-part stopper (3) comprises an external part (31) comprising a fibrous substance braid, an internal part (33) comprising a thermoplastic material core (53) sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath (63), said core (53) including a bore (73), and an intermediate part (32) comprising gel powder a proportion of which has been replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
8.	A straw (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the three-part stopper (3) comprises an external part (31) comprising a fibrous substance braid (83), an internal part (33) comprising a thermoplastics material core (53) sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath (63), said core (53) including a central braid (83), and an intermediate part (32)
comprising gel powder a proportion of which has been replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
9.	A straw (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper (3) is a one-piece stopper comprising a thermoplastics material core (50) sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath (60) impregnated with gel powder a proportion of which has been replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
10.	A straw (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper (3) is a one-piece stopper comprising a thermoplastics material core (50) sheathed with filaments constituting a sheath (60) and said stopper (1) includes a central braid (80) impregnated with gel powder a proportion of which has been replaced with dispersed nonabsorbent material.
11.	A straw (1) for the conservation of small quantities of substances substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of April, 2002.
381-mum-2002-cancelled pages(25-4-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-claim(granted)-(25-4-2005).doc
381-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(25-4-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-correspondence(21-3-2006).pdf
381-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(18-4-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-drawing(25-4-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 1(10-3-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 1(26-4-2002).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 19(18-3-2004).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(25-4-2005).doc
381-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(25-4-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 3(10-3-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 3(16-9-2002).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 3(26-4-2002).pdf
381-mum-2002-form 5(26-4-2002).pdf
381-mum-2002-petition under rule 137(10-3-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-petition under rule 138(10-3-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-power of authority(10-3-2005).pdf
381-mum-2002-power of authority(29-5-2002).pdf
381/MUM/2002
10 RUE GEORGES CLEMENCEAU, 61300 L' AIGLE,
1 JEAN - GERARD SAINT - RAMON 10, RUE GEORGES CLEMENCEAU, 61300 L' AIGLE,
2 FRANCIS LESIEUR 2, RUE DE LA CORNE, 61300 SAINT-MICHEL THUBEUF,
A 61 J 1/00
1 0106081 2001-05-07 France