GB1409126A - Stack of containers - Google Patents

Abstract

1409126 A stack of containers D I BARTOS 11 July 1973 [11 July 1972 10 May 1973] 33027/73 Heading B8C A stack of a plurality of box- or jar-shaped containers 1, 2, each comprising a bottom tray 2 and a cover tray 1 formed of a top portion and a lateral rim depending from the top portion and partly surrounding the bottom tray, each container containing a filling in sterile condition, is characterized in that the superimposed containers are firmly forced against one another and held together in non-slip manner by two lengths of adhesive tape each of which extends from the top portion of the uppermost cover tray to the underside of the lowermost tray bottom, thereby to hold the containers in hermetically sealed condition. As shown in Fig. 1, a stack of four bottom trays 2, made, e.g., of substantially rigid plastics material, or glass, and each containing nutrient 4, such as blood agar, is engaged, under pressure, by their covers 1 to form air-tight seals, the entire stack being held under vertical compression by an adhesive tape loop 3, and preferably by a second loop 5 applied crosswise with respect to the first loop. More than two loops may be employed, and the loops made, e.g., of high-tensile-strength, stretched plastics film or of paper, textiles, or plastics impregnated fabrics and provided on one face with a conventional pressure-sensitive adhesive, may be replaced by two separate parts which extend correspondingly down the sides of the stack. The loops, or strips, may either be adhered only to the rims of the covers, Fig. 1, or to the rims and also to the exposed surfaces of the bottom trays 4. Lateral displacement of the stack can be prevented, e.g. by providing the top covers 1 with upwardly protruding flanges 6 within which the bases of the associated bottom trays 2 are adapted to fit. Other well-known interfitting relationships are also described. An additional seal may be obtained by interposing between the upper edge of each bottom tray 2 and its cover tray 1 a thin layer of sterile sealing composition such as high-vacuum greases, soft waxes, resins, or plastics polymers. The upper edges 7 of the bottom trays 2 may be fluted at 7 and contain sealing compound, and the overlapping rims of the cover trays 1 may tightly engage the lateral wall of the associated bottom tray 2. The upper edge of the wall of each bottom tray 2 may be provided with a flange (8) which may either extend inwardly or outwardly or, in both of these directions, and may have a fluted upper edge (Figs. 6a-6c, not shown). The flanges may be replaced by upwardlyinclined lamellµ an example of which is shown in Fig. 7b. The bottom trays 2 may be divided into separate compartments by webs (10), Figs. 9a, 9b (not shown), for the sub-division of nutrient medium. The stack may be wrapped in a plastics bag heat-sealed at its ends.