GB2051359A

GB2051359A - A sample or reagent container for automatic analysis apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2051359A
Application number: GB8017163A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: F Hoffmann La Roche AG
Current assignee: F Hoffmann La Roche AG
Priority date: 1979-05-26
Filing date: 1980-05-23
Publication date: 1981-01-14
Also published as: GB2051359B; BE883448A; ES250955U; FR2458074A3; FR2458074B3; IT8021884V0; AU516609B2; JPS55172854U; CH645820A5; ES250955Y; ATA274480A; JPS5756215Y2; AU5861280A; AT371025B; NL8003020A; CA1138842A

Abstract

A plastics material tubular sample or reagent container suitable for use in an analytical device comprising an automatic pipetting means has a peripheral edge for bearing on a plate forming part of the analytical device and serving as carrier of the containers and an additional abutment disposed below the edge at the periphery of the container and deformable in the centripetal direction.

Description

SPECIFICATION A sample or reagent container for analyzers.

The invention relates to a plastics material tubular sample or reagent container suitable for use in an analyzer or analytical device comprising an automatic pipetting means, the container having a peripheral edge for bearing on a sample plate forming part of the analyzer and serving as a carrier for the containers.

Recently, particularly in clinical chemical analysis, frequent use has been made of automatic analyzers, for example those operating on the centrifugal principle and making photometric measurements of the sample for analysis. They can be used for example for determining glucose, urea, uric acid, cholesterol or total protein, albumin, bilirubin or metal ions in blood, serum, plasma, urine or fluid obtained by puncture, for example liquor or similar biological solutions. The amount of material available for investigation is often a few microlitres and the time available for analysis is often limited to a few minutes. In such cases, it is advantageous to use automatic analyzers, which often are associated with an automatic pipetting means.The samples for analysis, as well as the reagent liquid(s) and inert solution(s), if necessary, are poured into tubular containers before the device is started up. After the containers have been filed, they are inserted in apertures in a plate. The apertures are usually formed in a circle in the plate and the filled containers are simply inserted in the individual apertures. Nearly the entire length of the containers extend through the apertures, but the container has a widened peripheral edge which bears on the plate. After the device has been started up, the pipetting means take a preprogrammed amount from the sample and reagent containers and supplies it to the actual analyzer.

Devices of the aforementioned kind are described for example in the "Cobas-Bio" pamphlet published in 1978 by Messrs. F.

Hoffmann-La Roche s Co, of Basle.

Great care, of course, must be taken when filling the sample holders with material for investigation and the reagent holders with the required reagents. Since a single plate can hold up to 25 sample or reagent containers and it is not necessary to fill all the containers during every operation of the analyzer, it is desirable to have a simple method of marking those containers which are filled with material for analysis or reagents, or those containers which are not to be included in the analysis in progress. In the known systems, the usual method is to put a spot of paint on the edge or cover of the container.

It is an object of the present invention further to simplify the marking of the containers and, more particularly, make it independent of other aids.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plastics material tubular sample or reagent container suitable for use in an analytical device comprising an automatic pipetting means, the container having a peripheral edge for bearing on a plate forming part of the analytical device and serving as carrier of the containers, wherein an additional abutment is disposed below the edge at the periphery of the container and is deformable in the centripetal direction. Thus, the present invention provides an additional abutment disposed below the edge at the periphery of the container and deformable in the centripetal direction.

The object achieved by the additional abutment is that, when the container is gently inserted in the appropriate apertures of the plate, it first enters the aperture only as far as the additional abutment. it is only after slight pressure has been exerted by the finger on the surface of the container that the additional abutment is deformed in the centripetal direction and the container slips further into the aperture until its normally-provided edge finally bears-on the plate.

When the device is in operation, it can easily be arranged that all filled containers are pressed deeply into the plate apertures whereas unfilled or not-yet filled containers or those not needed for the analysis in progress are pressed only as far as the additional abutment. It will thus be visible at a glance, which containers are already full and which are ready to receive additional material or are not included in the current analysis.

The proposed additional abutment can be in the form of a bead extending completely or partly around the periphery. Alternatively, it can comprise one or more projections formed for example on the outer periphery of the container and projecting radially. The important point is that the additional abutment must be easily deformable so that it can yield to simple pressure from the finger and the container can be pressed to the maximum depth into the aperture in the plate. It has been found advantageous if the additional abutment is disposed in the upper part of the container.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a plate in which two containers according to the invention are inserted, Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a container according to the invention, in which the additional abutment is a bead, and Figure 3 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the container according to the invention, in which the additional abutment comprises projections.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a plate 1. The plate 1 comprises a plastics material body 2 integral with an edge 3 formed with a number of apertures 4 for receiving containers 5.

At the centre of the plate 1 there is a cylinder 6 for inserting the plate in the pipetting means of the analyzer.

Figure 1 and, more particularly, Figures 2 and 3 show that the sample or reagent container 5 substantially comprises a tubular main body, which has a conical point and is closed at its bottom 7. At the opposite end, there is a filling opening 8 which, in the illustrated examples, can be closed by a cap or cover 9. The cover 9 is nonreleasably secured to the top end of the container 5 by a plastics material flap 10.

After the container 5 has been filled, the cover 9 is inserted in the filling opening 8, whereupon the container is inserted into an aperture 4 in the plate 1. After the analyzer has been started up, a sampling needle from the automatic pipetting means penetrates the cover and removes the preprogrammed amount from the container.

As is also shown in the drawings, the container 5 has a peripheral edge 11 which bears on the sample plate and prevents the container falling any further through an aperture 4. According to the invention, the containers have an additional abutment 12 formed on the outer periphery below edge 11. The additional abutment is deformable in the centripetal direction. It can thus hold the container initially in the position shown at the bottom of Figure 1 but, after slight pressure has been exerted on the top, the container can pass through the aperture 4 and be brought into the position shown at the left of Figure 1.

The additional abutment can have various forms Figure 2 shows the case where the abutment 12 is in the form of a bead 14 extending completely around the periphery. Figure 3 shows another embodiment, in which the abutment 12 comprises a number of projections 1 5. Of course, the abutment can also be deformed if, when pressure is exerted on top of the container, the flexible container wall yields so that the abutment can pass through apertures 4.

Preferably, the additional abutment 12 is disposed at the top of container 5 as shown in the drawings. Containers 5 are preferably made of high density polyethylene (HD PE). The diameter of the abutment 12 is for example in the range of from 8.30 to 8.35 mm, in which case apertures 4 will preferably have a diameter in the range of from 8.20 to 8.24 mm.

Claims

1. A plastics material tubular sample or reagent container suitable for use in an analytical device comprising an automatic pipetting means, the container having a peripheral edge for bearing on a plate forming part of the analytical device and serving as carrier of the containers, wherein an additional abutment is disposed below the edge at the periphery of the container and is deformable in the centripetal direction.

2. A container according to Claim 1, wherein the abutment is in the form of a bead which extends completely or partly around the periphery of the container.

3. A container according to Claim 1, wherein the abutment comprises one or more projections.

4. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the abutment is disposed at the upper part of the container.

5. The use of a container in accordance with any one of the preceding claims in an analytical device comprising an automatic pipetting means.

6. A plastics material tubular sample or reagent container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.

7. A plastics material tubular sample or reagent container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing.

8. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.