GB2528671A

GB2528671A - Container handling device

Info

Publication number: GB2528671A
Application number: GB1413252.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gethin Rhys Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-07-25
Filing date: 2014-07-25
Publication date: 2016-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 2034-07-25
Also published as: GB201413252D0; GB2528671B

Abstract

A device for handling and removing lids from petri dishes D comprises an elongate handle 10 having a head 11 at one end defining a downwardly-facing mouth for receiving the dish. The handle comprises a pair of arms 10a, 10b provided with respective jaw members 12a, 12b on opposite sides of the mouth at the upper end thereof for engaging a closure C of the dish D. A head member 13 comprises fingers 17a, 17b, on opposite sides of the mouth at the lower end thereof for engaging a base B of the dish D. In use, the device holds the dish D such that the closure C remains fitted to the base B. The device can move the dish D from one position to another without any risk of contamination. Once at the desired position, the handle 10 can be squeezed to open the jaws 12a, 12b to disengage the base B from the device whilst retaining the closure C in-situ. In this manner the base B is released under the influence of gravity downwardly out of the mouth, such that the closure can be separated from the base without any risk on contamination.

Description

CONTAINER HANDLING DEVICE

This invention relates to a container handling device and more particularly but not solely to a device for handling petri dishes.

Culture media petri dishes are circular containers comprising a shallow base which contains a volume of sterile agar and a closure that protects the agar from contamination. Such dishes are widely used in laboratories and environmentally controlled areas to grow organisms on the culture media surface.

It is necessary during use for a person to handle the dish and to remove the closure lid. A problem with this is that human manipulation is widely believed to be a common source of false contamination.

There is a need for a person to be able to manipulate the petri dish and remove the closure without their hands touching the closure or being in a position where contaminants may fall into the agar from the person's hands or clothing.

I have now devised a device for handling petri dishes and other containers which meets the above-mentioned need.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a handling device comprising a downwardly-facing mouth for receiving the container, means on opposite sides of the mouth at the upper end thereof for engaging a closure of the container, means on opposite sides of the mouth at the lower end thereof for engaging a base of the container, and an actuator for causing said base engagement means to disengage from said base.

In use, a petri dish for example can be loaded into the mouth of the device, the device serving to hold the dish in such a manner that the closure remains fitted to the base. The device can then be used to move the dish from one position to another without any risk of contamination.

Once at the desired position, the actuator can be operated to disengage the base from the device whilst retaining the closure in-situ. In this manner the base is released under the influence of gravity downwardly out of the mouth, such that the closure can be separated from the base without any risk on contamination.

Preferably the device comprises a handle, which is preferably elongate.

In one embodiment, the actuator may be disposed on the handle. In an alternative embodiment, the handle forms the actuator.

Preferably the mouth of the device is disposed at the distal end of the handle.

Preferably the handle extends radially from the mouth.

Preferably the mouth comprises an open side, through which containers can be inserted into the device.

Preferably the base engaging means comprises respective jaw members, which can be separated to disengage the base.

Preferably the jaw members are connected to respective portions of the handle, such that relative displacement of the handle portions causes the jaw members to separate, preferably when the handle portions are urged together by squeezing the handle.

Preferably the base engagement means are biased together.

Preferably the handle comprises a first arm and a second arm, which are interconnected at the proximal end of the handle, means being provided by biasing the arms apart.

Preferably the handle comprises a one-piece U-shaped member of a resiliently flexible material which defines the arms.

Preferably the jaw members comprise fingers at their respective lower ends, which extend radially inwardly into the mouth and which, in use, extend under the bottom wall of the base of the container.

Preferably the closure engagement means comprise formations, which extend, in use, under the bottom edge of the closure.

Preferably the formations comprise forwardly directed fingers, which each define a channel into which respective sides of the closure are received.

Preferably the said closure engagement means are provided on a head portion of the device, which head portion forms a top wall of the mouth.

Preferably the jaw members are slidably engaged with the base for movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the handle.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a container handling device in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a left side view of the device of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the head of the device of Figure 1; Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of the head of the device of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a front view of the device of Figure 1 when in use; Figure 7 is a left side view of the device of Figure 1 when in use; Figure 8 is an enlarged front perspective view of the head of the device of Figure 1 when in use; Figure 9 is an enlarged plan view of the head of the device of Figure 1 when in use; Figure 10 is a front view of the device of Figure 1, when the base of the container is released; and Figure 11 is an enlarged front perspective view of the head of the device of Figure 1, when the base of the container is released.

Referring to Figures 1-5 of the drawings, there is shown a container handling device adapted to receive and handle the petri dishes of a set diameter and depth. The device comprises an elongate handle 10 having a head 11 at the distal end thereof for receiving the petri dish.

The handle 10 comprises a one-piece member formed of stainless steel, which comprises a left arm lOa and a right arm lob, which are interconnected at the proximal end of the handle 10. The distal ends of the left and right arms lOa, lOb are connected to right and left jaw members 12a, 12b respectively. The jaw members 12a, 12b extend perpendicular of the handle 10 in opposite outward directions, the jaw members 12a, 12b lying in the same plane as each other against the upper surface of a transversely-extending head member 13. The jaw members 12a, 12b are slidingly journaled to the upper surface of the head member 13 by T-shaped formations 14, which extend upwardly from the head member 13 through elongated apertures 15 formed in the jaw members 12a, 12b. The jaw members 12a, 12b thus move longitudinally away from each other when the handle 10 is squeezed to urge the arms Wa, lOb thereof together. The handle 10 is formed so that the arms lOa, 1 Ob are normally biased apart to bias the jaw members 1 2a, 1 2b towards each other.

The outer ends of the jaw members 12a, 12b are turned downwardly to form a downwardly-facing mouth of the head 10. The lower ends of the jaw members 12a, 12b are then turned inwardly to form oppositely-directed fingers 16a, 16b which extend into the mouth.

The left and right ends of the head member 13 comprise depending [-shaped fingers 17b, 17a having a first arm which extends downwardly and a second arm which extends forwardly inside the mouth adjacent respective jaw members 12b, 12a. The fingers 1 7a, 1 7b define the forwardly-facing sockets 1 8a, 1 8b disposed between their respective second arms and the underside of the head member 13.

Referring to Figure 6-10 of the drawings, in use a circular petri dish D having a base B and a closure C is grasped by the device by moving the device forwardly until the dish D enters the mouth of the device through the open front thereof. The distance between the downwardly-extending first arms of the fingers 17a, 17b is slightly less than the diameter of the closure C and thus insertion of the dish D is arrested once the closure C of the dish D abuts the finger 17a, 17b, the height of the sockets 18a, 18b being dimensioned to be slightly greater than the height of the closure C, such that the forwardly-extending second arms of the fingers 17a, 17b extend under the bottom edge of the closure C but do not engage the base B of the dish D. The inwardly-extending fingers 16a, 16b of the jaw members 12a, 12b extend under the base of the petri dish D at respective diametrically-opposed positions and hold it in-situ against the closure C. The device can thus be used to move a petri dish D from one location to another with the base B and closure C thereof held closely together, such that contamination of the dish D and its contents is avoided.

In order to open the petri dish D, the user merely has to squeeze the arms ba, lOb of the handle 10 together to cause the jaw members 12a, 12b to move apart, such that the fingers iSa, 16b are released from under the base B of the dish D, thereby allowing the base B to fall downwardly out of the mouth under the influence of gravity. The closure C of the dish D is retained in the device, so that it can be refitted to the base B of the dish D by opening the jaw members 12a, 12b and then closing them again, once the fingers 16a, 16b have located under the base B. A device in accordance with the present invention is simple and inexpensive in construction, yet enables a person to manipulate the petri dish and remove the closure without their hands touching the closure or being in a position where contaminants may fall into the agar from their hands or clothing.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A handling device comprising a downwardly-facing mouth for receiving a container, means on opposite sides of the mouth at the upper end thereof for engaging a closure of the container, means on opposite sides of the mouth at the lower end thereof for engaging a base of the container, and an actuator for causing said base engagement means to disengage from said base.
2. A handling device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a handle.
3. A handling device as claimed in any claim 1 or 2, in which the actuator is disposed on the handle.
4. A handling device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the handle forms the IC) 15 actuator.
5. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the handle is e onga e.

CO 20
6. A handling device as claimed in claim 5, in which the mouth of the device is disposed at the distal end of the handle.
7. A handling device as claimed in claim 6, in which the handle extends radially from the mouth.
8. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the mouth comprises an open side, through which containers can be inserted into the device.
9. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base engaging means comprises respective jaw members, which can be separated to disengage the base.
10. A handling device as claimed in claim 9 as appended to claim 4, in which the jaw members are connected to respective portions of the handle, such that relative displacement of the handle portions causes the jaw members to separate.
11. A handling device as claimed in claim 10, in which the jaw members are arranged to separate when the handle portions are urged together by squeezing the handle.
12. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base engagement means are biased together.
13. A handling device as claimed in any claims 10 or 11, in which the handle comprises a first arm and a second arm, which arms are interconnected at the proximal end of the handle, means being provided for biasing the arms apart.
14. A handling device as claimed in claim 13, in which the handle comprises a one-piece U-shaped member of a resiliently flexible material which defines U) the arms.
15. A handling device as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, in which the jaw C\J members comprise fingers at their respective lower ends, which extend 0 20 radially inwardly into the mouth and which, in use, extend under the bottom CO wall of the base of the container. r
16. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the closure engagement means comprise formations, which extend, in use, under the bottom edge of the closure.
17. A handling device as claimed in claim 16, in which the formations comprise forwardly-directed fingers, which each define a channel into which respective sides of the closure are received.
18. A handling device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the said closure engagement means are provided on a head portion of the device, which head portion forms a top wall of the mouth.
19. A handling device as claimed in claim 18 as appended to any of claims 9 to 11, in which the jaw members are arranged to be slidably engaged with the head for movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the handle.
20. A handling device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. IC) (4 Co r