IL36576A - Sample vial tray and a method for loading and unloading the tray - Google Patents

Description

nam VIAL TRAY AND A FOR LOADING UNLOADING THE TRAY This invention relates generally to sample vial which are particularly constructed for use with automatic sample Trays for holding arrays of and like objects in ordered rows and columns have long been Such trays usually contain a plurality of intersecting partition members defining individual compartments for the objects and can be adapted to hold special bottles such as sample the introduction of automatic equipment has rendered known types of vial holding trays unsatisfactory in several For modern apparatus lowers sample either sequentially or into the tray If the tray or the tray partitions erected therein are misaligned with the ing the vials may become lodged upon the top of the Such known as require that the handling apparatus be stopped and the manually not promptly may result in damage to the prior forms of trays of the inexpensive disposable type are normally ized n that they have if significant structural strength in the tray sides and acceptable with such prior trays because the trays have a solid bottom which does provide adequate strength for the the use of a solid tray in necessitates the use of complex bers in the apparatus order that the handling apparatus can be appropriately located above the tray On the other trays having for the insertion of handling apparatus members have been previously fabricated of plastics or other expensive materials order to obtain the requisite tray In accordance with the present invention there is provided a sample tray having a tray bottom and e plurality of transverse partition members disposed spaced parallel relation to one and a plurality of longitudinal partition members spaced apart from one another and disposed perpendicularly secting relation to said transverse partition members form a plurality of said transverse and longitudinal partition members being rigidly secured to one another and to at least said tray said tray bottom being provided with openings disposed in regular columns and rows with an opening formed centrally of each and the upper edges of said partition members having notches with peaks adjacent the of the compartments shaped to deine cam surfaces for camming toward the centre of each compartment during and the peaks of said partitions and the corners formed by the upper edges of the tray walls being planar the upper edges of the tray The invention will now be described by way of example only with particular reference to the ing drawings Figure i is an overall perspective view of the sample here n several fully loaded therein and another identical vial partially loaded Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the tray showing in detail the bottom Figure 3 an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line in Figure 2 showing in detail several of the compartments together with a portion of a comb the latter being depicted in Figure a plan view of the tray blank as formed having been folded and fabricated into the finished Figure 5 is fragmentary perspective view illustrating the method by which the tray Figure 6 a plan view of a typical longitudinal partition member of the Figure 7 a plan of a typical transverse tray partition member and Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line Figure 1 in a somewhat exaggerated the relationship of the sloping tray sides to the tray Referring tp Figure 1 there shown a typical tray structure 10 for holding sample 11 The outer tray structure comprises two generally longitudinal sides 1 two shorter sides and a bottom as are more fully described Within the tray 10 are located a plurality of planar transverse partition members which may be made of light cardboard or other inexpensive As these partition members 16 are disposed spaced parallel relation to one and to the two transverse sides 13 of the To form regular rows and columns of comartments within the tra for receivin partition members also of cardboard or other inexpensive are disposed in perpendicular intersecting relation to the transverse partitions 16 as In the and to facilitate loading the vials 1 into the tray by automatic regula notches 19 are formed upon the upper edge of partition 16 and When the tray 10 and partitions and 17 are assembled as a plurality of preferably square compartments 20 are thus each compartment 20 havin a peak or point 21 adjacent at least one of the corners The shaped notches 19 in the preferred formed with an angle of about The inclined sides 23 of the notches 19 operate the bottom edges 25 of the to produce inclined directed downwardly towards the central of each compartment The notches 19 thus have the effect of camming or guiding a vial which is descending in misalignment with its compartment toward the of that compartment and down into the proper position To further facilitate loading the vials 11 into the tray in this embodiment of the the outer tray sides 12 and 13 are formed so as to slant slightly toward the tray thereby assisting in camming rows and columns of vials adjacent thereto the appropriate In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and the sides 12 are slanted toward the interior at an angle substantially from the norml to the tr bottom While not shown in the it will be understood that the sides 13 be similarly To assist in the requisite accurate ing the tray compartments 20 with respect to the handling apparatus in further accordance with the the intersecting partition members and 17 are secured within the tray structure so as to accurately tlx the location of each compartment 20 within the tray In the present the partition members and 17 are rigidly secured to one in a manner hereinafter and are also secured to the tray In the present each partition member 6 and 17 joined to the appropriate tray sides 12 or 13 at its opposite extremities by appropriate drops of glue 26 2 and These glue drops 26 are located at comers whereat the partition members 1 and 17 interesect not only the appropriate tray aides 12 and but also abut the bottom of the tray providing additional rigidity to the entire Provision is the operation of which may be automatic in from a position below the bottom of the To this the tray bottom is formed with holes 28 disposed in regular columns and rows in such manner that a hole is located centrall bottom of each compartment In order that the vials may be elevated from the partments a comb in phantom at 29 in Figure in the positioned directly below any column or row of ments in the tray To elevate the vials in such row the comb 29 moved upward relative to the so that the comb tines 30 are inserted through the holes and the vials are forced upwardly relative to and out of the The vials may then removed from the tine tips 31 The tines 30 are then removed from the tray by them through the holes It will noted that the holes in the tray bottom must be made large enough to allow the free passage of the tines and to provide vial the tine tips 31 should be as large as Also in the present loading vials into the tray may be easily To this end the tines 30 are inserted upwardly through the holes 26 of the and vials 11 are disposed as by automatic equipment or upon the tine tips 31 The comb is then lowered and the tines 30 drawn out through the tray The vials 11 are thereby lowered into the appropriate compartments Misaligned vials are cammed toward the centre of and down into the compartments 20 by the camming surfaces or notches as described The rigidity of the construction is further enhanced by the provision of tabs 33 which are formed upon and extend beyond the ends of the opposite nal sides During fabrication of the tray into its final form Figures and the tabs 33 are bent substantially normally to the tray sides 12 upon which they are and are than securely attached to the tray sides this attachment is made by or other convenient and is made at a point nearer the top of the tray than the of the thus providing maximum The preferred embodiment of the tray cated in a straightforward The planar partition members 16 and 17 are formed as illustrated in Figures 6 and It will he noted that slots are formed in the longitudinal partition members 17 which communicate with the bottom and that slots 37 formed in the transverse partition members so as to nicate with the top The compartment defining partition member lattice work then assembled in rectangular as shown Figure 1 by slipping the slots 36 of the longitudinal partition member 17 downwardly into the slots 37 ormed in the transverse partition members The partition members 16 and 17 are thus secured to one another in the requisite rigidly spaced The tray blank la formed as illustrated in Figure the longitudinal sides 12 are then folded into their slightly slanted position along fold lines tabs 33 folded substantially normally to the sides 12 along fold lines transverse sides 13 are folded along fold lines to meet tabs 33 for and are attached to the tabs as The assembled partition member lattice work is then inserted into the tray structure and secured therein as described There is thus produced a stron and inexpensive tray into which the sample vials 1 may be easily inserted and from which they may be easily removed by automatic handling insufficientOCRQuality

Claims (1)

1. Claims: 1 · A sample vial tray having a tray bottom and sidewalle, a plurality of transverse partition members disposed in spaced parallel relation to one another, and a plurality of longitudinal partition members spaced apart from one another and disposed in perpendicularly intersecting relation to said transverse partition members to form a plurality of compartments, said transverse and longitudinal partition members being rigidly secured to one another and to at least said tray sidewalle, said tray bottom being provided with openings disposed in regular columns and rows with an opening formed centrally of each compartment, and the upper edges of said partition members having notches with peaks adjacent the corners of the compartments shaped to define cam surfaces for camming vials toward the centre of each compartment during vial insertion, and the peaks of said partitions and the comers formed by the upper edges of the tray walls being co-planar with the upper edges of the tray walls* 2* A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein earn surfaces are formed an both the longitudinal and transverse partition members defining the walls of each compartment* 3* A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sidewalle of said tray diverge outwardly and upwardly, it* A tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least two opposed sldewalls of said tra are formed with tabs extending beyond the ends of said sidewalle* said tabs being rigidly secured to respective adjacent ones of the other opposed sldewalls. 3657€ 2 5· A "blank from which the tray claimed In claim 1 is formed in combination with blanks from which the partition members are formed, the central portion of the tray blank defining said tray bottom having a plurality of openings formed therein disposed in regular columns and rows* a pair of trapezoidally shaped transverse side portions formed at opposite ends of said central blank portion, and a pair of trapezoldally shaped longitudinal side portions formed at opposite sides of said central blank portion, at least one of said pairs of side portions having tab portions formed at the ends thereof and the partition blanks each having a plurality of regular shaped notches extending along one edge thereof. 6* A method of unloading sample vials from the tray claimed in any of claims 1 to 2* comprising moving a comb member having tines spaced apart equidistant to the spacing between openings disposed in any given row of openings in the tray bottom relative to the tray to force the vials disposed above the openings in the tray bottom outwardly relative to the compartmenta in the tray, and removing the vials from the tine tips* 7· A method of loading sample vials into the trey claimed in any of claims 1 to k including the steps of moving a canto member having tines spaced apart equidistant to the spacing between openings disposed in any given row of openings in the tray bottom relative to the tray to cause the upper tips of the tines to project through the tray bottom to points above the tray compartments, disposing a vial on at least one tine 36576/3 tip, and causing relative movement between the comb member and th¾gtray so as to draw the tine tips out through the tray bottom, thereby lowering those vials aligned with their respective compartments directly into such compartments, while simultaneously levering misaligned vials into engagement with said cam surfaces so as to cause said misaligned vials to be cammed downwardly and inwardly towards the centres of their associated compartments* 8· A method of transferring sample vials to and from a rectangular array of vials disposed in columns and rows, as claimed in claim 1 , said method comprising the steps of a) placing the vials in a tray having a plurality of transverse partition members disposed in spaced parallel relation to one another, a plurality of longitudinal partition members spaced apart and disposed in perpendicularly intersecting relation to the transverse partition members so as to form regular rows and columns of compartments for receiving the vials, the partition members being rigidly secured to intersecting partition members and to the tray structure so as to fix the location of each compartment within the tray structure, the top edges of said partitions forming camming surfaces adapted to cam a vial engaging said top edges toward the center of one of the compartments formed by said partitions, and a tray bottom forming holes disposed in regular columns and rows so that at least one hole is formed centrally in the bottom of each compartment, b) aligning said tray with a comb member having a plurality of tines being disposed generally below the tray bottom and spaced to align with the holes in the bottoms of at least one row of compartments in the tray, the gap between adjacent tines being less than the width of the vials, o) inserting the comb tines through the holes formed in the tray bottom, and elevating the comb to force the vials located above the holes out of the tray, d) removing the vials from the tine tips, e) and subsequently disposing vials on the tine tips while said comb is in its elevated position and withdrawing the tips from the tray through the holes in the tray bottom to lover those vials aligned with their respective compartments directly into such compartments, and simultaneously lowering misaligned vials into engagement with said camming surfaces on the tray partitions so as to cause said misaligned vials to be cammed downwardly and inwardly toward the. centers of their respective compartments. 9. A sample vial holding tray substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in the accompanying drawings. At orney for Applicants