US20050133396A1 - Biological specimen collection container - Google Patents
Biological specimen collection container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050133396A1 US20050133396A1 US10/998,165 US99816504A US2005133396A1 US 20050133396 A1 US20050133396 A1 US 20050133396A1 US 99816504 A US99816504 A US 99816504A US 2005133396 A1 US2005133396 A1 US 2005133396A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- container
- indicator
- biological specimen
- cap
- wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- B01L3/00—Containers or dishes for laboratory use, e.g. laboratory glassware; Droppers
- B01L3/50—Containers for the purpose of retaining a material to be analysed, e.g. test tubes
- B01L3/508—Containers for the purpose of retaining a material to be analysed, e.g. test tubes rigid containers not provided for above
- B01L3/5082—Test tubes per se
- B01L3/50825—Closing or opening means, corks, bungs
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- B01L2200/00—Solutions for specific problems relating to chemical or physical laboratory apparatus
- B01L2200/06—Fluid handling related problems
- B01L2200/0689—Sealing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- B01L2300/00—Additional constructional details
- B01L2300/04—Closures and closing means
- B01L2300/041—Connecting closures to device or container
- B01L2300/042—Caps; Plugs
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a biological specimen collection container and in particular to a biological specimen collection container having an integral closure indicator to indicate when the container is properly sealed.
- Biological specimen containers serve to assure the integrity of the biological specimen being collected for testing as well as to protect the health care professional or handler from the possible pathogens in the container.
- the safe handling of biological specimens has become increasingly critical in view of the increase in both the number and severity of potential hazards associated with the handling of such specimens.
- the onset of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome arising from infection by the highly contagious HIV virus has resulted in increased awareness of the need for safe handling of biological specimens. This factor, along with such factors as potential infection from hepatitis virus and the increased awareness of the carcinogenic properties of substances in common medical use has created a demand for biological specimen containers that are of reasonable cost and readily sealed.
- Polypropylene has many of the required characteristics such as high resistance to leakage, chemical or biological infiltration, moderate cost, resilient yet substantially inert, stable at temperatures of normal use and relatively safely incinerated.
- polypropylene does have a tendency, when it is elastically deformed at pressure points such as the seal to gradually drawback from the pressure point thereby reducing the contact seal, resulting in increased susceptibility to leakage.
- the cap or lid of the container be securely and completely screwed down. If this is not done, then the cap or lid may release and allow leakage of the contents of the container.
- the present invention provides for a biological specimen collecting container for holding a biological specimen in a long-term sustained and sealed environment.
- the biological specimen collecting container comprises a container for holding the biological specimen and a sealing closure.
- the container is of circular section and has a generally vertical side wall, the side wall at the top being provided with a first thread on an exterior surface thereof.
- the sealing closure has a peripheral groove to receive the container rim, an outer wall of the closure being provided with a second thread complementary to the first thread on the container for engagement therewith.
- the exterior of the outer wall of the sealing closure is provided with an integral indicator.
- the exterior wall of the container below the first thread is provided with an integral indicator in a position such that when the indicator of the closure lines up with the indicator on the container, the cap is secure and the container is closed and sealed.
- the integral sealing indicator is selected from a solid arrow shape, a triangle, square, rectangle and a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars or other shape which serves as an indicator on the vial portion of the container.
- the indicator on the cap may be a bar, an arrow or other shape to indicate the position of the cap relative to the container.
- the integral indicator on the exterior wall of the container is a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars spaced along the outer wall, the bars increasing in length in the direction of closure of the cap.
- the cap is provided with two integral indicator bars 180° apart on the exterior of the cap
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a biological collection container in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 in the process of being closed;
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 in a closed configuration
- FIG. 4 is a a perspective view of a second embodiment of a biological collection container in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a side view of the container of FIG. 4 in a closed configuration.
- a preferred embodiment of the biological specimen collection container of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures.
- a container 10 is provided for holding a biological sample, the container 10 being closed and sealed by a sealing closure cap 12 as illustrated in the drawings.
- the container 10 and closure cap 12 are engaged and held in engaged relationship by the use of complementary threads comprising a first thread 14 provided on the exterior of the container 10 and a second thread 16 provided on the interior of the outer wall of the cap 12 .
- the container 10 is circular in section having a vertical side wall 18 , a bottom 20 and an open mouth 22 defined by a rim 24 .
- the side wall 18 below the rim is provided with a first thread 14 and below the thread 14 is provided an integral sealing indicator 26 , the function of which will be explained further below.
- the integral sealing indicator 26 is provided as a plurality of individual vertically oriented raised lines on the exterior wall which increase in length in the direction of closure of the closure cap 12 .
- Closure cap 12 has a peripheral groove 28 to receive the container rim 24 , the groove 28 being defined by an outer wall 30 , inner wall 32 and a top 34 .
- the interior of the outer wall 30 is provided with a second thread 34 , complementary to the first thread 14 on the exterior of the container 10 .
- the closure cap 12 also has a crown portion 36 and a connection portion 38 extending between the crown portion 36 and the inner wall 32 of the groove 28 .
- the exterior of the outer wall 30 is provided with an integral sealing indicator 40 , the function of which will also be explained below. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, closure cap 12 is provided with two integral sealing indicators 40 located 180° apart on the exterior of the outer wall 30 .
- the closure cap 12 When one wishes to close and seal the biological specimen container of the present invention, the closure cap 12 is placed on the top of the container 10 and turned in a clockwise direction to allow the complementary threads 14 and 34 to engage one another and thereby seal the container.
- the indication of cap closure is evident by the position of the indicator 40 on the closure cap 12 relative to the indicator 26 on the container 10 .
- the indicator 40 of the closure cap 12 When the indicator 40 of the closure cap 12 is positioned over any portion of the indicator 26 of the container 10 , the closure cap 12 is secure and the container 10 is closed.
- the indicator 26 on the container 10 as a plurality of individual bars increasing in length the positive engagement of the cap to the container of at least 95 kPa may be indicated.
- the sealing is 95 kPa compliant.
- the indicator profiles are machined into the steel molds thus the locations of the indicator profiles on the plastic vials and caps are located precisely.
- the integral indicators 26 and 40 of the present invention are easily formed during the molding of the container 10 and closure cap 12 respectively.
- the closure indicators are integral to the cap or container, there is no risk of the indicators becoming dissociated from the container and thus as they are always associated with the container, the user of the container always knows if the container is properly sealed.
- the required position of the indicators is easily determined. One does not have to first securely seal the container and then attach an external closure indicator as in the prior art. This separate step is susceptible to error if the container has not been properly closed prior to attachment of the external closure indicator.
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Hematology (AREA)
- Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)
- Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention provides for a biological specimen collecting container for holding a biological specimen in a long-term sustained and sealed environment. The biological specimen collecting container comprises a container for holding the biological specimen and a sealing closure cap. The container is of circular section and has a generally vertical side wall, the side wall at the top being provided with a first thread on an exterior surface thereof. The sealing closure cap has a peripheral groove to receive the container rim, an outer wall of the closure cap being provided with a second thread complementary to the first thread on the container for engagement therewith. The exterior of the outer wall of the sealing closure cap is provided with an integral indicator. The exterior wall of the container below the first thread is provided with an integral indicator in a position such that when the indicator of the closure cap lines up with the indicator on the container, the cap is secure and the container is closed.
Description
- The present invention relates to a biological specimen collection container and in particular to a biological specimen collection container having an integral closure indicator to indicate when the container is properly sealed.
- Biological specimen containers serve to assure the integrity of the biological specimen being collected for testing as well as to protect the health care professional or handler from the possible pathogens in the container. The safe handling of biological specimens has become increasingly critical in view of the increase in both the number and severity of potential hazards associated with the handling of such specimens. The onset of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome arising from infection by the highly contagious HIV virus has resulted in increased awareness of the need for safe handling of biological specimens. This factor, along with such factors as potential infection from hepatitis virus and the increased awareness of the carcinogenic properties of substances in common medical use has created a demand for biological specimen containers that are of reasonable cost and readily sealed.
- There are at present many plastic biological specimen containers in use, particularly those manufactured of polypropylene. Polypropylene has many of the required characteristics such as high resistance to leakage, chemical or biological infiltration, moderate cost, resilient yet substantially inert, stable at temperatures of normal use and relatively safely incinerated. However, polypropylene does have a tendency, when it is elastically deformed at pressure points such as the seal to gradually drawback from the pressure point thereby reducing the contact seal, resulting in increased susceptibility to leakage. In order to provide for this proper seal it is necessary that the cap or lid of the container be securely and completely screwed down. If this is not done, then the cap or lid may release and allow leakage of the contents of the container.
- There have in the past been some proposals for ways to indicate that the lid is completely sealed. One example of such a system is shown in United States patent number which describes a paper label placed on the lid and container for indicating when the container is properly sealed. However this system has a drawback in that should the label be removed from the lid or container the indication of proper sealing is no longer present
- There thus remains a need for a simple way of indicating that a biological specimen container has been properly sealed.
- The present invention provides for a biological specimen collecting container for holding a biological specimen in a long-term sustained and sealed environment. The biological specimen collecting container comprises a container for holding the biological specimen and a sealing closure. The container is of circular section and has a generally vertical side wall, the side wall at the top being provided with a first thread on an exterior surface thereof. The sealing closure has a peripheral groove to receive the container rim, an outer wall of the closure being provided with a second thread complementary to the first thread on the container for engagement therewith. The exterior of the outer wall of the sealing closure is provided with an integral indicator. The exterior wall of the container below the first thread is provided with an integral indicator in a position such that when the indicator of the closure lines up with the indicator on the container, the cap is secure and the container is closed and sealed.
- In an aspect of the invention, the integral sealing indicator is selected from a solid arrow shape, a triangle, square, rectangle and a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars or other shape which serves as an indicator on the vial portion of the container. The indicator on the cap may be a bar, an arrow or other shape to indicate the position of the cap relative to the container.
- In another aspect of the invention the integral indicator on the exterior wall of the container is a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars spaced along the outer wall, the bars increasing in length in the direction of closure of the cap.
- In another aspect of the invention the cap is provided with two integral indicator bars 180° apart on the exterior of the cap
- A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the attached drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a biological collection container in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a side view of the container ofFIG. 1 in the process of being closed; -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the container ofFIG. 1 in a closed configuration; -
FIG. 4 is a a perspective view of a second embodiment of a biological collection container in accordance with the present invention; and -
FIG. 5 is a side view of the container ofFIG. 4 in a closed configuration. - A preferred embodiment of the biological specimen collection container of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures. A
container 10 is provided for holding a biological sample, thecontainer 10 being closed and sealed by asealing closure cap 12 as illustrated in the drawings. Thecontainer 10 andclosure cap 12 are engaged and held in engaged relationship by the use of complementary threads comprising a first thread 14 provided on the exterior of thecontainer 10 and a second thread 16 provided on the interior of the outer wall of thecap 12. - The
container 10 is circular in section having avertical side wall 18, abottom 20 and an open mouth 22 defined by a rim 24. Theside wall 18 below the rim is provided with a first thread 14 and below the thread 14 is provided anintegral sealing indicator 26, the function of which will be explained further below. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, theintegral sealing indicator 26 is provided as a plurality of individual vertically oriented raised lines on the exterior wall which increase in length in the direction of closure of theclosure cap 12. - Closure
cap 12 has aperipheral groove 28 to receive the container rim 24, thegroove 28 being defined by anouter wall 30,inner wall 32 and atop 34. The interior of theouter wall 30 is provided with asecond thread 34, complementary to the first thread 14 on the exterior of thecontainer 10. Theclosure cap 12 also has acrown portion 36 and aconnection portion 38 extending between thecrown portion 36 and theinner wall 32 of thegroove 28. The exterior of theouter wall 30 is provided with anintegral sealing indicator 40, the function of which will also be explained below. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures,closure cap 12 is provided with twointegral sealing indicators 40 located 180° apart on the exterior of theouter wall 30. - When one wishes to close and seal the biological specimen container of the present invention, the
closure cap 12 is placed on the top of thecontainer 10 and turned in a clockwise direction to allow thecomplementary threads 14 and 34 to engage one another and thereby seal the container. The indication of cap closure is evident by the position of theindicator 40 on theclosure cap 12 relative to theindicator 26 on thecontainer 10. When theindicator 40 of theclosure cap 12 is positioned over any portion of theindicator 26 of thecontainer 10, theclosure cap 12 is secure and thecontainer 10 is closed. By providing theindicator 26 on thecontainer 10 as a plurality of individual bars increasing in length the positive engagement of the cap to the container of at least 95 kPa may be indicated. When theindicator 40 on the closure cap is 12 turned completely to the left of theindicator 26 on thecontainer 10, the sealing is 95 kPa compliant. - Several indicator positions, such a one to four or more, however for clarity one or two position points are preferred. As a product label may obscure on of the indicators a minimum of two indicators is preferred.
- The indicator profiles are machined into the steel molds thus the locations of the indicator profiles on the plastic vials and caps are located precisely.
- The
integral indicators container 10 andclosure cap 12 respectively. As the closure indicators are integral to the cap or container, there is no risk of the indicators becoming dissociated from the container and thus as they are always associated with the container, the user of the container always knows if the container is properly sealed. In addition, as the closure indicators are formed during the molding operation, the required position of the indicators is easily determined. One does not have to first securely seal the container and then attach an external closure indicator as in the prior art. This separate step is susceptible to error if the container has not been properly closed prior to attachment of the external closure indicator. - Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention of the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (5)
1. A biological specimen collecting container for holding a biological specimen in a long-term sustained and sealed environment, the biological specimen collecting container comprises a container for holding the biological specimen and a sealing closure cap, the container being of circular section and having a generally vertical side wall, the side wall at the top being provided with a first thread on an exterior surface thereof, the sealing closure cap having a peripheral groove to receive the container rim, an outer wall of the sealing closure cap being provided with a second thread complementary to the first thread on the container for engagement therewith, the exterior of the outer wall of the sealing closure cap being provided with an integral sealing indicator, the exterior wall of the container below the first thread being provided with an integral sealing indicator in a position such that when the indicator of the sealing closure cap lines up with the indicator on the container, the sealing closure cap is secure and the container is closed.
2. A biological specimen collecting container according to claim 1 wherein the integral sealing indicator is selected from a solid arrow shape, a triangle, square, rectangle and a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars or other shape which serves as an indicator on the vial portion of the container.
3. A biological specimen collecting container according to claim 2 wherein the indicator on the cap is selected from a bar, an arrow or other shape to indicate the position of the cap relative to the container.
4. A biological specimen collecting container according to claim 3 wherein the integral indicator on the exterior wall of the container is a plurality of vertically extending raised indicator bars spaced along the outer wall, the bars increasing in length in the direction of closure of the cap.
5. A biological specimen collecting container according to claim 4 wherein the cap is provided with two indicators 180° apart on the exterior of the cap.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA002451270A CA2451270C (en) | 2003-11-27 | 2003-11-27 | Biological specimen collection container |
CA2,451,270 | 2003-11-27 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20050133396A1 true US20050133396A1 (en) | 2005-06-23 |
Family
ID=34596846
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/998,165 Abandoned US20050133396A1 (en) | 2003-11-27 | 2004-11-29 | Biological specimen collection container |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20050133396A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2451270C (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011060623A1 (en) * | 2009-11-23 | 2011-05-26 | Alere Switzerland Gmbh | Device for detecting analyte in sample |
US20130068649A1 (en) * | 2011-08-18 | 2013-03-21 | Jianfeng Chen | Position indicator on liquid sample container |
WO2015120313A1 (en) * | 2014-02-06 | 2015-08-13 | Preservino | Reusable closure |
CN116002214A (en) * | 2022-11-29 | 2023-04-25 | 首都医科大学附属北京安贞医院 | Sample collection container with cover closing limit indication |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3185333A (en) * | 1963-12-19 | 1965-05-25 | Sharp David Harold | Safety cap and closure |
US3860148A (en) * | 1973-04-06 | 1975-01-14 | Sage Products Inc | Liquid container |
US4666273A (en) * | 1983-10-05 | 1987-05-19 | Nippon Kogaku K. K. | Automatic magnification correcting system in a projection optical apparatus |
US5048711A (en) * | 1990-06-28 | 1991-09-17 | Sage Products, Inc. | Label indicator for screw thread closure and method of use |
US5145080A (en) * | 1991-04-26 | 1992-09-08 | Seaquist Closures | Positive orientation system for a threaded closure and container |
US6109466A (en) * | 1997-03-15 | 2000-08-29 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Leak free, interference bead closure assembly |
US6235010B1 (en) * | 1999-08-06 | 2001-05-22 | Becton Dickinson And Company | Closed system specimen collection container |
-
2003
- 2003-11-27 CA CA002451270A patent/CA2451270C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2004
- 2004-11-29 US US10/998,165 patent/US20050133396A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3185333A (en) * | 1963-12-19 | 1965-05-25 | Sharp David Harold | Safety cap and closure |
US3860148A (en) * | 1973-04-06 | 1975-01-14 | Sage Products Inc | Liquid container |
US4666273A (en) * | 1983-10-05 | 1987-05-19 | Nippon Kogaku K. K. | Automatic magnification correcting system in a projection optical apparatus |
US5048711A (en) * | 1990-06-28 | 1991-09-17 | Sage Products, Inc. | Label indicator for screw thread closure and method of use |
US5145080A (en) * | 1991-04-26 | 1992-09-08 | Seaquist Closures | Positive orientation system for a threaded closure and container |
US6109466A (en) * | 1997-03-15 | 2000-08-29 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Leak free, interference bead closure assembly |
US6235010B1 (en) * | 1999-08-06 | 2001-05-22 | Becton Dickinson And Company | Closed system specimen collection container |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011060623A1 (en) * | 2009-11-23 | 2011-05-26 | Alere Switzerland Gmbh | Device for detecting analyte in sample |
US11992843B2 (en) | 2009-11-23 | 2024-05-28 | Abbott Rapid Diagnostics International Unlimited Company | Device for detecting analyte in sample |
US20130068649A1 (en) * | 2011-08-18 | 2013-03-21 | Jianfeng Chen | Position indicator on liquid sample container |
US10526118B2 (en) * | 2011-08-18 | 2020-01-07 | Amedica Biotech, Inc. | Position indicator on liquid sample container |
US11180298B2 (en) | 2011-08-18 | 2021-11-23 | Amedica Biotech, Inc. | Position indicator on liquid sample container |
WO2015120313A1 (en) * | 2014-02-06 | 2015-08-13 | Preservino | Reusable closure |
US11001424B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2021-05-11 | Zero Oxygen Solutions, Inc. | Reusable closure |
CN116002214A (en) * | 2022-11-29 | 2023-04-25 | 首都医科大学附属北京安贞医院 | Sample collection container with cover closing limit indication |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2451270A1 (en) | 2005-05-27 |
CA2451270C (en) | 2007-09-11 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |