WO1995008392B1

WO1995008392B1 - Refill pack for pipette tip racks

Info

Publication number: WO1995008392B1
Application number: PCT/US1994/010887
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1994-09-21
Publication date: 1995-04-13

Abstract

A refill pack (35) of light weight low mass material containing an array of replacement pipette tips (24) for a reusable tip rack (12). The refill pack (35) comprises a support plate (22) with an array of holes (28) containing pipette tips (24) arranged in an organized manner. Preferably the refill pack includes a skirt-like guide (27) for centering and guiding the support plate (22) onto the tip rack (12) with distal end portions (30) of the pipette tips (24) aligned with and vertically entering corresponding holes in an organizing tray (21) in the tip rack (12).

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS[received by the International Bureau on 13 March 1995 (13.03.95); original claim 1 amended; remaining claims unchanged (2 pages)]

1. A refill pack (10) for an empty pipette tip rack (12), the refill pack comprising a horizontally extending support (26) including an array of holes (28) for receiving and orgainzing an array (32) of pipette tips (24) with proximal end portions (34) above the support and with distal end portions (30) below the support to extend into a matching array of holes (23) in a rigid horizontally extending organizing tray (21) of the rack (12), and hand-holdable positioning means (35) releasably connected to the support (26) to move the support over and to dispense the array of pipette tips into the array of holes in the organizing tray to reload the empty tip rack, the improvement comprising: the positioning means (35) formed of a light weight, low mass material and including vertically extending sides (40) terminating in an open bottom (50) receiving and extending below the support (26) and the array of pipette tips (24) for centering the array over the empty pipette tip rack (12) with the distal end portions (34) of the pipette tips -vertically positioned in and through the array of holes (23) in the organizing tray (21); and releasable means (42) for (i) releasably securing the array of pipette tips (24) within the positioning means (35) and (ii) actuation by a user to release the array of pipette tips from the positioning means downward through the open bottom (50) into the holes in the organizing tray of the empty

NDEDSHEET ARTICLE1 67 O 95/08392 PCT7US94/10887

pipette tip rack.

2. The refill pack of claim 1 wherein the positioning means includes guide means including the open bottom for guiding the array of pipette tips into the empty tip rack.

3. The refill pack of claim 1 or claim 2 further including a horizontally extending support structure carried by the positioning means and having an array of holes therethrough for receiving distal end portions of pipette tips to vertically support and horizontally organize an array of pipette tips.

4. The refill pack of claim 3 wherein the positioning means includes a tubular support portion receiving and horizontally supporting the support structure with the distal end portions of the array of pipette tips extending through the holes in the support structure.

5. The refill pack of claim 4 wherein the positioning means further includes hand-gripable lower sidewall members extending vertically downward from the tubular support portion beyond the distal end portions of the pipette tips to form a guide having an open bottom below the distal end portions of the pipette tips and dimensioned to closely receive a top of the empty pipette tip rack with the sidewall members of the guide sliding downwardly along the side support members of the rack to guide the refill pack onto the empty pipette tip rack with the distal end portions of the pipette tips aligned vertically over and extending vertically into the holes in the

STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19

Responsive to the 12 January 1995 International Search Report and accompanying this Statement are substitute pages 48 and 49. Pages 48 and 49 contain new claim 1 replacing original claim 1 which is hereby canceled.

New claim 1 (and dependent claims 2-4, 11 and 12), defines over US,A 5,324,482, by inclusion of an improved positioning means (35) in combination with releasable means (42). The improved positioning means includes structure not found in or obvious from US,A 5,324,482, namely vertically extending sides terminating in an open bottom receiving and extending below a support for an array of pipette tips for centering the array over an empty pipette tip rack. The releasable means comprises a structure which is not taught or rendered obvious by US,A 5,324,482 and which performs two important functions in combination with the improved positioning means. First, it releasably secures the array of pipette tips within the positioning means. Second, upon actuation by a user, it

releases the array of pipette tips through the open bottom of the positioning means into the holes in an organizing tray of an empty pipette tip rack of the refill the rack.

Claims 5-10, 13 and 14 depend from new claim 1. The previously described novel combination is not taught or rendered obvious by US,A 4,349,109 alone. Moreover, US,A 4,349,109 does not overcome any of the shortcomings of US,A 5,324,482 as discussed above.

Claims 15 and 31-37 also depend from new claim 1. The previously described novel combination is not taught or rendered obvious by US,A 4,963,493 alone. Moreover, the shortcomings of US,A 5,324,482 as discussed above are not overcome by a combination with US,A 4,963,493 alone or with US,A 4,349,109.