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
  • B01L3/02—Burettes; Pipettes
  • B01L3/0275—Interchangeable or disposable dispensing tips
  • B01L3/0279—Interchangeable or disposable dispensing tips co-operating with positive ejection means
• • 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
  • B01L2200/08—Ergonomic or safety aspects of handling devices
  • B01L2200/087—Ergonomic aspects
• • 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
  • B01L3/02—Burettes; Pipettes
  • B01L3/021—Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids
  • B01L3/0217—Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids of the plunger pump type

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of sampling pipettes, also called laboratory pipettes or liquid transfer pipettes, intended for sampling and dispensing liquid in containers or the like.
• the invention relates to any type of pipette, mechanical, electronic or hybrid, of the single-channel or multichannel type.
• Pipettes more preferably concerned by the present invention are mechanical pipettes with manual actuation. These pipettes are intended to be held in hand by an operator during the operations of sampling and dispensing liquid. These operations are performed by the setting in motion of a control button obtained by the application of an actuating pressure on the same button, via the thumb of the operator.
• the invention may also concern hybrid pipettes, or else the so-called electronic pipettes in which the movement of the piston is generated by a motor receiving an instruction from the operator, following a pressure exerted on a control button.
• One of the functions provided by the pipettes is the ejection of the sampling cones. This ejection is usually triggered by the operator who presses, with his thumb, an eject button located at the top of the pipette, near the control button.
• the downward movement of the ejection button carries with it the entire ejection system, which, at its lower end, presses the periphery of a cone fitted on the pipette tip to cause its ejection .
• This ejection requires to overcome the frictional forces between the cone and its tip. From this fact, the operator may have to deploy a significant effort on the eject button to unmount the sampling cone.
• the invention relates to a cone ejection system for sampling pipette, the system comprising:
• a cone ejection button to be moved in translation by the thumb of an operator
• the system further comprises a lever for controlling the ejection device, the control lever comprising:
• the invention thus provides a simple, efficient and inexpensive response, improving the ergonomics of ejection of the sampling cones.
• the ejection force to exert on the button is advantageously lower than that required with the solutions of the prior art. Therefore, this specificity of reduction of the ejection force, via the control lever, provides a comfort of use for the operator.
• the solution proposed by the invention has the advantage of maintaining a linear movement of movement of the control button, which contributes to the overall improvement of the ergonomics associated with the function of ejection cones. This type of linear displacement also guarantees the strength of the pipette, since the risks of breakage or damage of the ejection button are extremely low.
• the invention furthermore exhibits at least one of the following optional features, singly or in combination.
• the ejection system is designed as follows:
• the eject button is supported on the second end of the control lever
• the intermediate actuating portion of the control lever is supported on the cone ejection device.
• control lever is thus articulated at its first end, and pressing the ejection button and the ejection device. Therefore, during an operation of ejection of a cone, the lever pivots while simple supports are observed at its contacts with the button and the ejection device.
• Another design could for example consist of providing a pivot connection between the second end of the control lever and the ejection button.
• the first end of the lever could then be mounted slidably and pivotally in a rail of the pipette piece intended to cooperate with this lever.
• the intermediate portion could be hinged to the cone ejection device, and both ends of the lever simply resting on the pipette piece and the ejection button.
• connection between the intermediate actuating portion of the control lever, and the cone ejection device is a spherical-plane point connection.
• This type of connection makes it possible to limit friction as much as possible during pivoting of the control lever. The wear of the parts concerned is advantageously reduced.
• this type of connection makes it possible to transmit to the ejection device an axially oriented force, offering a high efficiency.
• the ejection device has a high portion biased by the elastic return means and intended to be housed in a fixed body forming a handle of the pipette, and a lower portion secured to the upper portion and defining an ejection end of cone.
• the ejection device is intended to be movable in translation relative to the fixed body of the pipette.
• the invention also relates to a sampling pipette comprising such a cone ejection system.
• the part on which is mounted the first end of the control lever is secured to the fixed body forming the handle of the pipette, or made in one piece with this fixed body.
• the part on which is mounted the first end of the control lever is centered on a longitudinal central axis of the pipette, and traversed by a control rod of the pipette.
• a pivot axis of the first end of the control lever intercepts a central longitudinal axis of the pipette, preferably substantially orthogonally.
• the pipette has an end stop for the ejection button, said stop being secured to the fixed body forming the handle of the pipette, or made in one piece with this fixed body.
• This stop is preferably made of elastomeric material.
• the eject button protrudes upwardly from the fixed body forming the handle of the pipette.
• the ejection button is movable in translation relative to the fixed body forming the handle of the pipette, preferably parallel to a longitudinal central axis of the pipette.
• the pipette is preferably a mechanical pipette, but it could be an electronic or hybrid pipette with such a manual cone ejection system.
• FIG. 1 shows a side view of a sampling pipette according to the invention, with its cone ejection system in an inactive state of rest;
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to the previous one, with the cone ejection system in an ejection state;
• FIG. 3 represents a more detailed view of the cone ejection system, with its button in an inactive rest position
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to the previous one, with the button in a position of ejection of the cone;
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view of that of Figure 4, showing more particularly the limit stop associated with the eject button.
• a mechanical sampling pipette 1 comprising a cone ejection system 2 according to the invention.
• the pipette 1 has a manually operated design, that is to say, it is intended to be held by the hand of an operator, who, with the help of his thumb 4, is able to operate the pipette to generate the dispensing of a liquid that has previously been sucked.
• the pipette 1 comprises in the upper part a fixed body forming a handle 6 of the pipette, the handle of which opens a control rod 10.
• the pipette has a button pipetting control 12 whose upper part is intended to undergo the pressure of the thumb 4 of the operator.
• the pipette 1 comprises a removable lower part 14, which ends downwards by a cone holder 16 receiving a consumable 18, also called sampling cone.
• the cone ejection system 2 comprises an ejection device 24, a lower portion 20 protruding from the handle 6 defines a cone ejection end 22, surrounding the tip 16. This ejection end 22 is located opposite the upper end of the cone 18, so as to cause its reliabilityemmanchement by pressing on its periphery.
• the ejection device 24, of which only the lower portion 20 is visible in FIG. 1, is mounted mobile in translation relative to the handle 6 and to the lower part 14, both forming the fixed part 23 of the pipette. It is a translation in a direction parallel to a longitudinal central axis 8 of the pipette, in which the control rod 10 is also movable in translation within the pipette.
• the control rod 10 is moreover centered on this axis 8.
• the ejection system 2 further comprises a cone ejection button 25, also controlled by the thumb 4 of the operator.
• the ejection button 25 is arranged projecting upwardly at the upper end of the handle 6, being offset laterally and axially from the control knob 12.
• the ejection button 25 is mounted to move in translation relative to the handle 6, also parallel to the direction of the longitudinal central axis 8 of the pipette.
• this button when the ejection button 25 is actuated downwards by the thumb of the operator as shown schematically in FIG. 2, this button causes the ejection device 24 to descend, in a manner specific to the invention which will be described below.
• the setting in motion of the lower portion 20 of the device 24 causes a translation of its ejection end 22 along the tip 16, with the consequence of the support on the cone 18 which then quickly demagnetizes this tip.
• it is noted that in the embodiment described and shown in the figures, it is a single-channel pipette carrying a single consumable 18. However, it could be a multichannel pipette carrying several cones, without departing from the scope of the invention.
• Figure 3 shows the system in an idle rest state
• Figure 4 shows the same system in an idle state. ejection of the cone, following an action of the operator on the ejection button 25.
• the ejection button 25 is movably mounted on a guide rail 42 of a fixed assembly 44, integrally formed with the handle 6, or secured to this handle being fixedly mounted. on this one.
• the ejection device 24 also comprises an upper portion 21 which is housed in the handle 6.
• the lower end of the upper portion has a plate 30 on which support elastic return means, in the form of compression spring 32.
• the other end of the spring presses a fixed part 34 of the pipette arranged near the junction between the handle and the lower part 14, so as to recall the entire device 24 in the high position.
• the low and high portions 20, 21 of the device 24 are integral with one another, and connected by a rod 36 visible in FIG. 4, which passes through the fixed part 34.
• a force-reducing element within the ejection system 2 namely a control lever 40.
• This lever 40 is interposed between the ejection button 25, and the upper portion 21 of the device 24 that it controls. It comprises firstly a first end 40a articulated on a fixed part 46 of the assembly 44 above.
• This fixed piece 46 is centered on the longitudinal central axis 8, and takes the form of a sleeve traversed by the control rod 10.
• the pivot axis 48 of the first end 40a orthogonally intercepts the longitudinal central axis 8, and it is offset downward with respect to the ejection button 25, when it is in its idle rest position of FIG.
• the first end 40a may be formed of a single articulated branch, or take the form of a clevis whose two ears would each be articulated along the same axis 48 on the fixed part 46. In the latter case, the two ears clevis would be arranged on either side of the fixed part 46, received between these two ears.
• the lever 40 has, opposite the first end 40a, a second end 40b on which the lower end of the ejection button 25 is supported. It may be a connection of the sphere-plane or cylinder-plane type, in order to limit the sliding and the resulting wear during the pivoting of the lever 40.
• the lever 40 also comprises an intermediate actuating portion 40c, arranged between the two ends 40a, 40b, preferably being substantially centered relative thereto.
• This intermediate portion 40c is provided to actuate in translation the upper portion 21 of the device 24, by pressing on the upper end of this portion 21.
• a spherical-plane point link 50 is provided between this intermediate portion 40c and the upper portion 21, for example by providing a truncated sphere 52 within the portion 40c of the control lever.
• this type of connection makes it possible to transmit to the upper portion 21 an ejection force that is always oriented axially, offering a great efficiency.
• the truncated sphere can be made on the upper end of the upper portion 21 of the ejection device 24.
• the second end 40b When the system 2 is in its idle rest state of Figure 3, the second end 40b is higher than the first end 40a. As button 25 is pulled down, the second end 40b on which it presses is moved downward, and causes lever 40 to rotate about pivot axis 48. During this rotation during which the lever 40 passes through a median position in which it is oriented substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal central axis 8, the intermediate portion 40c bears on the upper portion 21 and drives the entire ejection device 24 downwards . This rotation of the lever 40 continues until the system 2 adopts its ejection state of Figure 4, wherein the second end 40b is lower than the first end 40a.
• This ejection position is not marked by an end stop associated with the lever, but by an end stop of the ejection button 25, S64527AP 9
• the stop here takes the form of one or more seals 60 of elastomeric material, shown in Figure 5. These seals 60 are carried by the guide rail 42, to an upper end thereof, to be contacted by an upper end 62 of the button forming the pressure zone for the operator. Thus, at the end of the ejection operation, the operator pressing with his thumb on the pressure zone 62 is stopped in his movement by the abutment of this same zone 62 on the elastomeric material seals 60.
• the stroke of the ejection button 25 between its two extreme positions is for example of the order of 10 to 20 mm, while the incident stroke of the ejection device 25 is of the order of half that of the button. 25.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Devices For Use In Laboratory Experiments (AREA)
• Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (3)

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• 2018
  • 2018-05-07 FR FR1853943A patent/FR3080783B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2019
  • 2019-05-03 CN CN201980005749.6A patent/CN111356531B/zh active Active
  • 2019-05-03 JP JP2020560992A patent/JP7261819B2/ja active Active
  • 2019-05-03 EP EP19728494.6A patent/EP3749454B1/fr active Active
  • 2019-05-03 KR KR1020207031659A patent/KR20210006351A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2019-05-03 US US17/052,324 patent/US11845076B2/en active Active
  • 2019-05-03 ES ES19728494T patent/ES2905730T3/es active Active
  • 2019-05-03 PL PL19728494T patent/PL3749454T3/pl unknown
  • 2019-05-03 CA CA3098923A patent/CA3098923A1/en active Pending
  • 2019-05-03 WO PCT/FR2019/051023 patent/WO2019215405A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

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