WO2023087171A1

WO2023087171A1 - Swab accommodating member, and centrifuge tube comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2023087171A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/131151
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王锦弘
Original assignee: 王锦弘
Priority date: 2021-11-17
Filing date: 2021-11-17
Publication date: 2023-05-25

Abstract

A swab accommodating member (1), comprising a first opening (11) and a second opening (12). The first opening (11) and the second opening (12) are connected each other, and the position where the first opening (11) and the second opening (12) are connected comprises a narrow opening (13); and the swab accommodating member (1) has a first thickness in the z-axis direction. When a swab (200) is placed into the first opening (11) of the swab accommodating member (1) arranged in a centrifuge tube (100) and is centrifuged, the swab (200) enters the second opening (12) from the first opening (11) by means of the narrow opening (13).

Description

Accommodating component for sampling rod and centrifuge tube containing it

technical field

The present disclosure relates to a component for accommodating a sampling rod and a centrifuge tube containing it, in particular to a component capable of accommodating a sampling rod and avoiding the interference of the sampling rod when a sample is drawn, and a centrifuge tube containing the same Centrifuge tube.

Background technique

In clinical medicine, in order to understand the specific etiology of the subject, it is necessary to collect samples from the subject for analysis. There are various types of sampling, one of which is to sample specimens by means of sampling sticks. Depending on the type of specimen, different types of swabs will be used, such as oropharyngeal swab, also known as throat swab, Nasal Mid-Turbinate (NMT) swab , Nasal Swab, Nasopharyngeal Swab, Rectal swab, Conjunctival swab, Cervical swab, etc.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has had a major impact on global public health in recent years. . The key to effectively preventing the spread of the epidemic is to find out the source of infection and cut off the transmission route through isolation and treatment. Therefore, medical laboratories have a more urgent need to provide accurate and timely test reports. For the early diagnosis of asymptomatic patients, the US CDC recommends that upper respiratory specimens and nasopharyngeal sampling sticks are the first choice, or alternatives such as oropharyngeal sampling sticks, middle turbinate sampling sticks, and nasal cavity sampling sticks . It can be seen that the type of testing used for COVID-19 is mostly through the sampling stick. If the testing equipment related to the sampling stick can be improved to make the sampling more convenient, or the inspection steps after sampling can be simplified, the time for sampling and inspection can be shortened, and the inspection report can be obtained in a shorter time.

The sampling sticks currently available on the market generally include a sampling stick and a sample bottle. The sampling method is explained as follows by taking the nasal cavity sampling stick as an example. Insert the test stick into the nostril of the patient first, and rotate the test stick completely 360 degrees twice. Next, put the sampling stick against the nasal mucosa to ensure that the sampling stick can get cells and mucus at the same time. Finally, take out the sampling stick from the nasal cavity, break the sampling stick at the concave position, make the sampling part of the sampling stick enter the sample bottle, and discard the holding part of the sampling stick. Therefore, after the sampling is completed, the sample bottle to be transported to the testing place only includes the sampling part of the sampling stick, but does not include the holding part of the sampling stick. In the subsequent testing method, a step may be included in which the operator manually or the instrument automatically extracts the sample from the sample bottle. In this step, the sampling stick will occupy a certain space in the sample bottle, and the positions of each sampling stick in each sample bottle are different. This will result in that the sampling stick will become an obstacle for the operator or the instrument to extract samples spatially. Therefore, the time taken for this step is made longer. Even this step cannot be carried out smoothly, that is, the sample cannot be extracted or a sufficient amount of sample can be extracted, resulting in the interruption or failure of the experiment.

Accordingly, there is still an urgent need in the art to improve the existing detection components so that the sampling stick will not interfere with the operator or the instrument to obtain the sample from the sample bottle during the testing step. In this way, the inspection step is made smoother, and the time spent in the inspection step can be shortened.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a pick-up stick containing member, which includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is connected to the second opening, and the connecting part includes a narrow opening, And the sampling rod accommodating member has a first thickness in the z-axis direction; wherein when the sampling rod is placed in the first opening of the sampling rod accommodating member arranged in the centrifuge tube and centrifuged, the sampling rod Enter the second opening from the first opening through the narrow opening.

Preferably, the first thickness of the testing rod accommodating member is 10 to 60 mm.

Preferably, the testing rod accommodating member includes a plurality of second openings.

Preferably, the first opening of the testing rod accommodating member is larger than the second opening.

Preferably, the testing rod accommodating member further includes an accommodating groove extending from the testing rod accommodating member and having an accommodating space corresponding to the first opening and the second opening.

Preferably, the sampling rod accommodating member further extends from the sampling rod accommodating member, and has a first accommodating space corresponding to the first opening and a second accommodating space corresponding to the second opening the holding tank.

Preferably, the shape of the second accommodating space of the pick-up stick accommodating member corresponds to the pick-up part of the pick-up stick.

Preferably, the width of the narrow opening of the sampling rod accommodating member is 1 mm to 5 mm smaller than the diameter of the sampling rod.

Preferably, the narrow opening of the testing rod accommodating member allows the testing rod to pass through the first opening to the second opening in one direction.

Preferably, the testing rod containing member is made of soft material or elastic material.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a centrifuge tube for accommodating a sampling rod through centrifugation, which includes a sampling rod accommodating member, and the sampling rod accommodating member is integrally formed with the centrifuge tube.

Through the aforesaid accommodating member for the sampling rod of the present disclosure and the centrifuge tube containing the accommodating member for the sampling rod, after placing the sampling rod in the centrifuge tube, the sampling rod can be accommodated in the second opening simply by centrifugation , will not move in the centrifuge tube, which is convenient for subsequent sample extraction and experimentation.

Description of drawings

In the following detailed description, for the purpose of explaining the disclosure, numerous specific details are provided in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It may be evident, however, that one or more implementations may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are shown in schematic form in order to simplify the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a testing rod accommodating member according to a first embodiment of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a testing rod accommodating member according to an alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the testing rod accommodating member according to the first embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of the testing rod accommodating member before actual operation according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the pick-up stick being fixed to the second opening after the pick-up stick accommodating member is actually operated according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 shows another schematic diagram of the cotton swab-type testing stick being fixed to the second opening after the testing stick accommodating member is actually operated according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the bristle-type testing stick being fixed to the second opening after the practical operation of the testing stick accommodating member according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram before actual operation of the testing rod accommodating member according to an alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the pick-up stick being fixed to the second opening after the pick-up stick accommodating member is actually operated according to an alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 shows a top view of the testing rod accommodating member according to the second embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of a testing rod accommodating member according to the third embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

Embodiments are described in detail below with reference to related drawings. However, these embodiments can be implemented in different forms, but this is not the only form for implementing or using the specific embodiments disclosed in this application, so it should not be construed as a limitation to the above-mentioned embodiments. The description covers features of various embodiments and method steps and sequences for constructing and operating those embodiments. However, other embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equivalent functions and step sequences. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that this specification can be disclosed thoroughly and completely, so as to fully convey the spirit of the claimed disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like elements. In the following description, well-known functions or structures will not be described in detail, so as not to repeat unnecessary details in the embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms and terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control.

Where there is no conflict with the context, the singular nouns used in this specification include the plural forms of the nouns; and the plural nouns used also include the singular forms of the nouns. In addition, in this specification and the scope of the patent application, expressions such as "at least one" and "one or more" have the same meaning, and both of them mean that one, two, three or more are included.

Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to define the broader scope disclosed in this application are approximations, the relevant numerical values in the specific examples have been presented here as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently inherently contain standard deviations resulting from their individual testing methodology. As used herein, "about" generally means that the actual value is within plus or minus 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a particular value or range. Alternatively, the term "about" means that the actual value falls within an acceptable standard error of the mean, as considered by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Except for the examples, or unless otherwise expressly stated, it is understood that all ranges, quantities, numerical values and percentages used herein (for example, to describe the amount of material used, the length of time, temperature, operating conditions, quantitative ratios and other similar Those) are modified by "about". Therefore, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, the numerical parameters disclosed in this specification and the patent claims are approximate values and may be changed according to requirements. At least these numerical parameters should be understood as the value obtained by applying the normal rounding method to the indicated effective digits. Numerical ranges are expressed herein as being from one endpoint to the other or between two endpoints; unless otherwise stated, the numerical ranges stated herein are inclusive of the endpoints.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 together. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a testing rod accommodating member according to a first embodiment of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an accommodating member for a testing rod according to an alternative embodiment of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a top view of the testing rod accommodating member according to the first embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, according to the first embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the sampling rod accommodating member 1 can present a cylindrical shape, while according to the alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the sampling rod containing member 1 The component 1 may be in the shape of a flat circular sheet. There is no difference in the schematic view of the top view angle ( FIG. 3 ) between the first embodiment of the disclosure and the alternative embodiment of the pick-up rod storage member 1 , the difference between them is that the pick-up rod holder 1 is in the z-axis direction The first thickness of the first opening 11 and the size of the second opening 12 provided therein are only schematic diagrams and do not represent actual scales. The testing rod accommodating member 1 of the first embodiment and the alternative embodiment can have different implementation forms and effects due to the different sizes of the first opening 11 and the second opening 12 and the difference in the first thickness, which will be described in detail below .

The detection rod containing member 1 of the present disclosure is set in the centrifuge tube 100, so the shape of its outer edge can be circular corresponding to the centrifuge tube used, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, when the centrifuge tube used is not round When shaped, it may be of any suitable shape. The sampling rod accommodation member 1 includes a first opening 11 and a second opening 12, the first opening 11 and the second opening 12 run through the sampling rod accommodation member 1 in the z-axis direction, and the first opening 11 and the second opening 12 Between the openings 12 there are narrow openings 13 . When viewed from a top view, the first opening 11 can account for 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% of the area of the sampling rod accommodating member 1, or any area ratio that is convenient for taking samples. limited to this. In addition, the first opening 11 may have an approximately circular shape. Similarly, when viewed from a top view, the second opening 12 may account for 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, or 30% of the area of the testing rod accommodating member 1, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The size of the second opening 12 can be any area sufficient to accommodate the testing stick. In the first embodiment, the first thickness may be 10mm to 60mm, preferably 20mm to 40mm, and most preferably 25mm, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, any thickness of the sampling part that is sufficient to accommodate the sampling stick can be used Applicable to this disclosure.

Next, please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 together. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram before actual operation of the testing rod accommodating member 1 according to the first embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the pick-up stick being fixed to the second opening 12 after the pick-up stick accommodating member 1 is actually operated according to the first embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

When in use, the sampling rod accommodating member 1 will be placed in the centrifuge tube 100 to a predetermined height, and when the sampling rod 200 has completed the sampling of the sampling object, the sampling rod will be broken in the concave position to make the sampling The stick 200 and its sampling part enter the sample bottle, and the holding part of the sampling stick is discarded. The sampling stick 200 is located at the first opening 11 and will shake as the centrifuge tube 100 moves, as shown in FIG. 4 . At this time, in order to accommodate the testing stick 200 into the second opening 12 , the centrifuge tube 100 is placed vertically in a centrifuge (not shown), and the second opening 12 is placed facing the normal direction for centrifugation. When the centrifuge rotates, the sampling rod 200 will move outwards under the centrifugal force. At this time, the sampling rod 200 originally located in the first opening 11 will move to the direction of the second opening 12 and enter the second opening through the narrow opening 13. 12, and then become the state after centrifugation shown in Figure 5. At this time, the sampling stick 200 has been accommodated in the second opening 12 without interfering with subsequent sample extraction, which is convenient for users to use. In this embodiment, a centrifuge tube with a conical bottom is used, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a centrifuge tube with a round bottom or a flat bottom can be used. Moving to the centrifugal direction, no matter what the shape of the bottom is, the effect of making the sampling stick enter the second opening can be achieved.

Referring next to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , FIG. 6 is another schematic diagram of the sampling part 201 of the cotton swab-type sampling stick being fixed to the second opening 12 after the actual operation of the sampling stick accommodating member according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the inspection part 202 of the bristle-type inspection stick being fixed to the second opening 12 after the actual operation of the inspection stick accommodating member according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to specific embodiments of the present disclosure, the pick-up stick that is suitable for the pick-up stick accommodating member can be a cotton swab-type pick-up stick, or a bristle-type pick-up stick, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, any pick-up stick that can be accommodated The sampling sticks of the second opening 12 are applicable. Since the

sampling parts

201 and 202 of the sampling stick 200 are mostly made of soft or elastic materials such as cotton or soft bristles, so as to prevent the subject from being injured during the sampling, when the centrifuge tube 100 is placed in a centrifuge, the At the same time, the softness of the

sampling parts

201, 202 can make it easy to enter the second opening 12 from the first opening 11 through the narrow opening 13, and after entering the second opening 12, its elasticity will allow it to return to its original state, and the sampling The inspection rod 200 is supported inside the second opening 12 to achieve a fixed effect. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second opening 12 can be nearly circular. Since the cross-section of the sampling part of the sampling stick is mostly circular, setting the second opening 12 to correspond to the shape of the sampling part can make the sampling After the inspection rod enters the second opening 12, it is less likely to bounce back from the second opening 12 to the first opening 11 when the centrifugation stops or is subjected to other external forces, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the shape of the second opening 12 can be any and all The shape corresponding to the sampling part of the sampling stick. At this time, the width of the narrow mouth 13 is slightly smaller than the inspection part, such as 0.5mm, 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm smaller than the inspection part, preferably 3mm smaller than the inspection part, so that the inspection part will not After being accommodated in the second opening 12, it falls back to the first opening 11 . Accordingly, the testing rod accommodating member 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure can accommodate the testing rod 200 in the second opening 12 without affecting the extraction of subsequent samples or the progress of experiments in automated equipment.

Referring next to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram before actual operation of the testing rod accommodating member 1 according to an alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the pick-up stick 200 being fixed to the second opening 12 after the actual operation of the pick-up stick accommodating member 1 according to an alternative embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this alternative embodiment, the first thickness of the sampling rod accommodating member 1 is relatively small, and it mainly fixes the handle of the sampling rod 200 instead of the sampling part when fixing the sampling rod 200 . The operator also puts the testing stick 200 into the first opening 11 and shakes as the centrifuge tube 100 moves, as shown in FIG. 8 . At this time, in order to accommodate the sampling rod 200 into the second opening 12, the centrifuge tube 100 will be placed vertically in a centrifuge (not shown), and the second opening 12 will be placed in the normal direction for centrifugation, and then the sampling rod 200 will be centrifuged. The handle of the rod 200 enters the second opening 12 through the narrow opening 13 . In this alternative embodiment, when the pick-up stick 200 enters the second opening 12, because the width of the narrow opening 13 is slightly smaller than the pick-up stick 200, for example, it can be 0.5mm, 0.7mm, 1mm smaller than the pick-up stick, preferably 1 mm smaller than the sampling stick, so that the testing stick 200 will not fall back to the first opening 11 after being accommodated in the second opening 12 . Accordingly, the testing rod accommodating member 1 according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure can accommodate the testing rod 200 in the second opening 12 without affecting the extraction of subsequent samples or the progress of experiments in automated equipment.

Since the sampling rod accommodating member 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be made of soft or elastic materials, such as rubber, silica gel, PVC, PE and other suitable materials, it has a certain degree of softness or elasticity, and then When the centrifugal force generated when the tube is centrifuged is applied to the testing stick 200 , the testing stick 200 can be squeezed from the first opening 11 through the narrow opening 13 and accommodated in the second opening 12 . According to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, only the narrow opening 13 of the testing rod accommodating member 1 can be made of soft material or elastic material, and the rest can be made of a material with higher hardness, so as to improve the overall testing rod holding capacity. Set the strength of member 1. According to another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the narrow opening 13 can be a soft structure disposed toward the second opening 12, so that the sampling stick 200 can only pass through the narrow opening 13 in one direction in a valve-like manner, and cannot pass through the second opening 12. The opening 12 returns to the first opening 11 . At the same time, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any suitable structure can be used to achieve the unidirectional movement of the testing stick 200 from the first opening 11 to the second opening 12 .

Referring next to Fig. 10, Fig. 10 is a top view of the pick-up stick accommodating member 2 according to the second embodiment of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second embodiment, the testing rod accommodating member 2 includes a first opening 21 , four second openings 22 and four narrow openings 23 . But the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or a suitable number of second openings 22 may be provided. In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of second openings 22 of the testing rod accommodating member 2 may be a tooth-shaped structure extending from the edge to the first opening 21, and between the first opening 21 and the plurality of second openings 22 A plurality of narrow openings 23 are formed at the joints, and the narrow openings 23 can be formed in the same manner as the narrow opening 13, and the rest of the parts are the same as the first embodiment or the alternative embodiment, and will not be repeated here. In this way, since a plurality of second openings 22 are provided, the sampling stick 200 accommodated in the first opening 21 can be centrifuged toward the second opening 22 in any direction during centrifugation, and then be accommodated in the second opening 22, thereby allowing The step of aligning the second opening 22 with the normal direction is omitted, further saving the time required for the experiment.

Next, please refer to FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a testing rod accommodating member 3 according to a third embodiment of a specific embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 11 , according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure, the pick-up rod accommodating member 3, except for the first opening 31, the second opening 32 and In addition to the narrow opening 33 , the sampling rod accommodating member 3 further includes an accommodating groove 34 . The accommodating groove 34 extends from the sampling rod accommodating member 3 to form a hollow cylinder, and has an accommodating space corresponding to the first opening 31 and the second opening 32. The height of the accommodating groove 34 can correspond to the height of the sampling rod. The relative position of the sampling part and the bottom of the centrifuge tube is set, for example, it can be slightly longer, equal or shorter than the length of the sampling part. The height of the sampling rod accommodating member 3 can be controlled by setting the accommodating groove 34 so that it can be maintained at an appropriate position.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a centrifuge tube for accommodating a sampling stick through centrifugation. In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the detection rod accommodating member is integrated with the centrifuge tube, and can be directly combined with the centrifuge tube as in the first to fourth embodiments of the present disclosure in a suitable way that those skilled in the art can think of. The sampling rod accommodating member is formed in the centrifuge tube. In this way, the pollution that may be caused by arranging the accommodating component of the sampling rod in the centrifuge tube, or the problems that may occur due to improper control of the installation height and touch the liquid surface, etc. are reduced. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the centrifuge tube integrally formed with the pick-up rod accommodating member may be provided with an identifier corresponding to the position of the second opening, so that the user can easily close the second opening when centrifuging. Set towards normal to save time aligning tubes.

As mentioned above, the component for accommodating the testing rod or the centrifuge tube containing the component described in the present disclosure can reduce the time spent on testing, make the testing faster and more efficient, and can be compared with commercially available The inspection kit has to obtain the inspection report earlier.

The foregoing descriptions are illustrative only, not restrictive. Any equivalent modification or change made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope defined by the scope of the patent application.

【Symbol Description】

1, 2, 3: pick-up rod housing components

11, 21, 31: first opening

12, 22, 32: second opening

13, 23, 33: narrow mouth

34: storage tank

100: centrifuge tube

200: pick stick

201, 202: Purchasing and Inspection Department

Claims

A pick-up stick containing member, characterized in that it includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is connected to the second opening, and the connection part includes a narrow opening, and the pick-up stick holds The setting member has a first thickness in the z-axis direction;

Wherein when the pick-up rod is placed into the first opening of the pick-up stick accommodating member arranged in the centrifuge tube and centrifuged, the pick-up stick falls into the first opening after being placed in the centrifuge tube , after being centrifuged, enter the second opening from the first opening through the narrow opening.
The testing rod accommodating member according to claim 1, wherein the first thickness is 10 to 60 mm.
The testing rod accommodating member according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of second openings.
The testing rod accommodating member according to claim 1, wherein the first opening is larger than the second opening.
According to claim 4, the pick-up rod containing member is characterized in that it further comprises:

The accommodating groove extends from the accommodating member for the testing rod and has an accommodating space corresponding to the first opening and the second opening.
According to claim 4, the pick-up rod containing member is characterized in that it further comprises:

The accommodating groove extends from the testing rod accommodating member, and has a first accommodating space corresponding to the first opening and a second accommodating space corresponding to the second opening.
The inspection stick accommodating member according to claim 6, wherein the shape of the second accommodating space corresponds to the inspection part of the inspection stick.
The inspection rod accommodating member according to claim 1, wherein the width of the narrow opening is 1mm to 5mm smaller than the diameter of the inspection rod.
The pick-up stick accommodating member according to claim 1, wherein the narrow opening allows the pick-up stick to pass from the first opening to the second opening in one direction.
The pick-up stick accommodating member according to claim 1 is characterized in that it is made of soft material or elastic material.
A centrifuge tube for accommodating a sampling rod through centrifugation, characterized in that it includes the sampling rod accommodation member described in any one of claims 1 to 10, and the sampling rod accommodation member is in contact with The centrifuge tube is formed into one piece.