Containers and methods for the automated handling of a liquid

• US 20070017927A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: D'Amore, Alessandro, Mueller, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 7,931,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/752
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50825 Closing or opening means, corks, bungs closures for containers B65D; means for removing stoppers B67B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 with covers or lids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50855 using modular assemblies of strips or of individual wells
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1676 using a soft material and a rigid material, e.g. making articles with a sealing part
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/712 Containers; Packaging elements or accessories, Packages closures therefor B29L2031/56; ink or toner cartridges B29L2031/7678; squeeze tubes B29L2023/20; suitcases B29L2031/7418
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0405 manipulating closing or opening means, e.g. stoppers, screw caps, lids or covers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the automated handling of a fluid biological sample in an analytical instrument. This method comprises providing on an analytical instrument a container having a cup portion held in a receptacle and having an opening as well as a cap portion comprising a cover closing said opening and being permanently attached to one side of said cup portion and a handling head. During automated operation, the handling head approaches said container to a side of said container having a closure by which said cover is vertically and reversibly fixed for closing said opening and horizontally asserts pressure on said closure to release said cover from said vertical and reversible fixation, and optionally raising said cover by raising said handling head to open said cup portion. Furthermore, the invention provides containers as well as instruments and systems suitable for the automated handling and processing of the fluid biological sample and discloses production methods for the manufacture of said vessels.

Claims

1. A method for automated handling of a liquid in an analytical instrument comprising

providing on said analytical instrument

a container comprising

a cup portion held in a receptacle and having an opening, and

a cap portion comprising a cover closing said opening and being permanently attached to one side of said cup portion, and

a handling head

approaching said handling head to a side of said container having a closure by which said cover is vertically and reversibly fixed for closing said opening,

horizontally asserting pressure by said handling head on said closure to release said cover from said vertical and reversible fixation, and optionally

raising said cover by raising said handling head to open said cup portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said cap is permanently attached to one side of said cup via a bistable hinge.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein said cap is reversibly attached to said cup portion via a spring lock.

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3 further comprising closing said opening with said cap using said handling head.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4 further comprising picking up said container from said receptacle.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein said handling head further comprises a gripper for picking up and transporting said container from said receptacle.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said container comprises between 2 and 12 cup portions, each having an opening, and at least one cap portion comprising a cover closing said openings.

8. The method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cup portion of said container is reversibly held down to the receptacle by a movable down holding clamp while said handling head approaches and operates on said container.

9. A container for automated handling a liquid on an analytical instrument comprising

a cup portion having an upper opening,

a cap portion permanently attached to one side of said cup portion comprising a cover closing said upper opening and

a closure comprising a latch-fit located at a side of said cup portion by which the snap-latch of said cap portion is held so that the cover is vertically and reversibly closing said opening, said snap-latch comprising a sloped plain accessible by a handling head from said side of said cup and releasing the cap portion from the cup portion by horizontally asserting pressure to said plain.

10. The container according to claim 9, wherein the cover of said cap portion comprises at least one partition bar positioned in such a way to separate one upper opening of a cup portion from a second adjacent upper opening when said cover of said cap portion is tightly fixed to said cup portion.

11. The container according to any of claims 9 and 10, wherein said cap is reversibly attached to said cup portion via a spring lock.

12. The container according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein said cap portion is permanently attached to one side of said cup via a bistable hinge.

13. The container according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the cap portion is non-transparent.

14. The container according to any of claims 9 to 13, wherein the external part of said cap portion comprises a barcode, said barcode being divided into four parts with the top of the bars of each part facing towards the more narrow side rim and wherein said four parts of the barcode assemble one full length barcode.

15. The container according to any of claims 9 to 14, wherein the container additionally contains a seal portion located between the cup portion and the cap portion, when said cover of said cap portion is tightly fixed to said cup portion.

16. The container according to claim 15, wherein the cup portion is made up from a first rigid synthetic, the cap portion comprising the cover closing is made up from a second rigid synthetic, and the seal portion is made up from a soft synthetic.

17. The container according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the seal portion is applied onto said cup portion around said upper opening facing the cap portion.

18. The container according to any of claims 9 to 17, wherein the cup portion consisting of a substantially conical first wall portion and a substantially cylindrical downwards tapered second wall portion, wherein said first wall portion has a substantially thinner wall than said second wall portion and wherein the angle defined by the longitudinal axis through said substantially conically shaped first wall portion is between 7°

and 15°

.

20. The container according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the thickness of said first wall portion is between 0.15 mm and 0.30 mm.

21. The container according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the thickness of said first wall portion is about 0.2 mm.

22. The container according to any of claims 9 to 21, wherein said container consists of an alignment of 2 to 12 tubes each having an opening, wherein all openings can be closed and opened by the cover of the cap portion simultaneously and automatically.

23. An instrument for automated handling of a liquid comprising a handling head comprising a portion having a spike pointing in horizontal direction and a portion for vertically picking up items, wherein said items are the containers according to any of claims 9 to 22.

24. The instrument according to claim 23, further comprising a control unit to direct horizontal and vertical movement of said handling head.

25. A system for analysis of a liquid comprising an instrument according to any of claims 23 to 24 and a container according to any of claims 9 to 22.

26. A production method for a vessel wherein the vessel is made up of three plastic materials and produced in one mold comprising

injecting a first component into a first cavity of the multi component mold,

rotating the mold around the injection axis with said first component remaining in said first cavity and after rotating the mold facing a second cavity,

injecting a second component into said second cavity forming a permanent junction between said first and said second component,

rotating the mold around the injection axis with said first component remaining in said first cavity and after rotating the mold facing a third cavity, and

injecting a third component into said third cavity permanently connecting said third component to the component consisting of said first and said second component,

wherein said vessel is a container according to any of claims 9 to 22.

27. The production method according to claim 26, wherein the cup portion and the cap portion of said container are sealed by a seal portion in the locked position.

28. A vessel produced according to a method of any of claims 26 to 27 comprising

a cup portion molded from a first rigid synthetic material

a cap portion molded from a second rigid synthetic material, and

a seal portion molded from a soft synthetic material.

19. The container according to calm 18, wherein the angle defined by the longitudinal axis through said substantially conically shaped first wall portion is about 10°

.