TRAY FOR POSITIONING ELONGATED OBJECTS, IN PARTICULAR SYRINGE BODIES OR SYRINGES

• US 20120103861A1
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton Dickinson France (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Becton Dickinson France (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Mottahed, Behzad, Carrel, Franck, Song, Xu, Jeter, Ruane, Gagnieux, Samuel, Boulet, Antoine, Eon, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 8,485,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/563
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/33 Trays
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/002 Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/008 Racks for supporting syringes or needles A61M5/001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/00 Supporting devices; Holding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/06 Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/54 Supports specially adapted for pipettes and burettes automated pipetting stations G01N35/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/0233 Nestable containers

Abstract

Each of said elongated objects comprises a body and a flange. The tray includes a plate with openings and bearing surfaces.

According to the invention:

• • the tray includes at least one first bearing surface near a first opening, located at a first distance from the plate of the tray, and at least one second bearing surface near a second opening adjacent said first opening located at a second distance from the plate of the tray, said second distance being different from said first distance;
  • said first and second openings are located at a distance one with respect to the other such that the flange of the object engaged in one of these openings is able to partially overlap the flange of the object engaged in the other of these openings without contact with this flange.

Claims

1. A tray for positioning elongated objects, in particular syringe bodies or syringes, each of said elongated objects comprising a body and a flange, the tray including a plate with spaced apart openings intended to receive the bodies of the elongated objects and bearing surfaces near said openings to receive the flanges of these elongated objects when said bodies are engaged in said openings;

wherein the tray includes at least one first bearing surface near a first opening, located at a first distance from the plate of the tray, and at least one second bearing surface near a second opening adjacent said first opening, located at a second distance from the plate of the tray, said second distance being different from said first distance;

said difference between said first and second distance is such that said flange of the object engaged in one of these openings is able to rotate in this opening without contact with the flange of the object engaged in the other of these openings.

2. A tray according to claim 1,

wherein said first and second openings are located at a distance one with respect to the other such that the flange of the object engaged in one of these openings is able to partially overlap the flange of the object engaged in the other of these openings, and

said difference between said first and second distance is such that said flange of the object engaged in one of these openings is able to partially overlap the flange of the object engaged in the other of these openings without contact with this flange.

3. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said first bearing surface coincide with the surface of the plate of the tray, being thus formed by this surface.

4. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said first bearing surface does not coincide with the surface of the plate of the tray, being thus formed by a projection which the plate of the tray includes.

5. A tray according to claim 4, wherein said projection is in the form of one or several walls or studs.

6. A tray according to claim 4, wherein said projection is in the form of a tubular wall or chimney coaxial to said first opening.

7. A tray according to claim 1, wherein the openings of the tray are arranged according to series of openings, each opening of a first series having said first bearing surface and each opening of a second series of openings, adjacent at said first series, having said a second bearing surface.

8. A tray according to claim 7, wherein the plate includes alternated first and second series of openings, the bearing surfaces of the first series of openings being formed by the surface of the plate of the tray and the bearing surfaces of the second series of openings being formed by the free edges of tubular walls or chimneys, each one of these tubular walls or chimneys being coaxial to one opening of each one of these second series.

9. A tray according to claim 7, wherein the plate includes first, second, . . . , n−

1, n series of openings and first, second, . . . , n−

1, n series of bearing surfaces respectively associated with each one of these series of openings, the first bearing surfaces of the first series of openings being located at a first distance from the plate of the tray, the second bearing surfaces of the second series of openings being located at a second distance from the plate of the tray, higher than said first distance, and the n bearing surfaces of the n series of openings being located at a n distance from the plate of the tray, higher than the distance n−

1 of the n−

1 series of openings.