SPECIMEN FREEZING RATE REGULATOR DEVICE

• US 20130091890A1
• Filed: 06/16/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cool Lab, LLC (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BioCision LLC
• Inventors: Schryver, Brian, Ganaja, Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/704,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091890A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/440
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0263 Non-refrigerated containers specially adapted for transporting or storing living parts whilst preserving, e.g. cool boxes, blood bags or "straws" for cryopreservation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0689 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/147 Employing temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0841 Drums
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/50 Cryostats
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/06 Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/38 with thermal insulation vacuum bottles or the like A47J41/00 ; thermal insulation of domestic water storage heaters F24H1/182
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 31/00 Other cooling or freezing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A system and method for concurrently and uniformly removing thermal energy from a specimen sample. A thermal insulating device is provided comprising an insulating material, the device having a plurality of chambers for receiving specimen samples, the device further includes a thermal ballast whereby the rate of thermal energy removal is controlled and influenced by the thermal ballast.

Claims

1. A specimen freezing rate regulator device, comprising:

an enclosure comprising an insulating material, the enclosure having an opening;

a specimen chamber disposed within the enclosure, the specimen chamber being in contact with the insulating material of the enclosure; and

a cover removably coupled to the opening of the enclosure, the cover being in contact with the insulating material of the enclosure, wherein a specimen sample is placed within the specimen chamber and in contact with the insulating material of the enclosure such that a temperature of the insulating material is transferred to the specimen sample at a desired rate.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the specimen chamber comprises a plurality of specimen containment chambers.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a thermal ballast thermally coupled to the specimen chamber.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a thermoconductive material interposedly positioned between the specimen chamber and at least one of the enclosure and the cover, wherein the thermoconductive material is in contact with the insulating material of the enclosure.

5. The device of claim 3, further comprising a thermoconductive material interposedly positioned between the specimen chamber and at least one of the enclosure, the cover, and the thermal ballast.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the thermal ballast comprises at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, a ceramic material, a sealed liquid container, a plastic material, a glass material, a cast material, a synthetic material, a silicone material, and combinations thereof.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the thermoconductive material is selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal alloy, a ceramic material, a plastic material, a plastic compound, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a thermal ballast in contact with at least one of the insulation base, the specimen chamber, the specimen sample, and the cover.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the specimen chamber comprises a plurality of specimen containment chambers for receiving a plurality of specimen samples.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the insulating material is selected from a group consisting of a uniform density cross-linked closed-cell polyethylene foam rubber material, a uniform density polystyrene foam material, a closed-cell polyurethane foam material, and combinations thereof.

8. A method for manufacturing a device for concurrently and uniformly removing thermal energy from a specimen sample, the method comprising:

providing a thermally insulated device having a specimen chamber into which the specimen sample is loaded;

disposing the specimen chamber into an insulation base, the insulation base comprising an insulating material;

providing a cover for the insulation base, the cover being removably couple to the insulation base and forming a thermal seal between the specimen chamber and the cover.

12. A method for concurrently and uniformly removing thermal energy from a specimen sample, the method comprising:

placing the specimen sample in a sample container;

embedding the sample container in a thermal insulating device comprising an insulating material; and

placing the thermal insulating device into a lower temperature environment, wherein the thermal insulating device comprises an insulation base for receiving the sample container.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal insulating device further comprises a cylindrical insulation base having a plurality of sample container chambers arranged in a radially equidistant orientation with respect to a central axis of the cylindrical insulation base, the thermal insulating device further having an insulating cover coupled to the cylindrical insulation base, a seal being formed between the cover and the cylindrical insulation base.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sample container chambers are symmetrically oriented about the central axis of the cylindrical insulation base.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the insulating material is a solid insulating foam.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the insulating material comprises a synthetic material.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising a ballast chamber centrally and coaxially disposed within the plurality of specimen sample containment chambers, the ballast chamber containing a removable thermal ballast.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein an exterior of the device comprises a second insulating material to reduce heat transfer to and from the operator during physical contact.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal insulating device further comprises a thermally conductive material.

20. A method of claim 12 wherein the sample container comprises a removable rack having a plurality of holes.