LABORATORY CONTAINER TRANSFER DEVICE

• US 20150063956A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: KING, Brian, RITCHIE, Harald
• Granted Patent: US 9,959,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/226.05
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/846 Star-shaped wheels or wheels equipped with article-engaging elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0439 Rotary sample carriers, i.e. carousels
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/24 Rotary or oscillatory members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A laboratory vial transfer device for automatically transferring laboratory vials from a transport package containing a plurality of said vials, comprising: a vial feeder configured to connect to the transport package after the package has been opened, so as to feed vials directly from the package without manual contact, wherein the vial feeder comprises a rotatable carousel having a plurality of vial receiving positions located on the carousel each for receiving a single vial and adapted to collect the vials from the opened package into respective vial receiving positions upon operation of the carousel, wherein the carousel is operable to feed the vials from their respective vial receiving positions to an exit position

Claims

1. A laboratory vial transfer device for automatically transferring laboratory vials from a transport package containing a plurality of said vials, the laboratory vial transfer device comprising:

a vial feeder configured to connect to the transport package after the package has been opened, so as to feed vials directly from the package without manual contact, wherein the vial feeder comprises a rotatable carousel having a plurality of vial receiving positions located on the carousel each for receiving a single vial and adapted to collect the vials from the opened package into respective vial receiving positions upon operation of the carousel, wherein the carousel is operable to feed the vials from their respective vial receiving positions to an exit position.

2. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vial feeder has a receiving space to receive at least an end of the package in a close fitting manner.

3. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the package is a rectangular cuboid and the vial feeder has a rectangular receiving space to receive at least the end of the package in the close fitting manner.

4. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vial feeder has one or more fasteners to attach the vial feeder to the package.

5. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the package has one or more recesses to receive the one or more fasteners.

6. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a carrier into which is inserted the package.

7. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the carrier has one or more fasteners to attach the carrier to the vial feeder.

8. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vials are glass vials.

9. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the package is a rectangular cuboid box and the vials are packed and aligned in the box.

10. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vial feeder is configured to connect to the package such that the package is held vertically with an open end of the package down and the feeder positioned below the package thereby to receive vials from the open package under gravity.

11. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the carousel is adapted to collect the laboratory vials singly into respective vial receiving positions on the carousel and operable to deliver the vials one at a time from their respective vial receiving positions to the exit position.

12. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the carousel has cut out portions in an outer edge of the carousel, the cut out portions forming the vial receiving positions.

13. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the carousel is connectable to a drive for rotating the carousel.

14. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the drive is part of a base unit and the vial feeder is a detachable part that connects to the base unit.

15. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a lock on the carousel to prevent accidental rotation of the carousel when the carousel is disconnected from the drive on a base unit.

16. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a position encoder to detect a position of the carousel as the carousel rotates.

17. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 14 wherein a robotic system is provided on the base unit for transferring vials to a receiver after the vials have reached the exit position.

18. The laboratory vial transfer device as claimed in claim 17 wherein the receiver is selected from the group consisting of a printing unit, an autosampler rack, a compound storage rack, a crimper assembly unit, a screw closure unit, a label assembly applicator, a liquid dispensing unit, a weighing unit, a tare weighing unit, a heating unit, and a barcode reader.

19. A method of automatically transferring laboratory vials from a transport package containing a plurality of said vials, comprising:

opening the package to provide an open end of the package;

connecting the open end to a vial feeder configured to connect to the transport package after the package has been opened, the vial feeder comprising a rotatable carousel having a plurality of vial receiving positions located on the carousel each for receiving a single vial and adapted to collect the vials from the opened package into respective vial receiving positions upon operation of the carousel; and

operating the carousel to feed vials directly from the package without manual contact, whereby the carousel feeds the vials from their respective vial receiving positions to an exit position.