FECES SAMPLING CONTAINER

• US 20160256136A1
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eiken Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd. (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eiken Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd. (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Inventors: SAITO, Shingo, ICHIKAWA, Yoshiharu, HAYASHI, Hiroaki, TOYAMA, Kazuhiro, ISHIKAWA, Masashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,867,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0038 Devices for taking faeces samples; Faecal examination devices anal receptacles A61F5/451
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/042 Caps; Plugs
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0832 cylindrical, tube shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0848 Specific forms of parts of containers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0858 Side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/12 Specific details about materials
• 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: G01N 1/04 in the solid state, e.g. by cutting

Abstract

A feces sampling container includes: a lid (2) that includes a feces sampling rod (2b) and a cap (2a), a circular protrusion (2f); a container body (3); and an inside plug (4) that includes a removal part (4b), and a circular protrusion (4g), the inside plug (4) being fitted to the inside of the container body (3), a flange (3c), an overhang (4d) being formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inside plug (4) at a predetermined position along the circumferential direction so that the overhang (4d) is situated on the flange (3c), a removal mechanism (2e, 4f), and a cam mechanism (2h, 4h) that positions the removal mechanism being formed over the circular protrusion (2f) formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap (2a) and the circular protrusion (4g) formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inside plug (4).

Claims

1. A feces sampling container comprising:

a lid that comprises a feces sampling rod and a cap, a circular protrusion being formed on an inner circumferential surface of the cap along a circumferential direction;

a container body that has a tubular shape and opens on a base end side; and

an inside plug that comprises a removal part and a circular protrusion, the circular protrusion being formed on an outer circumferential surface of the inside plug along a circumferential direction, the inside plug being fitted to inside of the container body through the base end side of the container body,

a flange being formed along an edge of a base end side opening of the container body, an overhang being formed on an outer circumferential surface of the inside plug at a given position along a circumferential direction so that the overhang is situated on the flange,

a removal mechanism being formed at a lower end of the cap and on an inner circumferential surface of the overhang of the inside plug, and

a cam mechanism that positions the removal mechanism being formed over the circular protrusions formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap and the circular protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inside plug.

2. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the flange and the overhang are formed to have a shape that is longer in one of two orthogonal directions.

3. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein blades that make a pair are symmetrically formed on the cap of the lid.

4. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the removal mechanism comprises a sloping groove that is formed by partially swelling a side of the lower end of the cap to form a hollow, and slopes outward in a downward direction on an upper end side, and a sloping protrusion that is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the overhang, and slopes outward in a downward direction at least on an upper end side.

5. The feces sampling container according to claim 4, wherein the sloping groove is formed at a lower end side of the blade of the cap, and the sloping protrusion is formed on a major axis-side inner circumferential surface of the overhang of the inside plug.

6. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the cam mechanism comprises a guide cam that is formed over the circular protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inside plug, and slopes downward with respect to an axial direction from the apex side to form an inverted V-like shape, and an elongated protrusion that is formed over the circular protrusion formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap of the lid, and extends along an axial direction.

7. The feces sampling container according to claim 6, wherein the guide cam is formed on a minor axis side of the overhang of the inside plug, and the elongated protrusion is formed at the same position as the blade and the sloping groove of the cap.

8. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the removal mechanisms that make a pair and the cam mechanisms that make a pair are respectively formed symmetrically.

9. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein an engagement part is provided to one of the flange and the overhang, and a locking part that is fitted to the engagement part is provided to the other of the flange and the overhang.

10. The feces sampling container according to claim 9, wherein the engagement part is a notch, and the locking part is a protrusion.

11. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein an end of the inside plug has a bottom surface that extends in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction, a removal part is formed at a center of the bottom surface, and a feces sampling rod guide that comprises a plurality of tilted ribs that are provided radially is formed around the removal part.

12. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein an outlet is formed on an end side of the container body, and a dropping cap that comprises a sealing body that seals the outlet is screwed to the container body.

13. The feces sampling container according to claim 12, wherein a first circular protrusion is formed on an outer circumferential surface of an end side of the container body at a predetermined position along a circumferential direction, a second circular protrusion is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the dropping cap at a predetermined position along a circumferential direction, and the first circular protrusion and the second the circular protrusion come in contact with each other to prevent the dropping cap from falling when the dropping cap is loosened so that the sealing body moves away from the outlet and the outlet is opened.

14. The feces sampling container according to claim 13, wherein a body-side thread is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the end side of the container body to which the dropping cap is screwed, and a cap-side thread is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the dropping cap so that either or both of the body-side thread and the cap-side thread are decreased in height or removed within a range in which the body-side thread and the cap-side thread engage with each other in a state in which the first circular protrusion and the second circular protrusion come in contact with each other, such that the body-side thread and the cap-side thread can climb get over each other.

15. The feces sampling container according to claim 12, wherein a tape-like member in which a perforated line is formed along a circumferential direction is wound around the feces sampling container so that the perforated line is situated at a boundary between the container body and the dropping cap.

16. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein a thin part in which an inner circumferential surface of a side wall is depressed is formed in a vicinity of an end of the container body.

17. The feces sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the thin part is formed within a range from a position that corresponds to an end of the feces sampling rod or a vicinity of the end of the feces sampling rod to a position situated close to a step of the container body in a state in which an inner space of the feces sampling container is sealed with the lid, and the dropping cap is fitted to the container body.

18. The feces sampling container according to claim 16, wherein the container body is formed using linear low-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, or polypropylene.