SELF-LOCATING SAMPLE RECEPTACLE HAVING INTEGRAL IDENTIFICATION LABEL

• US 3,680,967 A
• Filed: 09/14/1970
• Issued: 08/01/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Technicon Instruments Corporation (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Alvin Engelhardt
• Inventors: Engelhardt, Alvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wibert, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McGraw, V. P.
• Application Number:
  US05/072,743
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 73/423A,53,425.2 356/102-104,208,244,246 250/218 23/292
• US Class Current: 356/246
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5453 for test tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00772 mechanical or optical code other than bar code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/025 having a carousel or turntable for reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

A liquid sample receptacle includes an integral label portion carrying machine-readable indicia identifying the sample source and located substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of a cup portion. The sample receptacle is structured with respect to the turntable unit to properly align the machine-readable indicia for automatic readout.

Claims

1. In a liquid sample receptacle for support by a tray, the combination, comprising:

a normally upwardly directed vertically elongated cup portion open at the top and having a side wall structure, an upwardly arranged vertically eloNgated plate-like label portion spaced outwardly from a portion of said side wall structure and having the vertical axis thereof substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said cup portion, said label portion having a surface thereof adapted to carry machinereadable indicia which indicia identifies the source of the contents of said cup portion, and a connector portion interconnecting said cup portion and said label portion, said connector portion lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to said vertical axes of said cup portion and said label portion and having an outer margin spaced outwardly from said side wall structure, said label portion being fixedly supported from said outer margin of said connector portion.

2. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said label portion has the upper margin thereof fixed to said outer margin of said connector portion.

3. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein said label portion is supported from said connector portion in depending relation thereto, and said label portion has a face thereof opposing said side wall structure of said cup portion and engageable with a vertical surface portion of said tray.

4. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein the lower extremity of said label portion lies in the same horizontal plane as the lower extremity of said cup portion, the lower extremity of said cup portion being structured to rest on a table surface, and said label portion providing additional support to said cup portion when resting on such table surface.

5. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein said cup portion has intermediate its upper and lower extremities a circumferentially arranged annular shoulder on the exterior of said side wall structure.

6. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein said connector portion is wedge-shaped and collars said cup portion, and said label portion is arcuate in horizontal cross section.

7. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein said label portion is curved inwardly toward said cup portion in a direction transversely of said label portion, said label portion being joined to said connector portion along one of its curved edges.

8. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said label portion and said cup portion are inter-connected adjacent their upper extremities by said connector portion, the lower extremities of said cup portion and said label portion being relatively inclined slightly toward each other, and said connector portion and said label portion being resiliently supported from said cup portion.

9. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 2, wherein said face of said label portion has a plurality of tray-engaging ribs thereon.

10. A liquid sample receptacle as defined in claim 9, wherein said ribs are two in number and are vertically arranged in laterally spaced-apart position.