Closures for fluid sample cups

• US 4,362,698 A
• Filed: 03/07/1980
• Issued: 12/07/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sherman-Boosalis Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sherman-Boosalis Corporation
• Inventors: Sherman, George E., Boosalis, Nicholas T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lutter, Frank W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Konkol, Chris
• Application Number:
  US06/128,075
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 220/359, 220/229, 128/295, 128/760, 215/232, 215/320, 215/307, 215/247, 422/102, 422/99
• US Class Current: 422/568
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50825 Closing or opening means, corks, bungs closures for containers B65D; means for removing stoppers B67B7/02

Abstract

Closures for fluid sample cups, preferably for blood, according to the teachings of the present invention are preferably formed in a multilayered sheet including a matrix of closures and remaining area located around and between the closures. Specifically, the multilayered sheet includes two sided adhesive tape sandwiched between a layer of adhesive covering paper and a rigidifying layer. An elastic layer is adhesively secured to the rigidifying layer. A matrix of first apertures extend through the tape, the paper layer, and the rigidifying layer, with the material located inside of the first apertures being discarded. A matrix of second apertures extend through the tape and the elastic and rigidifying layers concentric with and of greater radius than the first apertures and which define the matrix of the closures. A matrix of slits are also formed in the elastic layer within the first apertures. The slits in the closure allow pipettes of blood analyzers to forgivingly extend through the closure without piercing it and allow wiping of blood residue from the pipette as it is being removed. Due to the elastic characteristics of the elastic layer, sealing occurs between the slits themselves and with the pipette before entry, while entering, while through, and after removal of the pipette from the slits of the closure to thus greatly aid in preventing evaporation.

Claims

1. A multilayer cap for use in connection with blood sample cups used in a blood analyzer including a pipette which enters the blood sample cups through the open end of the sample cup and extends past the rim of the cup into the interior of the cup to thereby remove a sample of the blood from the cup, comprising, in combination:

a first layer;

a second, rigidifying layer adhered to the first layer; and

a third, adhesive layer adhered to the second layer having exposed adhesive allowing the multilayer cap to be adhesively adhered to the rim of the open end of the blood sample cup, with the second and third layers each having a removed portion for allowing the pipette to pass therethrough;

means formed in the first layer for allowing the pipette of the blood analyzer to forgivingly extend through the first layer without piercing it and to pass through the removed portions of the second and third layers and into the interior of the sample cup to thereby remove a sample of blood and for insuring the automatic operation of the blood analyzer even though the location where the pipette of the blood analyzer extends into the sample cup varies and theplacement of the cap on the sample cup may vary between the sample cups of the blood analyzer, with the forgivingly extend allowing and automatic operation insuring means comprising an area of slits, with the first layer being formed of material having elastic characteristics allowing sealing of the first layer between the slits before and after entry and withdrawal of the pipette and between the pipette and the slits during and while entry and withdrawal of the pipette, with the slit area being substantially equal to but smaller than the removed portion of the second and third layers to insure that the pipette of the blood analyzer extends into the slit area and not the remaining area of the first layer located outside the slit area, and with the dimensions of the cap allowing placement of the cap on the rim of the blood sample cup to thereby effectively seal the blood sample cup against evaporation from within the cup and against contamination from without the cup.

2. The cap of claim 1 wherein the first layer is formed of natural rubber.

3. The cap of claim 1 or 2 wherein the thickness of the first layer is in the range of 7 to 11 mills.

4. The cap of claim 3 wherein the thickness of the first layer is approximately equal to 9 mills.

8. The cap of claim 1 or 2 wherein the number of slits in the first layer is in the range of 18.

9. The cap of claim 1 or 2 wherein the second layer is formed of bleached tag board.

10. The cap of claim 9 wherein the thickness of the second layer is in the range of 11 mills.

11. The cap of claim 1 or 2 wherein the third layer is formed of double sided adhesive tape.

12. The cap of claim 1 or 2 wherein the second layer is adhered to the first layer by a water based pressure sensitive acrylate adhesive.

26. The cap of claim 1 wherein the first layer has a sufficient thickness to prevent breakage when the pipette of the blood analyzer extends through the slits but does not create drag or friction with the pipette sufficient to retain the cap on the pipette of the analyzer when the pipette is automatically removed from the open end of the sample cup.

27. The closure of claim 1 wherein the first layer has a sufficient thickness to prevent breakage when the pipette of the analyzer extends through the slits but does not create drag or friction with the pipette sufficient to retain the closure on the pipette of the analyzer when the pipette is automatically removed from the open end of the sample cup.

5. A multilayer cap for use in connection with blood sample cups used in a blood analyzer including a pipette which enters the blood sample cups through the open end of the sample cup and extends past the rim of the cup into the interior of the cup to thereby remove a sample of the blood from the cup, comprising, in combination:

a first layer;

a second, rigidifying layer adhered to the first layer; and

a third, adhesive layer adhered to the second layer having exposed adhesive allowing the multilayer cap to be adhesively adhered to the rim of the open end of the blood sample cup, with the second and third layers each having a removed portion for allowing the pipette to pass therethrough, with the first layer including slits allowing the pipette of the blood analyzer to forgivingly extend through the slit layer without piercing it and pass through the removed portions of the second and third layers and into the interior of the sample cup to thereby remove a sample of blood, with the first layer being formed of material having elastic characteristics allowing sealing of the first layer between the slits before and after entry and withdrawal of the pipette and between the pipette and the slits during and while entry and withdrawal of the pipette, with the dimensions of the cap allowing placement of the cap on the rim of the blood sample cup to thereby effectively seal the blood sample cup against evaporation from within the cup and against contamination from without the cup, and wherein the spacing between the slits is in the range of 20 mills.

6. The cap of claim 5 wherein the spacing between the slits is approximately equal to 21 mills.

7. The cap of claim 6 wherein the number of slits in the first layer is in the range of 18.

13. Closure for a fluid sample cup, with the sample cup including an interior and an open end having a dimension, and with the sample cup being used in an analyzer including a pipette which enters the sample cup through the open end of the sample cup and extends into the interior of the sample cup, comprising, in combination:

a first layer having a thickness and having a dimension larger than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup;

means formed in the first layer for allowing the pipette of the analyzer to forgivingly extend through the first layer without piercing it and also allowing wiping of fluid residue from the pipette as it is being removed from the first layer and for insuring the automatic operation of the analyzer even though the location where the pipette of the analyzer extends into the sample cup varies and the placement of the closure on the sample cup may vary between the sample cups of the analyzer, with the forgivingly extend allowing and automatic operation insuring means comprising an area of slits, with the slit area being substantially equal to but being smaller than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup to insure that the pipette of the analyzer extends into the slit area and not the remaining area of the first layer located outside the slit area;

means for attaching and sealing the first layer to the open end of the fluid sample cup allowing the insertion and removal of the pipette through the slits of the first layer without the unsealing or separation of the first layer from the open end of the sample cups, with the first layer having elastic characteristics allowing sealing between the slits of the first layer before the pipette extends through the slits of the first layer, allowing sealing between the slits and the pipette when the pipette extends through the slits of the first layer, and allowing resealing between the slits of the first layer after the pipette is removed from the slits of the first layer.

14. The closure of claim 13 wherein the attaching and sealing means includes a ring of tape having adhesive on a first side and on a second side, with the outside dimension of the tape ring being larger than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup and the inside dimension of the tape ring being smaller than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup but allowing the pipette to extend through the inside dimension of the tape ring, with the first layer being adhesively secured to the open end of the blood sample cup by the adhesive on the first side of the tape ring.

15. The closure of claim 14 wherein the attaching and sealing means includes a ring of rigidifying material having a thickness, with the outside dimension of the rigidifying ring being larger than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup and the inside dimension of the rigidifying ring being smaller than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup but allowing the pipette to extend through the inside dimension of the rigidifying ring, with the rigidifying ring being attached and sealed to the first layer and adhesively secured to the open end of the fluid sample cup by the adhesive on the second side of the tape ring.

16. The closure of claim 13 wherein the attaching and sealing means includes a ring of rigidifying material having a thickness, with the outside dimension of the rigidifying ring being larger than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup and the inside dimension of the rigidifying ring being smaller than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup but allowing the pipette to extend through the inside dimension of the rigidifying ring, with the rigidifying ring being attached and sealed to the first layer and in a sealed relation to the open end of the sample cup.

17. The closure of claim 13 or 15 wherein the first layer is formed of natural rubber.

18. The closure of claim 17 wherein the thickness of the first layer is in the range of 7 to 11 mills.

19. The closure of claim 18 wherein the thickness of the first layer is approximately equal to 9 mills.

20. The closure of claim 17 wherein the spacing of the slits is in the range of 20 mills.

21. The closure of claim 20 wherein the spacing of the slits is approximately equal to 21 mills.

22. The closure of claim 17 wherein the number of slits in the first layer is in the range of 18.

23. The closure of claim 15 or 16 wherein the rigidifying ring is formed of bleached tag board.

24. The closure of claim 23 wherein the thickness of the rigidifying ring is in the range of 11 mills.

25. The closure of claim 24 wherein the thickness of the rigidifying ring is approximately equal to 11 mills.

28. Closure for a fluid sample cup, with the sample cup including an interior and an open end having a dimension, and with the sample cup being used in an analyzer including a pipette which enters the sample cup through the open end of the sample cup and extends into the interior of the sample cup, comprising, in combination:

a first layer having a thickness and having a dimension larger than the dimension of the open end of the sample cup;

a plurality of parallel slits in the first layer allowing the pipette of the analyzer to forgivingly extend through the first layer without piercing it and also allowing wiping of fluid residue from the pipette as it is being removed from the first layer;

means for attaching and sealing the first layer to the open end of the fluid sample cup allowing the insertion and removal of the pipette through the slits of the first layer without the unsealing or separation of the first layer from the open end of the sample cups, with the first layer having elastic characteristics allowing sealing between the slits of the first layer before the pipette extends through the slits of the first layer, allowing sealing between the slits and the pipette when the pipette extends through the slits of the first layer, and allowing resealing between the slits of the first layer after the pipetter is removed from the slits of the first layer.