Multi-well test plate

• US 5,084,246 A
• Filed: 10/28/1986
• Issued: 01/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CoStar Group Inc.
• Inventors: Labriola, Anthony, Lyman, George
• Primary Examiner(s): KRYZA, LYNN M
• Application Number:
  US06/923,906
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 422/102, 422/99, 422/58, 422/101, 422/104, 436/809, 436/810, 436/165, 436/177, 436/180, 356/244, 435/300, 435/301, 435/311, 435/809
• US Class Current: 422/534
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50255 Multi-well filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5085 for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50855 using modular assemblies of strips or of individual wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0357 Sets of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0446 Multicell plate, sequential
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/809 Incubators or racks or holders for culture plates or containers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]

Abstract

A multi-well test plate which includes a base and a plurality of well strips. The well strips are removable from the base and the individual wells of each strip are separable. The wells in each strip are joined by T-shaped connecting members which hold the wells in a flat linear array when the well strips are either held in or removed from the base and the T-shaped members are readily severable to permit easy separation of individual wells.

Claims

1. A multi-well test plate comprising:

a base comprising a four-sided rectangular frame having means defining a central opening between the four sides thereof,

support means only on two opposite sides of the base for supporting a multi-well strip disposed in the opening and extending between the opposite sides while leaving individual wells of the strip unsupported,

a multi-well strip comprising a plurality of spaced-apart wells arranged in a linear array and molded together as a strip of wells, each of said plurality of wells having side and bottom walls, wherein the bottom wall of each well is a microporous membrane,

frangible connecting means joining pairs of adjacent wells and enabling each well to be readily separated from the other wells in the strip, the frangible connecting means also holding the wells with their bottom walls in a common plane when the strip is supported only at the ends thereof, and

flanges attached to end wells of the strip and extending in opposite directions and releasably attachable to the support means for mounting the strip on the base.

2. The multi-well test plate of claim 1, wherein

the support means on the opposite sides of the base are dissimilar, and

the flanges on the end wells of the strips are dissimilar and each is capable of attaching to one of the dissimilar support means, respectively, on the base wherein the strip must be oriented in a predescribed direction when mounted on the base.

3. The multi-well test plate of claim 2, wherein

a plurality of support means are provided on each of the opposite sides of the base, all of the support means on one side being the same and dissimilar from the support means on the opposite side.

4. The multi-well test plate of claim 1, wherein

the frangible connecting means comprises a T-shaped member having and elongated main rib disposed vertically and a shorter cross rib disposed horizontally at one end of the main rib, the cross rib being disposed adjacent one of the top or bottom ends of the wells, and the wells being easily separable by pulling apart adjacent wells at the other of the top and bottom ends to break the T-shaped member.