Gravity assisted collection device
First Claim
1. A liquid collection device comprising means defining a chamber, an inlet aperture to said chamber, and a vent aperture out of said chamber.said chamber comprising first and second portions angled with respect to each other at a junction, with one of said apertures being in each portion, said first chamber portion including said inlet aperture and comprising means for drawing in liquid at said inlet aperture by capillary attraction only, and said second chamber portion including said vent aperture and comprising opposed surfaces which are all spaced apart a distance effective to allow gravity to passively overcome any surface attraction caused by said opposed surfaces,said opposed surfaces of said second chamber portion being joined to said opposed surface of said first chamber portion at said junction between said chamber portions.whereby gravity can be used to assist capillary flow to fill said device,and further including a cover for said inlet aperture and means for removably seating said cover over said inlet aperture, said cover and said seating means being constructed to provide air access from the exterior of said cover to said inlet aperture so that said inlet aperture is covered but not sealed when said cover is seated whereby when said cover is seated over said inlet aperture, liquid collected in the second portion can be pipetted through the vent aperture.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device and method constructed to collect a liquid into a device so that the liquid is first drawn in to an intermediate point by capillary attraction only, and then from that intermediate point further by gravity. The device features two apertured portions connected at the intermediate point so as to be angled to each other. The first portion provides the capillary attraction through its aperture by preferably oppositely disposed surfaces spaced a distance no greater than that which will maintain capillary flow into that portion through the aperture; The second portion provides gravity flow further into the device from the intermediate point by a spacing of the opposed surfaces a distance effective to allow gravity to passively overcome any surface attraction caused by the opposed surfaces, and the inclination of that portion to drop below the horizontal plane extending from the intermediate point. The aperture provided in the second portion acts as a vent and a non-sealing cover is seated over the aperture in the first portion after liquid collection to permit centrifugation and pipetting through the vent.
120 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A liquid collection device comprising means defining a chamber, an inlet aperture to said chamber, and a vent aperture out of said chamber.
said chamber comprising first and second portions angled with respect to each other at a junction, with one of said apertures being in each portion, said first chamber portion including said inlet aperture and comprising means for drawing in liquid at said inlet aperture by capillary attraction only, and said second chamber portion including said vent aperture and comprising opposed surfaces which are all spaced apart a distance effective to allow gravity to passively overcome any surface attraction caused by said opposed surfaces, said opposed surfaces of said second chamber portion being joined to said opposed surface of said first chamber portion at said junction between said chamber portions. whereby gravity can be used to assist capillary flow to fill said device, and further including a cover for said inlet aperture and means for removably seating said cover over said inlet aperture, said cover and said seating means being constructed to provide air access from the exterior of said cover to said inlet aperture so that said inlet aperture is covered but not sealed when said cover is seated whereby when said cover is seated over said inlet aperture, liquid collected in the second portion can be pipetted through the vent aperture.
-
2. A liquid collection device comprising means defining a chamber, an inlet aperture to said chamber, and a vent aperture out of said chamber,
said chamber comprising first and second portions angled with respect to each other at a junction, with one of said apertures being in each portion, said first chamber portion including said inlet aperture and comprising spaced-apart surfaces of which at least two of them are spaced a first pre-determined distance no greater than that which provides capillary attraction of the liquid through said inlet aperture into said chamber, and said second chamber portion including said vent aperture and comprising opposed surfaces which are all spaced apart a second pre-determined distance effective to allow gravity to passively overcome any surface attraction caused by said opposed surfaces, said opposed surfaces of said second chamber portion being joined to said opposed surfaces of said first chamber portion at said junction between said chamber portions, whereby gravity can be used to assist capillary flow to fill said device, and further including a cover for said inlet aperture and means for removably seating said cover over said inlet aperture, said cover and said seating means being constructed to provide air access from the exterior of said cover to said inlet aperture so that said inlet aperture is covered but not sealed when said cover is seated whereby when said cover is seated over said inlet aperture, liquid collected in the second portion can be pipetted through the vent aperture.
Specification