Ergonomic pipette tip and adapters

• US 7,335,337 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2002
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James C. Smith
• Original Assignee: James C. Smith
• Inventors: Smith, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon; Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US10/242,006
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 422/99, 422/100, 422/101, 738/633.2, 738/64, 738/640.1, 738/641.4, 738/641.6, 738/641.7
• US Class Current: 422/513
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/023 adapted for different sizes of tubes, tips or container
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0689 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/087 Ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/105 using desiccants
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0275 Interchangeable or disposable dispensing tips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0279 co-operating with positive ejection means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1053 for separating part of the liquid, e.g. filters, extraction phase

Abstract

An ergonomically designed pipette tip that can be securely mounted to a barrel of a pipetter yet is designed to substantially reduce the axial force necessary to install and eject the pipette tip from the pipetter. The ergonomic pipette tip includes molded-in expansion joints and/or the addition of a second elastic material to decrease the amount of force necessary to radially expand the entrance to the pipette tip when the pipetter barrel is guided and stability oriented towards the sealing region of the pipette tip. Also disclosed is an ergonomic adapter with similar features as the tip that can also be mounted to the barrel of the pipetter and attached to a standard pipette tip or a combination of tips. Therefore, the relatively small axial forces necessary for mounting and ejecting the new ergonomic tip and adapter can substantially help to reduce the hand and thumb forces, that due to repeated use, will sometimes result in repetitive stress injury.

Claims

1. A pipette tip comprising:

an upper portion for attachment to a barrel of a pipetter in a fluid tight relationship, said upper portion having an interior frustum shaped cavity and at least one flexible expansion joint allowing radial expansion of said upper portion upon penetration of the pipetter barrel into said cavity, and

a lower portion including an apex end for receiving a predetermined volume of fluid, said apex end including a plurality of discrete feet, said discrete feet defining channels therebetween for drawing a predetermined volume of fluid through said channels while said apex end of said pipette tip is contiguous with the bottom of a container holding said fluid.

2. The pipette tip of claim 1, further including a particulate air filter for passing particulate free air to said pipetter is located between said upper portion and said predetermined volume of fluid.

3. The pipette tip of claim 1 wherein said rigid lower portion has an inside surface and is coated with a predetermined amount of reagent or reactant to mix with said predetermined volume of fluid.

4. A pipette tip comprising:

an upper portion for attachment to a barrel of a pipetter in a fluid tight relationship, said upper portion including

an interior frustum shaped cavity,

at least one axial spaced wall section of a first thickness and having axial ends in a circumferential direction of the upper portion,

at least one flexible expansion joint of a second thickness, thinner than the first thickness, which defines at least one recess between said axial ends,

wherein said at least one axial spaced wall section and said at least one flexible expansion joint are engaged along the circumferential direction of the upper portion to define a circumference of the upper portion,

wherein said at least one flexible expansion joint expands along the circumferential direction of the upper portion between the axial ends of said at least one wall section to allow radial expansion of said upper portion upon penetration of the pipetter barrel into said cavity, and

at least one lower portion including an apex end for receiving a predetermined volume of fluid.

5. The pipette tip of claim 4, further including a particulate air filter for passing particulate free air to said pipetter is located between said upper portion and said predetermined volume of fluid.

6. The pipette tip of claim 4 wherein said at least one flexible expansion joint is a plurality of flexible expansion joints and said at least one wall section is a plurality of axially spaced wall sections,

wherein said axially spaced wall sections are spaced apart from each other by, and also connected by, the flexible expansion joints which are positioned between said axially spaced wall sections.

7. The pipette tip of claim 4, wherein said upper portion includes means for insuring uniformed depth of penetration of said pipetter barrel into a base said pipette tip to maintain a uniform pipette tip interference between said base and said pipetter barrel as successive pipette tips are mounted on and ejected from said pipetter barrel.

8. The pipette tip of claim 4, wherein said at least one axial wall section has a length that is longer along a circumferential direction of the upper portion than said at least one flexible joint when the upper portion is not expanded.

9. The pipette tip of claim 4, wherein said flexible expansion joint has a relaxed state having an arched configuration and an expanded state having a general linear configuration.

10. The pipette tip of claim 4 wherein said upper portion includes segmented axially spaced and mating annular cylindrical support ribs.

11. The pipette tip of claim 4 wherein said upper portion also includes a sealing region of predetermined length in the lowermost portion of said upper portion between said expansion joint and said lower portion, said sealing region being sufficiently thin that said sealing region will expand slightly to form an interference fit between said sealing region and said barrel of a pipetter.

12. The pipette tip of claim 4 wherein said apex end includes means for receiving said predetermined volume of fluid when said apex end is contiguous with a container bottom.

13. The pipette tip of claim 4 wherein said lower portion has an inside surface and is coated with a predetermined amount of reagent or reactant to mix with said predetermined volume of fluid.