Swab for collecting biological specimens

• US 8,979,784 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copan Italia SpA
• Original Assignee: Copan Italia SpA
• Inventors: Triva, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pani, John
• Application Number:
  US13/361,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 600/562, 600/569, 600/572, 600/573, 604 1- 3, 132/218, 132/318, 131/245, 151/030.3, 151/040.5, 151/041.6, 151/042, 435/283.1, 435/307.1, 436/810
• US Class Current: 604/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0045 Devices for taking samples of body liquids devices for taking blood samples A61B5/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/38 Swabs having a stick-type handle, e.g. cotton tips ear cleaners other than cotton tips A61F11/006; swabs containing a liquid, e.g. in a rupturable reservoir, A61M35/006
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/087 Ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0832 cylindrical, tube shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/161 Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5029 using swabs
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 33/02 by impregnation, e.g. using swabs or loops fluid transport using swabs B01L3/5029

Abstract

The present invention relates to a swab for collecting biological specimens of the type consisting of a rod terminating in a tip covered with fiber with hydrophilic properties to allow absorption of said specimens, wherein said fiber covers said tip in the form of a layer deposited by flocking.

Claims

1. A biological specimen collection swab comprising:

a plastic rod terminating in a tip; and

a layer of fibers disposed on a surface of said tip by flocking, with a flocking technique in which the fibers were deposited, in an electrostatic field, in an ordered manner perpendicularly to the surface of the tip of the swab rod, the layer of fibers having a thickness from 0.6 to 3 mm and a fiber count of 1.7 to 3.3 Dtex, in which said layer of fibers is configured to be capable of absorbing a quantity of 40 μ

l to 100 μ

l of specimen in said layer of fibers on the tip of the rod.

2. The swab according to claim 1 wherein said layer of fibers is configured to be capable of absorbing a quantity of 100 μ

l of specimen by capillarity hydrophilic properties of the layer of fibers.

3. The swab according to claim 1 wherein said layer of fibers has a uniform thickness.

4. The swab according to claim 1 wherein said rod is suitable for human clinical collection.

5. The swab according to claim 1 wherein said layer of fibers is directly deposited on said tip.

6. The swab according to claim 1 in which said fibers define capillaries conferring hydrophilic properties to the layer of fibers by capillarity.

7. The swab according to claim 1 in which said layer of fibers has capillaries conferring hydrophilic properties to the layer of fibers by capillarity.

8. The swab according to claim 1 in which said layer of fibers is configured to absorb said quantity of liquid specimen.

9. The swab according to claim 1, wherein said rod tip is rigid.

10. The swab according to claim 1, wherein

said rod tip is shaped with a rounded geometry.

11. The swab according to claim 1, wherein said fibers are disposed on said tip parallel to each other by flocking, avoiding overlapping of fibers.

12. The swab according to claim 1, wherein said fiber comprises polyester and/or polyamide.