Automated sample extractor or feeder/inoculator for bioreactors and similar equipment

• US 5,786,209 A
• Filed: 03/12/1996
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Newberg, Douglas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/613,586
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 435/286.5, 435/309.2, 73/863.091, 73/863.02, 73/863.81, 73/863.82, 73/863.83, 73/863.85, 73/863.86, 137/798, 251/144, 251/145, 251/143, 251/331, 251/335.2, 251/335.3, 285/302, 422/100, 422/99, 422/103, 422/114
• US Class Current: 435/309.2
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 33/04 by injection or suction, e.g. using pipettes, syringes, needles pipettes in general B01L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 41/103 the diaphragm and the closure member being integrated in one member
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2035 by deviating part of a fluid stream, e.g. by drawing-off or tapping
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/1012 Suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/1445 Overpressure, pressurisation at sampling point
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/205 using a valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4259 With separate material addition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4266 Steam sterilizing

Abstract

An apparatus for inoculating a sample to or withdrawing a sample from a vessel or conduit includes a body with an internal sample cavity, a valve operating rod movable to open and close an orifice to the sample cavity a coupler to attach the body to a port of the vessel or conduit. A manual and/or automatic device can be provided for moving the valve operating rod to open and close the orifice. The manual device includes a trigger actuator. A portion of the sample cavity is formed by an endcap which includes the orifice, the sample cavity has an inner wall and outer wall with a space therebetween. The space can thermally insulate the sample cavity from the ambient environment as well as the interior of the vessel or conduit. The valve operating rod has a diaphragm attached to one end. A blunt sealing tip of the diaphragm seals the orifice when the valve operating rod moves to close the orifice. The valve operating rod has a portion which extends into the diaphragm to support the diaphragm and to form a seal at an opening to the sample cavity through which the diaphragm extends.

Claims

1. A port in a wall of a vessel or conduit and an apparatus for moving a sample of a flowable material through the port comprising:

a body having an end wall and an internal sample cavity communicable with an orifice formed in said end wall;

a valve operating rod extending within at least a portion of the sample cavity, said valve operating rod having a diaphragm on one end thereof, the diaphragm having a sealing tip for engaging the orifice formed in the end wall;

means for reciprocating the valve operating rod and the diaphragm to engage and disengage the sealing tip with the orifice;

a drain passage formed within said body, the drain passage being communicable with the sample cavity, the body having a longitudinal axis and the drain passage having a longitudinal axis which is generally nonperpendicular and nonparallel to the longitudinal axis of the body;

a drain collection trough positioned in the sample cavity in front of an opening to the drain passage, the drain collection trough extending into the sample cavity beyond a rear wall of the sample cavity;

a ferrule attached to the port of the vessel or conduit; and

means for attaching the body to the ferrule.

2. The port and apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of circumferential grooves provided on an outer side of an end of the body, a positioning collar, a coupler having threads on an inner side thereof and at least one setscrew insertable through openings in the positioning collar, the ferrule having threads on an outer side thereof which mate with the threads on the inner side of the coupler, the coupler being screwed onto the ferrule after the at least one setscrew is inserted through the opening in the positioning collar and into one of the plurality of circumferential grooves on the outer side of the end of the body to thereby hold the body on the ferrule.

3. The port and apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for attaching comprises a coupling nut, a positioning collar and a cylindrical retainer sleeve, the coupling nut has a hollow cylindrical inner section with an internally threaded forward section having an annular lip, the coupling nut can slide freely around a rear portion of the positioning collar, an end of the positioning collar having an opening and the cylindrical retainer sleeve having a corresponding opening, at least a first screw and a second screw, the second screw being insertable through the openings in the positioning collar and the cylindrical retainer sleeve, the positioning collar having a retainer flange at a forward portion thereof, the first screw extending through an opening in the retainer flange and being engagable with the body to lock the positioning collar to the body, during assembly the coupling nut is inserted over the positioning collar and the positioning collar is then inserted over a forward end of the body, the first screw will then be inserted through the opening in the retainer flange to lock the positioning collar to the body, the second screw will then be inserted through the opening in the positioning collar and the retainer flange to thereby capture the coupling nut behind the retainer flange of the positioning collar, the internally threaded forward section of the coupling nut is screwed to threads provided on an outside of the ferrule to thereby couple the body to the ferrule through the positioning collar and the coupling nut, the coupling nut having a collar engagable with the annular lip of the positioning collar when the coupling nut is screwed onto the ferrule.

4. The port and apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for attaching comprises a positioning collar and a threaded portion on a forward end of the body and a mating threaded portion on a rear portion of the positioning collar, the positioning collar being screwable onto the body to thereby mount the positioning collar onto the body, the positioning collar further having a threaded portion on a forward portion thereof which is screwable onto a threaded portion of the ferrule to thereby mount the positioning collar to the ferrule.

5. The port and apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the ferrule has an open interior with a predetermined diameter and wherein the body has a generally cylindrical shape with an outer diameter of 25 mm or less.

6. The port and apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the end wall is one of flush with an interior surface of said vessel or conduit and extending into the vessel or conduit, the body being nonmovable with respect to the vessel or conduit when the means for attaching mounts the body to the ferrule,

when the end wall having the orifice is flush with the interior surface of said vessel or conduit, the only portion of the apparatus in contact with an interior of the vessel or conduit being the sealing tip of the diaphragm closing the orifice and the end wall of the body which is facing the vessel or conduit, and

when the end wall having the orifice extends into the vessel or conduit, effect of stagnant layers within the vessel or conduit adjacent the interior surface thereof being minimized.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the drain collection trough has a longitudinal axis which is nonparallel to the longitudinal axis of the body.

8. An apparatus for moving a sample of a flowable material through a port in a wall of a vessel or conduit comprising:

a body having an end wall and an internal sample cavity communicable with an orifice formed in said end wall;

a valve operating rod extending within at least a portion of the sample cavity;

means for reciprocating the valve operating rod to engage and disengage with the orifice; and

a drain passage formed within said body, the drain passage being communicable with the sample cavity;

the end wall of the body with the orifice having an inner wall and an outer wall with a space being defined therebetween, the space thermally insulating the sample cavity from ambient environment, the space being adjacent the orifice and the space being sealed from the sample cavity.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the drain passage and an internal rear wall of the sample cavity are generally flush and uninterrupted at the drain opening and wherein the orifice in the end wall of the body is positioned above the drain opening.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising a drain collection trough positioned in the sample cavity in front of an opening to the drain passage, the body having a longitudinal axis and the sample cavity being positioned generally a uniform distance from the longitudinal axis of the body, a bottom of the drain collection trough being positioned a greater distance from the longitudinal axis of the body than the uniform distance of the sample cavity.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising a drain collection trough which forms a forward portion of the drain passage such that the drain passage extends into the sample cavity beyond a rear wall of the sample cavity.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the means for reciprocating comprises at least one of a manually operated trigger mechanism and a pneumatic actuator for moving the valve operating rod.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising means for connecting the means for reciprocating to the valve operating rod, the means for connecting comprising rear valve operating rod and a connector cap on an end of the valve operating rod, the rear valve operating rod having a cap slot in a forward end thereof, the connector cap being received in the cap slot to thereby lock the rear valve operating rod to the valve operating rod.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising an inlet passage formed within the body, the inlet passage being communicable with the sample cavity.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising

a diaphragm on one end of the valve operating rod, the diaphragm having a sealing tip for engaging the orifice formed in the end wall;

and

an endcap on the body, the endcap being a part of the end wall of the body and including the inner and outer walls defining the space.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the valve operating rod has a first end with a plurality of threads onto which the diaphragm is screwed, a portion of the valve operating rod extending into the diaphragm.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the diaphragm has a generally longitudinal axis and wherein the body also has a generally longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the diaphragm being generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, the diaphragm having the sealing tip at one end thereof and having a base at an opposed end thereof, the diaphragm having a tubular body and a bellows portion between the base and the sealing tip, an end of the valve operating rod extending through an opening in the base to thereby be within the diaphragm.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the body has a lip with first and second opposed sides, the first side of the lip defining a rear wall of the sample cavity, the valve operating rod extending through a central bore in the lip of the body and extending into the sample cavity and being surrounded by the bellows portion of the diaphragm within the sample cavity, the base of the diaphragm being out of contact with the sample cavity and the bellows portion, the apparatus further comprising a bushing having a neck which is inserted into the bellows opening between the bellows portion and the valve operating rod, the bushing exerting force against the bellows to hold the bellows portion against a wall of the central bore such that a seal is formed to prevent entrance of sample into the central bore from the sample cavity.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising means for detecting abnormal operation of the device, the means for detecting comprising a probe, the probe being one of at least a temperature probe and a pressure probe, the probe being located outside of the bellows portion of the diaphragm and in one of the body and the drain passage.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the bellows portion is flexible and encloses the valve operating rod, the bellows portion having a plurality of folds dimensioned to prevent accumulation of the sample in the folds when the orifice is closed.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the endcap is a separate piece from the body and the endcap is mounted on the body.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the end wall of the body is formed by the outer wall of the endcap with a double wall construction being provided by the inner and outer walls of the endcap at the end wall of the body with the orifice.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the inner and outer walls defining the space for thermally insulating extend from the end wall of the body with the orifice toward a rear of the sample cavity such that the space is at both an end of the body and a side of the body.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein the space for thermally insulating encircles at least a majority of the inner wall whereby at least a majority of the sample cavity is encircled by the space for thermally insulating.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the inner and outer walls defining the space for thermally insulating extend from the end wall of the body with the orifice toward a rear of the sample cavity such that the space is at both an end of the body and a side of the body such that the space encircles the sample cavity.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the space in the end wall is empty.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the space in the end wall is filled with at least one of low thermal conductivity materials and insulating materials.

28. An apparatus for moving a sample of a flowable material through a port in a wall of a vessel or conduit comprising:

a body having an end wall an internal sample cavity communicable with an orifice formed in said end wall;

a valve operating rod extending within at least a portion of the sample cavity

a diaphragm on one end of the valve operating rod, the diaphragm having a base, a neck and a sealing tip, the sealing tip being engagable with the orifice formed in the end wall, the sealing tip being on a first end of the diaphragm and the base being provided on a second end of the diaphragm, the neck being adjacent the base, the base having an opening through which an end of the valve operating rod extends into the sample cavity, the diaphragm separating the valve operating rod from a sample receiving space in the sample cavity;

means for reciprocating the valve operating rod and a portion of the diaphragm to engage and disengage the sealing tip with the orifice;

a drain passage formed within said body, the drain passage being communicable with the sample cavity; and

a lip provided on an end of the body, the lip having first and second opposed sides, the first side of the lip defining a rear wall of the sample cavity, the valve operating rod and the neck of the diaphragm extending through a bore in the lip into the sample cavity, the base of the diaphragm being outside the sample cavity and being pressed against the second side of the lip to form a seal.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, further comprising an endcap on the body, the endcap forming a portion of the sample cavity.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein the end of the valve operating rod in the diaphragm has a plurality of threads onto which the diaphragm is screwed.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein the diaphragm has a longitudinal axis and wherein the body also has a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the diaphragm being generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, the diaphragm having a bellows portion between the base and the sealing tip.

32. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the bore in the lip of the body is centrally located in the lip, a portion of the valve operating rod extending into the sample cavity being surrounded by the bellows portion of the diaphragm within the sample cavity, the base of the diaphragm being out of contact with both the sample cavity and the bellows portion, the apparatus further comprising a bushing having a neck which is inserted into the bellows opening between the bellows portion and the valve operating rod, the bushing exerting force against the bellows to hold the bellows portion against a wall of the central bore to form the seal which prevents entrance of sample into the central bore from the sample cavity.

33. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, further comprising means for detecting abnormal operation of the device, the means for detecting comprising a probe, the probe being one of at least a temperature probe and a pressure probe, the probe being located outside of the bellows portion of the diaphragm and in one of the body and the drain passage.

34. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the bellows portion is flexible and encloses the valve operating rod, the bellows portion having a plurality of folds dimensioned to prevent accumulation of the sample in the folds when the orifice is closed.

35. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein the means for reciprocating comprises at least one of a manually operated trigger mechanism and a pneumatic actuator for moving the valve operating rod.

36. The apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein the base of the diaphragm has an annular shape and a surface of the base which is pressed against the second side of the lip being completely out of contact with the sample cavity.