Search

EP-4584019-B1 - APPARATUS FOR LABORATORY WARE

EP4584019B1EP 4584019 B1EP4584019 B1EP 4584019B1EP-4584019-B1

Inventors

  • RENNIE, Graham William

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230908

Claims (15)

  1. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') comprising: a box (12a-e,12') being substantially a sector of a cylinder: having first and second end walls (16a,16b) being the sector shape enclosed between a perimeter (18,18') and two radii (20a,20b) at either end (22a,22b) of that perimeter, first and second rectangular side walls (24a,24b) with a width less than or equal to the radii and a length; and a mounting plate (36,36') with first and second opposing curved edges (38a,38b) at ends of parallel arranged side edges (40a,40b), the plate including an array of apertures (42,42') therethrough; each of said apertures being configured such that an item of laboratory ware (14,14') placed in the aperture is directed radially inwardly towards a tip (28) of the sector.
  2. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 1 wherein the mounting plate (36,36') is dimensioned to fit in the box (12a-e, 12').
  3. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the magazine includes laboratory ware (14,14') being a plurality of pipette tips and wherein the apertures (42,42') are shaped to each hold a pipette tip.
  4. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any preceding claim wherein the perimeter (18) is an arc and the cylinder has a circular cross-section.
  5. A laboratory ware magazine (10') according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the perimeter (18') is a chord and the cylinder has a polygonal cross-section.
  6. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any preceding claim wherein the box (12a-e,12') includes at least one lid (26) with dimensions matching the perimeter of the end walls (16a,16b) and the length of the side walls (24a,24b).
  7. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 6 wherein the lid (26) is curved and/or the lid is hinged to one of the side walls (24a,24b) or the lid is a slide fit to slide over the length of the box (12a-e,12') to provide an opening space in the box.
  8. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 6 wherein the lid (26) is a flexible member being selected from a group consisting of: a plastic film attached to the box and a metal foil attached to the box.
  9. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any one of claims 6 to claim 8 wherein the lid (26) is sealed to the box (12a-e, 12').
  10. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any preceding claim wherein the number of apertures (42,42') in the mounting plate (36,36') is selected from a group consisting of 96, 100 and 128.
  11. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 10 wherein the apertures (42,42') are in an x by y rectangular array with the y apertures arranged along the length of the side edges (24a,24b) and the x apertures arranged along the perimeter of the end walls (16a,16b), and the array is selected from a group consisting of an 8 by 12 array, an 8 by 16 array, a 6 by 16 array and a 10 by 10 array.
  12. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any preceding claim wherein the laboratory ware magazine includes a mounting receptacle (64,65), comprising a rectangular member having a base to locate upon a work bench or the like; and a recess (68) shaped to hold the box (12) for all ends of the perimeter (18') to be equidistant from a plane of the base.
  13. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 12 wherein the mounting receptacle (65) includes a rotational mount configured to allow the box (12) to rotate about the centre of the two radii.
  14. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to any one of claims 1 to claim 11 wherein a plurality of boxes (12a-e) are arranged to form a cylindrical assembly (46,46').
  15. A laboratory ware magazine (10,10') according to claim 14 wherein the cylindrical assembly (46,46') includes end caps (50a,50b) which affix to each box (12a-e) at the first and second end walls (16a, 16b) and an assembly receptacle being a substantially rectangular member having a base for locating upon a work surface, and a recess (56) into which the cylindrical assembly is located.

Description

The present invention relates to laboratory ware magazines, laboratory ware magazine stacks and laboratory ware dispensers. Pipette tips are used widely in laboratories. In the laboratory pipette tips are often stored in dispensers that provide protection from contamination whilst allowing for ease of access when the tips are to be put into use. Pipette tip dispensers are normally of rectangular footprint and covered by a lift-off, hinged lid or preferably sliding lid. The typical number of pipette tips found in a box is 96, arranged in an 8x12 matrix. In use, the lid of such a dispenser is slid to one side or the other to allow for the removal of some of the stored pipette tips whilst protecting the other tips from contamination. Removal is by a pipette which may remove a single pipette tip, single channel pipette or remove four, eight or twelve in a linear array at one time, with a 4, 8 or 12 multi-channel pipette. These known pipette tip dispensers of rectangular footprint take up an area of work surface commensurate with that footprint and, therefore, when a large number of pipette tips are required for use at the same time, for example when robotic pipetting machinery is to be employed, a relatively large footprint area is required to house the pipette tip dispensers. Further, when multi-channel pipettes are used, either manual or automated, the contents of known pipette tip dispensers are emptied relatively rapidly due to the limited pipette tip storage capacity. WO2007045888 describes a laboratory ware dispenser comprising: a receptacle defining a space; at least one laboratory ware magazine for containing items of laboratory ware and comprising a plurality of apertures; the space defined by the receptacle being configured to receive the laboratory ware magazine; and the receptacle comprising at least one aperture in a surface thereof the aperture being dimensioned such that at least one but not all of the apertures of the laboratory ware magazine are registerable with the aperture of the receptacle upon relative rotation of the receptacle and laboratory ware magazine. The invention further provides a laboratory ware magazine comprising: an annular support member defining a space for containing a plurality of items of laboratory ware; a plurality of apertures arranged around a circumference of the annular support member, each aperture being adapted to receive an item of laboratory ware; and each of said apertures being configured such that an item of laboratory ware placed in the aperture is directed radially inwardly of the annular support member into the space and is retained in the aperture. The invention even further provides a laboratory ware magazine stack comprising a plurality of laboratory ware magazines. An embodiment of a laboratory ware dispenser of WO2007045888 is shown in Figures 1(a)-(c). By arranging the apertures A to face radially inwards, a pipette tip dispenser B formed of circular magazines C, each holding 40 apertures equidistantly spaced around an annular support frame D, can be snapped together to form a cylindrical assembly E, locatable in a cylindrical housing F. Frame D holds the pipette tips G in the apertures A. Housing F provides a linear array of access points H with individual covers J and end caps K so that pipette tips A loaded in the magazines C formed into assembly E, can be stored in sterile conditions. The housing F is formed integrally with a stand L and with the end caps K attached to the assembly E, the assembly can be rotated relative to the housing F, to align an access point H with an aperture A and remove a pipette tip G. Typically 12 magazines C are in the assembly E. Pipette tip dispenser B advantageously has a footprint for the 480 pipette tips G which is appreciably smaller than that for five of the rectangular pipette tip dispensers needed for the equivalent number of pipette tips. This saves laboratory space. A disadvantage of the dispenser B is that single channel pipettes have limited use. Additionally, if any aperture A becomes contaminated then the entire assembly E of 480 pipette tips must be disposed of. DE 195 42 921 describes another laboratory ware dispenser of the prior art. It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a laboratory ware magazine which obviates or mitigates at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a laboratory ware magazine comprising: a box being substantially a sector of a cylinder: having first and second end walls being the sector shape enclosed between a perimeter and two radii at either end of that perimeter, first and second rectangular side walls with a width less than or equal to the radii and a length; anda mounting plate with first and second opposing curved edges at ends of parallel arranged side edges, the plate including an array of apertures therethrough;each of said apertures being configured such th