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EP-4741058-A1 - PIPETTING DEVICE, PIPETTE TIP COUPLER AND PIPETTE TIP: DEVICES AND METHODS

EP4741058A1EP 4741058 A1EP4741058 A1EP 4741058A1EP-4741058-A1

Abstract

Pipette tip coupler and a disposable pipette tip for a pipette device comprises a stepped coupler shoulder complementary to an axially stepped pipette tip shoulder; a plurality of circumferentially disposed elements or segments carried by the coupler at a location superior to the coupler shoulder; and a distal elastomeric element carried by the coupler at a location distal to the coupler shoulder wherein the plurality of elements or segments have a circumferential, radially translated state that provides an abutment with a first working surface formed in the interior surface of the tip while compressing the distal elastomeric element into sealing abutment with a second working surface formed in the interior surface of the tip and while abutting the proximally facing axial stop surface of the tip with the distally facing axial stop surface of the coupler to define an axial coupling position of the pipette tip on the pipette device.

Inventors

  • GUZMAN, JOSE EDUARDO
  • BARRESI, THOMAS
  • BELTON, DANA A.

Assignees

  • Hamilton Bonaduz AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20170131

Claims (6)

  1. A pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly comprising: a pipette tip (220) comprising a circumscribing sidewall (226) with an open interior passage (238) including an interior surface (236) and extending along a central longitudinal axis (224) of the pipette tip (220) between an open proximal end (232) and an open distal end (234) of the pipette tip (220); and a pipette tip coupling device (100) comprising: a shank (102) having a proximal end face (104); a coupler body (120) distal to the shank (102), wherein the diameter of the widest portion of the coupler body is greater than the diameter of the widest portion of the shank; a distal stem portion (138); a distal end plate (142); an open-ended interior circumscribing surface (148) forming an open passageway (150) extending longitudinally from the proximal end face (104) through the distal end plate (142); an elastomeric element (160) disposed around the distal stem portion (138) and adjacent to the distal end plate (142); characterized in that a pipette tip ball assembly is provided which circumscribes the shank (102) comprising: a plurality of spherical balls; and a cylindrically-shaped raceway body comprising: a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart guide sockets for carrying the plurality of spherical balls; and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart circular ball openings for receiving and retaining the plurality of spherical balls.
  2. The pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly of the preceding claim, wherein each of the plurality of spherical balls (410) abuts a first inner surface of the circumscribing sidewall (226) of the pipette tip (220) for securing the pipette tip (220) to the pipette tip coupling device (100), and wherein the elastomeric element (160) abuts a second inner surface of the circumscribing sidewall (226) of the pipette tip (220), thereby forming a fluid-tight seal between the pipette tip coupling device (100) and the pipette tip (220).
  3. The pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly of the preceding claim, wherein the second inner surface of the circumscribing sidewall of the pipette tip is a circumferential radially inwardly angled and distally extending sealing surface (270).
  4. The pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly of claim 3, wherein the sealing surface (270) is disposed at an acute angle relative to the central longitudinal axis (224) of the pipette tip (220).
  5. The pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly of claim 2, wherein the second inner surface of the circumscribing sidewall of the pipette tip is a sealing surface (2270) having an angle of substantially ninety degrees relative to the central longitudinal axis of the pipette tip (220).
  6. The pipette tip coupling device (100) and pipette tip (220) assembly of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the sealing surface (270, 2270) is located in an area inferior to an axially stepped shoulder of the pipette tip.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 USC Section 119(e) to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/350,302, filed June 15, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority under 35 USC Section 119(e) to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/350,291, filed June 15, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD This disclosure pertains generally to pipetting devices, and more particularly to pipette tip couplers, disposable pipette tips, tip and coupler combinations, and coupling and decoupling methods of at least one disposable pipette tip to or from at least one pipette tip coupler carried by a pipette device. BACKGROUND Pipette devices are used in a multitude of industries for the transfer of liquids to conduct experimental analysis. As such, to provide control within the experiments being performed, disposable tips are used and intended for one-time use. Disposable tips are employed with both manual pipette devices and automated pipette devices having a large number of pipette units arranged in a row or in a matrix for aspirating samples simultaneously from a large number of vessels and dispensing them elsewhere. Disposable pipette tips have been constructed historically to interface to either a conical or stepped coupling stud. In the cases where a conical coupling stud is used, the disposable tip is constructed in a manner that it must be pre-stressed onto the coupling stud to provide an air tight seal. Due to the tolerances of the two interfacing components, the distance to the end of the tip that comes in contact with liquid is not well controlled. In addition, high press forces are required to pre-stress the tip to create the air tight seal. As a result, microfissures may be formed in the pipette tip which are a cause of leakage. Moreover, the high press forces upon placement of the pipette tip have the disadvantage that for the release of the pipette tip correspondingly high forces have to be applied. The assignee of the present application, HAMILTON Company, teaches in U.S. patent number 7,033,543, issued April 25, 2006, a stepped coupling stud in conjunction with an O-ring that provides a solution for reducing the high press force required to create an air tight seal as well as providing well defined axial positioning of the end of the tip that comes in contact with liquid. As the O-ring is compressed, it provides axially directed force to not only provide the air-tight seal, but also to engage the axial coupling feature on the coupling stud with the counter axial coupling feature on the tip. Nevertheless, current systems utilizing a stepped coupling stud and a solitary O-ring configuration are problematic when the O-ring becomes compromised because the result is an impairment in the air-tight seal and the performance of the pipette device. Additionally, the compression of the O-ring results in the deformation of the O ring that in turn provides the axially directed force and air-tight seal against the working surface of the pipette tip. Counter to this operation, when the compression of the O-ring is removed, the O-ring must disengage from the working surface of the pipette tip to allow the pipette tip to be removed from the coupling stud and the pipette device for disposal. If the O-ring does not fully decompress, some residual force will remain resulting in keeping the tip engaged to the coupling stud and thus requiring an automated external axial counterforce to remove the tip for disposal. Moreover, as the size of the holes to and/or from which liquid is transferred decreases, the need for precision positioning of all of the tips in a controlled manner increases in order to allow successful targeting. Hence, there is a need to ameliorate or overcome one or more of the significant shortcomings delineated hereinabove. SUMMARY Accordingly, and in one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure ameliorates or overcomes one or more of the shortcomings of the known prior art by providing a pipette tip coupler and disposable pipette tip combination that comprises a plurality of circumferentially disposed elements or segments engaging a circumferential interior working surface defining a first working surface of an interior circumscribing surface of a sidewall of the pipette tip in an area superior to a proximally facing axial stop surface of the pipette tip for providing a resultant pre-stress force that pre-stresses the pipette tip axially upward causing a distal elastomeric element of the coupler to be pre-stressed against a second working surface of the pipette tip forming a seal configuration that eliminates the seal deterioration or failure of the known prior art. In addition, and in one aspect, the distal elastomeric element, when compressed against the second working surface, provides a counter axial force to the plural