Patent EP0100664A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0100664A2
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EP
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Specimen cup and cap assembly for clinical analyzer
Assignee: Corning Glass Works
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Filing: 1983-07-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-07-29
Abstract
Abstract A specimen receptacle assembly (22) is provided for a clinical analyzer, for example an apparatus utilized in the testing of biological samples such as, serum or other body fluids. The receptacle assembly (22) comprises a cap (24) formed as an arcuate segment having a plurality of generally vertically extending openings (26) spaced lengthwise therealong, and a plurality of separate specimen cups (14), which are adapted to receive the specimen samples therein. The cap and the cups are provided with means for releasably attaching the cups to the cap as an assembly, whereby each of the openings (26) in the cap provides access to the interior of a respective one of the cups from the exterior of the cap. The attaching means includes cam surfaces (48, 50) and interlocking means (54, 56) on the cap and the cups, for snap-fastening of the cups to the cap, which provide for ready removal of the cups from the cap or vice versa, when it is desired to separate the same. The cups (14) preferably have an enlarged diameter mouth (34) on their upper ends, for facilitating filling by pouring, and have a bottom (38) whose shape minimizes the amount of residual fluid when aspirating the cup.
Inventors
- 👤 Raymond J. Herrmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:37
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01L; B01L3/00; B01L3/50; B01L3/508; B01L3/5082; G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/01; G01N21/03
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A specimen cup and cap assembly for a clinical analyzer apparatus, comprising a strip-like cap having a plurality of generally vertically extending spaced openings therethrough, a plurality of separate specimen cups, and means on said cap and on each said cups for releasably attaching said cups to said cap as an assembly, whereby each of said openings provide access from the exterior to the interior of a respective one said cups, said openings being adapted to provide access for an automatic probe of an associated clinical analyzer apparatus.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
A specimen cup and cap assembly for a clinical analyzer apparatus, comprising a strip-like cap having a plurality of generally vertically extending spaced openings therethrough, a plurality of separate specimen cups, and means on said cap and on each said cups for releasably attaching said cups to said cap as an assembly, whereby each of said openings provide access from the exterior to the interior of a respective one said cups, said openings being adapted to provide access for an automatic probe of an associated clinical analyzer apparatus.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cap is formed as an arcuate strip segment, in plan, said plurality of openings therethrough being spaced lengthwise of said cap segment and in generally evenly spaced relation between the sides thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said cups has an upper portion comprising said attaching means and possessing general flexibility so that said cup can be snapped into and out of holding coaction with said cap upon respectively upward and downward or sidewise force applied to said cup.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 3, wherein said upper portion of said cup is formed of polyethylene plastic, said upper portion possessing memory but being deformable generally radially inwardly to permit said snap fastening entry and/or removal of said cup from said cap or vice versa.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 3 or 4, wherein said attaching means on said cup includes an interlock surface disposed at an angle of approximately 30° with respect to the horizontal and which diverges in a downward and inward direction, said cup having a complementary arranged interlock surface adapted for surface-to-surface engagement with said interlock surface on said cap.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
74 words
6 . An assembly in accordance with claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein said upper portion comprises a plurality of peripherally spaced projections thereon, each of which has cam surface means adapted for camming coaction with generally complementary cam surface means on said cap for causing said inward deformation of said upper portion of said cup with respect to said cap and entry of said cup into snapped fastened coaction relation with said cap.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
127 words
7 . An assembly in accordance with claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein said upper portion comprises cam means spaced circumferentially about the periphery of said cup and connected by flexible webs, said circumferentially spaced cam means being connected by flexible web means, said cap having complementary cam means thereon adapted for camming coaction with said cam means on said cup so as to force the cam means on said cup generally radially inwardly to cause generally radial folding of said webs until said cam means on said cap and said cup pass one another at which time said webs and cam means on said cup are adapted to spring back into their original orientation to cause said attaching means to interlock said cup with said cap.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
80 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein said cam means on said upper portion of said cup is disposed at an angle of approximately 15 degrees with respect to the vertical and slopes in a direction upwardly and inwardly toward the axis of said cup and wherein said cam for means on said cup is disposed at an angle of approximately 15 degrees with respect to the vertical and extends in an upward and inward direction from the horizontal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein said cam means on said cap is disposed at an angle of approximately 15 degrees with respect to the vertical and with said cap cam means diverging in a downward and outward direction with respect to the cam means on said cup.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein said cap is formed of medium impact ABS plastic.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
ll. An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, including laterally projecting protrusions on each of said cups intermediate the upper and lower extremities of said cup, adapted for engagement with a support ring of the apparatus.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein each of said cups comprises a widened entry portion at its upper end which can be conveniently poured into, and a narrower stem portion depending from said entry portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the lower tip of each of said cups comprises a highly polished spherical configuration at its extremity - to facilitate the removal of solution from the respective cup by aspiration.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly in accordance with any preceding claim, including indicia on said cap member for identifying the openings in said cap member with a particular specimen placed therein.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
126 words
An assembly in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each said cup member comprises a mouth portion opening upwardly, a stem portion depending from said mouth portion and a lower distal tip portion extending downwardly from said stem portion, said portions defining a cavity adapted to receive a specimen therein, said mouth portion being wider as compared to the width of said stem portion, and said tip portion having an interior bottom surface which is of generally spherical configuration with said recess defined by said cup diminishing in width from the upper extremity of said mouth portion to the lower end of said tip portion, with the exterior end of said tip portion being of convergingly tapered configuration in a downward direction.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
An assembly in accordance with claim 15, wherein the juncture of said mouth portion with said stem portion is defined by a sloping surface extending in converging relationship in a downward direction.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
144 words
A specimen cup adapted for assembly with a cap member for use in a clinical analyzer apparatus, said cup comprising an upper portion possessing general flexibility so that said cup can be snapped into and out of holding coaction with an associated cap upon respectively upward and downward force applied to said cup with respect to said cap, said upper portion comprising attaching and cam means spaced circumferentially about the periphery of said cup at the upper end thereof, and being so constructed and arranged that said attaching and cam means can flex generally radially inwardly upon either upward movement of said cup with respect to an associated cap or upon downward movement of the associated cap with respect to said cup, for causing interlocking coaction between said attaching and cam means on said cup and complementary attaching and cam means on the cap.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
144 words
A specimen cup adapted for assembly with a cap member for use in a clinical analyzer apparatus, said cup comprising an upper portion possessing general flexibility so that said cup can be snapped into and out of holding coaction with an associated cap upon respectively upward and downward force applied to said cup with respect to said cap, said upper portion comprising attaching and cam means spaced circumferentially about the periphery of said cup at the upper end thereof, and being so constructed and arranged that said attaching and cam means can flex generally radially inwardly upon either upward movement of said cup with respect to an associated cap or upon downward movement of the associated cap with respect to said cup, for causing interlocking coaction between said attaching and cam means on said cup and complementary attaching and cam means on the cap.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
89 words
A cup in accordance with claim 17, wherein said attaching and cam means comprises spaced protuberances spaced about the periphery of said cup and connected by flexible webs so that upon insertion and/or removal of said cup from the cap, the protrusions are caused to move generally radially inwardly and to cause flexure to said webs, to permit the attaching and cam means on said cup and the cap to pass by one another, after which said attaching and cam means on said cup spring back into non-deformed condition.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
53 words
A cup member in accordance with claim 17 or 18, said cup comprising a stem portion extending downwardly from said upper portion, and including means projecting laterally of said stem portion of said cup for engagement with an apertured support in which the cup is adapted to be mounted in the analyzer apparatus.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
A cup in accordance with any one of claims 17 to 19, which is formed of a mixture of high density and low density polyethylene thereby providing flexibility to the cup.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
A cup in accordance with claim 20, wherein the polyethylene material for the cup comprises twenty-five percent by weight of high density polyethylene and seventy-five percent by weight of the low density polyethylene.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
100 words
A cup in accordance with any one of claims 17 to 21, which comprises an upper mouth portion, a stem portion depending from the mouth portion, and a lower tip portion extending downwardly from said stem portion, said cup being of a generally circular configuration in horizontal cross-section with said mouth portion being of a greater diameter as compared to the diameter of said stem portion, and with said tip portion defining a spherical configuration on its interior surface with the centre of the spherical configuration being disposed in a plane extending through the lower extremity of said stem portion.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
59 words
A cup in accordance with claim 22, wherein the radius of said spherical portion is less than the radius of said stem portion, and wherein said mouth portion is connected to said stem portion to define the recess in said cup by a downwardly sloping shoulder portion disposed at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the horizontal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
88 words
A cap adapted for assembly with a plurality of specimen cups for use for instance in a clinical analyzer apparatus, said cap comprising a strip of material having a plurality of generally vertically extending openings therethrough, and means on the underside of said cap for releasably attaching a plurality of associated cups to the cap as an assembly, said means coacting with each of said openings for orientating a respective cup in communicating relation with the respective of said openings in said cap from exterior of said cap.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
88 words
A cap adapted for assembly with a plurality of specimen cups for use for instance in a clinical analyzer apparatus, said cap comprising a strip of material having a plurality of generally vertically extending openings therethrough, and means on the underside of said cap for releasably attaching a plurality of associated cups to the cap as an assembly, said means coacting with each of said openings for orientating a respective cup in communicating relation with the respective of said openings in said cap from exterior of said cap.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
43 words
A cap in accordance with claim 24, wherein each of said openings is defined by an inverted truncated conical portion and said means comprises a shoulder coacting with the respective opening adapted for interlocking an associated cup to the underside of the cap.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
41 words
A cap in accordance with claim 25 formed of opaque plastic material, said cap having a defining exterior side wall depending below said conical portions defining said openings therethrough, said plastic being able to be written upon by cdnventional writing instruments.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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