US3750964A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Isolation and fractionation of organs of small animals
Assignee: The Institute of Cancer Research: Royal Cancer Hospital
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Filing: 1971-09-28
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Granted: 1973-08-07
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Expires: 1991-09-28
Abstract
Abstract Methods and apparatus are described for isolation of diverse organs from small animals and fractionation thereof. The invention involves a continuous mechanical dissecting system, a centrifugal agitator for the separation of fibrillar from globular particles, and a settling chamber for the fractionation of organs at unit gravity with sedimentation velocities above the useful range for centrifugation. The invention is applicable to the isolation of polytene and non-polytene nuclei from larvae of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and is applicable to other small animals such as adult fruit flies or other insect larvae.
Inventors
- 👤 W Hafner
- 👤 R Ellis
- 👤 L Cohen
- 👤 A Zweidler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 13:22
CPC Classifications
B; B02; B02C; B02C18/00; B02C18/06; B02C18/08; B02C18/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 1, which comprises further progressing the animals between successively larger discs on the rotor and the housing, until the minimum clearance between the rotor and the housing is about 1/4 the diameter of the animals.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 1, which comprises subjecting the animals and the liquid medium to differential gas pressure which aids in flow of the animals and the liquid medium in the clearance space between the housing and the rotor.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
128 words
A device for isolating and fractionating organs of small animals, comprising a vessel containing small animals in liquid medium, a housing extending upward in the vessel, a rotor within the housing and having clearance from it, means for rotating the rotor in one direction, the rotor having grooves which incline opposite the direction of rotation as the medium progresses in the clearance space and the housing having grooves which incline in this direction, needles projecting inward in the grooves of the rotor but not beyond the grooves, the rotor and housing together dissecting the animals and gently squeezing out the organs, and means for taking off the mixture of orgaNs, bodies and liquid medium at a more advanced point of the clearance between the rotor and the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A device of claim 4, having discs on the rotor located at a more advanced point than the groove portions of the rotor, the discs having progressively increasing maximum diameter and the clearance space between the rotor and the housing diminishing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
83 words
A device of claim 5, in which the needles project into the grooves of the housing between 1/4 and 1/2 the depth of the grooves, the clearance between the depths of the grooves on the housing and the depths of the grooves on the rotor being about the diameter of the animals, and the minimum clearance between the ridges of the grooves on the housing and the ridges of the grooves on the rotor being about one-fourth of the diameter of the animals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device of claim 5, in which the minimum clearance between the discs and the housing is about one-fourth of the diameter of the animals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A device of claim 4, in which the grooves on the rotor are gradually sloping with respect to the rotor axis and the grooves on the housing are steeply sloping in the opposite direction.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A device of claim 4, in combination with means for maintaining gas pressure on the animals and the liquid medium at the inlet between the rotor and the housing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
92 words
In a device for dissecting small animals, a vessel adapted to hold the small animals in a liquid medium, a housing having its inlet end below the level of the animals in the liquid medium, a rotor having a clearance between the housing and the vessel, means for rotating the rotor in one direction, the rotor having grooves inclined opposite to the direction of rotation and the housing having grooves inclined in the direction of rotation, and needles in the housing grooves projecting inward less than the depth of the housing grooves.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A device of claim 10, in combination with means for subjecting the inlet end of the animals and liquid medium to gas pressure which will promote flow between the rotor and the housing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A device of claim 10, in which the grooves in the rotor slope gradually with respect to the axis and the grooves in the housing slope more steeply with respect to the axis.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A device of claim 10, in combination with discs of pregressively increasing size on the rotor beyond the grooves, the housing opposite the discs being free from grooves.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
A device of claim 13, having interruptions at circumferential points along the discs.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-08-06 | 1977-02-05 | 1977-08-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-08-06 | 1981-02-05 | 1981-08-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-08-06 | 1985-02-05 | 1985-08-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |